What You Desire

Anything for Love, Book 1

By: Adele Clee

Narrated by: Mary Phillips

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Sebastian Ashcroft, fourth Marquess of Danesfield, had no intention of accompanying Sophie Beaufort on a ludicrous quest to find her missing brother. Nor did he want to be part of the investigation into her brother's dealings with the mysterious Comte de Dampierre.

But desire can do strange things to a man.

Threatened with an indecent proposal from a dissolute French comte, Sophie Beaufort is forced to travel to London to discover the reason behind her brother's mysterious disappearance. Capable of handling her own affairs, the last thing she wants is to be encumbered by the dishonourable Marquess of Danesfield - a man she so desperately wants to hate.

But does love once blossomed ever truly fade?

Features:

• Regency historical romance novel with elements of crime and mystery
• This novel contains descriptive love scenes
• Complete "standalone" novel (no cliffhangers)

©2015 Adele Clee (P)2017 Adele Clee

Very pleasant

A well-written regency romance with everything a reader/listener expects from this kind of novel. We got the hero who feels honor-bound to protect a lady even if she doesn't want him to. We got a lady who defies propriety and prefers breeches over dresses. The villain is nasty and unpredictable. There are a kidnapping and an unwilling madame. And, of course, we get a HEA. All around a pleasant story. And the narrator did it great justice.

Thoroughly enjoyable

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book from the very first page right to the last one and it is my humble opinion that this series will outdo all the others by this talented author.
This story is full of love, mischief, an adventure and a few mysteries to be solved. The 'bad' man also shows his cunning and horrid plans for the future of Sophie, our heroine, but Sebastian is determined to keep her safe. And thank goodness for that!
I particularly loved the way both Sophie and Sebastian admitted to their love for each other. That truly was a heartwarming scene.
Mary Phillips has injected an enthusiastic and merry spark into this story with her professional and capable narration.
I eagerly await the next in this series but until then am quite happy to recommend both this story and the audio version of it as totally captivating, clever and entertaining and hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
I requested and received a free copy of the audiobook and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.

Excellent

What did you love best about What You Desire?

I loved the combination of romance, action and duckling to swan theme. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites. She can write great dialogue and has a good balance between that dialogue and the thoughts of the characters.
I love that the heroine is strong and smart. The hero has wonderful qualities that make you want them to be together.

What was one of the most memorable moments of What You Desire?

The carriage ride to the masquerade ball towards the end of the novel. the honest way the h/h tell each other what they would do to keep the other person safe. It was so touching and what I think romance is about. When you can tell a person what's in your heart and it is believable.

Which character – as performed by Mary Phillips – was your favorite?

The narrator did a good job. The best was the French count...that was fantastic. Just the right amount of menace, but not over the top so that it's cartoonish. Very subtle performance. You can really tell thee's skill in the narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't think it was just one part. It was a great balance of a lot of things that kep my attention from drifting. Sometimes I do other things and just let the audio run, but for this book I stopped it everytime I moved away.
At one point I thought the end was coming and I did not want that to happen. I stopped the audio just to make it last a little longer!

Any additional comments?

A great combination of author, story and performance. This is my new favorite novel. The next in the series is previewed at the end of this audio and I can't wait.

Action and romance

What did you love best about What You Desire?

I loved the romance between Sophie and Sebastian, although not everything went smoothly. Of course I loved the ending. I enjoyed Sophie's capers, some quite hilarious.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the action, a villain always adds interest. I also liked the secondary characters and look forward to reading more about Marie.

Which character – as performed by Mary Phillips – was your favorite?

I didn't have a favourite character as I thought the narrator did an excellent performance for all the characters. She really brought the characters to life through the different voices she used. She read at a good pace.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Can a hoyden make a successful Marchioness?

Any additional comments?

The action began at the beginning and really drew you into the story from the beginning. It was a fast moving story with a number of twists and turns. I had read the book previously but still found the audiobook to be very engaging. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. This is my honest review.

ACTION-PACKED START TO A NEW SERIES!

This novel has very little down-time. Ms. Clee has certainly amped up the drama and sizzling romance in the start of this new series. The story gives a look into one of the seedier sides of life and to what extent some women had to go to survive., and the relationship between the two women is pure and strong. Although Dane and Sophie were not exactly enemies, they had to nurture their relationship in order to grow love and respect.

This is the first novel I have listened to that was narrated by Mary Phillips. I like her voice. She did an excellent job voicing each character.

Heart-touching Regency romance and mystery!

What You Desire by Adele Clee is a heart-touching Regency romance and mystery that ends in a beautiful happily-ever-after. The book includes plenty of intrigue and danger (with a despicable villain!) along with true romance and well-written love scenes. It kept me eagerly listening to the end. I definitely recommend this book!

Mary Phillips did an excellent job as the narrator using different character voices that truly suited the characters and bringing out the characters' emotions. Her pacing was good, not too fast or too slow.

I received a copy from Audible and truly enjoyed listening to it. This is my voluntary and unbiased review.

The h was an idiot!

I could not stand the h and had to force myself to finish. She was reckless, self righteous and judgmental. Ugh.

Not One of Ms. Clee's Better Efforts

I've read other Adele Clee novels and this one is not one of my favorites. I fell asleep listening to the story and had a hard time finishing the book. It appears to be the first in a series, so I have to say that I will most likely avoid the other books. I found the story bland and the main characters uninteresting. Not a good combination for a period romance.