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Ladies of Scandal #2
House of Cads
Vivez la vie pleinement…Live life to the fullest.
That’s always been Marie-Anne de Vauteuil’s motto. As a Frenchwoman of highly questionable upbringing, she was shunned by genteel society when her fiancé died years ago, leaving her a penniless, fallen woman. Almost married, almost a widow…She retreated to an isolated village where no one knows or cares about her sordid past. And with no one to answer to, she will do as she pleases, including eating cake until her corset strings pop if she so chooses. But then, an invitation to London on a mission of mercy from the very family that cast her aside lands Marie-Anne back in society—and into the arms of a man who can be nothing but trouble.
When life gives you lemons…Make petit fours.
Wealthy American businessman Mason is a) accidentally engaged, b) desperate to get out of it, and c) neither wealthy nor a businessman. Marriage is the last thing on his mind. Money, however, is always of utmost importance. He’s only in London to gather material for the gossip pamphlets he illustrates, his scheme to make as much money as he can before he’s found out and skips town. But when he meets the irresistible Marie-Anne, she makes him rethink his life as a fraud, and for once consider his true talent as an artist. Her carefree attitude about life in general—and sex in particular—has Mason hoping for something he never believed possible: A proper life with a not-so-proper wife.
That’s always been Marie-Anne de Vauteuil’s motto. As a Frenchwoman of highly questionable upbringing, she was shunned by genteel society when her fiancé died years ago, leaving her a penniless, fallen woman. Almost married, almost a widow…She retreated to an isolated village where no one knows or cares about her sordid past. And with no one to answer to, she will do as she pleases, including eating cake until her corset strings pop if she so chooses. But then, an invitation to London on a mission of mercy from the very family that cast her aside lands Marie-Anne back in society—and into the arms of a man who can be nothing but trouble.
When life gives you lemons…Make petit fours.
Wealthy American businessman Mason is a) accidentally engaged, b) desperate to get out of it, and c) neither wealthy nor a businessman. Marriage is the last thing on his mind. Money, however, is always of utmost importance. He’s only in London to gather material for the gossip pamphlets he illustrates, his scheme to make as much money as he can before he’s found out and skips town. But when he meets the irresistible Marie-Anne, she makes him rethink his life as a fraud, and for once consider his true talent as an artist. Her carefree attitude about life in general—and sex in particular—has Mason hoping for something he never believed possible: A proper life with a not-so-proper wife.
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First published April 26, 2018
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About the author
Elizabeth Kingston
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Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
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November 14, 2018What an absolutely delightful read. Marie-Anne is a French immigrant living in a village. she's super sex positive, loves her food, a little bit lonely but not whiny about it. She lives fully and enthusiastically, and with her own personalised, clearsighted morality. She's also eight years older than the hero, *and* when she has a chance to get payback for a cruelty done to her years ago she takes it, with both hands, several times. She is not the bigger person and offers no Christian forgiveness. God, I love a heroine who holds a grudge. And her romance with Mason, an American con artist (in two senses of the word) is lovely, sexy, and very much led by her.
Very funny and extremely lighthearted, with a strongly Heyeresque feel to the subplots--the heroine must sort out the inappropriate romances of three sisters--and despite the house party setting, has the sense of a diverse larger world so often lacking in Regencies. A gleefully feelgood read.
Very funny and extremely lighthearted, with a strongly Heyeresque feel to the subplots--the heroine must sort out the inappropriate romances of three sisters--and despite the house party setting, has the sense of a diverse larger world so often lacking in Regencies. A gleefully feelgood read.
April 30, 2018
This is the sequel to A FALLEN LADY in Kingston's Ladies of Scandal series and has as its heroine Frenchwoman Marie-Anne de Vauteuil, dear friend of Lady Helen of the first book. Here we find formerly scandalously "fallen woman" Helen happily married to her love, Lord Summerdale, and Marie-Anne living a quiet life of imagined contentment in the small village of Bartle. (BTW, although a sequel, this entry works very well as a standalone for those who did not read the first book.)
Marie-Anne easily fits the ton's definition of a scandalous woman. After all, she was raised in France by prostitutes, lived a rather hardscrabble life at times. When she fell in love with Richard, a visiting Englishman, they anticipated their vows well before letting his disapproving parents know of their plans to wed. And when he died unexpectedly before they married, a pregnant Marie-Anne miscarried and was sent off to the English village of Bartle. Although loved by Richard's younger sisters, she was never accepted by his parents and so "out of sight, out of mind" for them.
But Marie-Anne will not be daunted by this. She's free-spirited and full of the joy of life. "Live life to the fullest" is her motto and that means whether with regard to eating baked goods, choosing to be happy, or taking lovers when the spirit moves her. So she is content in Bartle, even though her latest lover has decided to marry and needs to end their relationship. Enough baked goods will get her through this, she thinks.
Imagine her surprise when Richard's mother invites her to London. It seems that her almost mother-in-law is swallowing her distaste for Marie-Anne to enlist her help in straightening out the love lives of Richard's three sisters, Amy, Dahlia and Phyllida, who truly value and love Marie. There's Amy, in love with a stuffy vicar who is hesitant to commit to marriage until (1) Amy becomes as repressed and stuffy as he is and (2) Amy's two sisters have no whiff of scandal about them. What's the possible whiff of scandal? Well, Phyllida is besotted with a young aspiring poet of mediocre talent, exceptional Byronic looks, and a reputation as a libertine. And then there's Dahlia, recently engaged to a rich American businessman, Spencer Mason. Imagine the horror: Not only American, but in business.
Enter Marie-Anne, who meets Mason at a party where they are enchanted with each other at first sight. She, of course, is disenchanted to discover later that Mason is the businessman engaged to Dahlia. Not one to let life happen to her, she takes the initiative and confronts him, learning that this is an "accidental" engagement, never intended on his part. So the rest of the story has readers enjoying the subtle maneuverings of Marie and the musical-chairs romantic pairings of the sisters.
The biggest problem, at first, appears to be how to get Mason out of that unintended engagement and how to get Amy to see that her stuffy vicar is not The One for her. And nobody is exactly what they seem to be on the surface, especially Mason. Who and what is he really? A businessman? A con artist?
With the help of Summerdale, Marie-Anne learns Mason's secrets and must come to terms with what it all means. And charming Mason, who is very young, only about 23 to Marie-Anne's 31 years of age, must open his eyes to what life he should be living. Mason needs to grow up, the sisters need to get their love lives straightened out, and charming, uninhibited, loving, caring Marie-Anne does her best to help them all accomplish this.
Although there are a few serious issues touched on in the book, such as growing up in a disadvantaged environment, and a good bit of social satire to be found about the snobby upper class, this is actually mostly a fun and fluffy romp. And the romance is sweet. Mason and Marie-Anne, in spite of their age difference, have some smoking hot sexual chemistry going on and I was rooting for their HEA all the way through.
Marie-Anne easily fits the ton's definition of a scandalous woman. After all, she was raised in France by prostitutes, lived a rather hardscrabble life at times. When she fell in love with Richard, a visiting Englishman, they anticipated their vows well before letting his disapproving parents know of their plans to wed. And when he died unexpectedly before they married, a pregnant Marie-Anne miscarried and was sent off to the English village of Bartle. Although loved by Richard's younger sisters, she was never accepted by his parents and so "out of sight, out of mind" for them.
But Marie-Anne will not be daunted by this. She's free-spirited and full of the joy of life. "Live life to the fullest" is her motto and that means whether with regard to eating baked goods, choosing to be happy, or taking lovers when the spirit moves her. So she is content in Bartle, even though her latest lover has decided to marry and needs to end their relationship. Enough baked goods will get her through this, she thinks.
Imagine her surprise when Richard's mother invites her to London. It seems that her almost mother-in-law is swallowing her distaste for Marie-Anne to enlist her help in straightening out the love lives of Richard's three sisters, Amy, Dahlia and Phyllida, who truly value and love Marie. There's Amy, in love with a stuffy vicar who is hesitant to commit to marriage until (1) Amy becomes as repressed and stuffy as he is and (2) Amy's two sisters have no whiff of scandal about them. What's the possible whiff of scandal? Well, Phyllida is besotted with a young aspiring poet of mediocre talent, exceptional Byronic looks, and a reputation as a libertine. And then there's Dahlia, recently engaged to a rich American businessman, Spencer Mason. Imagine the horror: Not only American, but in business.
Enter Marie-Anne, who meets Mason at a party where they are enchanted with each other at first sight. She, of course, is disenchanted to discover later that Mason is the businessman engaged to Dahlia. Not one to let life happen to her, she takes the initiative and confronts him, learning that this is an "accidental" engagement, never intended on his part. So the rest of the story has readers enjoying the subtle maneuverings of Marie and the musical-chairs romantic pairings of the sisters.
The biggest problem, at first, appears to be how to get Mason out of that unintended engagement and how to get Amy to see that her stuffy vicar is not The One for her. And nobody is exactly what they seem to be on the surface, especially Mason. Who and what is he really? A businessman? A con artist?
With the help of Summerdale, Marie-Anne learns Mason's secrets and must come to terms with what it all means. And charming Mason, who is very young, only about 23 to Marie-Anne's 31 years of age, must open his eyes to what life he should be living. Mason needs to grow up, the sisters need to get their love lives straightened out, and charming, uninhibited, loving, caring Marie-Anne does her best to help them all accomplish this.
Although there are a few serious issues touched on in the book, such as growing up in a disadvantaged environment, and a good bit of social satire to be found about the snobby upper class, this is actually mostly a fun and fluffy romp. And the romance is sweet. Mason and Marie-Anne, in spite of their age difference, have some smoking hot sexual chemistry going on and I was rooting for their HEA all the way through.
May 31, 2018
I've given this a B at AAR.
House of Cads is the sequel to Elizabeth Kingston’s A Fallen Lady, a regency-era romance set in a small English village which introduced us to the lively and unapologetically hedonistic Frenchwoman, Marie-Anne de Vauteuil. Marie-Anne is beautiful, straightforward and unashamed of her colourful past; she’s had lovers, she makes no bones about the fact that she enjoys sex, and when the story opens, she’s a little downcast about the ending of her love affair with the village shoemaker because he’s getting married, and is seeking solace in the form of baked goods – which makes perfect sense to me. The comfort a good loaf and a tasty cake can provide should never be underestimated!
It’s immediately apparent that House of Cads is going to be a story that’s very different in tone to its predecessor, largely due to the force-of-nature that is Marie-Anne. Her perennial good humour, her sparking vivacity and wit and her no-nonsense attitude all speak to her philosophy that one should vivez la vie pleinement – live life to the fullest – and that attitude permeates the book, frequently bringing a smile to the lips as she sets about arranging her friends’ lives with brusque determination while at the same time discovering that perhaps there’s something in her own life that needs attention, too.
Hard on the heels of her disappointment in love (well, in her lover, anyway) comes a completely unexpected invitation from Lady Shipley to stay with the family at their London home. A couple of years earlier, Richard Shipley and Marie-Anne had fallen deeply in love – to horror of his parents who thought Marie-Anne no better than an opportunist whore. Regardless of their displeasure, the couple planned to marry, but Richard died suddenly, just days before the wedding, leaving a devastated Marie-Anne pregnant with his child. The shock of his death, together with his parents’ cruelty in barring her from his funeral brought on a miscarriage, and she retreated to the village of Bartle-on-the-Wold, which is where she met and befriended Helen, the heroine of A Fallen Lady. Marie-Anne is at a loss to explain this sudden turn of events, when she pulls another letter from the envelope, this one from the Shipley’s eldest daughter, Amy, begging her to come because her two younger sisters, Dahlia and Phyllida have attached themselves to unsuitable gentlemen, which is threatening her own engagement to a very proper young clergyman. The prospect of such a delightful spectacle awaiting her in London is just the antidote to boredom Marie-Anne had been looking for, and she immediately accepts the invitation.
