if you like historical smut then this one is for you. Ivy is left broke and alone after her parents passed and her brother gambled away all of their money. Then he has the audacity to die as well. She is just a series of misfortunate events. She goes to live with her cousin's (who has also died) husband.
Hot group sex. Swinging. Corsets were shed and trousers were dropped.

It was a good listen. I appreciated it being British. I felt like it added more to the narration.

I feel as though I should preface this review by saying a few things… 1: I didn’t realize this was an older book. I guess I should have paid more attention. 2: I’ve read and liked other books by Sierra Simone. I thought the Thornchapel series was beautifully written. With that said, yikes! 😬 This book was so 2015 and could really do with a revisit and revision. The entire first half, maybe even the first 3/4 of the book is bad. It’s just bad. I read enough romance, erotica and straight smut to enjoy “sex is the plot” but this just wasn’t well done. If anything I suppose it shows Sierra’s growth as an author. Yay her! The entire book lacked a foundation and felt like a series of events that were contrived not to move the plot (as much as there was one) forward but to allow for more sexual escapades. Which, whatever… but I just couldn’t suspend belief for some of it. This woman who’s apparently got no grasp on social norms of the time and has been left to her own devices most of her life, meets this man and BANG! she’s suddenly aware of her body and is a slut. And not only is she cool being “compromised/ ruined” she’s fine with other people knowing it too. Ok, cool. It could have worked if there was more to it. More internal conflict or even some coercion on his part- something! Anything! Instead it’s just him constantly saying he’s going to stay away and then not and her momentarily wondering what happened to her cousin and then thinking about dick again.
The narration was fine. Not great, but fine. I’m not a huge fan of single person narration unless it’s really well done and this was just fine. The whole thing was fine for what it is but I didn’t really want it.

Platform: Audiobook (ALC) via NetGalley. Thank you Dreamscape Select & No Birds Press LLC for this audio copy. All thoughts are my own.

I’m a big Sierra Simone fan-she just knows how to weave exciting stories and interesting characters but not usually a Historical romance girlie but ya know what…I had a great time!

This book was a quick and easy listen! I started and finished in one sitting. It has a dark, gritty setting with mystery and secrets.

Ivy finds herself destitute after her brother’s death and is taken in by her cousin’s widower, Julian Markham. He’s broody and unwelcoming. Definitely not someone Ivy should be desperate to know on a more intimate level. As Ivy starts to unravel the mystery and secrets behind her cousin’s death, she starts to suspect Julian might be her murderer but she finds it impossible to stay away. He’s addicting, even if he’ll be her end.

I have a few suspicions and I will definitely be continuing the story in book 2 to figure out mif I’m able to discover the mystery before the end!

Well, well, WELL, at least it was VERY short. You know what this book needed? Vampires. Would’ve been 10 times better with vampires. As it is, it’s terribly bad.

I did not realize this was a series, so when it just ended I was like AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED!!!
But its okay, there are 4 more book! (: ummmm... I'm ready whenever you want to release themmmm (:

Publisher's summary
**Yorkshire, 1879
I am alone.**
When Ivy Leavold is left destitute by her brother's death, she is taken in by her cousin's brooding, tortured widower—Julian Markham. Handsome and possessive, it's not long before Ivy falls for him. But Mr. Markham has dark secrets, secrets that may put Ivy in danger...
I am afraid.
As Ivy unravels the mystery surrounding her cousin's death, she falls deeper and deeper in love with Julian, who opens her body and her mind to his indomitable will. But even as he draws pleasure and desire from her night after night, Ivy can't shake the feeling that their passionate affair may end in violence...
And I am completely his.

Thanks to NetGalley & No Bird Press LLC for the arc of this book!

The Awakening of Ivy Leavold
Markham Hall, Book 1
By: Sierra Simone
Narrated by: Zara Hampton-Brown
Publisher: No Bird Press LLC
Release date: 02-29-24

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for an advance audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This 5 star isn't going to be the same as 5 star great historical literature. But for doing what it is here to do it is absolutely a 5 star. You should not read this book for something life changing or that will challenge your world view. What you should read this book for is a nonstop smutty spicy good time. If you loved Jane Eyre (one of my favorite books) they you will love the spin on this.

The awakening is a prequel to the series, so this is a super-fast smutty read following Ivy Leavold who is left orphaned and poor after the passing of her gambling addict brother passes away after squandering their fortune. Her solicitor reaches out to her one known cousin whom is married to a Mr Julian Markham. What is unknown to the solicitor and to Ivy is that her cousin has passed away due to a riding accident. Mr Markham decides to take in Ivy anyway and their chemistry is immediate. Jules tries what he claims is his hardest but in reality, is only about 4 days not to corrupt Ivy. Little does he know Ivy is super down to be corrupted so this book focus' on the start of that relationship.

This book doesn't give much by way of plot and I think would have been fine as part of book 1 but it does serve to build the hype. I will absolutely be reading the rest of the series.

