The Lord of Heartbreak

Reluctant Regency Brides, Book 2

By: Claudia Stone

Narrated by: Duke DeFoix, Duchess DeFoix

Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's Summary

Miss Jane Deveraux is in a bind; her brother, Viscount Jarvis, has married and his new wife does not want her bookish sister-in-law encroaching on their wedded bliss. The Viscountess makes it very clear that Jane must find a husband, but the confirmed spinster doesn’t have many suitors lining up to claim her hand. 

What Jane needs is a large sum of money, so that she can buy the local boarding house, and live out her days holding intellectual saloons for the egalitarian set. Though where she’ll find this money is anyone’s guess… 

James Fairweather, Lord Payne is the heir to the Ducal seat of Hawkfield. Tall, handsome, and with a roguish charm that has women falling at his feet, he should be living the easy life of an entitled bachelor. The only problem is that his father has tired of his rakish ways and declares that unless Payne cleans up his act he will be disinherited. What Payne needs is a respectable - dare he say boring - woman that he can parade around for a season to convince his father that he has changed his ways. The only person who fits the bill is his friend’s sister, Jane, who reluctantly agrees to go along with the charade - for a price, of course. Though when the Lord of Heartbreak finds himself falling in love with the clever, bookish young woman, he realizes that he’s very much so at risk of having his own heart broken. 

This sweet, regency comes with a guaranteed happily ever after and can be read as part of the series or as a stand-alone novel.

©2018 Claudia Stone (P)2018 Claudia Stone

Funny clean regency romance

I loved this book!
I have listened to one other by this author and I really liked it, so when I saw this, I thought I have to get it and I was not disappointed.
My favourite character has to be James, he is really funny without trying to be. His character was not simply black and white like I thought he would be at the beginning. As the story progressed we see that he also has different shades to his personality as well, this gave him a more realistic appearance.
Jane I liked to begin with and then I felt like slapping her for doing something silly after we are told and shown how intellegent she is but this only showed us that yes she maybe clever when it comes to information but she is not so good when it comes to the matter of the heart.
I have to admit that when I started listening to it first I thought these two main characters are not going to get together becaues they were like chalk and cheese, totally different, but as the story progressed we see more of their personality and how hard James tried to win Jane over. I absoultly loved him.
I thought the author did really well in developing the the main character (james) from when we first saw him to when he wins Jane over at the end. His personality doesn't change a lot but he matures in certain areas.
There are other characters that I also loved and hated is Janes brother, who I felt like slapping for how cruel he acted at times. I found he blow hot and cold at times when it came to Jane. His wife was a brat but this is due more to her age and to the fact that her husband doesn't stop her from doing horrible things. I think that is why they suited each other. I also loved Janes companion. She is funny too and I would love to know her story!! We meet many more that help or hinder the romance. I thought it was a really good drama.
I would highly recommend it to all since it is a clean read and it makes you laugh and smile at different times in the book.
I am looking forward to reading or listening to this authors other books.

adorble

an adorable book who is a great heartwarming funny and cute story I like the book very much it was very very nice a very enjoyable book a little bit heart squeezing story
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

All Good Characters

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. This book kept my interest from beginning to end. I loved James and Jan's companion out of all of the characters. Jane's brother should have put his wife's mother in her place but he was so in love with his wife that he could not. James does finally find his way into Jane's heart but it is a difficult and funny process. This is a nice, sweet, funny romance that will make you want to slap Jane a time or two but after all sometimes when you are so book smart you miss the clues that are in front of your face about the heart.

Oh, My Heart!

After Jane Deveraux's brother marries, her new sister in law makes her dislike of Jane obvious and has no intention of sharing her home with a spinster bookworm. Jane is used to a lifetime of insults, but when her brother goes a step further and bribes a man to marry her, it's the last straw.

James Fairweather's father, the Duke of Hawkfield, is tired of his son's wasteful ways and threatens to disinherit him unless he shows he's matured. James has a scheme to prove to his father that he's matured, he and Jane will pretend to be engaged for the season. That way, James will prove to his father that he's matured, and James will save a building Jane loves. But James finds himself falling for the no nonsense Jane and wishes their pretend betrothal could be real.

I really enjoyed this sweet clean read! I didn't read the first book yet, but this one can be read as a standalone. I finished it in a day, although it took me longer than 4.5 hours because I re-listened to the sweet parts and funny bits so many times! There were so many laugh out loud moments, the banter between James and his father and sister got me every time. I liked Jane, not only because I love a bookworm heroine, but because she was such a sweet person despite the emotional abuse she's had to endure. And James, the romantic rake who valued Jane from the beginning, describing her as the softest of souls... Oh, my heart!

The dual narration, with the male and female narrator alternating chapters and narrating the male and female speaking parts, only took a few minutes to get used to and was seamless. Both narrators perform with vigor, which really matches the tone of the book, and made the whole thing enjoyable. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. I'd recommend this sweet novel, and I'm going back to read the first book in the series!

No Heartbreak Here!

I looked forward to listening to the next Claudia Stone book narrated by the Duchess and Duke DeFoix and they did not disappoint. Their voices are perfect for Ms. Stone's books. They give life to the characters and to the story as opposed to just an everyday bland reading. Bravo to the DeFoixs and to Ms. Stone. When do we get to listen to the next book?

Adorable

This is the second book of the Reluctant Regency Brides series. I didn't think I could love this book as much as the first one, but James stole my heart from the get-go. Jane is also a nice character, a woman who's smart and intellectual but doesn't know anything about the matters of the heart. Their interactions had me smiling at nothing as I listened to them, Once again Duke and Duchess DeFoix leave me speechless with their amazing voice acting. I loved their dynamics and how they narrate this story. The Duke narrates all the male voices and the Duchess narrates all the females voices, giving the audiobook an extra something that made me listen to it in one sitting.
Overall this is a sweer, adorable and heartwarming read.
NOTE: Even though you can listen to the books of the series out of order, I would strongly suggest anyone interested to listen to this before the third book of the series. The Marquess of Temptation's first 6-7 chapters take place along this book and in the third book most of the events narrated here are skipped over, which could make it a little confusing.

A Lord worth Loving

Miss Jane Devaraux knows she is not wanted at home since her brother the Viscount Jarvis has married. Her brother has never given her a compliment and so she is used to his tone. She is still pining for an Anthologist who left on an expedition. When Lord Payne asks Jane to be his pretend finance she says no. When her brother and wife laugh at her that no one would want to marry her she begs to differ and says Lord Payne has asked for her hand. They laugh even harder. When Lord Payne says he indeed asked everyone wants to know why.
When Jane's first love returns home early due to loosing several toes she starts pining for him. James (Lord Payne) realizes that he has fallen in love with Jane and must show her that he really does want her as his forever wife. A great story with wonderful narrators.

Friends to Lovers?

I read books two and three out of order and am perfectly delighted that I did. They actually work well in either direction as they overlap heavily, presenting a series of events from a number of points of view, but each focusing on a separate pair of protagonists. It was especially delightful to see them from completely different viewpoints. I haven't checked Debrett to see whether DeFoix represents a real title or stage names, but the couple narrates both books delightfully, alternating chapters and bringing the tales to life. While Austen's original Regency Romances were of her time, I've always looked to Heyer for presenting the Regency but allowing for modern sensibilities and humor. Ms Stone meets and exceeds expectations with her clever stories.

Couldn't stop listening!

This was my 2nd Claudia Stone Audible narrated by Duke and Duchess DeFoix. Like the previous audio-book (Book 1, Duke of Ruin), I planned to save the story for walks; but couldn't stop listening.
The plot was clever and had a nice overlap with Book 1 in the series. Like Book 1, the end was satisfying. A few story threads were left untied in order to pave the way for Book 3; but this did not diminish the overall story in Book 2.
The characters were well-rounded and the narrators (Duke and Duchess DeFoix) did a superb job of telling the story and bringing the characters to life!
If you like Jane Austen's books, I think you'll like the Lord of Heartbreak.

Narrators not for me

I’ll have to give this series a try on Kindle instead. The over-the-top theatre-like female narration is not for me. I see other reviewers like this narrating couple, so it’s probably just me.

If you can tolerate the narrator voice.

I have to admit that I find the narrators voice jarring.
So though the story is enjoyable, I can't get pass the narrators voice.
I wish narrators in general would learn the correct pronunciations.
Phaeton is "faint ton" not " fight ton"
Berkshire is " Barkshire"
Berkeley Square is " Barkeley Square".
Sorry to be so nagging, but the voice highlights the errors.

Loved this

I always enjoy Claudia Stone's historical romances and this was no exception. I love fake romance storylines as they provide lots of scope for drama. That eureka moment when they each realise they are in live is always fun to read.
This was a sweet romance, excellently narrated.
I voluntarily reviewed a review copy.