Wealthy American businessman Spencer Mason might not speak French, but he knows a coup de foudre when it hits him. Which is exactly what happens in the middle Lady Huntingdon’s ballroom after he’s conversed with the lovely Frenchwoman with the sparkling wit and dimpled smile for all of about five minutes. The problem is, though (well, one of them, at least) is that he’s one of the unsuitable gentlemen to whom one of the Shipley girls has attached herself, and he doesn’t quite know how to disentangle himself from a situation and potential fiancée he really doesn’t want without upsetting the lady, her family or the business that has brought him to London in the first place. The strong mutual attraction that immediately springs up between him and Marie-Anne is an added complication… or perhaps it isn’t, when she tells him that she’s come to London to help sort out the muddled love affairs of the Shipley girls, and proceeds to work out just how to get him off the hook.
Readers learn early on that Mason isn’t who he says he is, and that he actually earns his living as a satirical cartoonist, something he obviously has to keep quiet if he’s to be able to gain entry into the social circles that will afford him the opportunity to observe and gather the information he needs in order to pursue his occupation. Given that both Marie-Anne and Helen have featured in the scandal sheets, it’s not surprising that Marie-Anne is upset to discover Mason’s true profession and reasons for being in London. But she’s discovered something else as well – that he’s a truly gifted artist, who should, she thinks, be using his talent in a far more positive way than just to lampoon the great and the good of English society.
The conflict in the romance derives basically from their opposing views on the nature of Mason’s profession; Marie-Anne thinks he should be doing better by himself, whereas Mason is full of self-doubt about his talent and his abilities, and is reluctant to leave behind the security of something he knows how to do in order to take a leap into the unknown and make a completely different life. Given he’s just twenty-three (to Marie-Anne’s thirty-one) it’s perhaps understandable that he doesn’t yet have the sort of confidence in himself that an older man might have; and I couldn’t help thinking at times that he was in danger of being flattened by the freight-train of energy and ideas that is Marie-Anne. She’s an engaging heroine – straightforward, unashamedly sexual and incredibly loyal to those she loves – but while I certainly appreciated those characteristics, she sometimes comes across as too modern for the time at which the book is set and is so strong a character that she overshadows everyone else in the book, including the hero. I also wasn’t wild about the way that Marie-Anne and Mason are finally able to overcome the issues that are keeping them apart, mostly because the resolution is arrived at courtesy of a big helping hand from another character. I generally prefer it when the principals in a romance work things out without too much outside influence, and while the ‘leg-up’ comes from a place of genuine friendship, it still smacks a little of the deus ex machina.
With all that said, there’s no question that Elizabeth Kingston is a very talented author. She writes with great insight and intelligence and she has a wonderfully deft touch when it comes to on-the-page humour. House of Cads is an enjoyable read with a breath-of-fresh-air heroine and a charming hero with chequered pasts, both of whom come to the realisation that they need to make changes in their attitudes and expectations if they are to live the lives they are meant to live. If you’re looking for a low-angst, sensual and light-hearted historical romance, it’s sure to appeal.
House of Cads is the sequel to Elizabeth Kingston’s A Fallen Lady, a regency-era romance set in a small English village which introduced us to the lively and unapologetically hedonistic Frenchwoman, Marie-Anne de Vauteuil. Marie-Anne is beautiful, straightforward and unashamed of her colourful past; she’s had lovers, she makes no bones about the fact that she enjoys sex, and when the story opens, she’s a little downcast about the ending of her love affair with the village shoemaker because he’s getting married, and is seeking solace in the form of baked goods – which makes perfect sense to me. The comfort a good loaf and a tasty cake can provide should never be underestimated!
It’s immediately apparent that House of Cads is going to be a story that’s very different in tone to its predecessor, largely due to the force-of-nature that is Marie-Anne. Her perennial good humour, her sparking vivacity and wit and her no-nonsense attitude all speak to her philosophy that one should vivez la vie pleinement – live life to the fullest – and that attitude permeates the book, frequently bringing a smile to the lips as she sets about arranging her friends’ lives with brusque determination while at the same time discovering that perhaps there’s something in her own life that needs attention, too.
Hard on the heels of her disappointment in love (well, in her lover, anyway) comes a completely unexpected invitation from Lady Shipley to stay with the family at their London home. A couple of years earlier, Richard Shipley and Marie-Anne had fallen deeply in love – to horror of his parents who thought Marie-Anne no better than an opportunist whore. Regardless of their displeasure, the couple planned to marry, but Richard died suddenly, just days before the wedding, leaving a devastated Marie-Anne pregnant with his child. The shock of his death, together with his parents’ cruelty in barring her from his funeral brought on a miscarriage, and she retreated to the village of Bartle-on-the-Wold, which is where she met and befriended Helen, the heroine of A Fallen Lady. Marie-Anne is at a loss to explain this sudden turn of events, when she pulls another letter from the envelope, this one from the Shipley’s eldest daughter, Amy, begging her to come because her two younger sisters, Dahlia and Phyllida have attached themselves to unsuitable gentlemen, which is threatening her own engagement to a very proper young clergyman. The prospect of such a delightful spectacle awaiting her in London is just the antidote to boredom Marie-Anne had been looking for, and she immediately accepts the invitation.
Wealthy American businessman Spencer Mason might not speak French, but he knows a coup de foudre when it hits him. Which is exactly what happens in the middle Lady Huntingdon’s ballroom after he’s conversed with the lovely Frenchwoman with the sparkling wit and dimpled smile for all of about five minutes. The problem is, though (well, one of them, at least) is that he’s one of the unsuitable gentlemen to whom one of the Shipley girls has attached herself, and he doesn’t quite know how to disentangle himself from a situation and potential fiancée he really doesn’t want without upsetting the lady, her family or the business that has brought him to London in the first place. The strong mutual attraction that immediately springs up between him and Marie-Anne is an added complication… or perhaps it isn’t, when she tells him that she’s come to London to help sort out the muddled love affairs of the Shipley girls, and proceeds to work out just how to get him off the hook.
Readers learn early on that Mason isn’t who he says he is, and that he actually earns his living as a satirical cartoonist, something he obviously has to keep quiet if he’s to be able to gain entry into the social circles that will afford him the opportunity to observe and gather the information he needs in order to pursue his occupation. Given that both Marie-Anne and Helen have featured in the scandal sheets, it’s not surprising that Marie-Anne is upset to discover Mason’s true profession and reasons for being in London. But she’s discovered something else as well – that he’s a truly gifted artist, who should, she thinks, be using his talent in a far more positive way than just to lampoon the great and the good of English society.
The conflict in the romance derives basically from their opposing views on the nature of Mason’s profession; Marie-Anne thinks he should be doing better by himself, whereas Mason is full of self-doubt about his talent and his abilities, and is reluctant to leave behind the security of something he knows how to do in order to take a leap into the unknown and make a completely different life. Given he’s just twenty-three (to Marie-Anne’s thirty-one) it’s perhaps understandable that he doesn’t yet have the sort of confidence in himself that an older man might have; and I couldn’t help thinking at times that he was in danger of being flattened by the freight-train of energy and ideas that is Marie-Anne. She’s an engaging heroine – straightforward, unashamedly sexual and incredibly loyal to those she loves – but while I certainly appreciated those characteristics, she sometimes comes across as too modern for the time at which the book is set and is so strong a character that she overshadows everyone else in the book, including the hero. I also wasn’t wild about the way that Marie-Anne and Mason are finally able to overcome the issues that are keeping them apart, mostly because the resolution is arrived at courtesy of a big helping hand from another character. I generally prefer it when the principals in a romance work things out without too much outside influence, and while the ‘leg-up’ comes from a place of genuine friendship, it still smacks a little of the deus ex machina.
With all that said, there’s no question that Elizabeth Kingston is a very talented author. She writes with great insight and intelligence and she has a wonderfully deft touch when it comes to on-the-page humour. House of Cads is an enjoyable read with a breath-of-fresh-air heroine and a charming hero with chequered pasts, both of whom come to the realisation that they need to make changes in their attitudes and expectations if they are to live the lives they are meant to live. If you’re looking for a low-angst, sensual and light-hearted historical romance, it’s sure to appeal.
June 28, 2024
Review from 2018
I've given this an A+ for narration and a B+ for content at AudioGals... the story grade got bumped up thanks to the fabulous narration.
Elizabeth Kingston returns to the Regency world of A Fallen Lady to bring us House of Cads, a sequel to the earlier book which features as its heroine the lively, unconventional and somewhat scandalous Frenchwoman Marie-Anne de Vauteil, the dear friend of Helen, Lady Summerdale. The audiobook also marks the very welcome return of the fabulous Nicholas Boulton to the romance genre; needless to say, his performance is superb, and I found myself enjoying the story even more in audio than I did when I read it a couple of months back.
Helen’s recent marriage and move away from the cottage they shared in the small village of Bartle-on-the-Glen has left Marie-Anne feeling rather lonely. As the story opens, she is upset at the ending of her affair with the village shoemaker, who has broken up with her because he’s going to get married. She isn’t in love with him, and being honest, she admits she’s more disgruntled at the fact that he’s called a halt to their association rather than the other way around – which was always the case in the past. Fortified with baked goods, she opens a letter just arrived from London and is astonished to discover that it’s from Lady Shipley, the woman who had almost become her mother-in-law. Some years earlier, Marie-Anne had fallen deeply in love with the Shipley’s eldest son, Richard, and they were to have been married – but Richard fell ill and died just days before the wedding, leaving a devastated and pregnant Marie-Anne to the not-so-tender-mercies of his parents, who believed her to be nothing more than an opportunist whore. The shock of Richard’s death, together with the Shipleys’ cruelty in barring her from the funeral caused Marie-Anne to miscarry, and after that, she retired to the small village of Bartle where she met and befriended Helen.
The missive contains an invitation to stay with the Shipleys in London, couched in the most pleasant of terms and containing no mention whatsoever of Richard or the faintest hint of an apology for the way she and her husband treated Marie-Anne after his death. Marie-Anne is at a loss to explain Lady Shipley’s unexpected volte-face, until she finds another letter in the package, this one from Amy, the Shipley’s eldest daughter, begging Marie-Anne to come because her two younger sisters, Dahlia and Phyllida, have attached themselves to unsuitable gentlemen, which is threatening her own engagement to a very proper young clergyman.
The thought of what the younger ladies must be up to so as to cause their stuck-up, unpleasant mother to resort to offering Marie-Anne house-space is both amusing and intriguing – and she decides to accept the invitation, seeing it as the perfect antidote to the boredom she’s been experiencing since Helen’s departure.
From the moment the petite blonde appears with Lord and Lady Summerdale in a London ballroom, wealthy American businessman Spencer Mason is captivated; and after a few minutes flirtatious conversation with her, he’s a goner. The problem – well, one of the problems – is that Mason happens to be one of the unsuitable gentlemen Amy wrote about, and he doesn’t know how to go about disengaging himself from a fiancée he doesn’t want without upsetting the lady and damaging the business that has brought him to London. The intense mutual attraction he and Marie-Anne feel towards each other is an added complication – or perhaps not, given that she’s come to London with the intention of seeing what she can do to untangle the muddled love affairs of the Shipley sisters.
