Cold-Hearted Rake

By: Lisa Kleypas

Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Lisa Kleypas is back with a stunning new historical romance!

Listeners have long waited for the return of New York Times best-selling author Lisa Kleypas to historical romance - and now she's back with her most breathtaking yet.

A twist of fate...

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities...and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house - along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

A clash of wills...

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny - and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains:

Can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?

©2015 Lisa Kleypas (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

good, but far from her best

What made the experience of listening to Cold-Hearted Rake the most enjoyable?
The characters were strong, very clearly drawn so I had a clear understanding of what drives them. The descriptions were also detailed but not tedious...not always an easy thing to do.

What did you like best about this story?
I liked the younger brother best as far as characters went. He was funny and engaging, but all too human as well.

What about Mary Jane Wells’s performance did you like?
I thought she did a very good job, and her accents, for the most part, were convincing.

Any additional comments?
I found the H/h to be rather unlikable. They were both prickly and mistrustful. There wasn't much to draw them together except physical passion. Maybe I missed it, but there was no spark of love (not lust) between these two, and no blissful, weepy moment at the end. I really missed Kleypas's usual humor in this book. It's much darker than her other historicals, IMO. I've missed her historical romance, and so I've been looking forward to this for months. I was more than a little disappointed by this book...it's not as engaging as the Hathaways series or the Wallflower series. Still, it's better than most of other authors historicals, so I give it a solid four stars.

The Earl And The Widow

Well, it's not Lisa Kleypas' best, but it's still pretty good. I was not captivated by the main characters at first, but they did grow on me. The hero, Devon, inherits an earldom along with a rundown indebted estate, and it was a bit unrealistic when he does a quick turnaround from wanting to dump it, to deciding to make a go of it, after meeting Kathleen and her sisters-in-law. But OK, I'll roll with it. Kathleen, the heroine, is the widow of the previous earl. However there is barely any backstory on either the hero or heroine, just a few small hints about what made them the kind of people they are. For instance, why is the hero such a commitment-phobe? Family background? Previous bad experiences in love? I have no idea. Certain plot points, like the conflict about cutting up tenant farms to bring through a railroad line, sort of got dropped and never picked up again. But there is lots and lots of detail about Victorian mourning garb, more than I needed to know. After about the halfway point, there is not much plot development at all, but a lot of long drawn out love scenes. And although they are well written and enjoyable, some of them were, dare I say it, gratuitous to the story?
What happened was, as soon as Rhys Winterborne appeared, and he started to become involved with Helen, the oldest sister-in-law, I started skipping through the pages, looking for the parts about them. I was more captivated by this subplot than the main story, and I will totally be counting the days until "Marrying Mr. Winterborne" is released.
I also enjoyed Devon's younger brother as a character, and Helen's two younger sisters, as silly as they were, made for good comic relief.
Like I said, not a whole lot of plot, no villains, no spies, no wars, no mystery, no major issue that would prevent the H&h from having a happy ending. There is one traumatic event, which I won't give away, but no permanent harm comes to anyone. This review actually sounds more critical than I meant it to be, because Kleypas writes as well as ever, and even her not-best is better than a lot of other stuff out there.
P.S. Terribly inappropriate cover, because the heroine is in mourning for her late husband, and wears nothing but black throughout the entire book.

Mary Jane Wells was good with the delivery of the story.

A galloping good read - definitely a repeat listen

It's fun, the characters are fleshed out, and everything you expect from a Kleypas book. Love the narrator - adds just enough regional accent to distinguish voices and social classes without bewildering American listeners.

Avoid listening while driving - you'll get so deep in the story you'll miss your exit. (Yeah, that was me.)

Outstanding romance!

Full of love, laughter, frustration, romance, — Kleypas is a master at creating an entire family of lovable characters. You will smile at the quirky girls and animals, be irritated at a couple too stubborn to really see each other, and be completely drawn into their world. The romance is sweet, sizzling, and heartbreakingly sad. I couldn’t put this one down.

So happy to see another regency book by Kleypas

If you could sum up Cold-Hearted Rake in three words, what would they be?

Goodgirl, Rake, Love

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cold-Hearted Rake?

The train accident was terrifying!

Have you listened to any of Mary Jane Wells’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

It is a traditional regency novel that was well done. I missed well written regencies. Welcome back Lisa Klepas!

Fun Book to Listen Too

What did you love best about Cold-Hearted Rake?

This was a fun book. It had humor, light banter and of course the perquisite sex. The narrator was pleasant to listen to. There was not a lot of anguish, bodice ripping or miss-communication. Very pleasant to listen to.

Really Enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this story about family, circumstances, and love. I loved the way the characters were written. I especially liked the narrator. Mary Jane Wells's narrative of each character was perfect and individual. I will read the rest of the series.

Loved it

Narrator best ever. No matter how good a story is the narrator can ruin it. One author, Lorraine Heath, whose stories are great but sadly their choice of narrators is awful. I've returned many of her Audibles for that reason. However Lisa Kleypas Audibles, so far,I've listened to 4, are amazing. Female and male voices are spot on.

My first, definitely not my last

I admit it. I have never read a historical romance. An author friend was delving into writing a historical romance and asked for me to read over her work. So as a source of reference I downloaded this book. The reviews were great and I’ve heard nothing but good things about this author. I am completely blown away. I’m addicted now. Do you yourself a favor and get this book.

Worth the credit!

I love kleypas but was worried by other reviews warning of bad narration. This one is so good! The story and the narration. Both characters have some good development throughout the story. I love the brother and the twins as well. You definitely won’t waste a credit on this one.