A Wicked Earl’s Widow

A fantastic follow up to the first book. Very historical and definitely quite the page-turner. Can’t wait to see what book 3 has in store.

After her husband is killed, Eliza becomes a widow. She befriends her in-laws, who treat her like family. For the first time in her life, she experiences what it feels like to love and be loved in return, without fear. But all that changes when her cruel father returns, threatening to do harm to her daughter, unless she marries the old codger her father has chosen. She flees to the only person who’ll protect her and her daughter, her cousin. Plans change and Eliza’s in the care of Nathaniel, Viscount of Pendleton, and his family.

Nathaniel takes one look at Eliza protecting an elderly woman from a group of ruffians on the road and he’s enamoured. There’s a sadness and an aura of fear surrounding Eliza and when he learns her dark secret, he vows to protect her with his life. He’ll have to use everything in his power to save her from her villainous father and his cohorts. Can he smite down these evil men or will he die protecting the only woman he’s ever loved?

Never in all my reading have I read such a hateful, evil character as Eliza’s father. Not only is he an abusive husband and father, he gets sexually stimulated by doling out his abuse. It’s beyond despicable. Bile rose in my throat every time he appeared in the story.

Aubrey Wynne has crafted an intense, honest portrayal of what life was like back in the day for women. Historically accurate with poignant characters dealing with strife so gut-wrenching, I can’t even imagine how I’d respond. Gripping story with an explosive ending. The romance between Nathaniel and Eliza was a tad immediate but it didn’t bother me. I like being swept off my feet. The emotional abuse Eliza had to deal with is stark, so be forewarned.

If you’re looking for a realistic historical romance with issues such as the powerless and abuse of women in the past, pick up A Wicked Earl’s Widow today. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

Favorite Character/Quote: Eliza. Such a complex woman with so many demons to overcome, she was by far, my favorite character.

My Rating: 5 stars

A Wicked Earl’s Widow (Once Upon A Widow Book 2)
By: Aubrey Wynne
5 out of 5 stars

The story A Wicked Earl’s Widow (Once Upon A Widow Book 2) by Aubrey Wynne is a historical romance book. It is a story that I found a joy to read. There are characters that I loved reading about and also romance. It takes you on a journey back in time. The two main characters in this book are Eliza and Nathaniel. Eliza is a woman who has been widowed. She has a daughter and is under the protection of her in-laws. She also has a father who is cruel and abusive. Nathaniel is a man that has been successful in making his family’s name a respectable one. He is kind, caring, and handsome. Eliza and Nathaniel meet when he finds Eliza defending an elderly woman. These two have an attraction to one another. There is both passion and desire. Nathaniel is drawn to her. He wants to help her. Will Nathaniel learn of the dark secrets of Eliza’s past? Can he save her? What does their future hold? Read this book to find out. I loved the character of Eliza as she is sweet, caring, and has an inner strength that she doesn’t always realize. She is stronger than she gives herself credit for. She is someone that I grew to care for with each chapter that I read and wanted her to find happiness. There are other characters that are introduced. Many of them are enjoyable to read about and they help Eliza and Nathaniel. Then there are those who have their own plans and agenda. Will their plans be defeated? Don’t miss out on a story that will draw you in and keep your interest until the last page. I highly recommend reading it.

This book is a standalone, but connects to the book THE EARL OF SUNDERLAND. Eliza is the Dowager Duchess of Sunderland. Her cousin, Grace, married her brother-in-law, the current Earl.
Traveling with her daughter and governess to see her cousin, Grace, Eliza has an unpleasant encounter with ruffians. Rescued by Nathaniel, Viscount of Pendleton, he invites Eliza to his home. Nate and Grace grew up together which calms Eliza’s trepidations. Something draws them together, but the threat from Eliza’s father tells her to runaway. This book may have triggers due to it’s physical and mental abuse. Eliza’s father is an extremely vile and unpleasant character.

Extraordinary narration, compelling story
Audiobook edition: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration

First, I must say that the narrator Harry Frost is fantastic. He has such a sexy voice and delicious English accent! He totally impressed me from the very first sentence to the end of this novella. His voice is as sizzlingly hot as that of Alex Wyndham, and that is high praise coming from me. In addition, Harry Frost did a perfect acting performance of all the characters. He very versatile and totally believable as the brave hero, the admirable heroine, the chilling villain, the adorable toddler, the older women, and everyone. Each character’s voice was distinctive and pleasing to my ear. The narrator even perfectly conveyed the scary, sadistic villain in the chapters from his perspective.

I loved the thoroughly compelling story. The writing was excellent, and the storyline was believable for a Regency romance. I absolutely loved the main characters, Lady Eliza and Lord Pendle. They were so great together, and their romantic dialogue was very memorable. This novella is written in third person perspective alternating between the heroine, hero, and a few short chapters from the villain’s perspective. It is a clean, sweet Regency romance. There was flirting, kissing, and simmering chemistry between the main characters.

