The Taste of Innocence

By: Stephanie Laurens

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Stephanie Laurens entices listeners anew with each of her delectable Regency-era novels, and this New York Times best seller showcases Laurens at her captivating best.

Charles Morwellan, eighth Earl of Meredith, knows he must marry, but he plans to do so on his own terms. So, after years of escaping the clutches of would-be wives, it is quite a shock when he is refused by the beautiful Sarah Conningham.

©2007 Savdek Management Proprietory Ltd (P)2008 Recorded Books

good story but poor narration

The narrator was very dull and because of that this book was less enjoyable then the other Great ones SL has written. Sorry

Charlie is an idiot.

Simon Prebble is a great narrator. I had to get used to his female voice, but I did. It’s much more realistic to hear a masculine voice speaking for a man. The sex scenes are well written, but a little too numerous. The heroine is admirable, but the hero’s behavior is a little unbelievable, even for a man of his time. I finally finished this book and did enjoy it.

intriguing story

excellent narration. plots twiststo keep you interested. in figuring out the ending. a friendlies to lovers extraordinar.

Love will out

Date: 1833 February, Somerset

Chronology: set after What Price Love?, before the short story Lost & Found and novel of The Perfect Lover.

Antecedents: Charlie Morwellan first appears as Alathea Morwellan’s brother in A Secret Love with Gabriel aka Rupert Cynster set in April 1820. He has a brief cameo at the end of What Price Love? Charlie is a Cynster in-law or family connection along with Gerard Debbington and Dylan Caxton and is the last of the 3 to get married.
Barnaby Adair also made appearances in The Truth About Love and What Price Love? You’ll see him again in Where the Heart Leads, when he gets his own mini series. By the way, he first meets Penelope here at the wedding. Inspector Stark makes his appearance. Malcolm Sinclair first made an appearance in The Bastion Club novel To Distraction set in May 1816.

Charles Morwellan is now over 30 and has been 8th Earl of Meredith for 3 years and knows he can’t put it off any longer - he needs a wife. He’s taking charge and won’t be ruled by love, and has decided it’s Sarah Conningham he wants.
Sarah has watched the conventional marriages of her parents and older sisters and has decided she wants a marriage with love, like Gabriel and Alathea. She has always admired Charlie from afar and never imagined he would want her, so Sarah negotiates for time to give him an answer so she can get to know him. To determine if she can make a real life with him. Charlie starts a program of seduction to convince her, but it’s how he acts with his family and her orphans that convinces her. But Charlie isn’t looking for love ‘cause it makes you weak and he causes himself and Sarah much pain before he can admit to it.
Meanwhile, Barnaby is investigating a land investing scheme with some deadly consequences and neither he nor Charlie realize Sarah is being threatened to sell the orphanage.
There’s a bit of an over melodramatic denouement with Malcolm Sinclair, but we’ll get his HEA in Loving Rose: The Redemption of Malcolm Sinclair.
Prebble is my preferred narrator for this story and series.

Enjoyable!

Enjoyed the interaction and love development between Charlie and Sarah. Overall a good story. Always good to have past characters incorporated into every book in this series. SPOILER ALERT: The only thing I didn’t like was the survival of the villain after falling off a bridge. He wasn’t a total bad guy but…. Anyway I totally recommend this book and the entire series.

Unbearable

Most disappointing Laurens book I’ve read yet. The stupid, insipid, “man afraid to love so he acts like a complete a-hole” trope was too much to bear and the every-5-minutes “sex means he loves me” love scenes were rendered pathetic as a result.

There’s nothing likeable about Charlie or this story, don’t waste your time on this one.

Hard to like jackass egoist male 'protagonist.'

Simon Prebble saves this read. He could read the phone book to me and I'd be happy. OK, so it's a romance novel - that means we selected it for entertainment and escape and very little else because it's basically going to be a Prince-and-Princess-Live-Happily-Ever-After fairy tale. One likely selects Stephanie Laurens, in particular, for the graphically sensual and passionate sex scenes she so eloquently writes. She never disappoints in that aspect. All of these things drove my own selection of this book, but it was particularly difficult to enjoy the egotistical male protagonist who engages in a formidable share of jackassery. Yes, I finished it: because, well, Simon Prebble. Enough said.