The Jewels of Halstead Manor

Ladies of Devon

By: Kasey Stockton

Narrated by: Victoria Brazier

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

She can only stay as long as the invalid needs her... so he makes it his business to need her forever.

When a cryptic invitation brings Giulia Pepper to her uncle's remote estate in Devon, she arrives in dire need of a benefactor, only to discover that her uncle never sent her any invitation — nor does he want her there. Forced into a corner, Giulia must contrive a way to convince him to allow her to remain, just long enough to figure out where to go next.

Nicholas never asked for an earldom, but when an aged lord arrives at his door and tells Nicholas that he is next in line for the title, he willingly goes to Halstead Manor to learn the role. But someone isn’t pleased with the heir, and after a gunshot wound in the arm, Nicholas must discover who is out to get him.

When Giulia stumbles — literally — over a fallen man on the lane to Halstead, she has her answer: She can stay at Halstead and nurse her uncle's heir back to health. But as mystery builds and danger mounts, will Giulia and Nicholas be able to solve the puzzle before the Earl forces Giulia to leave for good? And furthermore, can they manage to work together without losing their hearts in the process?

©2020 Kasey Stockton (P)2020 Kasey Stockton

Clean, exciting romance

I really loved this book. Giulia was such a fun character! She said what she thought and didn’t shrink away when people didn’t like how she acted. This was such a different plot line from other books I’ve read in the regency genre and it was refreshing. I can honestly say I didn’t guess the ending (only a few parts of it). I only wish there had been another 100 pages or so - I hope there will be a sequel.
This narrator was AWESOME. She had different voices and accents for the different characters and she even did a good job with the male voices.
Well done Kasey! This one is definitely worth reading!

Mystery was good

This is a typical HR with the addition of a good mystery. It was a bit slow, so faster speeds helped. Also, there was a lot of repetition in the internal thoughts, which seems common as filler for this genre. I enjoyed it nonetheless, and won't hesitate to seek out this author again.

Engaging and smart

This book hits all my faves- great story, suspense with unexpected ending, historical fiction, funny, with a little bit of clean romance. Such an enjoyable read (or listen), I’m sad it’s over but am excited for the next in the series!

A jewel of a story

Thoroughly enjoyable! It's a great story by Stockton with a well performed narration by Brazier. This is a good combination. I hope the rest of the series has audiobooks soon!

Lovely Story

Throughly enjoyed this story. It was hard to step away from. This is my fist book by this author but am planning to get another.

Amazing!!!

This novel was wonderfully written! It has absolutely everything in a good balance: Mystery, romance, a little danger, and, of course, a satisfying ending. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a clean romance.

The narration is fantastic! Victoria Brazier did wonderful voices, and made everything easy to listen to and follow. She expressed the feeling of each part of the story so perfectly.

I couldn't get enough! Seriously, a really great audiobook.

Romance and mystery

First book by this author for me and I enjoyed it. The main character drove me a bit crazy at times and some things were very obvious in the beginning, but it was a good journey to the happily ever after. Looking forward to the next book. This narrator was fantastic!!!

Mysterious romance

The narrator had such a soothing voice. My children loved overhearing parts because the accent was so delightful. I really enjoyed not knowing where the treasure was, and I made my own guesses along with the characters. I was surprised by the ending and loved how Jules’s uncle softened over time.

Wonderful Romance!

I loved the story! I loved how it was a romance but there was also a mystery that had to be solved. I also thought the narrator did a great job and captured the essence of each character in her reading.

Searching for the Key

Giulia Pepper was brave to go to her Uncle Robert's on a letter she received from him. She has never met him and he rejected her father years ago. At first he rejects her too, but she saves his heir Nick Pepper after he's been shot and he agrees she can stay while she is tending to him. Nick and Giulia discover a mystery as they pour over her father's journals and search for a missing jeweled key and hidden treasures while worrying about continued threats to their lives. Despite their attraction to each other she thinks Nick is just a selfish flirt and breaker of women's heart and besides she is sort of promised to her deceased father's employee. Giulia had quite an adventurous life traveling around the world and living off her father's tales. I was surprised she would be content to stay in one place with a simpler life. At first I wasn't sure about the ladies in the village she made friends with, but they each have their own challenges to deal with.

The British narrator has a rich accent and moves well from one character to the next with inflections in all the right places. She did well to distinguish the character's voices so your could tell who it was even before she told you. I held my breath during the suspenseful moments and smiling and laughing at the sweet ones.

Entertaining clean romance

I am always sceptical for historical romances written by American authors (I am sorry to be stereotypical) but so many have been so inaccurate to culture and period that it has ruined the storyline. However I have to say that Kasey Stockton did a good job. Although she still had inaccuracies (such as the use of the word ‘mate’ which was not used then) I was able to overlook them and enjoy the story.
I throughly enjoyed this book, it was entertaining, detailed and substantial.
I would definitely recommend.
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.