Ace of Hearts

House of Cards #1

by Barbara Metzger, Jenny Sterlin (Translation)

A classic work from author Barbara Metzger, now available in ebook format for the first time!

Never did Alexander "Ace" Endicott, the Earl of Cards, imagine himself to be thrice-betrothed against his will by the doings of three desperate debutantes. So he escapes London to his property in the country, where he follows through with his deceased father's last wish-to find his long-lost step-sister. His search takes a detour and leads him to Nell, who piques his interest. Now, Ace may have to reconsider his rejection of marriage and see if two mismatched lovers can make a royal pair.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published September 6, 2005

About the author

Barbara Metzger is the author of over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. She has also been an editor, a proof-reader, a greeting card verse-writer, and an artist. When not painting, writing romances or reading them, she volunteers at the local library, gardens and goes beach-combing and yard-saling.

Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.

Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...

Reviews

[Luana ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not up to the author's level of humor. It was a nice story with eccentric characters and a morbid plot that made things well, morbid. Now that I think about it that might be the reason why this book was not a humorous read.

I saw a few reviews that the person was shocked that this is not a clean romance but to be honest, not a lot happen here, there's only one scene where things get hot and they almost burn down the house, literally, but not a lot happened in writing.

If you wanna try a morbid and eccentric side of Barbara Metzger go fot this book.

3.5 stars.

[Mayu · Rating 1 out of 5]

0/10

Con este libro me da penita tener que darle esta nota porque fue un regalo de mi amiga Inés (la podéis encontrar en Serendipia azul) por mi cumpleaños anterior. Le agradezco mucho la intención, lo único que me consuela es que ella no ha leído ningún libro de ésta autora. ¡¡Gracias, Inés♡!!

(...)

Simple y llanamente, no me gustó nada este libro, salvo los dos primeros capítulos, que fueron divertidisimos. Ha sido mi primer libro de romance histórico del 2016. La verdad es que esperaba algo de éste libro, no digo que fuera grandioso pero si que me gustara un poquito, mínimo una historia de 4/10, pero no pudo ser. Prontito vi que el libro no era nada divertido ni romántico y perdi totalmente el interés en él.


Reseña completa en:

http://mayuamoraprimeravista.blogspot...

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the beginning interesting, but the story paled pretty quickly as the hero lost his way [figuratively and literally], the heroine was never more than blandness personified [!] living in suspended animation as her brother robbed her of her all hope of a real life. Most of the book felt like filler as characters thought endlessly about this that and the other, which was never very interesting and soon eminently skip-able. Then we get to the strange brother, whose machinations were just not believable, maybe because his motive was so obvious, and from the get-go there hangs a kind of cartoon suspiciousness over this guy. Seems he was a little crazy, too, but nobody noticed. This is the first of 3 books with the same, long drawn out plot and I am not reading the other two.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alexander Chalfont Endicott, Earl of Carde, nicknamed Ace, has found himself unwittingly engaged to three separate young ladies at the same time. Not wanting to marry any of them, Alex flees to the country to locate his late step-mother's relations and fulfill a promise he made to his dying father 13 years ago. At that time, Alex's young step-mother and her young daughter were involved in a coaching accident. Lady Carde was killed and the girl, Lottie, disappeared along with the hired guard. Alex's father believed little Lottie still lived and Alex does too. He realizes it's time to do his duty and find out what happened to his sister once and for all. When Eleanor Sloane's brother rushes off who knows where unexpectedly, he warns her there is a rake in the village and not to talk to anyone, especially not strangers. Nell, no green girl, dismisses her brother's warnings to visit the tenants, discovering a disastrous situation and acquiring a pet goose. When said goose encounters Alex, the results are instantaneous chaos. Alex becomes wounded and can not be moved, so Nell and her eccentric Aunt Hazel (and Aunt Hazel's ghosts) are left alone with Alex. Nell can't help but be attracted to the man who was her childhood savior but knows she isn't his usual type. Alex finds Nell highly attractive indeed and is torn between his responsibilities as lord and master and his desires. If only Nell's brother would come home and answer Alex's questions so Alex could get on his way to the task at hand before proving to Nell just how much he desires her.

