The Earl’s Mistress audiobook

Definitely a very bold departure for Liz Carlyle and one I personally felt slightly uncomfortable with....I mean of course the bedroom scenes. There is a lot of talk in other reviews about '50 Shades of Grey'; not having read that novel I wouldn't know, what I do know, however, is that the course Ms. Carlyle has taken in The Earl's Mistress works, in this storyline anyway. It's not dominance - or whatever the correct term is - for dominance sake, it's part of who Anthony is and it becomes clear that it is also what Isabella is. Consenting adults behind closed doors and all that...why not? So uncomfortable or not I cannot mark her down for writing so explicitly about something I felt uncomfortable with - it's her story.Aside from that, this was an utterly absorbing, romantic and fast paced page turner. Anthony is a tortured man with events in his past having shaped him into an arrogant, self absorbed and promiscuous rake. That is until beautiful, vulnerable but strong minded Isabella Aldridge enters his life and his heart, and his innate honour and protectiveness rises to the fore. She becomes his match both inside the bedchamber and out of it. Life has treated Isabella badly but she has simply taken it on the chin, she has her younger half sister and step sister to care for and she will do so in what ever way she must. Isabella becomes 'The Earl's Mistress' but also so much more - the love, attraction and sheer magnetism between these two leaps off the pages. Liz Carlyle has written an utterly beautiful and captivating tale - it's really about the saving of Anthony, the Earl of Hepplewood's soul, by Isabella Aldridge.There is a believable plot running through the story which is one of the things driving gently born Isabella into taking such drastic action as to offer herself as a mistress to a rich aristocrat. The plot is dark, plausible and well written. The dealings and actions of Anthony, Earl of Hepplewood in the solving of Isabella's problems are excellently executed and I found the whole story to be absolutely absorbing. I adored Anthony, Earl of Hepplewood, his character is strong, dominant but honourable. His love for Isabella touching and endearing, he comes across - to me at least - as the sad little boy we all love to love. Isabella is a beautiful, proud woman who feels ashamed, at least to begin with, of the compulsion she feels to indulge in 'the bedroom antics' Anthony teaches her. Not withstanding that, I still loved this story, it is written in Liz Carlyle's usual classy manner, she has just become bolder and I thoroughly enjoyed it with the reservations already mentioned. I would still urge other lovers of HR to read this novel, just read as I did and accept that the 'bedroom scenes' are part of what makes these characters what they are. Loved it....5 stars

I throughly enjoyed this book. It was humorous in several places (like when all the children came into the story-wasn’t expecting it in a book that contains so much BDSM...but it worked out very well).To think I was going to stop reading it as well, would’ve been a loss 💕

Posted on What I'm ReadingI wasn't sure if I was going to add my thoughts to this post. However, I have decided to. Yes, I was a little worry when I looked at other people's thoughts. There are some reviews that might be consider harsh out there, and I do believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion of the story. Yeah, I would I went with the thought "What did I get myself into". As I started to read The Earl's Mistress, I was surprise by my reaction to the story. Yes, it isn't your typical Liz Carlyle story. It's a little different from the other stories I have read by her, but I still liked it.Yes, majority of the story deals with Hepplewood trying to convince Isabella to become his mistress. At times he's over the top domineering, especially when he's around Isabella. However, it's his way of keeping control. You don't realize that until he tells the story of his past, which I have to say is a doozy. Anyway, at first you look at Isabella as pushover at times, and you wonder if she even has a back bone. As you read, you actually she that there is more her than the pushover you see. Of course, she submits to Hepplewood, but you see her trying to work her feelings out along the way. Some may view this as being indecisive. I look at her as someone who hasn't had a lot of sexual experience, which can be scary when you have a domineering person. So, that's a huge chunk of the story, but there's more to The Earl's Mistress. For instance, Isabella is trying to protect her sisters from their crummy cousin Tafford. During the story he's always in the background. Isabella is worry what he might do to them cause she doesn't want to be married to debauched cousin. Once we get to the second half the story Tafford and whatever he's cooked up becomes the focus. Yes, Isabella and Hepplewood still have a relationship that hasn't been defined. Here's what I think: Some people are not going to like Hepplewood and probably think Isabella is a fool for going to his bed and pretty much returning to it. However, Hepplewood's character actually made me laugh cause his domineering personality was over the top. At times I kind of heard his voice like Patrick Stewart as he narrated the Fifty Shades of Chicken Book Trailer. However, once he starts removing the veneer, you can see that he's a decent guy with some dark tendency. Isabella may seem like a fool, but she does care for her family and would do anything for them. Overall, I liked The Earl's Mistress and if you can look pass the flaws it's actually a pretty good story. These are completely my thoughts and worth a shot. Copy provided by Avon via Edelweiss

