Eleanor

Beastly Lords, Book 8

By: Sydney Jane Baily

Narrated by: Lillian Yves, Vincent Lee Grayson

An adventurous young woman is thrust into a real-life Gothic riddle. A dashing hero and his shadowy past are part of the mysterious puzzle!

Eleanor Blackwood is thrilled to spend time at her best friend’s country estate. On the banks of the River Great Ouse, Angsley Hall overflows with breathtaking natural beauty, as well as with a mystery or two.

Grayson O’Connor, caretaker of a nearby estate, is not immune to Eleanor’s charms. True, she still climbs trees and acts rashly, but she also has a captivatingly quick wit and joyful humor. An intriguing treasure hunt . . .

Danger becomes all too real in this quest based on Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold Bug, with midnight intruders, shots in the dark, and a perilously swollen river cresting its banks. Unlike Poe’s story of pirate booty, Eleanor and Gray discover the greatest treasure is the precious human heart — theirs to cherish or to tear apart!

Note: This 50,000-word story was first published as part of the USA Today bestselling anthology The Midnight Hour: All Hallows' Brides in October 2019.)

Engaging characters, attention to period detail, and passionate romance with a touch of intrigue — you’ll find it all in the stories by USA Today bestselling author Sydney Jane Baily.

©2020 Sydney Jane Baily (P)2024 Sydney Jane Baily

Narrator

Awful narration, story a little juvenile not nearly as good as the others in this series.

Gothic Romance Done Deliciously RIGHT!

Eleanor Blackwood … once called “wild and untamed” … she’s just as likely to be caught climbing a tree to get a glorious glimpse of nature, as found sketching or reading … Grayson O’Connor, Estate Manager of Turvey House and family friend … but largely a mystery to her, an enigma. The attraction between them can’t be denied, but … can … it … ever … really… BE? I’ll not tell, that would be playing spoiler, but believe me when I tell you that “Eleanor” IS Gothic Romance done deliciously right! The plot has just the right amounts of mystery, suspense, and romance! There is also a delicious amount of suspense filled tension! My finger hovered over the speed button more than once wanting, NEEDING answers, but I resisted increasing the pace because the story AND the performance are BOTH just too good to rush! So, perched on the edge I remained! Did I stay there too long? NO! The flow and timing were perfect as well. There was no fainting, no turning blue, and my breath was blissfully restored as I remained completely immersed in the world of these fascinating characters! Their world became mine as I throughly enjoyed every encounter, every conversation, and every misunderstanding! I laughed out loud on more than one occasion as the story beautifully continued to the next pinnacle, throughly enjoying getting to know all the wonderfully refreshing characters! ALL of the characters are so well designed, so beautifully developed, so true to the period, and so real feeling that I felt FOR them and WITH them! The voice acting that brought the authors vision to reality was stunning! I could “see” the story play out as I listened, and I was one hundred percent throughly entertained and enthralled as their world came beautifully and brilliantly alive! The voices chosen for each character were perfect, they fit the characters personalities, station, and locale perfectly, remaining consistent throughout the entire performance! Emotion was beautifully brought out through dynamics, inflection and perfect timing, adding an air of unmistakable believability to the beautifully written dialogue. A beautiful collaboration of writing and narration, “Eleanore” is truly a Five Star caliber performance across all categories and I absolutely loved it!

Best of series

Throughout the series Gray’s character kept showing up with a delightful description and funny dialogue if needed but you always wondered how he fit in to the families, new and old. This is his story. And his love is the best described of all the women. Free of the ton, liking all outdoors and never afraid to try any activity. A crowning success to the series.