Undressed by the Earl Audiobook By Michelle Willingham cover art

Undressed by the Earl

Secrets in Silk, Book 3

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A man shrouded in grief…

David Hartford, the Earl of Castledon, is tormented by the death of his wife. Though everyone expects him to remarry and beget an heir, he is a man living in shadows, unwilling to break out of his prison of sorrow.

A spirited young woman who embraces life…

Impulsive Amelia Andrews befriends Lord Castledon and decides that he would make the perfect match for her prim older sister. Though she tries to bring the pair of them together, Amelia cannot help but see the lonely man behind David’s grim exterior. Even worse, she finds herself caught beneath his piercing stare…and she wonders how to melt his icy heart.

An unlikely match

No woman can ever replace his first wife…but when Amelia is caught in a web of ruin, David cannot stand aside and let her suffer. Can an unexpected marriage bring about a love even greater than the one he lost?

©2014 Michelle Willingham (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved Regency Romance Historical Marriage Regency Romance Historical Fiction Fiction Heartfelt
Intricately Plotted Story • Superb Character Development • Well Integrated Subplots • Interesting Twists • Engaging Heroine

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Love the tenderness and the understanding the heroine shows to the hero and his daughter. Her character actually seems to mature quickly through the story and her kind nature draws readers in. After reading the first book in the series I thought I would stay away from this series but then I saw the reviews and thought to give this book a shot. Again as with MW’s writing, she tends to repeat the same thoughts a few times, yes completely irritating. For instance I believe she repeated the fact that the hero wore black seven years after his wife died about three times within the first 1/3 of the book. You just want to yell out and say, I GET IT. He needs new cloths. Move on. But then the story gets much better and you tended not to mind as much her mind babbling. The narrator’s performance is not great since all men sound the same and all women have the exact same voice but she did better with this book than with the first book in the series.

Hmmmm, I actually really liked this book :/

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I'd rate this 3.5 if I could. My favorite of the series so far. The narration was decent and the author's writing has improved. For example, "couldn't care less" was finally used properly, unlike in the previous book. A personal pet peeve.

Amelia was quite a character in the previous books and she's a great lead in this one. David spent a long time grieving his first wife and wasn't ready to marry so when he brings Amelia back to his country home and she meets his daughter there are issues. Sure, some are stereotypical but it's a very interesting book.

I'm glad I have all four. I'm binge listening to the series.

Best of the series so far

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The 5 star ratings are due to the intricately plotted story; the well-integrated subplots and superb character development and growth. The listener and reader is warned that this is a voyeuristic story, though excellent in all other ways.

Intricately plotted romance

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So far, this is my favorite book in the series, probably because of Amelia. The baby of the family, Amelia Andrews is true to the reputation of the youngest sibling. She's a bit flighty, precocious, nosy about secret things, and quick to bend or disobey the rules. In the past her cute innocence has probably gotten her out of several punishments, so she isn't concerned with bending the rules.
At the age of 14 two of Amelia's three sisters were attending balls and parties with hopes of finding a suitable husband. Amelia being too young to participate, she was relegated to spend time at her mother's or aunt's side. British custom forbid her to speak to a man without a chaperone present, and preferably not at all. (Try that today!)
In her own resourceful way, Amelia strikes up an ongoing conversation with David Hartford, the Earl of Castledon, a grieving widower. It would be scandalous for a young lady to be speaking to a gentleman without a chaperone present. Ever creative, Amelia positions herself with her back to the Earl, and talks freely. Wow, does she talk freely. Amelia doesn't seem to stop talking. She's not familiar with embarrassment, sharing her thoughts and feelings without filters. The Earl is only attending the events because he has promised his daughter that he would remarry so she would have a mother.
At 33, David Hartford is 13 years Amelia's senior. His wife has been dead for 6 years, leaving him with a 5-year old daughter (now 11).
Skipping a lot of details here, Amelia was drugged and kidnapped from a ball one evening, right under everyone's nose. Her older sister, Margaret, was charged with her care that event. When she couldn't see her, Margaret enlisted the Earl's help locating her. After realizing she had been captured by an unwanted, womanizing suitor, who needed to marry a heiress to pay off his gambling debts.
Margaret took one route to Scotland and David the other, both knowing a woman could be married there without her father's permission. David found her first, beat the kidnapper, and rescued the damsel-in-distress. British societal norms being what they were, a woman was disgraced after spending a night alone with a man, no matter the circumstance. Of course the Earl agrees to marry her. His stipulations were that it would be a marriage of friendship, sans love, providing a mother for his daughter. Amelia will have his name and a title, a daughter, and enough money to buy whatever she wants. Anything but love: that's reserved for his first wife and only love. His grief causes him to often act cold, seem uncaring, and even cruel.
The story has some twists, turns, and surprises, but allows plenty of time for the characters to develop. It's a sweet story, book three of four in the series.

Amelia's Story

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Ordinary story, nothing new. Uninspired characters, others disappointing. The heroine was wonderful, and like many giving personalities, ignored by those who don’t deserve her.

Eh..

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