Penurious widow Isabella Aldridge needs a job—badly. Since her husband left her penniless, she's been making her way as a governess. Her last position ended when the boys went to school, and now, with their rent and all their other bills months in arrears, she and her two young sisters are about to be out on the street. Oh, there is family but the price she and her sisters would have to pay for their support is far too dear. In desperation, she travels all the way to Northumberland, on the promise that a position awaits her with the notorious hedonist, Earl of Hepplewood. Hardly an ideal employer, but beggars can't be choosers.Hep takes one look at Bella and realizes she is not suited for the position she's seeking—he doesn't dally with the help, and, well, with her, he wouldn't be able to help himself. He offers her another position—one he thinks she's far better suited for. She slaps his face and he sends her on her way.As insulting as the idea was, the family issues at home are getting more and more desperate. Bella's been going without food to keep her sisters from being hungry , and there's more and more pressure from a perverted cousin who wants to marry her (and get access to her young sisters). And, well, the earl's words just keep returning to her. Wouldn't it be better to be a discreetly kept mistress than a beggar on the streets? Long story short, Hep gets his way. Which is exactly how he likes it. Seems he has a 50 Shades thing going. I'll spoiler this comment just cuz it might be a bit "out there" for some. (view spoiler)[There's a bit of BDSM in the bedroom scenes—I think it's probably pretty vanilla, as such things go—a bit of spanking and bondage, a few toys. I normally skim past sex scenes in these books because they're so by the numbers that I'm bored, but I read these scenes (I've never really sought out BDSM literature but I've always been curious what the draw was. I guess I always thought the whole point was to make it feel dangerous, but when the "rules" are so spelled out and the sub knows s/he can stop he play at any time, then how can it? Now I kinda get it). (hide spoiler)]Meanwhile, Hep discovers that her cousin has ulterior motives for the marriage—and it's not just about the little girls. There's some action of a non-sexual nature towards the end, and a bit of deus ex machina, but it worked. On the whole, this one deserves a good 4.5—which is good from me, given it's a Victorian, and mostly about the relationship.

Wow, I enjoyed this book. I'd rate this as the best book I've read since The Last Hellion and Bringing Down the Duke.  I've read plenty of other lovely books in the interim, but this one REALLY stood out.First off, who is Liz Carlyle, and why have I never heard of her? I stumbled on her thanks to a combination of AAR, GoodReads and my Libby account yesterday.As with most things, execution trumps the idea. The idea here is fairly straightforward. Hepplesworth is a rakish earl with some dubious proclivities (aka he's a libertine with a bondage fetish). Isabella is an impoverished widow and former governess, with two half-sisters to care for. He turns her down for a job as governess, and tells her to take up another profession instead (Guess which one!). She slaps him, leaves, and goes back to her previous employer who hired her to tutor her sons (and who happens to be a former courtesan). Isabella tells her that she has no choice but to become some rich man's mistress and wants her help in acquiring such a man. She is then matched with-- guess who, why yes, it's Hepplesworth again.  Although there are some villains in this plot and a bit of external drama toward the end of it, this is primarily a character driven story, so I won't reveal much more of the plot. It's so easy to read this book and think I understood both these characters straight out of the gate. I remember really enjoying the first ten percent, even as I rolled my eyes and thought: wow, this man is so dissolute and lascivious and she's so prim, self-respecting and vulnerable to the world. Those assumptions weren't wrong, but they were shallow. I love when a writer takes you through your black and white assumptions, and forces you to see the gray (50 shades pun not intended).Hepplesworth,  who seems shallow and insensitive, has hidden depths- cares about his responsibilities to his dependents, is a decent father, and a protective partner. He's not afraid to apologize when he is wrong, and he's NOT cruel. Isabella is vulnerable because of her circumstances, but stands up for herself. She also gets in two good slaps at critical points in the plot, which I found deeply enjoyable. She also has a clear-eyed view of her responsibilities in life, and is grounded and centered, even as she's troubled by the kinky sex she enjoys having with Hepplesworth, and there's a fair amount of it. Speaking of sex, the main calling card of this book is the BDSM elements. I give Carlyle credit for threading the needle very well on this. I've seen books that imply a BDSM element and then do nothing of the sort (I'm looking at you, Devil in Spring and The Duke's Perfect Wife). I know there are books that essentially use BDSM as an excuse for cruelty and abuse (I'm thinking of some of Maya Banks' contemporaries- the "sweet" series). Here we have six love scenes, each one that shows the progression of their relationship. Three of the six include some BDSM elements (spanking, bondage) and three don't. The three that don't, include Isabella having the upper hand. In the scenes that do include spanking and bondage, you see a good use of consent, Hepplesworth focusing on Isabella's pleasure, pulling back when he senses she's uncomfortable, and reassuring her when she wonders why she enjoys this type of sex. There's also a good progression from lust to love, over the course of the book, which is as it should be. Since the consent and love pieces are done right, I found the scenes satisfying. Overall, a really striking book that I enjoyed. Elegantly simple plot, fantastically written lead couple. The side characters, especially Hepplesworth cousin Anne, were good as well. Should note I couldn't keep track of all the family relationships on Hepplesworth's side, and that might be because this is the fourth or fifth book in the series, although there aren't many references to other plots. 

