Lord Despair

Beastly Lords, Book 1

By: Sydney Jane Baily

Narrated by: Tim Campbell

From USA Today best-selling author Sydney Jane Baily

From the lush English countryside to the glittering society of Victorian London, and the shabbier side of its gambling hells, Lord Despair thought he'd left the worst behind in the Burmese jungle. He was wrong.

Lord Simon Devere returns from the Burmese War haunted by the vivid memory of his slain cousin and powerless to know reality from dreams. Unable to sleep lest he awaken in the cell of his nightmares, he sits in the dark, incapable of believing he is truly home - and safe - in England.

Jenny Blackwood is determined not to let her mother and sisters succumb to an unkind fate. With a head for numbers, she becomes the skilled bookkeeper "Mr. Cavendish". One unexpected client is the nobleman cruelly named by gossips as Lord Despair.

With the estate's coffers mysteriously dwindling, Jenny goes where others fear to tread: into the darkened room of the unstable earl. Encouraged by her tenacity, Simon believes he can become the man he once was. However, as friendship quickly sparks into passion, they discover the greatest danger lies ahead of them, and the biggest threat to Jenny may be Lord Despair himself.

©2018 Sydney Jane Baily (P)2019 Tantor

Great Heroine!

Loved how smart and practical that Jenny was in the story. Her love for Simon and her ability to reach him in his despair was heartfelt.

Likable practical heroine

Good story about a warm-hearted, pragmatic heroine & handsome hero struggling with PTSD.
I liked the chemistry between the couple. Even more appealing is that both MCs were committed to making the relationship work. They made their decisions on that basis which gave the story a satisfying forward motion.

Good story but slowwww

I thought the narrator was excellent. Great character development and interesting plot.
It got really disturbing at some points as they dealt with the effects of his “dispair” within the marriage, and some of her actions were hard to swallow for a smart woman.

My main issue is it was just a really long, really slow story.

Enjoyable.

The story is easy and enjoyable. A few times the characters make dumb decisions, but overall I liked this one.

Great Listen

Enjoyed this story very much. No over-the-top sex but intimate and low key. Tim Campbell’s voice bring the characters to life. I so adore listening to him. I will continue this series.