Listeners are aware from fairly early on in the story that Mason isn’t the wealthy businessman he claims to be, and that he actually makes his living as a satirical cartoonist. Given that both Helen and Marie-Anne have been the subject of gossip and have featured in the scandal sheets, it’s not surprising that Marie-Anne is dismayed to discover Mason’s true profession and his reasons for being in London, and it’s this dichotomy that provides the romantic conflict in the story. Marie-Anne can see that Mason is a truly gifted artist and can’t understand why he chooses to waste his incredible talent on scurrilous drawings, but Mason is full of self-doubt about his abilities and is unable to believe that he is capable of making a living as a ‘proper’ artist. His life hasn’t been easy; he’s known penury, he’s gone hungry and now he’s finally making a living of sorts, he’s reluctant to give up the life he knows for one that might well turn out to be a dead-end.
House of Cads is very different in tone to A Fallen Lady, and Marie-Anne is a refreshingly different sort of Regency-era heroine. She’s had lovers, she enjoys sex, she says what she thinks and refuses to be ashamed of her colourful past; she’s loyal, she’s funny and she lives up to her motto of vivez la vie pleinement (live life to the fullest). The downside to all that is that she’s such a forceful presence that she tends to overshadow the other characters, including her hero – which upsets the balance of the story somewhat. I also wasn’t wild about the way things between them are finally resolved. I prefer it when a hero and heroine are able to arrive at a solution to the issues between them without too much extraneous help, and the helping hand given them here smacks just a little of the deux ex machina.
Those criticisms apart though, the story is a very enjoyable one, a deft comedy of manners combined with a sensual romance, all of it adroitly handled by both author and narrator. It will come as no surprise when I say that Nicholas Boulton’s performance is sheer joy from start to finish; his characterisations are superb, his pacing is flawless and his ability to find exactly the right emotional note in every scene is unerring. Every character is skilfully delineated, principals and secondary cast alike, and having a French heroine and an American hero gives him the opportunity to demonstrate his facility with accents. Both are very well done and sound authentic; Mr. Boulton switches seamlessly between French, American and the secondary cast of upper-class Brits without putting a foot wrong. I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about the narration in this; if you’ve listened to Mr. Boulton before, you won’t need any convincing to go out and beg, steal or borrow (well, not steal, obviously!) House of Cads. And if you haven’t yet got around to experiencing one of his narrations – why not?! I promise you, your ears will thank you forever and you’ll wonder how you’ve managed for so long without that gorgeous voice in your life.
I've given this an A+ for narration and a B+ for content at AudioGals... the story grade got bumped up thanks to the fabulous narration.
Elizabeth Kingston returns to the Regency world of A Fallen Lady to bring us House of Cads, a sequel to the earlier book which features as its heroine the lively, unconventional and somewhat scandalous Frenchwoman Marie-Anne de Vauteil, the dear friend of Helen, Lady Summerdale. The audiobook also marks the very welcome return of the fabulous Nicholas Boulton to the romance genre; needless to say, his performance is superb, and I found myself enjoying the story even more in audio than I did when I read it a couple of months back.
Helen’s recent marriage and move away from the cottage they shared in the small village of Bartle-on-the-Glen has left Marie-Anne feeling rather lonely. As the story opens, she is upset at the ending of her affair with the village shoemaker, who has broken up with her because he’s going to get married. She isn’t in love with him, and being honest, she admits she’s more disgruntled at the fact that he’s called a halt to their association rather than the other way around – which was always the case in the past. Fortified with baked goods, she opens a letter just arrived from London and is astonished to discover that it’s from Lady Shipley, the woman who had almost become her mother-in-law. Some years earlier, Marie-Anne had fallen deeply in love with the Shipley’s eldest son, Richard, and they were to have been married – but Richard fell ill and died just days before the wedding, leaving a devastated and pregnant Marie-Anne to the not-so-tender-mercies of his parents, who believed her to be nothing more than an opportunist whore. The shock of Richard’s death, together with the Shipleys’ cruelty in barring her from the funeral caused Marie-Anne to miscarry, and after that, she retired to the small village of Bartle where she met and befriended Helen.
The missive contains an invitation to stay with the Shipleys in London, couched in the most pleasant of terms and containing no mention whatsoever of Richard or the faintest hint of an apology for the way she and her husband treated Marie-Anne after his death. Marie-Anne is at a loss to explain Lady Shipley’s unexpected volte-face, until she finds another letter in the package, this one from Amy, the Shipley’s eldest daughter, begging Marie-Anne to come because her two younger sisters, Dahlia and Phyllida, have attached themselves to unsuitable gentlemen, which is threatening her own engagement to a very proper young clergyman.
The thought of what the younger ladies must be up to so as to cause their stuck-up, unpleasant mother to resort to offering Marie-Anne house-space is both amusing and intriguing – and she decides to accept the invitation, seeing it as the perfect antidote to the boredom she’s been experiencing since Helen’s departure.
From the moment the petite blonde appears with Lord and Lady Summerdale in a London ballroom, wealthy American businessman Spencer Mason is captivated; and after a few minutes flirtatious conversation with her, he’s a goner. The problem – well, one of the problems – is that Mason happens to be one of the unsuitable gentlemen Amy wrote about, and he doesn’t know how to go about disengaging himself from a fiancée he doesn’t want without upsetting the lady and damaging the business that has brought him to London. The intense mutual attraction he and Marie-Anne feel towards each other is an added complication – or perhaps not, given that she’s come to London with the intention of seeing what she can do to untangle the muddled love affairs of the Shipley sisters.
Listeners are aware from fairly early on in the story that Mason isn’t the wealthy businessman he claims to be, and that he actually makes his living as a satirical cartoonist. Given that both Helen and Marie-Anne have been the subject of gossip and have featured in the scandal sheets, it’s not surprising that Marie-Anne is dismayed to discover Mason’s true profession and his reasons for being in London, and it’s this dichotomy that provides the romantic conflict in the story. Marie-Anne can see that Mason is a truly gifted artist and can’t understand why he chooses to waste his incredible talent on scurrilous drawings, but Mason is full of self-doubt about his abilities and is unable to believe that he is capable of making a living as a ‘proper’ artist. His life hasn’t been easy; he’s known penury, he’s gone hungry and now he’s finally making a living of sorts, he’s reluctant to give up the life he knows for one that might well turn out to be a dead-end.
House of Cads is very different in tone to A Fallen Lady, and Marie-Anne is a refreshingly different sort of Regency-era heroine. She’s had lovers, she enjoys sex, she says what she thinks and refuses to be ashamed of her colourful past; she’s loyal, she’s funny and she lives up to her motto of vivez la vie pleinement (live life to the fullest). The downside to all that is that she’s such a forceful presence that she tends to overshadow the other characters, including her hero – which upsets the balance of the story somewhat. I also wasn’t wild about the way things between them are finally resolved. I prefer it when a hero and heroine are able to arrive at a solution to the issues between them without too much extraneous help, and the helping hand given them here smacks just a little of the deux ex machina.
Those criticisms apart though, the story is a very enjoyable one, a deft comedy of manners combined with a sensual romance, all of it adroitly handled by both author and narrator. It will come as no surprise when I say that Nicholas Boulton’s performance is sheer joy from start to finish; his characterisations are superb, his pacing is flawless and his ability to find exactly the right emotional note in every scene is unerring. Every character is skilfully delineated, principals and secondary cast alike, and having a French heroine and an American hero gives him the opportunity to demonstrate his facility with accents. Both are very well done and sound authentic; Mr. Boulton switches seamlessly between French, American and the secondary cast of upper-class Brits without putting a foot wrong. I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about the narration in this; if you’ve listened to Mr. Boulton before, you won’t need any convincing to go out and beg, steal or borrow (well, not steal, obviously!) House of Cads. And if you haven’t yet got around to experiencing one of his narrations – why not?! I promise you, your ears will thank you forever and you’ll wonder how you’ve managed for so long without that gorgeous voice in your life.
April 26, 2018
This was excellent! It was utterly unique and Marie-Anne was a very strong heroine, but she absolutely fit in with the time period in her actions and behavior.
This is a well written non-wallpaper historical and I had an excellent time with this, now I have to go find a pillow to sit on after I fell out of my chair laughing.
This is a well written non-wallpaper historical and I had an excellent time with this, now I have to go find a pillow to sit on after I fell out of my chair laughing.
Read
December 30, 2021In my experience it's especially difficult to find a romance author whose every book dependably checks all the right boxes for you: for example, I usually find Elizabeth Hoyt's work pretty fun and harmless, but then she'd come up with something so atrocious that made me consider a hypnosis session to forget having ever read that infuriating load of bullshit. But after three books by Elizabeth Kingston I'm fairly sure she's that author for me: the one that at the very least guarantees I won't need to resist the urge to throw my Kindle out of the window in a blind rage for something she's written. See? I don't ask much from life, after all!
Back to the beginning: I approached House of Cads with some caution because as much as I liked A Fallen Lady, the risk it worked out so well for me thanks to the fortuitous result of a happy planetary alignment rather than Kinston being that author was real. But in the second entry of the Ladies of Scandal series I found all the things that made Helen's book such a special read for me:
● complex characterization all around: check;
● a strong cast of female characters: check;
● that have meaningful relationships with each other: check;
● an equally intriguing, richly drawn hero: check;
● a swoon-worthy romance (this is why we're here for, after all): double check;
● between two people that share a genuinely deep connection: check
● but also, you know, lives and interests outside their romantic relationship: check.
Can't be a coincidence, right?
House of Cads is a much different read than A Fallen Lady - a lighter, funnier one, thanks especially to the easygoing, lively way Anne-Marie goes about her life (which has been, compared to Helen's, trauma-free but not without its many hardships and painful moments: a sheltered little flower the Frenchwoman is not) and the fact that when the two romantic leads meet, they're quick to decide to take advantage of their less-than-reputable fame and do something about their mutual attraction.
Like in A Fallen Lady, female friendship (and friendship in general) has a big role to play in the story: not that many romances bother with it - or with anything which isn't somehow directly related to the development and resolution of the romantic plot, to be honest (at least, this has been my experience with the genre so far) - and I find the love story between the romantic leads so much more enjoyable when it's not the only interesting event in their lives but it's combined with evidence that the two MCs have something else going on besides their romance.
The ending felt a bit abrupt and rushed - it seemed to me like Kingston was in a hurry to show that Anne-Marie and Mason were finally free to be their unconventional selves, but in doing so she almost undermined the relationship she previously established between the two and the rest of the cast (one thing is being publicly overjoyed *gasp!* at finally being together because you don't give a shit about social conventions, quite another is suddenly dismissing everyone else - the friend for whom up until five minutes ago you were so very worried about and those that quite literally made your HEA possible - because you just have to have a quickie: I mean, seriously, a "thank you so much, guys!" before carrying on with your business would have sufficed). But, whatever: in the end nothing can beat having found that author.
Back to the beginning: I approached House of Cads with some caution because as much as I liked A Fallen Lady, the risk it worked out so well for me thanks to the fortuitous result of a happy planetary alignment rather than Kinston being that author was real. But in the second entry of the Ladies of Scandal series I found all the things that made Helen's book such a special read for me:
● complex characterization all around: check;
● a strong cast of female characters: check;
● that have meaningful relationships with each other: check;
● an equally intriguing, richly drawn hero: check;
● a swoon-worthy romance (this is why we're here for, after all): double check;
● between two people that share a genuinely deep connection: check
● but also, you know, lives and interests outside their romantic relationship: check.
Can't be a coincidence, right?
House of Cads is a much different read than A Fallen Lady - a lighter, funnier one, thanks especially to the easygoing, lively way Anne-Marie goes about her life (which has been, compared to Helen's, trauma-free but not without its many hardships and painful moments: a sheltered little flower the Frenchwoman is not) and the fact that when the two romantic leads meet, they're quick to decide to take advantage of their less-than-reputable fame and do something about their mutual attraction.