A lovely romance that was both sweet and sensuous, The Earl's Mistress was a wonderful read. I really liked this book. From start to finish, it was an enjoyable read.Isabella was a good heroine. I liked that she was strong and determined to take care of her sisters and live independently. However, I had some issues with her. She could be a bit self-righteous, somewhat hypocritical, and frustratingly indecisive, mostly regarding her relationship with Anthony. It annoyed me that, even though she chose to become a courtesan, she acted like Anthony forced her into it (and, she wasn't even his mistress for very long, which made that title a bit of a misnomer). However, it wasn't enough to make me actually dislike her, so I ended up being okay with her.Hepplewood (or Anthony) was better. He came off as cold and distant, but it didn't take long to see beyond that. He was fiercely loyal to his loved ones and would do anything (legal or not) to keep them safe. And, despite his denial of having a conscience, he felt things deeply and blamed himself for more than he could get credit for. I thought he was sweet and wonderful and I adored him.The romance was lovely. Despite Isabella's issues, I still though that they were sweet together. Even though circumstances were against them, they still fell hard. Not to mention to steaminess going on between them. Definitely enough to turn the heat level waaaaay up. The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. There were a couple of twists and Isabella fought to keep her sisters from the guardianship of her cousin. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was wonderful.The Earl's Mistress was a lovely historical romance. It was sweet, hot, and an enjoyable read. Romance lovers, this is a book worth checking out.*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was a lovely, sensuous, and wonderful read with realistic characters. I had it on my kindle for months, but delayed reading it because of the reviews! How I am sorry I waited.

To say that I am a fan of this author would be an understatement. I believe I have every book she’s written and some are print, some on my Kindle and some, as is this one, on both Kindle, copy and audio. Yeah, I am that kind of a bookworm.I’ve read all the others in this series, so naturally I had to read this one too. Let me say at the outset that I loved the Victorian setting as much as I loved the characters. As a matter a fact, I had to wrestle between liking and loving this story because of one thing that I’m not a huge fan of: BDSM.Now, before you start on me, let me explain why I had a bit of a problem with it. At first I thought “here we go again with ‘Fifty Shades of Gray'”, but as I thought more on it, I realized that for some reason the narrative worked within this story and by the end of the book, I accepted it and thought it was handled with thoughtfulness and care to the characters and who they were.Both hero and heroine were very complex individuals and both had shades of grey and weren’t just “good” or “bad”. They had flaws and a lot of baggage that needed to be worked through and I had a lot of fun watching them do just that.In the end, I loved the story and highly recommended it you read.Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the publisher

To say that I am a fan of this author would be an understatement. I believe I have every book she’s written and some are print, some on my Kindle and some, as is this one, on both Kindle, copy and audio. Yeah, I am that kind of a bookworm.I’ve read all the others in this series, so naturally I had to read this one too. Let me say at the outset that I loved the Victorian setting as much as I loved the characters. As a matter a fact, I had to wrestle between liking and loving this story because of one thing that I’m not a huge fan of: BDSM.Now, before you start on me, let me explain why I had a bit of a problem with it. At first I thought “here we go again with ‘Fifty Shades of Gray'”, but as I thought more on it, I realized that for some reason the narrative worked within this story and by the end of the book, I accepted it and thought it was handled with thoughtfulness and care to the characters and who they were.Both hero and heroine were very complex individuals and both had shades of grey and weren’t just “good” or “bad”. They had flaws and a lot of baggage that needed to be worked through and I had a lot of fun watching them do just that.In the end, I loved the story and highly recommended it you read.Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the publisher

Isabella Aldridge is a well-bred woman who is at her last resort. Widowed and struggling to take care of her two younger sisters, she tries to find work as a governess only to face the reality that her looks and reputation make it impossible to get hired. Her last interview with the Earl of Hepplewood went so badly, he suggested the only job for her was to be a wealthy man's mistress. After punching him in the face (huzzah!) she realizes he just might be right but when her new plan is put into action their paths just might cross again in surprising ways. I am really disappointed in the bad reviews this book is getting from Carlyle's fans who clearly do not like anything more kinky than, I don't know, getting it on outside of a bed. Yes, there is very VERY light kink in this book and to compare it to Fifty Shades is unfortunate. Come on, guys-Carlyle can write and she does it subtly and well. What Carlyle does well is show the reality of the type of decisions women had to make to survive when all the laws and society opinion favored men. What was missing from this book, for me, was the strong story line and emotional connection. There was so much going on and I think bits of the story got lost.

I listened to the audio book. I'd read this book when it first came out and a book discussion with a friend made me think about it again... I wanted to see if it was as steamy as I remembered and yes it is. One of the things I liked about this one is even though the Earl is a dom he sometimes lets Isabella take the lead. The audio book is 11 hours long so its good for those days when you have a lot of busy work to do.... Mind you I had to wear earphones when the teen was around.

The Earl"s Mistress is a different historical romance, The story and plot was really good but there were parts of the book that hero was so dark, wicked and cold. The heroine Isabella was strong and beautiful widow who has been taking care of her sisters for the past several years. Heppelwood the hero was a challenge to like, at times he was cold and dark but mostly was great father and gentleman. It was a great story. Thank you Liz Carlyle.