Bargaining with a Rake

Whisper of Scandal, Book 1

By: Julie Johnstone

Narrated by: Tristan Hunt

For 11 years, Gillian Rutherford has dreamed of escaping her family's dark secret and living a normal life. Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she's desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian's scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He'll help her win the hand of his American friend, if she'll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts.

©2012 Julie Johnstone (P)2014 Julie Johnstone

Entertaining

This book was okay. This is the second book I've read by this author. This was better than the first one but still has some issues. The language is stilted and a bit out of the time period but the story was entertaining and I liked the characters. The narrator did a fine job.

Similar to My Fair Duchess

Yes the characters are similar in that the hero is wounded by a woman, heroine imagines being married to someone other than the hero, hero wishes to become a rake because of a family experience, the hero is honorable and also dances with wallflowers other men don't in order to help them, all friends know about the secret plot characters are involved in so really not much of a secret, and of course a bad guy. Even though I knew all of that I still could not stop myself from seeking a moment free to go and listen to the book. Still enjoyable and now I am going to get another book by Julie Johnstone. You should too.

Julie Johnstone your books always captivate!

Gillian has hid a family secret for 11 years. Her Father has
betrothed her to a very shady, evil man. Her way to escape
to a better life in America is to marry a shipping tycoon.
Gillian asks for help from the Rake, Alex Lord Lionhurst.
Get ready for betrayal, blackmail, a funny Aunt who covers
up for Gillian. This book has it all, especially love!

Loyalty to family kept me listening

This is a very enjoyable story. A woman, Gillian, who is willing to give up her home and her chance at happiness to protect her sister from a secret. Gillian's loyalty to family despite all the secrets surrounding her endeared her to me. She does what she thinks is right, even bargain with a rake. Alex was a good counterpart with his own dark issues. The narrator, Tristan Hunt, helped bring life and emotion to the characters. I highly recommend this story.

I received a copy of this audio as a gift, and this is my unsolicited review.

Murder and Blackmail

A suspenseful story of Blackmail that will keep a loving couple apart and a villain that will do anything and everything to get Jilleyn as his bride makes this story very exciting.
The narrator did a good job of bringing the story and characters to life.

Good one

I enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see how dedicated some people can be to family. The entire story was centered around family secrets and the lengths people will go to, to keep their family secrets. I'd recommend the book.

A WONDERFUL HISTORICAL ROMANCE!!!

What did you love best about Bargaining with a Rake?

The Relationship building between the H/H Lady Gillian Rutherford and the Alexander the Marquess of Lionhurst. All of the secondary characters were a delight to read and listen too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I can't name one. There were a lot of characters but all of them were written well and developed.

What does Tristan Hunt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The different Characterizations. I just wished he had used a higher recording volume. Even on Highest volume I could only listen in a room with no other noise. A quite room in order to hear it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, because of the story not so much the narrator!!

Any additional comments?

Bargaining With A Rake book 1 of A Whisper Of Scandal series, was a absolutely wonderful Historical Romance. It had the right amount of romance with a little bit of sensual sexy heat. I usually like a more sensual erotic romance story but Bargaining With A Rake's storyline and characters made up for the lack of sex. There is plenty of suspense, mystery and secrets with a touch of sadness. The villain get his just deserts. The H/H Lady Gillian Rutherford daughter of the Duke of Kingley and Lord Alexander Trevelle the Marquess of Lionhurst were written with intelligence, witty banter between the two. Deep layers of character development. Great Storytelling. Enough of a backdrop to transport you back into the year 1817. I hope the next book Conspiring With A Rogue is as good. I Highly Recommend BWAR!! Very Well Done.

Excellent Audiobook!

I enjoyed listening to this Audible book. It included mystery, greed, numerous secrets, lies, deceit, family loyalty and love, and finding true love. I enjoyed the funny banter between several of the characters, and found myself laughing out loud. Gillian loves her sister so much that she's ready to give up her own happiness in order to protect her. Alexander comes to love Gillian but he too is ready to to give up his happiness in order to help her. I couldn't help but fall in love with these two. There are many twists and turns in this story. Tristan Hunt did a superb job narrating this book. I loved his accents and the fact that he gave the characters their own distinctive voices. He made me feel the emotions of the characters, laugh at their banter, and made the sex scenes even steamier. I highly recommend this Audible book.

My first audiobook

If you could sum up Bargaining with a Rake in three words, what would they be?

Well worded and executed.

What about Tristan Hunt’s performance did you like?

The American

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was surprised they use the same voice for the women too.

Loved it!

I loved this book. Especially since it was narrated by Tristan Hunt. He could make the phone book sound sexy and interesting! The flirty banter between the main characters was fun and I was smiling through most of the book.