The Awakening of Ivy Leavold by Sierra Simone is an erotic retelling of the classic Jane Eyre, told in three parts. As a retelling, or a story inspired by, this book does a good job, capturing many key elements of the original story, while still encapsulating the erotic storytelling you expect from Simone.

Narrator, Zara Hampton-Brown it’s not new to erotic romance, and she encapsulates the lonely ingenue. Her innocent in naïveté, and eventually her curiosity comes out in this work. Having heard Hampton-Brown’s work in contemporary erotic stories, before I was concerned that the historical element of this could cause a problem, but delivered an excellent historical portrayal.

Overall, this was an enjoyable audiobook to listen to. Readers need to note that this is only one part of a three part story in order to complete the overall story arc.

Thanks to Dreamscape Select, No Bird Press LLC and Netgalley for my review copy.

The Awakening of Ivy Leovold by Siera Simone is a story that centers around a young woman, Ivy, and Mr. Markham, a wealthy but standoffish man who isn’t one to let people into his private world. There’s something about Ivy that is so tempting, Mr. Mark can’t stay away. And Ivy, well let’s just say she is coming into her own and wants to explore her sexuality. This book is very risqué, so the fact that I was listening to this audiobook certainly made me want to ensure no one else could hear it! There were definitely plenty of scenes that made me blush, hearing them out loud!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

An erotic Jane Eyre, it has been awhile since I pick up a book from Sierra Simone, and this is a good reminder how much I resonate with her writing—the way she articulates sexual tension and steam is like no other—bold, stimulating, but never steer into crass. The writing style also fits surprisingly well for a period piece (I've only read her contemporary romance in the past). All of this is elevated by Zara Hampton-Brown's emotive performance in the audiobook.

I'm a bit surprised for this re-release (the audiobook was produced in 2024, while the novella was originally published in 2015), the publisher didn't bundle the series together, as The Awakening of Ivy Leavold on its own is not really self-contained, ending abruptly on a cliffhanger. As much as I enjoyed the story, its close resemblance to the character and plot point of Jane Eyre made it more like an erotic fan fiction, rather than an entity that can exist on its own; without the knowledge of Charlotte Brontë's classic, the heroine and hero as described on page is rather shallow in personality.

There's something inherently alluring about combining gothic romance with explicit sex (physical isolation vs. eruption of emotion). This is a promising start to the series, and I'll be curious to see if it will move into more original territory after this familiar setup.

The awakening of Ivy labeled explored a journey of self discovery and resilience for Miss Ivy Leavold. It was set against the backdrop of the Victorian era and intricately weave together elements of romance, mystery, personal growth, creating a compelling narrative to keep readers engross until the very end. Author Sierra Simone is skillful in her protagonist character development and remarkable transformation. Wow it is a romance novel at the core, it does explore themes of identity, agency, and the pursuit of happiness. Readers are reminded of the importance of staying true to oneself, even in the face of adversity.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Forbidden Romance!

Sierra Simone knows how to craft perfect tales of larger-than-life characters who are tempted by their darkest carnal desires. Her writing never misses and always tugs at my heartstrings. The Awakening of Ivy Leavold is a tale of forbidden love. temptation, innocence, seduction, lust, and death. How Ms. Simone manages to combine these unlikely factors into a page-turner is a testament to her strength as a writer.

Let's talk about the audiobook component which I think played a huge role in my overall enjoyment of the book.

Audiobook narrator Zara Hampton-Brown hit it out of the park by creating the perfect persona for Ivy Leavold- her innocence, her wit, and her sass, are perfectly encapsulated. I believe the narrator nailed the slow-burn angst between Ivy and Mr. Markham. Ivy's emotional and mental journey from a recluse, all alone with no direct relatives, to adjusting to life with Mr. Markham, his charm, his charisma, and his flirtations had me on edge, gripping my steering wheel in after-work traffic. When I tell you, I felt courted, entranced, and seduced by the slow-burning flame of forbidden desire.

Warning- this book ends on a cliffhanger and it was much too short for my liking but it leaves you wanting more while questioning your morality.

Thank you to Sierra Simone, Dreamscape select, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review. You can connect with me via bookstagram @jessicareadsit

Thank you so much for this ARC! I was super excited to get my hands on this one. I love Sierra Simone. Her spicy books are phenomenal! This one was okay. I felt it lacked much of a plot but I guess that is not the point. WE WANT THE SPICE! I will definitley read the rest of this series as the audio comes out. I enjoyed the FMC alot and our main MC as well. I loved the fact it was like a period drama meets spice. You go Sierra.. :D

Listen.. if you like smut you need to discover this author.
This is a story about Ivy Leavold being placed in the home of Mr. Markham as his ward. This book loses a star becuase the concept of the book is historical romance but its not very historical in terms of accuracy haha. HOWEVER it gives Jane EYRE meets EROTICA vibes and that is delicious.