Like in A Fallen Lady, female friendship (and friendship in general) has a big role to play in the story: not that many romances bother with it - or with anything which isn't somehow directly related to the development and resolution of the romantic plot, to be honest (at least, this has been my experience with the genre so far) - and I find the love story between the romantic leads so much more enjoyable when it's not the only interesting event in their lives but it's combined with evidence that the two MCs have something else going on besides their romance.
The ending felt a bit abrupt and rushed - it seemed to me like Kingston was in a hurry to show that Anne-Marie and Mason were finally free to be their unconventional selves, but in doing so she almost undermined the relationship she previously established between the two and the rest of the cast (one thing is being publicly overjoyed *gasp!* at finally being together because you don't give a shit about social conventions, quite another is suddenly dismissing everyone else - the friend for whom up until five minutes ago you were so very worried about and those that quite literally made your HEA possible - because you just have to have a quickie: I mean, seriously, a "thank you so much, guys!" before carrying on with your business would have sufficed). But, whatever: in the end nothing can beat having found that author.
July 9, 2018
Audiobook review update - what a delight to hear the smooth and talented Nicholas Boulton narrate this story! He is amazing at doing all the voices here, including Mason's American accent, Marie-Anne's French accent and the assorted English men and women. The story takes on added richness with the audio, and made me laugh out loud several times. I highly recommend getting the audio version if you have the chance.
House of Cads by Elizabeth Kingston is the second romance in her Ladies of Scandal series. The heroine, Marie-Anne de Vauteuil was introduced as a secondary character in A Fallen Lady as a friend of the the main character, Lady Helen. Each story in the series is a standalone romance and I highly recommend A Fallen Lady too if you haven’t yet read it.
At one time Marie-Anne had been engaged to Lord Richard Shipley, but unwed and pregnant, she had lost the baby and her fiance had died. His parents had been horrified by their affair and ostracized her completely after Richard’s death, leaving her penniless. She’d ended up in the small village of Bartle and is living a quiet life. The marriage of her friend Lady Helen to Lord Stephen Summerdale has resulted in a reputation boost, as no one would speak out against a friend of the wealthy and well liked Lord Summerdale. The Summerdales have moved on to London and Marie-Anne is feeling increasingly bored in her village. When Marie-Anne receives a letter from Richard’s sisters to come to London and help them with some situations they find themselves in, she obliges.
She soon finds herself at a country house party with the Shipleys and other guests and introduced to a handsome American businessman, Mr. Mason. Dahlia Shipley is engaged to Mr. Mason, a happenstance that Mason is somewhat bewildered to find himself in since it wasn’t intended and in fact, Dahlia is much better suited to a Duke also at the party. Mason and Marie-Anne figure out a plan to put an end to that engagement and help her end up with the right man. They develop a friendship, and once the engagement is dealt with, pursue an amorous and secret affair. Yet, Mason turns out to be not what he seems. Are the feelings they’ve been developing for each other fake too? And if not, can Marie-Anne find a way to help Mason save his reputation and their future along with it?
This is a a low angst, lighthearted historical romance that pokes a little fun at the upper class and how they relate to those around them, peers and servants. Marie-Anne would still be ostracized by the Shipleys if it weren’t for her friendship with the Summerdales and she knows this. While she’d missed Richard’s sisters, she has no love for his parents. She is quite willing to help the young ladies but makes it clear to his parents that they aren’t invited to the country house party where she will stay with the girls and help them figure out their somewhat complicated love lives. Besides Dahlia’s hasty engagement to Mason, her sister Amy is engaged to a rather priggish man with no imagination whom Marie-Anne finds quite stifling, and her other sister Phyllida is enamoured of a libertine poet. They are the source of much amusement as they traverse their own romantic escapades (with some surprises) and get their own much more suited happy endings.
Mason and Marie-Anne’s friendship begins innocently enough but with the knowledge of a secret passageway between their rooms, Marie-Anne doesn’t hesitate to make use of it. Mason is quite a talented lover, something Marie-Anne has been missing for a while. Being French, she has a much more permissible attitude towards sex than the Englishwomen she knows. As she and Mason get closer, she also discovers he’s a very talented artist. But soon comes the news from Lord Summerdale who’d been having Mason investigated that he is not the businessman he claims to be but is in fact working with a gossip columnist to expose scandals and foibles of the upper class. .
Marie-Anne isn’t sure what to think and she knows a future with Mason is out of the question unless he wants to rehabilitate himself in her eyes. In particular she is adamant that his work not expose her friends to ridicule. Fortunately Mason decides that Marie-Anne is worth any price to pay and comes up with a way to show her his feelings for her are genuine. The epilogue ties the story all together nicely with a glimpse of Marie-Anne and Mason’s future. If you enjoy sexy historical romances that feature characters with flaws but good hearts, have a fondness for cakes, and love to see people get what they deserve, this one is well worth the read.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-hou...
A copy of this story was provided by the author for review.
House of Cads by Elizabeth Kingston is the second romance in her Ladies of Scandal series. The heroine, Marie-Anne de Vauteuil was introduced as a secondary character in A Fallen Lady as a friend of the the main character, Lady Helen. Each story in the series is a standalone romance and I highly recommend A Fallen Lady too if you haven’t yet read it.
At one time Marie-Anne had been engaged to Lord Richard Shipley, but unwed and pregnant, she had lost the baby and her fiance had died. His parents had been horrified by their affair and ostracized her completely after Richard’s death, leaving her penniless. She’d ended up in the small village of Bartle and is living a quiet life. The marriage of her friend Lady Helen to Lord Stephen Summerdale has resulted in a reputation boost, as no one would speak out against a friend of the wealthy and well liked Lord Summerdale. The Summerdales have moved on to London and Marie-Anne is feeling increasingly bored in her village. When Marie-Anne receives a letter from Richard’s sisters to come to London and help them with some situations they find themselves in, she obliges.
She soon finds herself at a country house party with the Shipleys and other guests and introduced to a handsome American businessman, Mr. Mason. Dahlia Shipley is engaged to Mr. Mason, a happenstance that Mason is somewhat bewildered to find himself in since it wasn’t intended and in fact, Dahlia is much better suited to a Duke also at the party. Mason and Marie-Anne figure out a plan to put an end to that engagement and help her end up with the right man. They develop a friendship, and once the engagement is dealt with, pursue an amorous and secret affair. Yet, Mason turns out to be not what he seems. Are the feelings they’ve been developing for each other fake too? And if not, can Marie-Anne find a way to help Mason save his reputation and their future along with it?
This is a a low angst, lighthearted historical romance that pokes a little fun at the upper class and how they relate to those around them, peers and servants. Marie-Anne would still be ostracized by the Shipleys if it weren’t for her friendship with the Summerdales and she knows this. While she’d missed Richard’s sisters, she has no love for his parents. She is quite willing to help the young ladies but makes it clear to his parents that they aren’t invited to the country house party where she will stay with the girls and help them figure out their somewhat complicated love lives. Besides Dahlia’s hasty engagement to Mason, her sister Amy is engaged to a rather priggish man with no imagination whom Marie-Anne finds quite stifling, and her other sister Phyllida is enamoured of a libertine poet. They are the source of much amusement as they traverse their own romantic escapades (with some surprises) and get their own much more suited happy endings.
Mason and Marie-Anne’s friendship begins innocently enough but with the knowledge of a secret passageway between their rooms, Marie-Anne doesn’t hesitate to make use of it. Mason is quite a talented lover, something Marie-Anne has been missing for a while. Being French, she has a much more permissible attitude towards sex than the Englishwomen she knows. As she and Mason get closer, she also discovers he’s a very talented artist. But soon comes the news from Lord Summerdale who’d been having Mason investigated that he is not the businessman he claims to be but is in fact working with a gossip columnist to expose scandals and foibles of the upper class. .
Marie-Anne isn’t sure what to think and she knows a future with Mason is out of the question unless he wants to rehabilitate himself in her eyes. In particular she is adamant that his work not expose her friends to ridicule. Fortunately Mason decides that Marie-Anne is worth any price to pay and comes up with a way to show her his feelings for her are genuine. The epilogue ties the story all together nicely with a glimpse of Marie-Anne and Mason’s future. If you enjoy sexy historical romances that feature characters with flaws but good hearts, have a fondness for cakes, and love to see people get what they deserve, this one is well worth the read.
This review also appears at Harlequin Junkie: http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-hou...
A copy of this story was provided by the author for review.
April 7, 2018
3.5/5. This is my first book by Kingston and I must say, I really enjoyed her writing - clever little observations, attention to detail, lively banter. I just couldn't really warm up to the main characters, and because I couldn't care much for them, I couldn't care much for what happens to them either, so I found my attention deviating.
Madame Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is a Frenchwoman of dubious background living quietly in an English village. Her title, 'madame' is a slight stretch, since she was almost but never married to a minor nobleman who unfortunately passed away days before their wedding. However, the title allows her to live a relatively respectable if unremarkable existence, made more pleasurable only by taking discrete lovers and indulging less discretely in cakes, bread and pastries. When her latest lover inconsiderately decides to get married, a letter inviting her to London rescues her from further carbohydrate overload. Marie-Anne's assistance has been requested by her almost-sister-in-law to straighten out the muddled love affairs of deceased husband-to-be's three sisters.
Upon arriving in London, Marie-Anne soon discovers the girls' entanglements with 3 unsuitable suitors. Mr. Mason, the newly and - as it turns out - accidental fiance of one of the girls, draws her attention with his easy American charms. Rumoured to be wealthy businessman, he seems to be a good catch for the girl, except neither he nor the girl appear to be engaged emotionally, and not when a duke is interested and eligible in the background. As they plot to dissolve the engagement and sort out the other girls' love lives, Marie-Anne discovers that Mason has hidden secrets and talents, some of which pertains to the bedroom. How is a highly libidinous French lady to resist?
Personally, I found Marie-Anne too overt and abrasive for my taste. It is a HR after all, and although I expect my HR heroines to be strong-minded and intelligent, they don't have be proudly inviting scandal. She was utterly disdainful towards the aristocratic set, thought them silly and unworthy, even though her beloved fiance was one and her friends all married into aristocracy. In fact, her friend's husband, the Earl of Summerdale, not only hosted her London stay but ended up saving her and Mason from their predicament. Mason has his charming moments, but boyishly charming, not the confidence and self-assurance of a man who knows his place in the world. That's because he at 23 is much younger than her 31, and he has yet to establish his worth beyond that of being a fraudster and hustler. He couldn't quite match Marie-Anne's dominant personality and next to the wonderfully efficient and commanding Summerdale, Mason appeared like a naughty but repentant school boy in need of rescuing from his folly. Pity that the characters did not appeal as much as the quality of the writing. Kingston is an author to watch.
This is an ARC from NetGalley.
Madame Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is a Frenchwoman of dubious background living quietly in an English village. Her title, 'madame' is a slight stretch, since she was almost but never married to a minor nobleman who unfortunately passed away days before their wedding. However, the title allows her to live a relatively respectable if unremarkable existence, made more pleasurable only by taking discrete lovers and indulging less discretely in cakes, bread and pastries. When her latest lover inconsiderately decides to get married, a letter inviting her to London rescues her from further carbohydrate overload. Marie-Anne's assistance has been requested by her almost-sister-in-law to straighten out the muddled love affairs of deceased husband-to-be's three sisters.
Upon arriving in London, Marie-Anne soon discovers the girls' entanglements with 3 unsuitable suitors. Mr. Mason, the newly and - as it turns out - accidental fiance of one of the girls, draws her attention with his easy American charms. Rumoured to be wealthy businessman, he seems to be a good catch for the girl, except neither he nor the girl appear to be engaged emotionally, and not when a duke is interested and eligible in the background. As they plot to dissolve the engagement and sort out the other girls' love lives, Marie-Anne discovers that Mason has hidden secrets and talents, some of which pertains to the bedroom. How is a highly libidinous French lady to resist?