This story is not up to Barbara Metzger's usual standards. It's far more sensual than her typical Regency romance. Whether or not it's clean depends on your definition. While there isn't a love scene per se, there is a scene with Alex and his mistress. The focus in on how Alex was feeling at the time and the importance of the conversation. Most of this book is taken over by boring descriptions of how much the characters are physically attracted to each other. I can see why they fall in love without the physical desires. I can not see this couple suiting though. I found Nell to be far too selfless and self-denying to be an appealing heroine. She constantly doubts herself, her feelings and the hero's feelings. She feels that way for a reason, which is part of the plot. I found all that drama too repetitive and slow. Ace isn't much of a rake or an appealing hero. He's different from the usual cocky, confident hero and I liked the change but he didn't take action soon enough. I was more interested in the mystery which gets dropped and doesn't pick up until 3/4 of the way through the book. The ending feels rushed and there's no real closure. An epilogue tells the reader what happened next and what didn't happen, setting the stage for the sequel. This story also lacks Metzger's usual witty dialogue and comedic style. There weren't enough scenes with animals. The best scenes in the entire book featured the goose, Wellington. I will not be reading the next two books in the series. I do not care enough about what happens next.

[Christa Schönmann Abbühl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some lengths, and while the narrator hit everybody else perfectly, I did not quite like her voice for the earl. But it was funny and smart and sweet - which goes a long way with me. And I am so disappointed that the other two volumes of the trilogy are not available on Audible. So I bought the whole set in ebook format. Which is ok, just not the same.

[Sandy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Earl of Carde, Alexander Edicott Carde, “Ace” to his friends due to those initials he has, knows he has to marry to beget heirs, but he refuses to marry without love. Before he can even think any further than that and even begin a search for the proper wife, three options come at him out of the blue, three women he wants nothing to do with. So he hightails it out of London to escape their clutches and to finally keep a deathbed promise to his father to find Lottie, Carde’s half-sister who was believed lost in a carriage accident in which her mother perished more than a decade earlier.

This leads him back to Nell, the young girl he remembers fondly before tragedy struck. She’s turned into a beautiful woman, and while her station keeps him from pursuing her himself, he tries to now do right by her after his years of neglect, but the more he’s around her and the more he pushes her away, the more his heart won’t let her go.

I enjoyed the characters in this book, even those foppish men who think they’re good enough for Nell. It’s the humor that makes even them likable. I mean, when you laugh at the antics of a goose as it interacts with the hero and heroine, and none of it good for either one of them, the author has a way with humor. Ms. Metzger does it beautifully. This is a nice start to the trilogy, and I’m looking forward to reading about Jack once he’s home from his stint in the military.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. One of the funnier Regencies I've read. Lord Alexander Calfont Endicott, Carde to most, Alex to a few, and Ace to his closest friends and the London gossip columnists, has three women who (want to) consider themselves engaged to him. He decides it's time to beat a strategic retreat, and heads to the country to avoid all women and to take up his father's dying request to search for his half-sister, who disappeared 13 years ago when she was 3 years old. Instead he meets up with Eleanor (Nell) and a crazy cast of characters, including Aunt Hazel, who talks to ghosts, Nell's brother, who is hiding way too many deep, dark secrets, and a belligerent goose who is very protective of Nell.

Excerpt: "The coach traveled slowly, weighted down with second thoughts. Alex tried to sleep on the road south, but his regrets kept him awake. So did his valet.

"Stives was sniffing his disfavor. Snort as he expressed his opinion of the hasty departure. Snort as he made known his disapproval that milord had taken the dog along with them instead of the cook, who not only made the flakiest pastries, but who was not averse to a bit of cuddling in the kitchen. Snort as Stives picked white dog hairs off his somber black suit.