I absolutly was hooked on the parlor games being played and the hint of a larger story line filled with mystery which i presume will be told as the story progresses since this little guy was under 200 pages but there seemed to be a bunch of little 200 page books in the series.

“My soul was yours to take from the moment I met you, Julian.”

Holy moly, this was a spicy read! Gothic erotica with a good balance between spice and plot, I’m looking forward to listening to the next one. The narrator was great too!

This book is in the wrong category. It is not 'General Fiction' nor a 'Romance'. It is what in the good old days was called smut or erotic fiction, a bonk-fest amongst tame Mills & Boons and Harlequin bodice rippers, which 12-15 year olds used to read just to know about sex. Nobody cared about the story, since usually there was none. A situation was created to suit a particular sexual scenario and focus was on the encounter. 'Awakening' is that sort of book.

Here, in the barely-there part 1 of a series (!!!), everything is nonsensical, even the sex scenes. The writeup of characters, dialogues and 'mystery' is insipid at best, but Zara Hampton-Brown has a good future as an audiobook narrator. She has a pleasant voice and is able to show emotion, and do various male/female voices. However, she should refrain from doing male voices - especially the sound she creates for the 'hero' Julian Markham, which is audibly funny even without his eye-roll worthy dialogues.

An 18 year old virgin lands in her dead cousin's husband's mansion in 1800's UK. The guy has been married twice before, both wives dying mysteriously soon after the marriage. Leavold has been hired as god-knows-what, and she meets the said 'Lord of the Manor' Markham that very first night. Like I said before, Markham has the funniest male voice I've ever heard (his dialogues make it worse). Instead of laughing at him, she is intrigued by him, and he falls for her immediately and over the course of the next week initiates her into the world of sexual behaviors and patterns, each scene escalating on the exposure scale, with an orgy scene in-between where his male and female friends take turns touching her. He finally gives in to the final temptation of 'going all the way' with her, after which he asks her to marry him telling her he will now teach her how to please him and herself.....A jealous housekeeper, a jealous horse keeper, a suspicious valet, and a gossipy village lady make up the rest of the cast. Your mind will wander to the literary 'grandeur' of 'The Twilight', 'Fifty Shades of Grey', Barbara Cartland's sagas, and any porn movie you ever came across, sighing at what the writers of those pieces accomplished and where this book fails. The sex scenes are cold, unimaginative, with predictable dialogues, defeating the purpose of this book, which I'm assuming was to generate excitement to get the rocks off.

Thanks to the publisher for the audiobook but I clicked on this ARC thinking it was a well-written historical romantic fiction which it is not.

Probably the steamiest historical romance I’ve ever read. I’m not sure why I don’t imagine our ancestors doing kinky things but I’m sure they did. This book brings those situations to light with a pretty darn confident female lead.

🌀Synopsis
Ivy has nothing left. Nowhere to go except to her cousin’s crazy widow, Julian. Ivy is used to living a life of her own though and this will surely be a change. She finds Julian to be very masculine and very grumpy indeed. He doesn’t seek to control her though and she appreciates that. In fact, he introduces her to a whole new world of experiences.
She is drawn to him and him to her. They both just need to admit it to themselves and to each other.

3 Stars for the Awakening of Ivy Leopold. This short, spicy historical mystery took me by surprise. I'm not usually one for this genre but I really enjoyed this audiobook and have every intention of continuing with the series. My one critique of the story is that the romance seemed a little rushed and the chemistry between the love interests seems a little lacklustre. Otherwise the writing was solid, the storyline fast-paced, the narrator was expressive and I look forward to continuing this series and reading more by Sierra Simone!

I love this series and hearing this via audio was next level. This is single narration but by a truly talented narrator as she manages many people’s voices and especially does our MMC Mr. Markham justice. The content of this book is broody and suspenseful and that absolutely comes through.

This book is such a unique historical romance in that in true Sierra Simone fashion it’s very sexy and spicy. It’s easy for contemporary romance fans to grasp because of that, it’s not stuffy at all. I wouldn’t categorize it as dark romance either even though like I mentioned there is suspense but it is well balanced to not be truly terrifying or have issues with certain things like consent. It definitely has angst though and I always get so attached to Ivy in my rereads.