Personally, I found Marie-Anne too overt and abrasive for my taste. It is a HR after all, and although I expect my HR heroines to be strong-minded and intelligent, they don't have be proudly inviting scandal. She was utterly disdainful towards the aristocratic set, thought them silly and unworthy, even though her beloved fiance was one and her friends all married into aristocracy. In fact, her friend's husband, the Earl of Summerdale, not only hosted her London stay but ended up saving her and Mason from their predicament. Mason has his charming moments, but boyishly charming, not the confidence and self-assurance of a man who knows his place in the world. That's because he at 23 is much younger than her 31, and he has yet to establish his worth beyond that of being a fraudster and hustler. He couldn't quite match Marie-Anne's dominant personality and next to the wonderfully efficient and commanding Summerdale, Mason appeared like a naughty but repentant school boy in need of rescuing from his folly. Pity that the characters did not appeal as much as the quality of the writing. Kingston is an author to watch.
This is an ARC from NetGalley.
May 2, 2018
Favorite Quote: "Oh Mr. Mason," she murmured, a sweet but faint note of compassion in her voice. "Of course it is very unfair to you, that so many women have let you believe this puppy dog look will always work." She clucked her tongue consolingly. "You poor man."
Oh, he liked her.
Adorable book alert!! New-to-me author Elizabeth Kingston has written such a cute book, that made me smile and swoon. Marie-Anne de Vauteuil, a french woman, fell in love with an englishman. They got engaged, then she got pregnant, then he died. This caused a great scandal, and her fiance's parents shunned her for bringing disgrace to their family. Embarrassed, and in pain from her fiance dying and soon after that, losing the baby, Marie-Anne retreats to a small village where she heals and finds friends.
Marie-Anne lives by this wonderful bread and pastry philosophy:
Bread was for lonely and despairing times, and pastries or cakes were for happy times. This was Marie-Anne’s philosophy, and she was fully aware that she called it a philosophy even though it was only the well-known preference of her mouth and belly. If her friends could see her now, walking through the village street at twilight with a mouth full of bread, they would ask what had happened. Alas, her friends were not here, and so she took another bite of the bun.
Can't we all relate to this? *hugs bread*
Now years have passed, and much to Marie-Anne's surprise, she receives a letter from her late fiance's family, asking her to come for a visit. Marie-Anne still harbors ill-will towards his parents, but her late fiance also had siblings, who Marie-Anne used to be close with. She hears that these siblings have entered into engagements and relationships that may not be the best for them, so she travels to London to sort things out and reunite with her former "almost" family.
While in London, she meets a dashing American man, Mason at a ball, who has traveled to England from Kentucky, and is presenting himself as a wealthy businessman in the timber industry. When Mason meets Marie-Anne, they have great chemistry. They flirt and banter and they smile at each other:
He smiled back at her, because it was impossible not to – and because he had a very similar dimple deep in his left cheek. He saw her notice it and widen her own smile even further. They stood there gazing at each other like a couple of sapheads, mirror-image smiles of delight plastered on their faces.
Coup de foudre, he thought out of nowhere. It was one of the very few bits of French he knew: lightning strike. That’s what it felt like, standing there smiling with her.
Lord almighty, this was not good. And lord almighty, he did not care.
It's all so lovely and adorable. But then we learn that Mason has secrets. He isn't actually a businessman, or wealthy - he draws portraits and pictures for a gossip pamphlet, which is how he is making his money and why he is hanging around the gossipy ton. He is actually an amazing artist, something Marie-Anne discovers as the book goes on. And surprise - he is engaged so he really shouldn't be flirting with Marie-Anne. But don't fret - Mason isn't a creeper. He truly is a good guy - just in need of money and had an unfortunate conversation with a young woman and accidentally got engaged to her. Oopsie. Mason isn't skilled in the art of London society conversation. Just wanting to learn facts about courtship, he accidentally encourages a young woman to be "his."
Marie-Anne and Mason start this slow burning romance as they head to a summer estate party, and a lovely courtship develops. And don't worry - he gets out of the engagement and comes clean about who he really is, before the halfway point of the book. Thank goodness! I hate when secrets like that are dragged out. And I really liked that when everything does come to light, it's not overly dramatic or used as a plot point to split up Mason and Anne-Marie. It's dealt with maturely and then we can move on to the sexy kisses and stolen moments together. Although I will say that Marie-Anne was the victim of horrible gossip when her fiance died, so the fact that Mason is selling gossip papers, doesn't sit all that right with her. And she is very honest about her feelings.
“I think about you too much,” she said quietly. “From the first time we met, you know? Always I am hoping to make you laugh. I am too happy when you look at me, and too sad when you do not. You walk in the room and I forget a little how to breathe. Already you make me a little foolish, Mason. Please do not lie and make me a fool.”
It was like a punch to the gut. The truth. It was the perfect card to play, except for the fact that she wasn’t playing.
Mason doesn't know all the rules of London society, and Marie-Anne tends to find them tiresome - so they bond over that. Although Marie-Anne had fallen into disgrace years ago, her relationship with a woman who used to live in her small village, who is now married to an Earl, has slowly brought her back to being accepted.
They also have such great banter! They joke, and give each other a hard time and always have a topic of conversation at hand. It's a really well done courtship with a sexy romance. The supporting characters also bring a lot to this book.
I loved this author's voice. I'm going to have to go pick up book one and see if I like it as well.
Grade: B+
Oh, he liked her.
Adorable book alert!! New-to-me author Elizabeth Kingston has written such a cute book, that made me smile and swoon. Marie-Anne de Vauteuil, a french woman, fell in love with an englishman. They got engaged, then she got pregnant, then he died. This caused a great scandal, and her fiance's parents shunned her for bringing disgrace to their family. Embarrassed, and in pain from her fiance dying and soon after that, losing the baby, Marie-Anne retreats to a small village where she heals and finds friends.
Marie-Anne lives by this wonderful bread and pastry philosophy:
Bread was for lonely and despairing times, and pastries or cakes were for happy times. This was Marie-Anne’s philosophy, and she was fully aware that she called it a philosophy even though it was only the well-known preference of her mouth and belly. If her friends could see her now, walking through the village street at twilight with a mouth full of bread, they would ask what had happened. Alas, her friends were not here, and so she took another bite of the bun.
Can't we all relate to this? *hugs bread*
Now years have passed, and much to Marie-Anne's surprise, she receives a letter from her late fiance's family, asking her to come for a visit. Marie-Anne still harbors ill-will towards his parents, but her late fiance also had siblings, who Marie-Anne used to be close with. She hears that these siblings have entered into engagements and relationships that may not be the best for them, so she travels to London to sort things out and reunite with her former "almost" family.
While in London, she meets a dashing American man, Mason at a ball, who has traveled to England from Kentucky, and is presenting himself as a wealthy businessman in the timber industry. When Mason meets Marie-Anne, they have great chemistry. They flirt and banter and they smile at each other:
He smiled back at her, because it was impossible not to – and because he had a very similar dimple deep in his left cheek. He saw her notice it and widen her own smile even further. They stood there gazing at each other like a couple of sapheads, mirror-image smiles of delight plastered on their faces.
Coup de foudre, he thought out of nowhere. It was one of the very few bits of French he knew: lightning strike. That’s what it felt like, standing there smiling with her.
Lord almighty, this was not good. And lord almighty, he did not care.
It's all so lovely and adorable. But then we learn that Mason has secrets. He isn't actually a businessman, or wealthy - he draws portraits and pictures for a gossip pamphlet, which is how he is making his money and why he is hanging around the gossipy ton. He is actually an amazing artist, something Marie-Anne discovers as the book goes on. And surprise - he is engaged so he really shouldn't be flirting with Marie-Anne. But don't fret - Mason isn't a creeper. He truly is a good guy - just in need of money and had an unfortunate conversation with a young woman and accidentally got engaged to her. Oopsie. Mason isn't skilled in the art of London society conversation. Just wanting to learn facts about courtship, he accidentally encourages a young woman to be "his."
Marie-Anne and Mason start this slow burning romance as they head to a summer estate party, and a lovely courtship develops. And don't worry - he gets out of the engagement and comes clean about who he really is, before the halfway point of the book. Thank goodness! I hate when secrets like that are dragged out. And I really liked that when everything does come to light, it's not overly dramatic or used as a plot point to split up Mason and Anne-Marie. It's dealt with maturely and then we can move on to the sexy kisses and stolen moments together. Although I will say that Marie-Anne was the victim of horrible gossip when her fiance died, so the fact that Mason is selling gossip papers, doesn't sit all that right with her. And she is very honest about her feelings.
“I think about you too much,” she said quietly. “From the first time we met, you know? Always I am hoping to make you laugh. I am too happy when you look at me, and too sad when you do not. You walk in the room and I forget a little how to breathe. Already you make me a little foolish, Mason. Please do not lie and make me a fool.”
It was like a punch to the gut. The truth. It was the perfect card to play, except for the fact that she wasn’t playing.
Mason doesn't know all the rules of London society, and Marie-Anne tends to find them tiresome - so they bond over that. Although Marie-Anne had fallen into disgrace years ago, her relationship with a woman who used to live in her small village, who is now married to an Earl, has slowly brought her back to being accepted.
They also have such great banter! They joke, and give each other a hard time and always have a topic of conversation at hand. It's a really well done courtship with a sexy romance. The supporting characters also bring a lot to this book.
I loved this author's voice. I'm going to have to go pick up book one and see if I like it as well.
Grade: B+
May 25, 2018
A very solid B from Kingston. I prefer her darker and more emotional romances in the Welsh Blade series though and so fans of lighter romances might appreciate this book even more than I. But even here she has an elegance to her writing that I greatly enjoy. House of Cads is a lighter and mostly comedic romance, and it situates itself at a house party for much of the story, which is a great setting. The main players shuffle partners throughout and it was fun to guess which characters would end up together. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Marie-Anne de Vauteuil, the very French heroine of the book, finds her love interest in a young American con artist. Their union really worked for me and the novel does a great job of showing why these two outsiders and social skeptics are a perfect match.
Marie-Anne has existed on the outskirts of proper society her entire life for a range of reasons. Not having read the previous book in the series, I just went along with the descriptions of the events that led to Marie-Anne's "downfall," though it is easy enough to see that she is not a player in her world. On the contrary, she is refreshingly candid and has a wonderful ironic voice that calls attention to social gaffes, pompous aristocratic rituals just waiting to be punctured, and blatant hypocrisies that bolster this rarefied world. The new addition of Spencer Mason to the house party provides Marie-Anne with some much needed honest camaraderie. I really enjoyed all of the moments when they make eye contact to share sympathies or to mock customs and actions that badly deserve mockery. Their attraction for each other combined with their outsider mentality and desire to have someone who understands their worldview provides the perfect way toward a lovely romance.
I like too that Marie-Anne is older than Mason and the more knowing and socially experienced of the two. Mason appreciates everything about Marie-Anne, and it is nice to read a romance that eschews the traditional alpha, experienced older man paired with the young ingenue in need of educating. This book is almost the opposite of that trope, except that Mason is not a pushover. He's a relatively easy going man but the moments when he and Marie-Anne argue and struggle over their future together demonstrate that he is an equal partner in their relationship. The book has some lovely messages too about the importance a loving partner can be in making us into our best selves. Marie-Anne and Mason become better people because of their love for each other.
The book does have highs and lows though that make it a bit of an uneven read. At times I thought I was reading a stellar romance, but then parts sagged and I found myself setting it aside easily. It overall lacks a little tension and conflict. Marie-Anne and Mason are so obviously wonderful together and so adult in their ability to talk openly to sort through differences that perhaps their story is not as exciting as it could have been, especially compared to the other Elizabeth Kingston books I've read. Still, I enjoyed it and now do want to go back and read Helen's story from the first book.