Note: there is some harsh physical abuse perpetrated by the heroine’s father, so elements of the story might be too dark or triggering for some readers. I generally have a low threshold for abuse in a novel, but the multiple happy elements of the story made it not too dark for me. The inner strength of Eliza, the wonderful support she received from Lord Pendle, the adorable bloodhound, the cheerful toddler, and the lovely supporting characters all counterbalanced the dark elements of the plot. I heartily recommend this audiobook for Regency romance readers who are okay with some dark elements in books. I also recommend this audiobook to everyone who loves a sexy, male, English narrator.

I requested and received a free audiocode from the author via @AudioBookfly, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

A Wicked Earl’s Widow by Aubrey Wynne
Stars: 4

This is a quick, but overall enjoyable read. Eliza has been through a lot! She focuses on finding safety for herself and daughter, Althea. Eliza seems to be sweet, strong, and an overall great character! I was immediately cared about her and couldn’t wait for her HEA. Eliza and Nathaniel had great chemistry, and I really enjoy reading their story!

Lady Eliza, has not had an easy life. Her father abused her and her mother for years, he sold her off to get married. She was terrified her new husband would be cruel like her father but to her shock he was not. For a year, she knew kind treatment, then a riding accident took that life away from her and her daughter. Eliza refuses to go back to fathers home and continues to stay with her late husband’s family. They vow to protect her from him when she opens up about the abuse and how he almost hurt her child. Since someone is feeding Eliza’s father information, they decide to send Eliza and Althea secretly to her husband’s brother for protection. While traveling Eliza meets, Nathaniel.
Nathaniel, being pushed to go to London, to find a wife, likes his life and sharing his life with someone is not what he wants. He stumbles upon Lady Eliza and sees her defending an older lady and he instantly finds himself smitten. While getting to know Eliza, he soon realizes she has secrets.

A Wicked Earls Widow is book two in the Once upon a Widows series and an amazing sweet read. Audrey Wynne has given us a wonderfully written clean romance read that I loved. This is my first read from this author and plan to read more. I give this book 5 stars!

The Wicked Earl’s Widow, by Aubrey Wynne, is that second book in the Once Upon a Widow series. This historical romance was a dramatic read set to the Victorian era. These type of novels were my first reads into the romance realm and they still hold a place in my heart when it comes to this genre. Aubrey Wynne is a talented author and creates fabulous characters that stand apart and shine within their story. In this particular book, I immediately admired Eliza’s character. She’s strong despite the circumstances in her life and has morals that our outstanding to hold. Unfortunately, there is drama, suspense and intrigue within this story. Enter Nick who is about to shift Eliza’s world. The chemistry is apparent and perfectly blended into the story. The Wicked Earl’s Widow is a great read and I highly recommend.

A Wicked Earl’s Widow (Once Upon A Widow Book 2) by Aubrey Wynne

5-Stars

A Wicked Earl’s Widow was an exciting and fast paced read. It is book two in this series and can be read as a standalone. The wonderful scenery of each setting is depicted very realistically and I had no problem envisioning the story. The characters were also detailed and fascinating. Both the protagonist and antagonist characters had major roles in the flow of the story. Eliza and Nate, who are the protagonists of this story, mad a beautiful romantic couple despite the tragedy that occurred in Eliza’s life. He was a blessing in disguise when he stumbled upon their coach. I loved reading this novel and look forward to reading more in this series.

Eliza still mourned her husband. Hers had been an arranged marriage with Carson, the Earl of Sunderland. Known to be a rake, he was surprisingly kind to her. He had a riding accident which caused his death after only one year of marriage, leaving a pregnant wife behind. Eliza and her daughter were living with Carson’s family now. Her own father was a cruel man who had sold her to Carson for the money, not worried in the least how his daughter would be treated. He had lost his investments at the end of the war and had gambled away the money he had left. When his partner, a wealthy old merchant, decided he needs an heir and increased his bid to marry her, he saw selling her as way to get more money. But no matter the threats her father made, she has refused to go back home. She heard her daughter scream for help on their visit to the cemetery, and she saw her father holding Althea tightly while she tried to get away. He demanded this time that she meet with him and the elderly Mr. Bellum in London and he would announce their betrothal. Otherwise, accidents happen – and children are so easily damaged. The threat did not go unnoticed.

Eliza tried to hide the marks her father left on her neck. But when Althea was put to bed, Lady Falsbury asked her to tell them what happened that day and how she got bruises on her neck! She told them the truth, and her in-laws made a plan to save her and keep her safe. They would say she and Althea went to the colonies – since someone in the household had to be spying and giving information to Eliza’s father. In reality, they would send her in secret to her husband’s brother who had married her cousin. He would keep her safe while Lord Falsbury would meet Eliza’s father in London. She was part of their family and they would protect her.

On her way to her brother-in-law’s castle, Eliza meets Nathaniel, the Viscount Pendleton, a man who also happens to be a friend of her husband’s brother. Will the two of them resolve the secrets they are keeping and perhaps find a happy life together? Or does Fate have another road for each to follow?

I really enjoyed this book! The characters, both the good and bad, were perfectly drawn, with the reader immediately caring for Eliza and her daughter. The story line was good and the pacing moved along quickly once the danger was made known. Grab your copy and see what awaits Eliza as her family tries to save her from her evil father!