To Charm a Lady

The Cartwells, Book 2

By: Joanna Barker

Narrated by: Janna Fox

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Cora Atherton wants nothing more than to finally fall in love—real love, not the unrequited sort. When she is invited to attend a house party without her disapproving, overbearing mother, Cora leaps at the chance, desperate to make a match of her own. That is, until she finds that Oliver Cartwell is also attending the party. Oliver, the boy she has loved since she was a girl and the man she is determined to forget.

A house party in the country is just what Oliver needs to distract himself from the shadows of his past. When he discovers that Cora, his sister's best friend, is in need of a little matchmaking, he resolves to help her in her search for a husband. He quickly learns that no man is good enough for her, least of all himself. Why, then, does he find himself fighting his attraction to gentle, beautiful Cora at every step?

As the two draw closer together, Cora is forced to confront the feelings that have tortured her for years. With her future on the line and a deadline fast approaching, can she trust that flirtatious Oliver has changed for the betteror will he leave her heart in pieces once again?

©2024 Joanna Barker (P)2024 Joanna Barker

Amazing!!

This book was perfect! The writing, the story, the chemistry, the banter, the narration…it all came together to make the perfect book. I will read anything Joanna Barker writes!

Perfect story, fabulous audio performance

Like Cora, I believe I am now "cursed to love Oliver Cartwell forever." 🫠 What a yummy regency man Joanna crafted for us.

Honestly, this was an entirely solid story. Nothing felt forced or overdone. No miscommunication. No dragging things out. Just a darling Cora, a handsome Oliver, a house party, some library kisses and a couple rowing scenes I've been dreaming about since I read them. 😏

The epilogue melted me.
It was so cinematic.
I was all sorts of twitterpated over it.

I'll read anything Joanna writes!
The audio performance was fantastic! 👌🏼

A new standout and favorite Regency romance.

Joanna Barker is a must when it comes to writing the best Regency romances and To Charm a Lady hit all the high notes for me. I loved Cora and Oliver so much. They were such a perfect pairing. With the secret pining, best friend’s brother, house party, and swoony kisses (not to forget Rufus), this book is 100% one I am going to read over and over again.
The audiobook version was a delight to listen to. I enjoyed the English vibes of the narrator and how she captured the feel of the characters and time period along with the time period. I highly recommend this book. This is a clean Regency romance with some toe curling kisses and a sweet happily ever after.

SLOW TO START...

...but stay with it. It gets better. I would have preferred the story be shorter; however, doing so would have taken away from the carefully calculated interactions and antics by Cora's would-be suitors. The ending was refreshing.

AMAZING STORYTELLING

All you need to know is that this book is fantastic and will give you all the feels. Seriously, just pick it up. You WILL NOT be disappointed. Luckily, the narration just it justice. And by justice, I mean the narrator is brilliant. I absolutely loved her.

For a romance to blow me away there has got to be plenty of longing and tension. To Charm a Lady has them is spades.

Cora, our female lead, has been in love with Oliver for practically her whole life so you can imagine her feelings when he shows up announced to a house party Cora was hoping to find a match at. Oliver is there for distraction, fighting demons of his own, so when he catches wind of Cora’s plans, he volunteers himself as matchmaker.

When I say I was feeling all the feels, I mean it. I was crying, and screaming, and laughing, and squealing. Like seriously, this novel is written to perfection. No notes. You can not tell me otherwise.

Seeing characters from the first book, A Game of Hearts was so fun. The inside jokes were such a nice touch.

Content: kisses

Charming Regency Romance

To Charm a Lady is simply charming! Cora has had a crush on her best friend's brother but now is determined to forget about him and make a match until he shows up at the same house party. Oliver is a flirt who decides to help Cora find a worthy man but soon becomes protective and wants to change for her. I loved the banter, the seaside setting and their first kiss! 🔥
CW: kisses only
This can be read as a stand alone but I recommend also reading A Game of Hearts.
I fully enjoyed the audio. Male and female points of views and the single narrator did a great job.

A Charming Historical Romance… perfection!

I absolutely adored this charming historical romance. This story has all the feels… it’s sweet & swoony… seriously that first kiss had me melting 🫠. I adored Cora! She is sweet, kind & doesn’t really like to be the center of attention. She is desperately trying to avoid her overbearing mother’s marriage schemes. Cora has been in love with her best friend’s brother for the past ten years…Unfortunately Oliver has never noticed Cora in that way so she is determined to forget him & find a mutual love. When she is invited to attend a house party without her mother… Cora leaps at the chance to make a match but when Oliver shows up things get messy. I loved flirtatious Oliver who is a bit lost but trying to become a better man. I love the thought that we can always change & become better but we need to do it for ourselves. The audio was beautiful done… I enjoyed every minute of it!

A beautiful story!

A Game of Hearts was one of my favorite Historical Romances last year, so I was thrilled to hear we were getting more stories from the Cartwell Family.

Cora gets a rare opportunity to attend a house party at Highstead Castle without the eye of her meddling mother. What Cora doesn’t realize is that her childhood crush Oliver Cartwell will be attending as well!

Cora sees this as a chance to meet her future husband and plan a life beyond the reach of her mother. Oliver decides to be Cora’s matchmaker to help guide her to the right gentlemen for a perfect match. What he doesn’t realize is that as he gets to know Cora better, there isn’t anyone he views worthy of her affections.

“He does not gaze at you like someone he is trying to help,” she said. “He gazes at you as if there is nothing else in the world worth looking at.”

What you’ll find:
Plotting for romance
Unrequited love
A House party in a castle
Archery competition
Bad prank
The lemonade - that loosened her tongue
He defends her honor
He reads her favorite book
A meddling Mother

I love stories of redemption and change and watching Oliver discover who he was and what he wanted was one of my favorite moments.

“What an awful world that would be, if no one could change and we were all forced to be who we were at fifteen.”

If you’re a fan of Historical Romance, house parties, and stories of growth and change… you’ll LOVE To Charm A Lady!!

“If there is anything worth waiting for… it is love!”

Sooo happy to have this beautiful story on audio now!

Absolutely delightful!

This story was an absolute delight! It’s charming, witty, with a romance that was simply lovely!

I loved the humor, the fun banter and flirting, and the sweet, tender moments. The characters were so endearing, and the storyline was entertaining and engaging.

The narrator did an outstanding job. Her accent was lovely, her voice expression sounded natural, and she did an excellent job of changing her tone for the various characters. She did a great job of bringing the story to life.

Cora has been in love with her best friend’s brother for years, but her feelings are unrequited so she decides it's time to move on. She attends a house party intending to find a match, one where her partner will love her back. Unexpectedly, Oliver is one of the guests. He tells Cora he’ll help her find a suitable man, but as he becomes more and more charmed by Cora, he realizes that he should be the only match for her.

I loved Cora and how she grew, becoming more independent and true to herself. I adored her sweetness and her saucy side, and I loved her bookish moments.

Oliver was a wonderful character, one who was not happy with his past frivolous behavior and trying to be a better man.

Together they were perfect!

If you love well-written regency romances that sweep you away, I think you’ll love this one. I certainly did.

I Love This Book!

Great Narration. Another favorite from Joanna Barker! This was everything a Regency romance should be. I loved the main characters. I loved the witty retorts from “saucy Cora”! The connection was amazing.

Jane was determined to give up on her unrequited love for Oliver Cartwell, her best friend’s older brother. After 10 years, she’s decided to move on. The Englefield’s house party is her chance to find love. All is going well until she finds that Oliver is also a guest.

Oliver has always been a flirt and never taken things too seriously. After a recent revelation he’s decided to mend his ways and be more serious about his life. He offers to help Cora find love. The more he is around her though, he’s not so sure he wants her to love anyone but him.

I loved the relationship between the two. Here’s an example of the great banter.
“Better to be prepared in case l grow bored.”
He shook his head with a laugh. “I’ve yet to have a lady in my company grow bored.”
I tipped my head in a challenge. “Let us hope today is not the first time.”

This is a wonderful tale of love and growth. One of my new favorites this year.