Marie-Anne has existed on the outskirts of proper society her entire life for a range of reasons. Not having read the previous book in the series, I just went along with the descriptions of the events that led to Marie-Anne's "downfall," though it is easy enough to see that she is not a player in her world. On the contrary, she is refreshingly candid and has a wonderful ironic voice that calls attention to social gaffes, pompous aristocratic rituals just waiting to be punctured, and blatant hypocrisies that bolster this rarefied world. The new addition of Spencer Mason to the house party provides Marie-Anne with some much needed honest camaraderie. I really enjoyed all of the moments when they make eye contact to share sympathies or to mock customs and actions that badly deserve mockery. Their attraction for each other combined with their outsider mentality and desire to have someone who understands their worldview provides the perfect way toward a lovely romance.
I like too that Marie-Anne is older than Mason and the more knowing and socially experienced of the two. Mason appreciates everything about Marie-Anne, and it is nice to read a romance that eschews the traditional alpha, experienced older man paired with the young ingenue in need of educating. This book is almost the opposite of that trope, except that Mason is not a pushover. He's a relatively easy going man but the moments when he and Marie-Anne argue and struggle over their future together demonstrate that he is an equal partner in their relationship. The book has some lovely messages too about the importance a loving partner can be in making us into our best selves. Marie-Anne and Mason become better people because of their love for each other.
The book does have highs and lows though that make it a bit of an uneven read. At times I thought I was reading a stellar romance, but then parts sagged and I found myself setting it aside easily. It overall lacks a little tension and conflict. Marie-Anne and Mason are so obviously wonderful together and so adult in their ability to talk openly to sort through differences that perhaps their story is not as exciting as it could have been, especially compared to the other Elizabeth Kingston books I've read. Still, I enjoyed it and now do want to go back and read Helen's story from the first book.
May 31, 2022
3.5 STARS
Enjoyed this, but definitely not as much as I did the first book. I also listened to the audiobook this time. Excellent narration by Nicholas Boulton. Writing was still very good, I just felt like the storyline was not as interesting. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author though.
Enjoyed this, but definitely not as much as I did the first book. I also listened to the audiobook this time. Excellent narration by Nicholas Boulton. Writing was still very good, I just felt like the storyline was not as interesting. I will definitely be checking out more books by this author though.
June 28, 2018
This is the second book in Ladies of Scandal series and since I've read and loved the first one, I naturally had to read the second. If for some reason you never read "The Fallen Lady", which is the first book, have no fear, this can definitely be read as a standalone.
I have to be honest and say that while I really loved the first, I only liked the second and although it was well written and plotted, the predictability of the plot as well as humor, made this story lighthearted and all the serious moments were lost to it.
I did like the complexity of the main characters and the complex situation they both find themselves in.
Once more Nicholas Bolton's narration is brilliant and his seamless change of accents between French, English and American is delightful.
Melanie for b2b
ARC & Audible provided by the author
I have to be honest and say that while I really loved the first, I only liked the second and although it was well written and plotted, the predictability of the plot as well as humor, made this story lighthearted and all the serious moments were lost to it.
I did like the complexity of the main characters and the complex situation they both find themselves in.
Once more Nicholas Bolton's narration is brilliant and his seamless change of accents between French, English and American is delightful.
Melanie for b2b
ARC & Audible provided by the author
April 9, 2018
This was such a refreshing read!
I feel like there's a formula to a lot of romances. Guy meets girl, they fall in love, boring plot line. I'm being so mean right now, I love romances! Don't get me wrong. But it's so hard to find one that actually captures my interest. It feels like half the books I read I start skimming because I get bored.
So imagine my utter delight!!! When I was treated to this well crafted story.
It's so hard to explain why it captured me. It might have been the heroine owning her own sexual pleasure. That was sexy! Or it was the hero respecting the heroine and appreciating her. Or it was just a good old fashion romance of two people learning to fall in love with one another. Women friendships who enjoy each other and who are not super catty was also a plus!
All of the elements I need in a story were there. The drama of Mason's position. Marie Anne's utter honesty!!
God yes.
Honesty!
I never understand why authors will have their characters keep mum on a subject that's upsetting them. I mean yes, it creates relationship conflict, misunderstandings and all. But Kingston showed that you can have the relationship conflict and still have the characters be upfront and honest about how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
Such a refreshing take.
Anyways, I just really enjoyed the characters and their development through the story. All very well done.
Too note, I did receive an ARC from Netgalley so I'm not going into too much detail as to the plot. Suffice to say it was a good story and I highly recommend.
I feel like there's a formula to a lot of romances. Guy meets girl, they fall in love, boring plot line. I'm being so mean right now, I love romances! Don't get me wrong. But it's so hard to find one that actually captures my interest. It feels like half the books I read I start skimming because I get bored.
So imagine my utter delight!!! When I was treated to this well crafted story.
It's so hard to explain why it captured me. It might have been the heroine owning her own sexual pleasure. That was sexy! Or it was the hero respecting the heroine and appreciating her. Or it was just a good old fashion romance of two people learning to fall in love with one another. Women friendships who enjoy each other and who are not super catty was also a plus!
All of the elements I need in a story were there. The drama of Mason's position. Marie Anne's utter honesty!!
God yes.
Honesty!
I never understand why authors will have their characters keep mum on a subject that's upsetting them. I mean yes, it creates relationship conflict, misunderstandings and all. But Kingston showed that you can have the relationship conflict and still have the characters be upfront and honest about how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
Such a refreshing take.
Anyways, I just really enjoyed the characters and their development through the story. All very well done.
Too note, I did receive an ARC from Netgalley so I'm not going into too much detail as to the plot. Suffice to say it was a good story and I highly recommend.
April 28, 2018
It's taken me three weeks to write this review because I can't quite work out why it fell slightly short for me. House of Cads was a pleasant read but I felt nothing more than 'that was pleasant enough' and that made me feel a little bit sad because this book was one I'd really been looking forward to getting my hands on. There were numerous things which I liked but they didn't quite mix together right for me, there was something missing.
Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is probably the best part of this book. She's slightly older, she loves baked goods, she does not give a damn what anyone else thinks and she's completely unapologetic about the fact she cares about her own pleasure and is quite happy to take lovers. (In fact, the story starts with her feeling a bit down about her lover deciding to call off their affair and get married which has led to Marie-Anne indulging in more baked goods). She's suffered tragedy in her past, her fiance died just days before their wedding and not long afterwards she lost their unborn child and was set aside by her fiance's family. Still, she hasn't let this drag her down. Marie-Anne sounds awesome, right?
Mason is a wealthy American business man. Except he's not. He's temporarily pretending so that he can get some good scoop for his actual job. Illustrating a gossip pamphlet. He's also accidentally engaged so really he's in a bit of a pickle. He has red hair. He also has a difficult past. There's lots to Mason that I'd usually quite like, he ticks a lot of things off my list of things I like to see, but for some reason I didn't connect with him and I actually thought he was a bit 'blah'. I honestly can't remember anything about him other than the basics.
As a couple, I liked that they had fun and honestly seemed to care about one another. I liked that they could laugh together and actually TALKED to each other. I did actually find it quite refreshing that she is older than him and that he is of a lower class. But saying that, I didn't care enough to root for them.
I can't actually remember much about the plot - Marie-Anne gets an invitation to London from her dead fiances family begging for her help. Something about the youngest two daughters having gotten themselves into inappropriate relationships and this putting the eldest daughter's relationship in danger. It started off well but I found it dragged a bit.
Unfortunately this wasn't entirely right for me but I'm sure other people will enjoy this a lot. I've rated it 3 stars, it was pleasant and had a lot of elements I liked / would like, but they just didn't connect together for me. I do hope to read more of the author's books in future though!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy.
Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is probably the best part of this book. She's slightly older, she loves baked goods, she does not give a damn what anyone else thinks and she's completely unapologetic about the fact she cares about her own pleasure and is quite happy to take lovers. (In fact, the story starts with her feeling a bit down about her lover deciding to call off their affair and get married which has led to Marie-Anne indulging in more baked goods). She's suffered tragedy in her past, her fiance died just days before their wedding and not long afterwards she lost their unborn child and was set aside by her fiance's family. Still, she hasn't let this drag her down. Marie-Anne sounds awesome, right?
Mason is a wealthy American business man. Except he's not. He's temporarily pretending so that he can get some good scoop for his actual job. Illustrating a gossip pamphlet. He's also accidentally engaged so really he's in a bit of a pickle. He has red hair. He also has a difficult past. There's lots to Mason that I'd usually quite like, he ticks a lot of things off my list of things I like to see, but for some reason I didn't connect with him and I actually thought he was a bit 'blah'. I honestly can't remember anything about him other than the basics.
As a couple, I liked that they had fun and honestly seemed to care about one another. I liked that they could laugh together and actually TALKED to each other. I did actually find it quite refreshing that she is older than him and that he is of a lower class. But saying that, I didn't care enough to root for them.
I can't actually remember much about the plot - Marie-Anne gets an invitation to London from her dead fiances family begging for her help. Something about the youngest two daughters having gotten themselves into inappropriate relationships and this putting the eldest daughter's relationship in danger. It started off well but I found it dragged a bit.
Unfortunately this wasn't entirely right for me but I'm sure other people will enjoy this a lot. I've rated it 3 stars, it was pleasant and had a lot of elements I liked / would like, but they just didn't connect together for me. I do hope to read more of the author's books in future though!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy.
January 13, 2022
The h lost the man she loved now lives a narrow life in a small village. She falls in love with H and thought it would be a wonderful affair. He's mad for her but his agenda conflicts with her principles. The H is a survivor who can't afford principles. Loved this couple.
August 13, 2019
I loved this book (audio version)! Nicholas Boulton is outstanding. How he created Mason, an American originally from Kentucky, was superb. He definitely gave him a bit of a Southern voice but not over-the-top country twang. But, of course, most of all I loved this story of Marie-Anne and her bit younger, charming, borderline con man, Mason. I admit I was a bit hesitant to read (listen) to this Kingston book because I generally prefer books with a more serious tone (like her excellent Welsh Blades series). However, I may have to re-think that notion because this book provided many LOL moments as well as just enough angst to keep me satisfied. A great, five star read!
August 13, 2025
4.5 stars.
Wasn’t wowed by the conflict resolution of the ending, but a very charming, funny, and (surprisingly) hot read.
I didn’t love book one in this duology and am glad I tried this one. Can’t wait to read whatever Kingston publishes next. 🫡
Wasn’t wowed by the conflict resolution of the ending, but a very charming, funny, and (surprisingly) hot read.
I didn’t love book one in this duology and am glad I tried this one. Can’t wait to read whatever Kingston publishes next. 🫡
June 13, 2019
Since the death of her beloved fiance years ago, before they could actually marry, Frenchwoman Marie-Anne de Vauteuil has been left in a strange limbo. She's not quite a respectable widow but instead a scandalous fallen woman. She has retreated to a small village where no one knows of her colorful past and drowned her sorrows in cake and bread, until a random letter from the almost in-laws who have shunned her up until this point sees her invited back into London society for a season.
Mason is pretending to be a wealthy American businessman but is really only in England to gather fodder for the gossip column he illustrates for his cousin. His primary goal is to make as much money as possible before his ruse is discovered and he is forced to leave town. When he meets Marie-Anne, however, Mason is immediately taken with her and desperate to end the faux engagement he has fallen into. For the sake of her friends and almost sisters-in-law, the Shipleys, Marie-Anne agrees to help Mason escape a trip to the alter.
Mason finds that Marie-Anne challenges him to rethink everything about his life and encourages him to explore his true talent as an artist. Soon he begins to think he could have a real life and marriage with her, but Marie-Anne is not so sure; she loves Mason, but she can't abide lying to her friends about how he makes his money and she's not sure he'll change the only life he's ever known, even for her.
