So Long, My Scoundrel

Regency Hearts Aflame: Beneath the Thorns of Revenge, Love Blossoms

By: Amanda Mariel, Wallflowers Revenge

Narrated by: Charlie Albers

In the enchanting embrace of an English spring, the destiny of Lady Hollyfield, Selina Whitcombe, takes a fateful twist as her husband's life ends in tragedy, shrouded in suspicion. Grief becomes Selina's relentless companion, and a deep-seated conviction takes root – the dashing Viscount Blackwood is the architect of her husband's demise. Thus begins her unyielding quest for retribution.

Viscount Blackwood, James Barton, renowned for his charismatic allure and enigmatic history, finds himself both captivated and challenged by Selina's unwavering pursuit. Accusations dance like shadows, tension mounts, and amidst the fray emerges an unspoken attraction, binding them in a battle that transcends mere intellect. As secrets and whispers entwine to shape an intricate web of uncertainty, they tread the treacherous terrain of a society steeped in scandal.

With every meeting, the line between vengeance and yearning blurs, igniting a fervent passion that defies suppression. James's past, a specter that haunts him, resonates with Selina's icy heart as his unexpected kindness thaws her world. Yet just as forgiveness and comprehension beckon, revelations of staggering proportions surface, threatening to rupture the fragile bond they've woven. Selina's path must intersect with painful truths, while James wrestles his own demons in a bid to reclaim innocence.

Amidst a world where reputation and scandal intertwine, can Selina and James surmount their shared history of anguish and deceit?

So Long, My Scoundrel weaves a narrative of redemption, love, and absolution against the vibrant tapestry of Regency England. In a season as capricious as affection itself, the question looms: can love's tender bloom endure the tempestuous trials of spring?

©2024 Amanda Mariel (P)2024 Amanda Mariel

Entertaining!

This is the first book in the Regency Hearts Aflame Series, a Regency Romance. Selina and James's story is entertaining and intriguing, filled with mystery, suspense, romance and twists and turns. Charlie Albers did a great job bringing this story to life. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to more in the series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Good Narrator Makes for an Enjoyable Listen

I first picked up this story's eBook version on a book review site. At the time, I wished the audiobook was available because I would prefer that format. Interestingly, just a few days later, when I was about halfway through the book, the audiobook version popped up at the site as well! Kudos to the author for getting out a quality audiobook at almost the same time the eBook was published! I wish more authors were able to pull off that feat! So I snapped that up, too, and actually listened to it during a long car ride on my birthday.

At its core, I enjoyed this romantic suspense story and the interaction between the hero and heroine. The author has a flair for writing excellent Regencies, displaying a good understanding of the intricacies of the time period and its societal play of manners and mores. However, a bunch of small things kept me from pure enjoyment of this story. I've been reading this author for years, and for some reason lately, her books feel overwritten. When I first start the books written in this style, I find the language charming, but soon it becomes tedious, as every little nuance and moment described is heightened and emphasized to the point of melodrama at times. The cover also didn't quite do it for me. She doesn't remotely look like a Regency heroine. Instead, to my eye, with the limp hairstyle, diaphanous dress, and no stockings, she reminds me of a certain type of 1970s heroine. Regency ladies always wore their hair pinned up, even for days at home, and they also always wore stockings!

Suspense and mystery novellas, compared to novels, can suffer from the lack of word real estate, but happily, such was not the case in this book. The suspense plot evolved well, even though the heroine jumped to conclusions fairly quickly, which was, at times, annoying. She is the queen of believing circumstantial evidence, even if her logic is sometimes circuitous. For quite a while, she believes the hero had a hand in her husband’s death, though he proclaims his innocence. The readers know from his chapters that he was not involved. These two decide to work together to figure out the culprit, her because she truly wants to know and seek revenge against her husband’s killer and him because he wants to clear his name of any wrongdoing (as the cruel ton, not just the heroine, comes to believe he may be guilty). Their interactions changed believably as she came to know he had nothing to do with it; they shared special moments as they were trying to puzzle everything out. The author did a great job showing how they could fall for each other under these highly charged circumstances. Like all good romantic suspense, a fantastic scene at the end has the hero and heroine at the villain’s mercy, but the teamwork they perfected over time saves the day, naturally. The book also has an excellent cast of secondary characters, who watch all that happens between this couple with amusement, and at times, astonishment. Despite its flaws, a good read.

