The Lady's Guide to Deception and Desire

The Lady's Guide..., Book 2

By: Emmanuelle de Maupassant

Narrated by: Gareth J. Davies

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Studborne Abbey, Dorset, 1883

With limited funds, and a long way from Texas, Rosamund must pretend she's a wealthy catch. Meeting the Duke of Studborne, have her prayers been answered? Perhaps...but what of the mysterious disappearances at Studborne Abbey?

If she is to uncover the truth, only one person can help her....

The duke's annoyingly principled, far-too-honourable nephew.

What to expect: a dashing young hero, an ingenious heroine, a mischievous dog, and an ancient mansion filled with secrets.

GUARANTEED: Adventure, intrigue, laugh-out-loud moments, scorching love scenes, and the promise of enduring love.

Discover more in this exciting series

The Lady's Guide to Escaping Cannibals

The Lady's Guide to a Highlanders Heart

The Lady's Guide to Mistletoe and Mayhem

The Lady's Guide to Scandal

'The Lady's Guide to Deception and Desire'

'The Lady's Guide to Tempting a Transylvanian Count'

The Lady's Guide to Well-Endowed Dukes

Each story can be listened to individually, and in any order.

©2021 Emmanuelle de Maupassant (P)2022 Emmanuelle de Maupassant

Great mystery

I loved the plot and the mystery of the missing maids. The duke and his obsession with his dead wife gave me shivers. Highly recommended

suspenseful

Ben and Rosie's story was such a journey!!! This was suspenseful and took some dark twists; I never saw coming. Now I understand why the
tunnels were sealed off as mentioned in book 1. Wow!! I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters and story to life. The special sound effects and haunting music added to my experience. I enjoyed the narrators voices and expressions.

Romantic

Once again we are drawn into another wonderful romance. The Narrator has us drawn into the emotions of the characters.

Wonderful

This was very good. I enjoyed the storyline and the way the characters interact together. There is adventure and lots of exciting moments. The narration was good. I am enjoying this series.

Full of suspense!

Story lends an interest in archaeology. Full of suspense, danger & intrigue. Dog called PomPom is a hit. Follow Rosamonde along as she tries to make a way to succeed for she & her mom. What a surprise that leads to!

A gothic romp full love, intrigue and surprises!

The wonderful books in this series revolve around a guidebook that all the heroines have that give proper advice to how ladies in society should behave and what to expect in marriage. The ladies however encounter many adventures and challenges that the Lady's Guide never envisioned! In this book, Rosamund, an American traveling to England with her mother, is on a mission to marry a rich husband. She starts looking in a rural area because it would be more like her life in Texas. She encounters two men, a widowed duke and his bookish nephew, who might fit the bill.

The Audible edition is wonderfully narrated by Gareth Davies who does the various voices, including the Texans, perfectly. his voice is deep and adds to the atmosphere, as do the haunting music at the beginning of each chapter and sound effects. I wish more Audible books would include these touches.

Rosamund is clever and calculating as she weaves her deception that she is a rich oil empire heiress, but she knows she must find a way for her mother and herself to survive. The book has great atmosphere at the duke's home in an ancient abbey complete with a basement full of crypts and secret rooms and passages. The feeling is gothic, creepy and suspenseful as Rosamund tries to discover the secrets of the manor and the grieving duke. There was romance, mystery, action and humor, especially when Rosamund tries to reconcile what she finds with what the Lady's Guide tells her. There is also a creative, fun and hot love scene as well!

Good Historical Fiction

I enjoyed book 2, "The Lady's Guide To Deception And Desire". An American woman journeyed to England to escape from her husband. When money got tight, the woman convinced her daughter to marry. The story was romantic and mysterious with a Gothic vibe to it. There were sexual scenes described, so it is for a more mature audience. Gareth J Davies' narration was good and kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

this was a good listen for fall

3.5 stars rounded up.

Since her father disowned her and her mother, Rosamund Burnell has quite a few problems to contend with. She and her mother are stuck in England, far from their Texas home and she has few options. The most obvious coping mechanism is to pretend she’s still the oil heiress she seems to be and find a wealthy English lord to marry.

Now she’s met the aging Duke of Studborne, a man in need of an heir, he seems the answer to Rosamund’s prayers, and he seemed infatuated with her. Unfortunately, Rosamund’s attraction is only for the duke’s nephew, Benedict Studborne, a penniless scholar. She knows she needs to use her head and not her heart to ensure her survival and her mother’s, but when it becomes apparent that the duke’s courtship isn’t quite the infatuation it seems, Rosamund finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation.

It seems the disappearing maids at the Abbey may not have simply shirked their duties, but something far more sinister may be occurring within the Abbey walls and Rosamund will need help from the frustratingly strait-laced Benedict to get to the truth.

This book was definitely darker than I expected, but the narrator does a great job of bringing the listener into the story. This spooky, gothic tale is perfect for the fall/Halloween season and those who like to mood read. We definitely have instalove between Benedict and Rosamund as they don’t have too terribly many interactions together on page, but they were still a believable couple for me. I wasn’t a huge fan of the misunderstanding between them, but it resolved quickly and in a way that I found satisfying. This was a nice, quick story to get me into the fall spirit, and though it was rather darker than I expected, I enjoyed listening to it.

Great beginning

If the rest of the series is as good as this story, I won't miss a book! The characters are interesting and the descriptions of the action and the suspense is so thrilling.
The narrator did a wonderful job.

Ladies guide to deception and desires

Received audible book from author for my honest review.
Always love the sound effects that she uses on her audible books.
Great story line that keep me engaged during the entire story. A mother takes her daughter from an abusive husband in the states and flee to England countryside. They encounter a nephew of a duke on the seaside and he invites them to stay at his uncle's Abby since his uncle is grieving his late wife. The mother and daughter have little money and the mother is hoping the Duke will make a match with her daughter. But the daughter is falling in love with the nephew. Strange things are happening at the Abby. Interesting storyline.Would highly recommend this book and audible.