This book was hysterically funny. The secondary characters were charming as well, but I especially enjoyed Marie-Anne. Along with the hilarity, there was also a good deal of spot on observation about love and relationships. This was a first for me from this author and a delightful surprise. I'll definitely be checking out more of her work as well as that of narrator Nicholas Boulton. He was fabulous.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mason is pretending to be a wealthy American businessman but is really only in England to gather fodder for the gossip column he illustrates for his cousin. His primary goal is to make as much money as possible before his ruse is discovered and he is forced to leave town. When he meets Marie-Anne, however, Mason is immediately taken with her and desperate to end the faux engagement he has fallen into. For the sake of her friends and almost sisters-in-law, the Shipleys, Marie-Anne agrees to help Mason escape a trip to the alter.
Mason finds that Marie-Anne challenges him to rethink everything about his life and encourages him to explore his true talent as an artist. Soon he begins to think he could have a real life and marriage with her, but Marie-Anne is not so sure; she loves Mason, but she can't abide lying to her friends about how he makes his money and she's not sure he'll change the only life he's ever known, even for her.
This book was hysterically funny. The secondary characters were charming as well, but I especially enjoyed Marie-Anne. Along with the hilarity, there was also a good deal of spot on observation about love and relationships. This was a first for me from this author and a delightful surprise. I'll definitely be checking out more of her work as well as that of narrator Nicholas Boulton. He was fabulous.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 26, 2018
Marie-Anne de Vauteuil was relatively content to live in her cottage in the little village of Bartle-on-the-Glen. She is miffed that, for the first time, she was not the one to end her latest liaison. To a shoemaker! The affront! But a missive from Lady Shipley, the dreadful mother of Marie-Anne’s late beloved Richard brings her back to London. Lady Shipley’s daughters need Marie-Anne’s help. Odd, that. Still, it will be able to restore some of her tarnished reputation, and it could prove to be a welcome distraction. Oh and it is provided in the form of American businessman Mason, who is not at all what he seems to be.
If, like me, you find the blurb enticing, do no hesitate for a moment! HOUSE OF CADS delivers on its promise. I must also confess to being a tad masochistic: I expected that some French would appear, and I was wondering how palatable it would be; alas, it is not flawless, but it is excellent and the best I have read so far in any novel written in English. Told in the first person, mainly from Marie-Anne’s point of view, HOUSE OF CADS has a decidedly French flavour. Marie-Anne behaves and thinks like a Frenchwoman and I love how her thoughts and speech reflect this: not in an obvious way, but in the tone, the syntax, and her vocabulary; it is faint, but I could hear her accent, feel her Frenchness. HOUSE OF CADS is also a linguistic and literary delight as Ms. Kingston is an extremely gifted writer; think of this book as if Jane Austen were French, with a sophisticated, lascivious streak.
Marie-Anne is perceptive, irresistible, very strong, and quite pragmatic, and she is not a fool. Mason is a professional charmer, and even though she falls for him, she doesn’t fall for his fabrications. They have a very passionate relationship, and seldom have I read passion so accurately described, where both players are equal participants. The romance is a true love story, the hurdles not quite what we are used to and handled very judiciously, and Marie-Anne and Mason experience an enormous amount of personal growth. HOUSE OF CADS is also a biting satire of Regency society; it is lively, entertaining, captivating, and very smart. The characters are fabulously well drawn and realistically colourful, the dialogues are cleverly written, and Elizabeth Kingston’s prose is effortlessly elegant, lush and sumptuous, effective and far from precious. A few words repeatedly came to mind: richly textured and vibrant, whether thinking of the characters, the surroundings, the writing. HOUSE OF CADS, at first, appears to be a light, fluffy confection, but soon reveals itself as a stunning work of art, which entirely fits the tone and the message of the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If, like me, you find the blurb enticing, do no hesitate for a moment! HOUSE OF CADS delivers on its promise. I must also confess to being a tad masochistic: I expected that some French would appear, and I was wondering how palatable it would be; alas, it is not flawless, but it is excellent and the best I have read so far in any novel written in English. Told in the first person, mainly from Marie-Anne’s point of view, HOUSE OF CADS has a decidedly French flavour. Marie-Anne behaves and thinks like a Frenchwoman and I love how her thoughts and speech reflect this: not in an obvious way, but in the tone, the syntax, and her vocabulary; it is faint, but I could hear her accent, feel her Frenchness. HOUSE OF CADS is also a linguistic and literary delight as Ms. Kingston is an extremely gifted writer; think of this book as if Jane Austen were French, with a sophisticated, lascivious streak.
Marie-Anne is perceptive, irresistible, very strong, and quite pragmatic, and she is not a fool. Mason is a professional charmer, and even though she falls for him, she doesn’t fall for his fabrications. They have a very passionate relationship, and seldom have I read passion so accurately described, where both players are equal participants. The romance is a true love story, the hurdles not quite what we are used to and handled very judiciously, and Marie-Anne and Mason experience an enormous amount of personal growth. HOUSE OF CADS is also a biting satire of Regency society; it is lively, entertaining, captivating, and very smart. The characters are fabulously well drawn and realistically colourful, the dialogues are cleverly written, and Elizabeth Kingston’s prose is effortlessly elegant, lush and sumptuous, effective and far from precious. A few words repeatedly came to mind: richly textured and vibrant, whether thinking of the characters, the surroundings, the writing. HOUSE OF CADS, at first, appears to be a light, fluffy confection, but soon reveals itself as a stunning work of art, which entirely fits the tone and the message of the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
May 14, 2018
Outstanding! I am officially a new fan of Ms. Kingston. The other books I have by her are being moved up the pile, and she will be on my auto buy list.
This is the second book in The Ladies of Scandal series, but it definitely stands on its own. The story was wonderful, but it was the characters who drove the book. Marie-Anne, a French woman who was our heroine, was an absolute delight! She was as effervescent as champagne, with a zest for life and passion. Our hero Mason, though an apparent shady character, was endearing and the perfect foil for Marie-Anne. You could feel the instant attraction when they met. I was laughing hysterically when they discussed their lack of dancing abilities, comparing themselves to animals in a menagerie.
The humor was one of my favorite things about this book. Pure wit. I smiled throughout most of the story. (Until close to the end, when I was unsuccessfully attempting to hold back tears.) The passion and chemistry were also awesome.. When Mason gave Marie-Anne her first "kiss"....,OMG, I practically swooned!
This is definitely an author to read. Block out a big chunk of time in your schedule, because you are NOT going to want to put this book down.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
This is the second book in The Ladies of Scandal series, but it definitely stands on its own. The story was wonderful, but it was the characters who drove the book. Marie-Anne, a French woman who was our heroine, was an absolute delight! She was as effervescent as champagne, with a zest for life and passion. Our hero Mason, though an apparent shady character, was endearing and the perfect foil for Marie-Anne. You could feel the instant attraction when they met. I was laughing hysterically when they discussed their lack of dancing abilities, comparing themselves to animals in a menagerie.
The humor was one of my favorite things about this book. Pure wit. I smiled throughout most of the story. (Until close to the end, when I was unsuccessfully attempting to hold back tears.) The passion and chemistry were also awesome.. When Mason gave Marie-Anne her first "kiss"....,OMG, I practically swooned!
This is definitely an author to read. Block out a big chunk of time in your schedule, because you are NOT going to want to put this book down.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
March 31, 2019
Outstanding! I am officially a new fan of Ms. Kingston. The other books I have by her are being moved up the pile, and she will be on my auto buy list.
This is the second book in The Ladies of Scandal series, but it definitely stands on its own. The story was wonderful, but it was the characters who drove the book. Marie-Anne, a French woman who was our heroine, was an absolute delight! She was as effervescent as champagne, with a zest for life and passion. Our hero Mason, though an apparent shady character, was endearing and the perfect foil for Marie-Anne. You could feel the instant attraction when they met. I was laughing hysterically when they discussed their lack of dancing abilities, comparing themselves to animals in a menagerie.
The humor was one of my favorite things about this book. Pure wit. I smiled throughout most of the story. (Until close to the end, when I was unsuccessfully attempting to hold back tears.) The passion and chemistry were also awesome.. When Mason gave Marie-Anne her first "kiss"....,OMG, I practically swooned!
This is definitely an author to read. Block out a big chunk of time in your schedule, because you are NOT going to want to put this book down.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
This is the second book in The Ladies of Scandal series, but it definitely stands on its own. The story was wonderful, but it was the characters who drove the book. Marie-Anne, a French woman who was our heroine, was an absolute delight! She was as effervescent as champagne, with a zest for life and passion. Our hero Mason, though an apparent shady character, was endearing and the perfect foil for Marie-Anne. You could feel the instant attraction when they met. I was laughing hysterically when they discussed their lack of dancing abilities, comparing themselves to animals in a menagerie.
The humor was one of my favorite things about this book. Pure wit. I smiled throughout most of the story. (Until close to the end, when I was unsuccessfully attempting to hold back tears.) The passion and chemistry were also awesome.. When Mason gave Marie-Anne her first "kiss"....,OMG, I practically swooned!
This is definitely an author to read. Block out a big chunk of time in your schedule, because you are NOT going to want to put this book down.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
February 23, 2025
Kingston stands out to me primarily for her medievals, but her regencies are a unique blend of complicated characters, social intrigue, and moderate angst. While not quite as high in angst (which sits around Kinsale level), the characters that Elizabeth Kingston writes remind me of Sherry Thomas, Mia Vincy, and Meredith Duran.
Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is a Frenchwoman living in England. Not quite a wife, not quite a widow - her great love died only a few days before their wedding many years prior - she has lived in a small village near her dear friend Helen (book 1 heroine) in a sort of limbo of life. She meets an American businessman, Mason, who is accidentally engaged to her not-quite-sister-in-law and desperate to get out of it. Mason enlists Marie-Anne for her help, and their chemistry sends them down a path we knew they couldn't resist.
I love any opportunity for a more experienced woman to be the center of a historical romance novel, and Marie-Anne is so much fun to read, even when she's sad. She's several years older than Mason (31 to 23!) which works really well for their characters. Mason carries a big burden, and his easy ability to confide in Marie-Anne when he cannot in anyone else is lovely.
Marie-Anne de Vauteuil is a Frenchwoman living in England. Not quite a wife, not quite a widow - her great love died only a few days before their wedding many years prior - she has lived in a small village near her dear friend Helen (book 1 heroine) in a sort of limbo of life. She meets an American businessman, Mason, who is accidentally engaged to her not-quite-sister-in-law and desperate to get out of it. Mason enlists Marie-Anne for her help, and their chemistry sends them down a path we knew they couldn't resist.
I love any opportunity for a more experienced woman to be the center of a historical romance novel, and Marie-Anne is so much fun to read, even when she's sad. She's several years older than Mason (31 to 23!) which works really well for their characters. Mason carries a big burden, and his easy ability to confide in Marie-Anne when he cannot in anyone else is lovely.
June 16, 2018
First of all I just have to say WOW! This is the story of Marie-Anne and Mason, both of whom have been brought up in incredibly rough environments. Marie-Anne is a society outcast as years ago her fiance died before he could make her his wife, leaving her ruined and penniless. Now she has been called back to London after living for years in a quite village, where she meets Mason. He is an rich American Businessman (not) who has an incredible talent for drawing. It is lust at first sight for them, but when romance starts to develop, and secrets start to come out, life becomes a lot more difficult for the pair.