" 'If you are coming down with a chill, Stivy, I can set you down at the next inn we come to.'

"Snort for the sarcasm.

"The only one in the carriage who was happy to be there was Daisy, who would follow the earl anywhere, unlike some females Alex could name but would not."

The humor can get a bit broad; if you're in the mood for this kind of thing it's a fun romp, but it's probably not for sticklers for Regency authenticity.

Content advisory: No sex, but a very heavy make-out scene which includes discussion of the hero's erection, so yeah. And the heroine at one point offers to become his mistress, although he turns her down flat. Plus a scene with the hero and his (then) mistress at the start of the book.

[Milena Benini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, I read Barbara Metzger for the humour, not for the romance. And when it comes to humour, she's incredible. First of all, the woman can write slapstick -- I wasn't even sure it could be done before I discovered Metzger -- and, also, her jump-cuts are perfect. That's really all there is to be said. It's fluff, but what gorgeous fluff!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander, the Earl of Carde is in a predicament. He has 3 women who each tell the world that he is engaged to them. He decides to run. That is the first reaction, and it is interesting. He should have gone and talked to the women and tried to figure out what was going on. It is interesting that Nell, her brother, and Aunt Hazel all speak to ghosts. I hope that he find out whether Lottie is dead or alive. Nell's pet goose is funny, until Alex becomes injured during a goose attack on a horse. This book had so many different twists and turns. This book contains tons of different things to keep the reader going. There is romance with Alex liking Nell a lot. Mystery includes the carriage accident, the money incident, and also Lottie. There are so many funny parts in this book and it was amazing. I could recommend this book to anyone who likes Mystery, romance, and funny scenes.

[Yukari Watanabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fun to read old-school regency romance novels sometimes. It's so ridiculous that it's enjoyable.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metzger is a new author for me, and I was worried that she might turn out to be a little too R rated at the start of the story, but although there was much alluded to and some more-than-just-kissing, for the most part it kept somewhat clean with no bedroom scenes (apart from the opening scene). The author's wit and subtle humor was very entertaining and was the cause for many lol moments. I can't wait to read more of Metzger's works.

[Lucía SRamírez · Rating 3 out of 5]

As de Corazones es una historia, bastante básica y sencilla si se podría decir de una manera mas resumida.

Cuenta la historia de ACE "Alexander" un conde que tiene que conseguir una esposa para casarse y tener el heredero que tiene que tener, pero es sumamente codiciado por varias damas de la alta cuna que solo desean su dinero y el titulo de condesas, pero Alex le huye al compromiso y siempre ha pensado que la mujer con la que se case será una mujer que ama y que este enamorado de ella.

Tenemos personajes que son bastante cae bien, fresh y sin problemas de entenderlos, imagino que esto se debe a que la historia no es tan complicada de entenderla, Nell que es la protagonista femenina de esta historia es un personaje que cae bien y que no se hace tedioso leer, hace buena pareja con Alex.

Algo que me llamo mucho la atención en esta novela, es que no se alaba al personaje masculino por su belleza y por su carácter, ya que Alex carece de un carácter fuerte, es mas escuchador y comprensivo, así como el mismo dice que sus rasgos físicos no están tan bien, aunque cuando leemos a Nell expresarse de él, lo describe como el "hombre mas guapo del mundo".

Aparte de la historia de amor, se desarrollo una trama sobre un familiar de Alex lo que hace que talvez no te aburra el drama principal, ya que la novela es bastante básica, fresca y no contiene el drama que tanto me gusta a mi y que creo que es necesario para hacerla mucho mejor.

Recomendada: Pues es una historia que se puede leer sin esperar nada a cambio, es decir sin tener grandes expectativas, se lee rápido y que no te queda marcada como otras, me refiero a esas de las que no puedes sacarte de la cabeza. Esperaba un final mejor creo que termino de una manera un poco precipitada. 3 Estrellas por que si bien no es un gran que, tampoco la considero mala.

