The Truth about Lord Stoneville

Hellions of Halstead Hall, Book 1

By: Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by: James Clamp

Oliver Sharpe, the Marquess of Stoneville, has been London's most notorious rake for years. Fed up with his behavior, his grandmother threatens to disinherit him if he doesn't tame his wild ways and wed within the year. Outraged, Oliver decides to hire a woman from a brothel to pose as his fiancée to prove that he can't be forced into marriage.

When he meets Maria Butterfield, a beautiful American woman who is searching for her fiancé in the most unlikely of places, he knows she's perfect for his ruse. But before long, Oliver finds himself willing to risk anything to make Maria his - even his heart, and the dark secret he hides inside it.

©2010 Sabrina Jeffries (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Filled with larger-than-life characters and lively dialogue, this sizzling romance proves once again that Sabrina Jeffries is a "grand mistress of storytelling.'" ( Romantic Times)

engaging story and lovable characters

This book was great. The story line was interesting, although predictable, and the characters were all entertaining. The narrator was great too! If you like romances, get this book!

It was cute and sexy

I enjoyed it worth the cost will purchase the rest of series, even thou all of the narrators are different

Kept Me Listening to the End

I read the sub-3-star reviews and respectfully disagree. Although it took the lead characters a short time to fall for each other, this is a romance novel and sometimes that's how leads roll. I found the leads likeable and their behavior made sense for the type of people they were. As for Maria making exceptions for Oliver against her moral beliefs, she did feel conflicted about them and did her best to conduct herself within them. I found her more believable and engaging for those struggles. Oliver's emotional arc played out the way I would expect for someone carrying a load of profound shame and guilt. All in all, I liked this story and bought book 2 of the series. There are several scenes of on-page, detailed physical intimacy. In my personal heat scale, this novel is medium. The narrator's performance was OK. I would not search for other books he performed but he kept me listening through the epilogue.

Enjoyable story

The story was entertaining, and I enjoyed the plot of the book.
The narrator was not very good. All his characters sounded the same and he struggled with any lines that needed emotion, which made it harder to get into and stay interested in the story.
Once again, I wish Audible would let readers make and save narrator ratings, just so you can remember who you want to remember and avoid in the future.

A solid romance

The book is one of Jeffries' better ones, a twist on the woman-saves-man type. Well-developed, endearing characters. Lots of sensuality, but not too much sex. The narrator, however, needs voice acting lessons. His vocal portrayals of most of the characters annoyed me, and he often was overly emphatic in the narration. I enjoyed the book despite him.