This is the first book that I have read from Elizabeth Kingston, and I loved it! I feel as though Marie-Anne and I would be great friends, I love her outlook on life and her take me as I am, or leave me attitude. The House of Cads is full of love, laughs, heartache and friendship everything a good book needs ;) I would definitely recommend it, and I know I will be reading more books from Elizabeth Kingston
This is the first book that I have read from Elizabeth Kingston, and I loved it! I feel as though Marie-Anne and I would be great friends, I love her outlook on life and her take me as I am, or leave me attitude. The House of Cads is full of love, laughs, heartache and friendship everything a good book needs ;) I would definitely recommend it, and I know I will be reading more books from Elizabeth Kingston
June 5, 2018
I confess to liking Kingston’s Fallen Lady a bit more than this offering but this is still a not-to-be-missed book. The author’s lyrical prose, perfectly nuanced characterization and wit bring to life the Regency era as well as a rapscallion hero and a French free thinker. There are a few slow bits but the sexual tension is just ramped up in those times. Savor this one.
I received this book free for review from the publisher.
More reviews on my blog: http://ladeetdareads.wordpress.com
I received this book free for review from the publisher.
More reviews on my blog: http://ladeetdareads.wordpress.com
April 16, 2025
I enjoyed the majority of this novel until a bit after the midway point, which was when a lot of the tension broke far too soon.
to-read-yes-own-audio
December 29, 2018CURRENTLY LISTENING TO
Book #2 with a new couple of lovebirds ... and I’m listening to the 9:07 hrs audiobook narrated by Nicholas Boulton. ~ The very best narrator in Boulton and a historical written by a, in my opinion, very good new romance author in Kingston. So far loved and enjoyed every book with the combo with these two. - Cross my fingers. 🤞
See also my 3.8 stars review about book #1: A Fallen Lady in this series.
Book #2 with a new couple of lovebirds ... and I’m listening to the 9:07 hrs audiobook narrated by Nicholas Boulton. ~ The very best narrator in Boulton and a historical written by a, in my opinion, very good new romance author in Kingston. So far loved and enjoyed every book with the combo with these two. - Cross my fingers. 🤞
See also my 3.8 stars review about book #1: A Fallen Lady in this series.
April 5, 2022
4 stars / 4.25 stars
Dear Ms. Kingston,
Two years ago, I reviewed your Regency era historical romance, A Fallen Lady. Although the novel wasn’t perfect, it was memorable and emotional. Recently, I heard there was a sequel in the wings, and I wasted no time in requesting an a review copy. House of Cads is that sequel, about Helen’s good friend Marie-Anne de Vauteuil.
Marie-Anne, a Frenchwoman living in a quiet English village in Herefordshire, Bartle-on-the-Glen, has a scandalous past. Years ago, she nearly married Richard Shipley, a member of England’s upper class whose parents objected to the match due to her questionable background (Marie-Anne is a commoner, as well as having been brought up by prostitutes). But Richard died before he could marry her, and Marie-Anne miscarried their child.
Some years later, Marie-Anne receives a letter from Richard’s sister, Amy (short for Amarantha). Amy is in love with a Mr. Harner, a very proper, stuffy gentleman who aspires to be a vicar, and her younger sisters are behaving inappropriately, according to him. Phyllida, the youngest, has gotten herself engaged to a libertine poet, and Dahlia, the middle sister, has thrown over the heir to a duke for a wealthy American businessman.
Amy begs Marie-Anne to come to London and talk her sisters out of their folly—if Marie-Anne doesn’t, Mr. Harner won’t marry Amy because his uncle won’t approve of the match. Marie-Anne is feeling lonely in Bartle anyway, and wants to visit Stephen and Helen, Earl and Countess of Summerdale, though they are soon to leave on a trip to Norway. So she agrees.
Trouble is, almost as soon as she arrives in the Earl of Summerdale’s house in London and meets Dahlia’s fiance, the American businessman, she is attracted to him, though she recognizes that he is something of a cad. After all, Mr. Mason should not have asked her to driving in the park with him if he is engaged to Dahlia.
My review continues at Dear Author: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
Dear Ms. Kingston,
Two years ago, I reviewed your Regency era historical romance, A Fallen Lady. Although the novel wasn’t perfect, it was memorable and emotional. Recently, I heard there was a sequel in the wings, and I wasted no time in requesting an a review copy. House of Cads is that sequel, about Helen’s good friend Marie-Anne de Vauteuil.
Marie-Anne, a Frenchwoman living in a quiet English village in Herefordshire, Bartle-on-the-Glen, has a scandalous past. Years ago, she nearly married Richard Shipley, a member of England’s upper class whose parents objected to the match due to her questionable background (Marie-Anne is a commoner, as well as having been brought up by prostitutes). But Richard died before he could marry her, and Marie-Anne miscarried their child.
Some years later, Marie-Anne receives a letter from Richard’s sister, Amy (short for Amarantha). Amy is in love with a Mr. Harner, a very proper, stuffy gentleman who aspires to be a vicar, and her younger sisters are behaving inappropriately, according to him. Phyllida, the youngest, has gotten herself engaged to a libertine poet, and Dahlia, the middle sister, has thrown over the heir to a duke for a wealthy American businessman.
Amy begs Marie-Anne to come to London and talk her sisters out of their folly—if Marie-Anne doesn’t, Mr. Harner won’t marry Amy because his uncle won’t approve of the match. Marie-Anne is feeling lonely in Bartle anyway, and wants to visit Stephen and Helen, Earl and Countess of Summerdale, though they are soon to leave on a trip to Norway. So she agrees.
Trouble is, almost as soon as she arrives in the Earl of Summerdale’s house in London and meets Dahlia’s fiance, the American businessman, she is attracted to him, though she recognizes that he is something of a cad. After all, Mr. Mason should not have asked her to driving in the park with him if he is engaged to Dahlia.
My review continues at Dear Author: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
July 19, 2018
*I listen to audiobooks while doing other tasks, so note taking is impossible, ergo Down & Dirty Quickie Reviews are impossible. Instead, here are some words.*
LIGHT FLUFFY SMEXY ROMANCE IS MY JAM!
The Plot & The Peeps:
Unapologetically sexual French heroine + betatastic red-headed, fluff-muffin American hero + house party = new lover shenanigans! Throw in the hero's job/financial deception and you get a whole kit and caboodle of low-stakes drama.
The Romance & The Pound Town:
Damn the OTP's emotional journey was cute & fun! Granted, while it's sweet, it's not one that will likely stick around in my memory banks. It's a cotton candy read, low on explicit sex and high on the low-angst.
The narrator:
NICHOLAS BOULTON IS MY NEW EAR GOD! This man believably juggles a female French accent, a male Kentuckian accent, AND a British-ish narrator all within the same scene! That dude got next level tongue-talent.
LIGHT FLUFFY SMEXY ROMANCE IS MY JAM!
The Plot & The Peeps:
Unapologetically sexual French heroine + betatastic red-headed, fluff-muffin American hero + house party = new lover shenanigans! Throw in the hero's job/financial deception and you get a whole kit and caboodle of low-stakes drama.
The Romance & The Pound Town:
Damn the OTP's emotional journey was cute & fun! Granted, while it's sweet, it's not one that will likely stick around in my memory banks. It's a cotton candy read, low on explicit sex and high on the low-angst.
The narrator:
NICHOLAS BOULTON IS MY NEW EAR GOD! This man believably juggles a female French accent, a male Kentuckian accent, AND a British-ish narrator all within the same scene! That dude got next level tongue-talent.
January 20, 2024
Really enjoyed the premise and Marie-Anne, who is a very atypical heroine. She's brash and outspoken and she enjoys sex and food, and still has a moral compass. The whole setup with her late fiance's family and the marriage capers with his Bennet-esque sisters was delightful.
But then Marie-Anne meets Mr. Mason, our lovable rake, who's pretending to be a rich American when in fact he's a poor caricaturist deceiving everyone to get access to high society gossip, and the two of them hook up, and the plot gets bogged down by innuendos, or the pair thinking about having sex, or having sex.
The hero and heroine do seem to like each other, which is great, but their interactions almost always become about the sex they're having, or not having, or would like to have. Marie-Anne refusing to sleep with Mason in exchange for getting him to do what she wants soon becomes the narrative drive for the novel and while it makes sense given the plot, it wasn't my favorite. He flirts, she flirts, they flirt. Or make each other jealous. Or trade loaded looks/comments while those around them remain blissfully ignorant. The side plots eventually get resolved by characters popping into the narrative to resolve them, as the heroine appears to lose interest. Even the pretty major issue of Mason's con is sorted out thanks to a benevolent and borderline OP earl.
My favorite bits were those where Marie-Anne was single and fabulous, rather than hung up on a bloke she doesn't quite trust. Although, as she says, he does have a miraculous mouth, so...
Also, I got a bit annoyed when the story has Marie-Anne throw a tantrum and then justifies it by saying she was PMSing. I did, however, like the hero trying to make her feel better by getting her cake. My mixed feelings, let me show you them.
But then Marie-Anne meets Mr. Mason, our lovable rake, who's pretending to be a rich American when in fact he's a poor caricaturist deceiving everyone to get access to high society gossip, and the two of them hook up, and the plot gets bogged down by innuendos, or the pair thinking about having sex, or having sex.
The hero and heroine do seem to like each other, which is great, but their interactions almost always become about the sex they're having, or not having, or would like to have. Marie-Anne refusing to sleep with Mason in exchange for getting him to do what she wants soon becomes the narrative drive for the novel and while it makes sense given the plot, it wasn't my favorite. He flirts, she flirts, they flirt. Or make each other jealous. Or trade loaded looks/comments while those around them remain blissfully ignorant. The side plots eventually get resolved by characters popping into the narrative to resolve them, as the heroine appears to lose interest. Even the pretty major issue of Mason's con is sorted out thanks to a benevolent and borderline OP earl.
My favorite bits were those where Marie-Anne was single and fabulous, rather than hung up on a bloke she doesn't quite trust. Although, as she says, he does have a miraculous mouth, so...
Also, I got a bit annoyed when the story has Marie-Anne throw a tantrum and then justifies it by saying she was PMSing. I did, however, like the hero trying to make her feel better by getting her cake. My mixed feelings, let me show you them.
September 19, 2024
Marie-Ann is a Frenchwoman living in a small English town by choice after her first love ended tragically. Her intended died before they could marry, leaving her pregnant and at the mercy of his snobby family, who disavowed her. After she miscarried she flew from London and befriended Helen, a woman in a similar boat.
Years later, Helen is a new countess and Marie-Ann, curious about her would-be sisters-in-law, returns to city of her ruin, where she meets Mason, an American "businessman" who is actually a political cartoonist and con artist. Helen and Mason are both outsiders of the ton -- poor, untitled, and slightly uncouth -- and their immediate camaraderie was extremely charming.
K.J. Charles said that you get much more of a scope of the wider world in this book than you do with other Regencies and I had the same thought: at one point Mason references the Haitian Revolution in a political cartoon, a huge, newsworthy event that I can't recall being referenced in any other Regency.
Kingston's latest book, One Burning Heart, is a new all-time favorite of mine, but it's been a pleasure to go through her backlist and discover she's always been talented.
Years later, Helen is a new countess and Marie-Ann, curious about her would-be sisters-in-law, returns to city of her ruin, where she meets Mason, an American "businessman" who is actually a political cartoonist and con artist. Helen and Mason are both outsiders of the ton -- poor, untitled, and slightly uncouth -- and their immediate camaraderie was extremely charming.
K.J. Charles said that you get much more of a scope of the wider world in this book than you do with other Regencies and I had the same thought: at one point Mason references the Haitian Revolution in a political cartoon, a huge, newsworthy event that I can't recall being referenced in any other Regency.
Kingston's latest book, One Burning Heart, is a new all-time favorite of mine, but it's been a pleasure to go through her backlist and discover she's always been talented.
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