A Scandalous Wife

Scandalous Series, Book 1 - Volume 1

By: Ava Stone

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

As the head of his family, Robert Beckford, the Earl of Masten, was accustomed to dealing with various problems his siblings had caused of one sort or another. However, he wasn't prepared when his cad of brother ruined and then abandoned a young lady. To right the wrong, Robert married the girl himself; but his chivalry only went so far. He didn't want a wife, and most certainly not a scandalous one. So, after repeating his vows, he sent her packing, off to a secluded estate and expected her to stay put.

After years of mistreatment at the hands of her family, Lydia was prepared to be an accommodating wife; but her rigid and unforgiving husband asked too much of her. After languishing for years in her opulent prison, Lydia leaves her country estate for the glamour and excitement of London - and unfortunately her husband's path.

©2011 - 2016 Second Wind Publishing (P)2013 Jodie Pearson

Just average

Predictable story line. I have heard this story plot before. Won't revisit this series - Volume 1 is enough if the preview at the end is an accurate indicator.

Good Story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes

What about Stevie Zimmerman’s performance did you like?

She does a great job expressing the characters emotions

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

yes

Any additional comments?

Lots of stuff going on in this book. The premise was interesting. You need to read the books in the series in order because otherwise you'll be overwhelmed by characters and plots that were detailed in the previous books. This is the first in the series. There were wonderful love scenes, which, in my opinion, are so important in a romance. They have to be written in a believable way with heart and lots of hot seduction.

This was VERY good

I love Stevie Zimmerman’s performances, so trying a new Author, for me anyway, is rarely a mistake. It does happen, but Ms. Zimmerman can usually make them endurable.

That being said, this story has a troubled but strong leading lady. She is often disparaged by all and sundry, including her husband who left her at the altar immediately following the ceremony. Our leading man is taken by surprise when he notices a beautiful woman across the ballroom, and mentions her to a friend as someone he’d like to met, only to have his friend laugh and tell him he is admiring the wife he left years ago.

From there, the story gets very, very, interesting. It is well written and well paced with the usual misunderstandings to unravel, but these misunderstandings are not the usual ones.

This story does deal with some difficult abuse issues, but only as a motive, not in stark detail. Still, be aware.

Scandalous indeed.

I did not want it to end. Narration was excellent. Story was excellent.

Emotional & Triumphant!

This book was quite an emotional experience for me because at the heart, it's about how a woman conquered very traumatic personal experiences through grace, endurance, and yes, through love.

Lydia, the heroine, is a woman of strength because of her resilience to the suffering inflicted by all the men in her life. My goodness, I wish it were not so, but this woman was let down by every male with a major role in her life: her father, her only brother and then her husband (& his scoundrel of a brother). She should have been a psychological basket case, but instead we are presented with a mature, independent and loving woman. Lydia has a heart of gold and is absolutely enchanting & sweet!

The hero in this story is no Prince Charming...well, at least, not at first. Robert Beckford, the Earl of Masten marries Lydia at the tender age of 16-years old in order to protect the good name of his family and avoid a scandal. His good-for-nothing, brother Lucas Beckford was found in bed with Lydia and of course, in this society, the woman is always to blame & the male comes out of the scandal unscathed. Lucas abandons Lydia which leaves big-brother Robert the role of sweeping in to fix the problem which is his normal relationship-pattern with his little brother who is irresponsible & a complete rake.

I was angry with the way Robert treated Lydia. For 5 years, he made her stay in a country estate as a bird in a gilded cage, away from society. After his vows and before he sent her off into her exile, he said some very harsh words. During this time, Lydia grows up and develops a strong character. She encounters Robert for the first time since their wedding, at her sister-in law's ball. At first sight Robert becomes enamored with Lydia, but he didn't know she was his wife until it was pointed out to him by a friend. He did not recognize her as she grew up and was now a stunning, beautiful woman he was drawn to. Well, needless to say, Robert seeks her out and the two fall in love.

Robert is a harsh man and he says very harsh things to Lydia that made me cringe. Robert has quite a temper. He's one of those men who are rough around the edges & is definitely an alpha male.

THANKFULLY, Robert does transform and becomes a wonderful, loving husband who gets to know Lydia and realizes how wrong he was in judging her. He becomes her fiercest defender, both of her honor and of her person, when she is in real danger.

There are yet some very emotional twists in this story that emerge and kind of take the air out of you. But, overall, it's a triumphant read.

I was very upset with Robert's brother, Lucas. He was such a jerk to Lydia....and unrepentant jerk. But, at the very end he did transform as a character as well, which I was grateful for. I was so elated that he sacrificed his reputation in the grand scheme that he, Caroline (who is Robert & Lucas's sister), Clayworth (family friend), and Chet (family Friend) as well as Chet's mother engaged in to save Lydia from a new scandal brought about by Robert's vindictive ex-mistress.

This will be one of my favorite books to go back and read over because I love a story with such a huge transformation as the hero, Robert, encountered. You will hardly recognize him from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. Oh, he's still tough & quite the fierce protector, but his energy & love is directed toward his wife. This is a story with a very redemptive ending.

Narrator:
WOW! I hesitated to listen to this book because I just don't care for male narrators for Regency novels. However, Stevie is a female! And, she is quite talented in her ability to create male and female voices and characters. SHe was just superb! Loved her narration!

Enjoyed every minute of this book.

Where does A Scandalous Wife rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the top of the list, she brought something new which makes me want t read more by this author.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I would love to have more books by this author

WOW! I have found a new favorite book!

I love the timeless elements to this story, the narration was amazing (the kids were spot-on) and the twists were perfect! I have been looking for a good classic read for a while now and I have found it here. I love how she leaves you guessing the entire book as to whether Lydia is sincere or manipulative, you never know but there is enough to wonder. I wish there were more books available, I'm dying to continue on the journey. If you love Pride and Prejudice or any other regency stories, you will love this! Tempted to listen to it again but I think I will continue searching for the next book or at least one by the same Author. She's amazing!

Highly recommended

Such a believable story about the lives of a compromised young lady and the man who married her to save her reputation.
But situations aren't always what they appear to be and the story unfolds painting quite a different picture.
It was so touching to see them realize that they had fallen in love with each other.
Beautifully written as a romance with many very touching scenes, and with intrigue and mysteries being solved too. A lovely tale about family life.
Ava Stone and Stevie Zimmerman make a good team and I recommend this as a great book/audiobook

A VERY ENJOYABLE REGENCY SAGA OF LOVE & BETRAYAL

Within the hours of pleasurable listening you will encounter Robert who is the saint and head of the family who is always cleaning up his scoundrel of a brother's mistakes. One of them was Lydia who was compromised by one brother then quickly married off to the other and dumped in the country for 5 years to be forgotten about by both men.

In those years she grew up and the caterpillar has now become a butterfly who's come back to London to finally live life but she's been spotted by her husband Robert (drat) who decides he rather likes being married to his beautiful wife and wants more - much much more (yeah now he wants her) and sets in motion a plan to entice and snare her.

A heartwarming romantic tale with great likeable main characters and a cast of interesting secondary characters including a vindictive ex mistress, a good plot which delivers a few unpleasant surprises along the way including murder and a scandal. There are lots of hints left and groundwork has been laid for the second instalment.

Worth a credit? Yes and I'm off to listen to book 2.

Great series!

Liked it a lot. Though I did read the third and second one first. This one helps with all the characters in the other 2 books.
This series is going in my rereading pile....In order the next time around. :-)