[Sharon A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this as an audiobook for my iPod shuffle, and listened to it while I walked on treadmill or worked around the house. I can't listen to anything too serious or difficult to follow.

That said, this was a delightful regency romance. I particularly enjoyed that it was narrated by a British reader, which really put me in the mood. The story was laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and the romance was sweet.

It was a lovely escape for a few hours or dull housework, and I am definitely going to get the other two in the series.

[Jultri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Beebs]

OK this is bothering me so much so I have to vent it somewhere-

Huge plot hole: Early in chapter 4, to give his sister busy work so she won't go seeking out the stranger in the village (who is trying to track them down), he insists that she visit every single tenant farm and insist they pay the rent money regardless, while he's gone.

The next day, while he's gone, she's out and about and the narrator states (from the h's perspective) that the brother refuses to allow her to visit the tenant farms/cottages because of specious reasons, but she decides to do it anyway on an impulse.

EDIT TO ADD: Later on, this is slightly addressed by FMC musing to herself on why the brother insisted on her visiting the tenant farms when he would be found out and after never allowing her to go there before. Will add more if it turns out this is not actually a plot hole.

Wouldn't be a big deal except that this ends up being a specific plot point wherein the brother has been mistreating his tenants to the point that some of them have actually left and some literally can't pay anything- and he's been hiding this from his sister.

So yeah apparently the author decided to go a different direction than she was planning at first, but forgot to change his busywork, because if he's trying to hide that his tenant farms are all messed up, why would he insist on her going and visiting every one?

OK back to the story I feel better having aired this.

[Hopefulpuffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. It started out with promise. There’s a bit of comedy, a bit of drama, and a goose.

The Earl of Carde somehow found himself engaged to a trio of women. He flees to an estate of his in the hinterland with the idea he’ll fulfill his father’s dying wish to try and find his half-sister who’s been missing for over a decade.

Arriving at the estate, he finds it in a state of near-ruin. Things progress from there. I ignored most of the family tree stuff. When people start talking about cousins through a second marriage who aren’t really blood relations, my eyes glaze over and I nod politely. When I read about it, I skim ahead. There was a fair bit of skimming here.

Family relations aside, this book gets bogged down about 2/3 of the way through. The mystery isn’t much of a mystery, the heroine’s foil is more annoying than scheming, and the goose starts to lay an ordinary egg.

By the time I got to the last few chapters,
I was ready for this one to wrap up. I don’t know if I’ll read the next one in the series. My library has it, so I might. I would be disappointed had I bought this one.

I’d rate it a solid PG. A bit of hanky panky, but no nudity.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander Chalfont Endicott (Ace), Earl of Carde, high tails it from London and 3 conniving women who are willing to do anything to trick him into marriage. It seems a good time to follow up on a promise he made to his late father to find his long lost stepsister. His young stepmother, Lizbeth, died in a tragic carriage accident with several others, but one guard and the 3 year-old, Lottie, were never accounted for. Private investigators over the past 13 years have turned up nothing. He determines to start with an aunt and 2 cousins of Lizbeth, the house where she left from to return home. Something is not right. The cousin, Phelan, is lying, the aunt talks to ghosts, and the young cousin, Nell, has been kept in the dark about the whole thing. Ace's investigation is then hampered when one of the women from London shows up with plans to trap him. The plot is very humorous and convoluted. Lots of tongue-in-cheek and funny asides. Some answers are found and but others appear, leaving plenty for the next book in the series to solve.

[Thereadingbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexander Chalfont Endicott (Ace), Earl of Carde, high tails it from London and 3 conniving women who are willing to do anything to trick him into marriage. It seems a good time to follow up on a promise he made to his late father to find his long lost stepsister. His young stepmother, Lizbeth, died in a tragic carriage accident with several others, but one guard and the 3 year-old, Lottie, were never accounted for. Private investigators over the past 13 years have turned up nothing. He determines to start with an aunt and 2 cousins of Lizbeth, the house where she left from to return home. Something is not right. The cousin, Phelan, is lying, the aunt talks to ghosts, and the young cousin, Nell, has been kept in the dark about the whole thing. Ace's investigation is then hampered when one of the women from London shows up with plans to trap him. The plot is very humorous and convoluted. Barbara Metzger uses tongue and cheek humor well throughout the book which makes the book interesting and funny. The story was enjoyable I would rate it 3.5 stars.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very pleasant Regency, read on audio. Our hero has three ladies who insist he is engaged to them, and he runs away to escape the newspaper notices. He decides to take up a tragic mystery of his youth, and ends up meeting our heroine, a not-drippy sheltered woman who has been manipulated by her brother her whole life but who is a whole and satisfied person. There are anachronisms, and mildly described sex references, but really this could be Heyer easily, if Heyer didn’t have so much reactionary political thought. The ending falls down a bit but this was pretty enjoyable overall.

The reader here misspoke a lot, or was reading from a copy with a lot of typos - “gaelic” for “gallic,” for instance. But not so bad as my last audiobook so I forgave it all.

I picked this up because I disliked a previous book, and a reviewer here on Goodreads mentioned Metzger as a far better author. Thanks much to that reviewer!

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful

The book starts well. It’s funny and entertaining. Alex is hilarious with the three alleged betrothals and his escapes. Sadly it starts running downhill and it halfway into the book. The amount of padding with excessively lengthy writing, coupled with unnecessary meanders into irrelevant scenes and situations, turns a great start into an unmitigated bore.
What’s worse is that the mystery is barely looked at until the last two chapters and even then it careers off onto a different scenario.
Hoping the epilogue would set everything to rights, was the triumph of hope over experience.
I really liked Alex so I was bitterly disappointed at the way the story progressed. A glutton for punishment, I’ll try Book 2 …

[mari (givemaribooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was good. The mmc was funny and different from other typical lords in these types of books, but the fmc was annoying at times. She was so washy-washy. We barely got to see them together and it was more like one ridiculous scene after another. Too many POVs and they would change from one paragraph to the next, so it was hard to keep up sometimes. Not steam at all. And we get nothing about them after they get together, I would have rather have the second half of the book be about the fmc getting used to London. Also the description of the book in the back says that he is looking for his stepsister, but she really is his half-sister?

[Kate Maxwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not one of my favorites of this author's. After recently reading another book by Metzger, it was interesting to see how every spoke the same way. The only character that I truly enjoyed was Aunt Hazel, but she did not get enough page time. The story also fizzled out at the end - while being overly dramatic and insipid at the same time.

[Patricia Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as entertaining as Miss Lockharte's Letters but very entertaining nonetheless. Laugh-out loud funny . . . Four stars rather than five because I stalled a little bit in this book in the middle.

[Maude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

I had forgotten that Barbara Metzger was such a very talented author. This book was hilarious, sweet and romantic. I miss the old school writers: Kasey Michaels, Judith Lansdowne, Edith Layton, Elizabeth Fairchild and of course, Judith Ivory. But there are great writers today also,
Loretta Chase, Judith Ann Long and Julia Quinn, Mary Balogh.

[Frances · Rating 2 out of 5]

The house.

It started off as a three and ended as a two. It was a stupid plot and I was so sorry that this author let me down with this book. I will try the second one in the series and hope that it will be better than this one.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous regency romance

The story kept me entertained and wanting to read more. I enjoyed the characters and the humor. There is a bit of a mystery, no stress, a light hearted enjoyable read.

[Ale_23 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro interesante, aunque siento que el final estuvo un poco apresurado...en varias partes se hacía poco entretenido y al final todo transcurre demasiado rápido.... aún así me gustó mucho en terminos generales

[Holley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong characters, interesting plot and a pet guard goose. Funny and entertaining. Background story arc is not wrapped up in this book, I suspect it will go on through the series

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Just what I need right now - light romances with a lot of humor. This one also has a duck named Wellesley and tiny dog named Daisy.

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars