To Seduce an Earl

Seduction

By: Lori Brighton

Narrated by: Fiona Underwood

Grace Brisbane will do anything to save her family from poverty, even marry for money. But to catch the eye of a worldly noble, inexperienced Grace will need to learn the secrets of seduction. And who better to teach her than a man whose life is devoted to pleasure?

Alex Weston is the top attraction at Lavender Hills, the all-male brothel that caters to the desires of London’s most fashionable women. His beauty and sexual prowess are legendary, yet his seemingly charmed life masks an ugly truth. Alex is a prisoner in a gilded cage, blackmailed into service. He wants only freedom - until the night Grace Brisbane walks through his door.

With a single kiss, what was supposed to be a business arrangement explodes into a passion unlike any Alex has ever known…or Grace dreamed possible. But love between a lady and a whore can never be - can it?

©2012 Laurie Brighton (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brighton provides an original story line, well-developed characters, and a plot-full of perfect amounts of sexual intrigue, twists, and lulls that allow the atmosphere of 1860s England to develop." ( Library Journal)

BE PREPARED IT'LL HOOK YOU & KEEP YOU TIL THE END

I hadn't heard of this author before but took a chance as the book's Summary sounded interesting - an all male brothel is not the usual topic for Historical romances but ahhhh what a lovely tale it was.... of dreams, desire, hope and, of course, love.

Alex and Grace's story was bittersweet as it tells of Alex's hopeless broken soul and the utter desperation he feels his life has become now he has had a taste of Grace's pure, kind and honest nature. There's buckets full of a tender, sweet, romance as the H/H fight enemies both seen and unseen and, as the plot develops, so too does the intrigue, mysteries and secrets as we too slowly learn, along with them, the reasons why he has been held as an unwilling sex slave for years by his evil female pimp.

A well written story with interesting believable, likeable and dislikable characters who inhabit this easily visualised world where there's plenty of action, intrigue, drama, suspense, adventure and a totally drool-worthy tall, dark, blue-eyed, handsome but broken hero (and who among us can resist them?).

Worth a credit? Well it would easily have been and I wouldn't have regretted the use of a credit but, as you probably know by now, anything under $10 I buy thus saving my credits for a more costly, but maybe not as enjoyable, listen.

Rather depressing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I just could not get into this book. Would listen to it 10 min here or there and finally figured out why-it was rather depressing. The narrator was ok but the story line...every few sentences..."i love him" & "i cant go back to my title, not a whore like me" just kind of brought down the overall feeling of the book for me.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lori Brighton? Why or why not?

Bought the 2 others in the series due to them being on sale so am also going to give them a try.

What three words best describe Fiona Underwood’s voice?

Fine,nothing really exciting

Did To Seduce an Earl inspire you to do anything?

Uhmmm...no

ENJOYABLE READ...FUNNY AND HEART WARMING

Would you consider the audio edition of To Seduce an Earl to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version of this book. I did, however, thoroughly enjoyed the audio version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both of the main characters stood out each in their own way. Their interactions with each other were great...funny, caring, romantic. Each character was strong, but , then again, each needed someone to count on and someone to care for them. they found that in each other.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Fiona Underwood?

It would have to depend on how bad I wanted to listen to the book. If there was one draw back in the listening of this book it was the narration. Underwood did not do a good job in distinguishing betwwen the male and female voices. In many dialogues I had a hard time telling just who was doing the talking because they sounded just like each other...not good when one was female and one was male.

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

Yes...most definitely. I had a hard time putting my Kindle down and doing other things...

Any additional comments?

Brighton id a great job in writing this novel. I look forward to reading more of her books and just hope that Audible will put more of them out there for all to enjoy.

great narration!

What made the experience of listening to To Seduce an Earl the most enjoyable?

The narrator is one of the best I've listened to (and I've listened to A LOT! lol)

Any additional comments?

The storyline was interesting. I felt bad for Alex and, while I wanted him to grow a pair sometimes and stick it to Lady Lavendar, I understand why he didn't. Being forced into the live he was forced into at such a young age would have been hard on any man. His stuggles with self-worth are totally understandable.

Good story

I almost didn't listen to it after I heard some pretty harsh language in the beginning and it seemed a bit slow to start, but I'm glad I stayed with it. Overall, it was a good story and I enjoyed it.

Really a 3.5 star for me

I was interested by this romance because of the differences from other novels....the hero is a "whore" in a brothel and the heroine visits him to gain experience (sent by her stepbrother) so that she can land an earl (hence the title of the book.) Another difference in this book is that the couple do not have intercourse until the book is almost over.
Now don't worry, because there is actually several steamy scenes of them kissing and touching. These differences and the fact that I would really like to read the next books in this possible series is why I am giving this book such a higher rating. It is listed as The Seduction Series. And I think the author is going to use 2 other male prostitutes from the brothel as her heroes for the next books...because she eluded to the fact that there was some connection as to why Lady Lavender (owner of the brothel) chose to "enslave" these 3 particular men when they were young. The 3 men are Alex (hero of this book) and Gideon and James. I am interested to learn more about these characters.

I think the narrator was the wrong choice for this book Fiona was just Ok with the delivery of the story.

Now that being said...the "good" of the book, let me try to explain some of the frustrating parts of the book/writing. The constant "negativity" of the hero, Alex, is almost too much. I understand why the character is like this...it sets up the heroine, Grace, as his opposite in personality and he is completely attracted to the hope she brings to his life. But the constant "war" in his thoughts becomes rather tedious. There is a weird sub-plot of "treasure hunting" that doesn't quite "fit". It felt sort of thrown in and never seemed to really fit. And my last rant will be about the phrase of how the characters' were constantly curling their fingers into their thighs....to show their rage or something. The Alex character does it so much, I was afraid he must of had arthritis or something. But he wasn't the only one....Grace does it as well; more than once. It wasn't just a few times......way over used. I hope the author comes up with a new way to relate her characters' frustration and rage in the next books.

I fell in love...

Where does To Seduce an Earl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to over 100 books... and I think this one is one of my favorites...

Who was your favorite character and why?

I always fall for the underdog or tortured soul... Alex. Alex just spoke to me in a odd sort of way. His story was half of this tale with the most to overcome... and my heart ached for him. Yet I kind of fell in love with him too...

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to choose. The last is perfect... sooo many on the way there were too. I think the rescue in the hell... but you don't get any spoilers out of me!!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both. I also got angry, disgusted, forlorn, heartbroken, elated and a good case of the giggles. I truly enjoyed this book.

Any additional comments?

The narration is perfect for the story... the story itself is a roller coaster of emotions ending in enchantment. You'll see.

Interesting Story!

I liked the story quite well, but I didn't care for the narrators interpretation of Alex's voice. It was interesting with a good plot but I finished this one and quickly started the second novel in the series. Underwood does a much better with the Scottish accent of the hero in the second book!
I do recommend starting with this book if you are going to read this series. You will miss too much background if you don't.

The narrator ruined the experience

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator - she made the main character sound like a wimpy kid with no substance

The ending - Alex needed to resolve his issues

What did you like best about this story?

The story line was original - interesting

What didn’t you like about Fiona Underwood’s performance?

She made no effort to make Alex sound like a man or to give him any personality at all.

Do you think To Seduce an Earl needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It needs a follow-up to finish off Alex's story but maybe the main character could be Patience. Maybe they all go to London for the season for Patience and Alex meets up with his brother again.

Any additional comments?

Just don't use Fiona Underwood as the narrator again

Just okay

Would you listen to To Seduce an Earl again? Why?

No, it was dragged out too much and at times bored me. Compared to most of the books that I am listening to this one gave me little interest.

Would you recommend To Seduce an Earl to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes I would because it was an interesting enough story but just too slow for me.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Her characters all sounded the same to me which was not very appealing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither laughed or cried just really wanted it to finish.