The Harlow Hoyden

A Regency Romance (Love Takes Root, Book 1)

By: Lynn Messina

Narrated by: Lucy Rayner

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Miss Emma Harlow hasn't earned the reputation as a hoyden for nothing, so when the duke of Trent discovers her in his conservatory stealing one of his orchids, he isn't surprised - charmed, delighted and puzzled, yes, but not surprised. It is Emma who is amazed. She has naturally concluded that the man reading in the conservatory must be the country cousin (who else in London would actually read?) and is quite vexed to discover that he is the duke of Trent himself - imagine, stealing the duke's prize Rhyncholaelia digbyana under his very nose!

But her vexation doesn't last long. For Emma is a practical young lady with a mission: to end her dear sister Lavinia's engagement to the villainous (and dreadfully dull!) Sir Waldo Windbourne, and she thinks that the famous libertine is just the man for the job. If he would only seduce her sister away from Sir Waldo...well, not seduce exactly, but flirt mercilessly and engage her interest. Perhaps then Lavinia would jilt the baron.

The duke of Trent is resistant, of course. Despite his reputation, he does not toy with the affections of innocents. And besides, it's not her sister he longs to seduce.

©2014 Lynn Messina (P)2019 Tantor

Hairaising Hoyden

Wonderful story, great action and just the right amount of romance! Perfection! You’ll enjoy this one!

Annoying Minnie Mouse voice

If you like Minnie Mouse then this is the book for you. I had to slow down the narration in order to tolerate finishing the book.

Exceptional story worth listening to.

I really enjoyed the twists and turns. It was very well done. I loved it.

Nicely written story

Cute story, far fetched for the time period, but I did enjoy it. Story flow was spot on and nice read overall. This was a very short quick read.

Love these characters

Anyone who loves romance and mystery will like it. This is one of my favorite authors.

Fun story, cute romance

Looking forward to the rest of the series. This was such a promising start. Lovely narration as well; Rayner kept me immersed in the story.

Happy Harlow Holden!

This was a cute story and easy to listen to. I loved the narrator’s voice for the characters and would recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a witty, humorous story. If you want a story that’s not too heavy and can overlook the repetitive details, you should enjoy this story. That being said, you can pick up on the characters self reflections and how they want to be perceived. The duke, Alex, doesn’t want to be seen as a rake. I found it nice to actually listen to a story where the man wasn’t a rake or rogue.
The twins find themselves in the story and Roger has to share his secret as well. Overall, good listen about overcoming fears, not settling and knowing your self worth.

CL

That voice!

The story was fine. The characters were fine, I guess? I thought they were sort of shallow or caricatures rather than real characters but maybe that is what they're supposed to be for a romance novel? But maybe it was also the narrator's voice for the main character (and her twin sister) - it was better suited for a child or at least a minor character. Instead of coming across as a strong, independent young woman (and the author makes a point that Emma is not some young miss just out of the school room) the high pitched, laughing voice made her sound like a spoiled and frivolous child. Hearing that child-like voice within the loves scenes made them feel creepy too. Even my husband, who usually ignores what I'm listening to, said "WHY is she squeaking like that?" Also, it could have used some editing - 10 hrs is too long for a simple mystery/love story. I thought there were some good parts, but that voice...

Enjoyable Regency Romance

Not quite traditional, but good story with Unusual heroine - strong and capable, able to save herself. Not a sweet romance as is some explicit sex, but not until later in story and not in every chapter after that. I liked the reader and thought she did a very good job

Give it a moment to get going!

Once it got going - didn’t take too long - I couldn’t stop listening! The main characters’ voices are a little high pitched but it works.