Not this author's best. Maybe because the heroine was not very likeable. Have read better from Ms Kingston and sure there will be many more great books, but this one was a miss for me..

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

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.

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.

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+

My review posted on April 27, 2018. I enjoyed the book a lot, but for the anachronism the plot hung on. Since Netgalley is insisting on 100 characters here, here’s a quote from my review: “This was a delightful book and I liked the clever writing very much. I would characterize the voice here as similar to that of authors like Rose Lerner, Loretta Chase, Kate Noble, and the late Miranda Neville.“

~~Reviewed by Monique~~

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 not 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.

This is a new to me author and i will definitely be looking for more books by her. I love a heroine who is scandalous and not a virgin. I really like Marie-Anne and Mason. I would like to have know how things turned out for Phyllida.

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?


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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.

When I requested the opportunity to read this ARC, I gave my word that I would give a fair and honest review. This is a story of finding yourself. No matter who that is or where it takes you.