The Enchanting of an Earl

Scandalous Spinsters, Book 5

By: Emma Locke

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

For love.

The second of five impoverished sisters, Miss Elinor Conley knows her dream of becoming a lady is farfetched. When an unmarried gentleman happens by her brother's smithy, it is up to her to act quickly - and rashly - to secure his interest. But Grantham Wendell, Earl Chelford, isn't in the market for anything more than a new horseshoe. What's a bachelor to do when an innocent miss turns up at his Christmas Eve bacchanalia? He ought to make her leave, but his Twelfth Night party just became more entertaining.

©2013 Emma Locke (P)2016 Emma Locke

Crashing into Xmas love Regency-style...literally

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Elinor Conley is in the unenviable position of being the second of five impoverished sisters in a town with no unmarried men...desireable or not. So when a handsome, unmarried earl happens to stop in her brother's blacksmith shop when his horse throws a shoe, Elinor hatches a mad plot to take matters into her own hands. Feigning a desire to attend the deathbed of an aunt she had never been particularly close with before, but who happens to live within a few miles of the earl in question, Elinor dashes off to the country. But as she approaches the estate of Grantham Wendell, Earl Chelford, she engineers an accident that lands her entire carriage in his kitchen. But Grantham is in the middle of hosting his annual Christmas baccanalia--a notoriously inappropriate fortnight-long orgy of debauchery, and all are trapped in by a snowstorm. As Elinor naively hoped, Grantham is taken with her at first sight. But how will Grantham keep an innocent from discovering his predilection towards debauchery with his baccanalia going on in her midst? How will she emerge from spending the night under his roof unchaperoned with a group of notorious degenerates with her reputation intact? As for Elinor, once she realizes the gravity of the accident and how much more serious the harm could have been, she knows her role cannot remains hidden forever. Will Grantham still think her the innocent and love her the same once he knows her secret? Will she be able to convince him that she loves him and is not just another fortune hunter?

This is a fun and light novella that is a delightful departure from typical holiday-themed stories out there. The limited length makes the progression of the love story a bit too rapid--Grantham and Elinor fall in love so quickly, it requires a great deal of the Christmas spirit to indulge in the belief that their love-at-first-sight story is even possible. But the baccanalia guests and their bawdy humor are a great foil for Elinor's naïveté and innocence and are the perfect backdrop against which the author can showcase the differences between her and the usual women of Grantham's set, making it easier to see why he falls for her so quickly. The performance given for the audiobook version of the novella was excellent. Marian Hussey excels at giving each speaker a unique voice that matches the personality ascribed in the novella, no h directly and by more subtle means such as though what they say and do to others. This novella is an excellent way for Regency romance lovers to indulge their love of the holiday season without sacrificing the quality of of the work. I'm looking forward to more of The Naughty Girl series.

Excellent narration - lackluster story

The narrator, Marian Hussey, has a lively, compelling interpretation of the voices of the characters and you can hear the wit and liveliness in her voice as the banter takes place. She definitely made a less than stellar story worth listening to.

I did enjoy the story, but if you are looking for historical accuracy to the time period, you will be grossly disappointed. You just have to suspend your beliefs to make the story work for you. The heroine is the daughter and sister of the village blacksmith and yet she’s going to end up with an Earl. I’m sorry, but to me, that just isn’t believable. Had she been the impoverished daughter of some local gentry or something I MIGHT be able to buy it – but the blacksmith’s sister and the Earl just doesn’t do it for me. They also do not adhere to the correct forms of address in this book. So, while I liked the story, it was not believable for the time period – 1814.

I did like Elinor Conley who has the far-fetched dream of becoming a lady. She is so totally naive that it is unbelievable. As she looks out the window of their small home, she sees a flaxen-haired gentleman getting his horse shod at her brother’s smithy. He’s quite an eye full and she just has to find out more about him. As she reads about him in the gossip columns, she devises a plan to meet him – and when she does, he’ll fall instantly in love with her and they’ll marry.

Grantham Wendell, Earl of Chilford, doesn’t deal well with Christmas. He lost his much-loved younger sister at Christmas time five years ago. Now, he’s all alone in the world – no family at all – not even distant cousins. So, to fill the hours and try to forget each Christmas, he has what is basically a month-long orgy at his home in Yorkshire. He fills it with debauched, rakish male friends and light-skirts. However, he’s becoming tired of the whole thing. So, when an ancient, rickety coach plows into his kitchen, ruining the hearth, he is surprised to find that there was a lone woman in the coach. She is injured and the servants have placed her in the servant’s quarters in order to protect her from the debauchery going on in the house. Again, suspend your beliefs. Why would they think she was anything but a servant? She was I a cheap threadbare gown – definitely NOT the gown of a lady, but she was dismayed when she thought they had mistaken her for a servant.

The dialogue was witty and the characters were lively and interesting, but the plot just left a lot to be desired. The ‘love at first sight’ just fell flat for me – I didn’t feel the passion. Then, it just ended too abruptly.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

A charming romp

This was an entertaining story to listen to, it’s quite an amusing story about a young miss, Elinor Conley, who is determined to marry her earl, Grantham Wendell, Earl of Chelford. Elinor concocts an elaborate plot to meet the Earl, which goes spectacularly wrong. From then on, we have a series of mishaps and misunderstandings. The only criticism I would have was that the ending was rather short. I would have preferred an epilogue to round off the story. Marion Hussey performed a very good narration and she really brought the characters to life. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it.

Ends Far To Abruptly. As If Ms Lock Gave Up

What did you like best about The Cheer in Charming an Earl? What did you like least?

Not a Great Book. Lacking the usual detail and emotion expected from this author. No feelings. Nothing to grab you. Flat characters not usual for this author. ABRUPT ending just when it seemed like plot tension was building. It was alike a slap of cold water in the face. Not even an epilogue. No resolution to the book... it was really a poor ending to a flat storyline. Felt as if the Ms Locke was writing on an airplane trip and the plane was landing so she had to end it and thought, lets wrap it up in this single paragraph here.. no real answers to anything.. just end here. THE END... I can't believe I wasted a credit on this waste of time.... I feel like I got HALF A BOOK...HALF A STORY...Very disappointed... I LOVED THE REST OF THE SERIES....This one is just... well.. don't bother. Don't waste a perfectly good credit on it. It's hard to believe it was written by the same author.

If you’ve listened to books by Emma Locke before, how does this one compare?

I LOVED the rest of the Naught Girls series.. this one is TERRIBLE.. It doesn't compare. No character development. No real tension. Barely any plot. No feelings. FLAT.

What about Marian Hussey’s performance did you like?

The READER WAS EXCELLENT... she made the book. If not for the reader the book would have been ZERO stars.

Was The Cheer in Charming an Earl worth the listening time?

NO. By the time you begin to get involved in what seems to be plot tenson.. it's over! And with a shocking Cold Cut.. Not even an epilogue!

Any additional comments?

WASTE OF A CREDIT

Whiney

The story was implausible at best, the female lead whiney, and the rest of the characters underdeveloped. In short, it is a struggle to follow.