Once Upon a Maiden Lane

A Maiden Lane Novella

By: Elizabeth Hoyt

Narrated by: Ashford McNab

A stand-alone novella from New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt!
Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth---to the rakishly handsome artistocrat himself . . .
Henry Collins, Viscount Blackwell, is far too intrigued by Mary to let her go so easily. He's drawn to her sharp mind, indomitable spirit, and the fiery way in which she dismisses him---ladies simply don't dismiss Lord Blackwell. But as Mary makes her first hesitant steps into society, she can't help but wonder if she truly has a place in Henry's world---or in his heart.

Not as Predictable as I thought

Where does Once Upon a Maiden Lane rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 25-30

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mary Whitsum...she's feisty!

What about Ashford McNab’s performance did you like?

She distinguishes voices/characters well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was surprised...no crying...just a OMG! :)

Any additional comments?

I like the orphanage being a part of the storyline.

love this series!!!

I'm in love with being able to hear all the characters from the previous books stay close and support each other. I will be watching for much more to come!

loved it

loved it !!!I think I will try other series of this author. The narrator was awesome as well

greatly enjoyable addition to Maiden Lane

This book takes place 8 or 9 years after the events in the first Maiden Lane novel. Mary Whitsun is all grown up and working as a nursemaid for Lady Cair when it is discovered she is the long lost daughter of an earl and has been engaged to a Viscount since birth. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Mary get her own story, and other characters from previous books make cameos that didn't overwhelm the plot. The Duke of Montgomery makes a brief appearance and is fabulous as ever. If you read all of the Maiden Lane books and were sad to see them end, this book is a lovely pop-in back into that world. While it certainly helps to know who people were from previous books, it isn't strictly necessary to have read them to understand the plot of this one. There are one or two chapters with cameos that don't effect the plot much and the rest are all new characters. Quite a fun read. My one issue was I felt like Lady Cair lied about Mary's origins, because I seem to remember there being a bit more drama around how Mary came to the orphanage, but it's also been a while since I read the first book to remember exactly.

Short & Sweet & Sexy

Hoyt does a masterful job mixing romance and intrigue onto her unique plot. This short story provides a wonderful future for Mary Whitson, who has been with the Maiden Lane stories from the beginning.