This is a quick listen as it’s part of a trilogy but absolutely worth the listen. Thank you to Dreamscape Select for letting me re-enter this world with an ALC.

I love Sierra Simone. I've been a big fan for years, but have never read this book. This audio just didn't do it for me. I'm not sure if it's because it's historical and I'm just not a huge historical fan or if I just couldn't connect to the story or what. Ivy and Julian have a very *spicy* connection, but the rest of the story fell very flat for me. I needed a little bit more substance rather than spiciness. (Although, I know that's SS specialty). The narration was very nice.

The Awakening of Ivy Leavold by Sierra Simone has been published for many years but now is in audio. Read by Zara Hampton Brown. I have mixed feelings about this book. Sierra Simone is an excellent author and I love historical. I just don't like the mm. I guess I don't really like possessive jerks. I like the guy to at least have a heart, however deep it may be buried. As far as the narrator, the mmc's voice needs to not be so exaggerated. The male character's voice just needs to be a little lower in pitch, not trying to go to a level so low that the narrator cannot pull it off.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Copied from Goodreads:
2 ⭐️ for the reimagining of the Victorian Gothic
“The Awakening of Ivy Leavold" sees a naive young woman arrive in an isolated Yorkshire residence, Markham Hall, in 1879. From the description I was anticipating a "Jane Eyre" or "Wuthering Heights" type of novel. I was quite wrong. There is a mystery in Markham Hall, but the majority of the book leaves nothing to the imagination. The first meeting between Julian Markham and the eponymous Ivy Leavold is sexually charged and smoothes an explicit path through the remainder of the book. This is the first book in a "Markham Hall" series, but I will not be returning. There are some interesting and unique characters representing the fringes of society, but in this outing, at least, their purpose was to push Ivy beyond the bounds of propriety. There was little plot beyond the awakening and, while I appreciated the exposition necessary for a series, its frequent explicit descriptions made me think of Allison Janey's Ms. Perky from "10 Things I Hate About You," which regularly took me out of historical Yorkshire.

TW: explicit sexual situations and references, death

"The Awakening of Ivy Leavold" was originally published in January 2015, but was rereleased in the U.S. on February 28, 2024. Thanks to Sierra Simone, Dreamscape Select, and NetGalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Though the book was first published in 2015, this review is for the Audiobook from NetGalley which was released in Feb. 2024.

The two main characters, Ivy and Julian, are brought together by the tragic passing of Ivy’s cousin who is also Julian’s wife.
The two have an intense attraction to one another and the story plays out from there.
It gives Bridgerton meets Beauty and the Beast vibes. Overall it was spicy, suspenseful and entertaining.

<i>I received an ALC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</i>

You know, I’m not typically one for historical romances. I’ve tried many times to read them and it just doesn’t do it for me I guess. However, I guess Sierra Simone can write absolutely in whatever genre and I’ll probably read it.

Ivy and Julian have some delicious, naughty, and hot chemistry. I am very smitten with these two and I can’t wait to see where things go between them and how the rest of the series unfolds.

I very much enjoyed this hot and steamy historical romance and I seriously can’t wait to read/listen to the next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved loved loved the narration. The narrator has a FANTASTIC voice and I loved her accent too.

I don’t have much to say about the plot. It is a good listen for when you are working and just want to listen to an audiobook. Pretty spicy and the plot twist was good although it was quite predictable. Would recommend if you’re into that kinda books!

ps: no pregnancies in the end <3

Thank you to NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

This audiobook had everything. Sierra Simone is my go to for stories that draw you in and hold on until the end. Amazing conflict. Interesting, well developed characters. Lots of spice. Mystery. Great writing. A wonderful narrator. I loved everything about this audiobook. I was glued to listening to this book. I can't wait to jump into the next one to hear the rest of the story. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the audiobook publisher for allowing me to listen and review this book.

Ivy is taken in by her cousin’s widower, Julian Markham, following her brother’s death. She’s young and innocent and Julian is dark and possessive.

This is a spicy historical romance with a bit of a suspense plot. There’s a total of 5 novellas in this series with Ivy’s story concluding by the 3rd novella. The last 2 are about characters you meet in this one. I really enjoyed Zara Hampton-Brown as the narrator. If you are looking for a quick and easy listen, check this out. All of the audios are available on Hoopla.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and No Bird Press LLC for the free audiobook.