One thing I like about the audiobook format, especially with a talented narrator, is how it can enhance a story with minor flaws. An audiobook novella moves so quickly I tend not to notice language errors—or in this book's case, the melodramatic writing—quite as much as I do when reading, even if I found them quite irksome then. This author has used several talented narrators for her audiobooks. I wouldn't call this one my absolute favorite, yet she still imbued key characters with life and energy, giving them particular quirks and mannerisms that helped make them feel real. This made the audiobook quite enjoyable, a pleasant diversion during a somewhat uninteresting ride. For future books by this author, I will wait to see if she puts out an audiobook version quickly before just automatically choosing the eBook version! I hope she does!

So Long, My Scoundrel!

This is such a intriguing and interesting story that develops very nicely. The narrator did a great job bringing the characters and their story to life. I was completely engrossed in this story from the very beginning to the very end. The story is about Lady Selina and Viscount Alexander. She is a grieving widow trying to find who is responsible for the death of her husband. Alex, was there when he husbands dies. She is passionate about finding the truth and believes Alex is responsible. Alex is intrigued by her passion and determination. This is such a good story with murder, mayhem, passion, truth, trust, danger, betrayal, love and good twists.

Selena & James

The twenty-fifth story in the Revenge of the Wallflowers, Lady Selina Whitcombe’s and Viscount James Blackwood both have a man to get justice on. The story is well written with great characters a strong storyline and a happy ending. The story held my interest from cover to cover. I enjoyed listening to Charlie Albers narrate this story.

Carriage race

Selina’s husband died in a carriage accident, well actually was murdered by someone purposely tampering with the carriage. She thought James Blackwood was the likely culprit. James convinces Selina it was not him, and helps her sleuth out the actual evil mastermind. The story does not start off as a romance typically does. It starts with anger, and strong search for revenge. I found this made it difficult for me to get into the romance mind frame even as the story developed. Overall it is well written. Narration was well done.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Engaging story with good narration

This book had a compelling storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish. However, I did feel that certain sections, especially toward the end, seemed a bit prolonged and could have been wrapped up more quickly. That being said, the experience was truly elevated by the narrator, who did a fantastic job bringing the characters and their emotions to life. The narration was consistently engaging and kept my attention, even during those slower parts. Overall, I’d recommend this book for anyone looking for an entertaining read with great storytelling and narration.

So Long

This is a short read or Listen. This is Selina and James story. Selina blames James for her husbands death. Can James prove his innocents? What will happen when they work together? Can they find out more? Will more feelings come into play?. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Enemies to lovers Regency romance

Lady Selina was widowed when her beloved husband was killed in a carriage racing accident; however she believes it was not an accident and that James is responsible. James sets out to prove he did not kill Selina's husband and to help her find out who did. A they work together, her hatred for James turns to something else. This is an engaging and entertaining story full of drama, danger, and betrayal. I enjoyed it, but I did feel Selina 'forgot' her 'beloved' husband a bit too easily and quickly. Just a minor quibble for an overall compelling story.

This was my first listen by this narrator, and I thought he did a great job. Easy to listen to, and he really captured the characters' emotions.

I received a free copy of the audio and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Compelling

I especially liked that the storyline kept going and supplied resolution plus a look at our couple 10 years later. It was an astounding journey into justice for a deadly wrong and restarting a new life and second chance at love.. Never give up. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review
The narrator did a good job bringing the characters and story to life . I highly recommend this.

Great audiobook

This is a great audiobook the author did a great job with this novel the storyline is very good I very much enjoyed this audiobook the Narrator did a great job telling the story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.