Since this is an audiobook I want to note the narrator does an amazing job for Ivy (this is not duel POV) but the voice change when speaking for the men of the book is hilarious like she's trying make them sound like British batman or something. that would be my only criticism.

When Ivy Leavold is left destitute by her brother's death, she is taken in by her cousin's brooding, tortured widower--Julian Markham. Handsome and possessive, it's not long before Ivy falls for him. But Mr. Markham has dark secrets, secrets that may put Ivy in danger.. As Ivy unravels the mystery surrounding her cousin's death, she falls deeper and deeper in love with Julian, who opens her body and her mind to his indomitable will. But even as he draws pleasure and desire from her night after night, Ivy can't shake the feeling that their passionate affair may end in violence.

I really enjoyed the narrator for this audiobook. The story was too short and didn't have much plot. The characters didn't feel very fleshed out, and the writing felt robotic. I think if I'd realized before I started listening that it was a novella, I might have enjoyed it more though. 😀

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5-3.75 Stars
A quick and very steamy erotica

*Please note that this is part of a series. The novel does end with a cliffhanger, leaving some loose ends for future installments.*

I devoured this in just a couple of hours and couldn't get enough of all the steamy scenes and exciting parlor games. The sprinkle of mystery added an extra layer of excitement. However, I couldn't help but feel that the characters, especially Ivy's, could have been developed further. A hobby or stronger connection with the secondary characters would have added more depth to the story. Despite this, I still found the book to be a very entertaining read and I'm eager to continue with the rest of the series. For anyone who enjoys short and steamy novels, give this series a try!

***Thank you to NetGalley, Sierra Simone, Dreamscape Select, and No Bird Press LLC for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

This is so fast paced and steamy and was perfect to listen to while I was cooking and cleaning and working outside. I loved how the story just went right into it without a lot of build up. I need to know what's happening with his previous wives and with him and with their town. I need to know what is next for them as a couple. I just need more.

This was not what I was expecting. It was written well but did not expect all the "steamy" content. If you like that type of writing then it is for you.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, as historical genres are not generally my cup of tea but in true Sierra Simone fashion, she did not disappoint. Very well written and steamy. If she writes it, I'm reading it.

Quick read. Writing is good. For me, I just didn’t connect with the characters enough to love the story. The initial physical interactions between the two leads was very abrupt and just left me asking “but why?”, which hung on for the remainder of the story. Just wasn’t for me.

This is one of my favorite female narrators so that always affects my experience. The story was just ok to me but the narrator was fantastic.

Another steamy sensation from Sierra!

I went into this one blind and couldn't stop once I started. I loved the historical feel, mystery element, and most of all the chemistry between Ivy and Julian was scorching.

The narrators were great and brought the heat right off the pages. This was a quick and steamy listen, and I'm looking forward continuing their story in the next Markham Hall book!

Thanks to Dreamscape Select & NetGalley for an advance audio copy of the first in the Ivy Leavold series. This was a super quick listen at only 4.5hours and was well done. Just didnt do much for me overall though!

My rating of this book comes through my own fault. It should have been a DNF. I received an advance copy of the audiobook from NetGalley, where it was not listed as a novella to start. Second, I thought I was going into a historical fiction, not PWP with some cravats thrown in. The historical and language inaccuracies would have caused me to DNF alone, but throw in instalove, flat characters, and the PWP, I definitely would not have finished if this weren’t for NetGalley.

I read this book a while ago and I loved going back to it in audio version. I would say it's even better this time around. Sierra Simone really knows how to build up tension; her writing style, always toying with the push and pull of societal norms, is a great fit for an erotic historical novel. Zara Hampton Brown's narration was on point, her voice sounding very convincing as the innocent Ivy who very much wants to be awakened.

3.5 stars,

Why have I not read more Sierra Simone before now? This is only my third title by her, and I need to rectify that.

It’s a good set up for the series - you learn the basics about everyone, have a few steamy scenes (spice level - 1.5/5), and, if you’re like me, you really want to read the next books in the series.

But,
*Yes, Ivy, we get it, you have no good marriage prospects.
*I missed the backstory - I’m hoping that with the next titles readers will learn more
*The narrator did a terrific job with voices, though had an unfortunate tendency to lean toward annoying sing-songy breathiness in this.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than not, and look forward to reading more of the series.



Thank you to Dreamscape Select and NetGalley for the ALC

I wasn't expecting this to be a cliff-hanger and I question some of the vocabulary from an untutored "maid" but overall, it was a pretty steamy title giving off ALL the Jane Eyre vibes! Can't wait for the next one!

It is a short and spicy novella that is easy to listen to or read, and the narrator, Zara Hampton-Brown, did a fantastic job at bringing Ivy to life as well as the other characters. I was not expecting there to be as much spice as there was or for it to be the first part of a series, but that is my own fault for not looking into the book better. I'm unsure if I will be continuing the rest of the story, but I was very drawn in towards the end by the mystery and thrill of Markham’s two deceased wives and tempted to keep going to find out what really happened, even though I have an inkling of who it was.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.