My rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3,5)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

The Wolf of Mayfair by Christi Caldwell, narrated by Paula Nederhorst and Will Thorne, is an enjoyable historical romance that stands out for its engaging narration, vivid character work, and less common dual perspective that deepens the romance between its leads.

The audiobook is a joy to listen to, especially with the dynamic performance of both narrators. Paula Nederhorst's portrayal of Helia, while sometimes difficult to parse due to the character’s Scottish brogue, adds an immersive layer of authenticity. Will Thorne’s voice as Lord Wingrave is warm and compelling, creating a well-rounded listening experience that brings both characters to life.

One of the book's unique aspects is the insight it offers into the male character’s perspective. While many historical romances tend to focus on the heroine's point of view, Caldwell gives Lord Wingrave's thoughts equal weight. This dual perspective adds extra depth to their relationship, although it reduces some of the mystery around his character.

The romance is slow-burn, but the writing makes it feel like it progresses quickly and naturally. By the time the tension reaches its peak, the pacing slows considerably, which can feel a bit drawn-out. That said, the author’s attention to character detail, especially Lord Wingrave’s enigmatic nature, makes the buildup and eventual resolution satisfying.

However, some of the descriptions in the book— during the spicy scenes—are so peculiar that they pull the reader out of the story. These moments add an unintended comedic effect, which might not be what every listener is looking for in a romantic scene. Additionally, the final portion of the book, where there’s a lot of back-and-forth between the characters, drags on a bit, slowing down the narrative momentum.

All in all, The Wolf of Mayfair is a charming, character-driven romance with immersive narration, making it worth the listen, though some elements (especially the unusual verbage and pacing) might not appeal to everyone.

Couldn’t finish due to poor quality audio. I’ve listened to other audiobooks narrated by Paula and Will but this one sounds audiobook sounds like AI created using samples of their other work.

Thank you Brillance Audio for providing me an ALC!

Well, this one had a lot of things I like. It kinda edged up against a Dark Romance while also having the charm of a Historical Romance.

Our heroine is a woman on the run and is looking for help from her godmother she's never met, who is a duchess. But when she arrives at the duchess' home, the only one there is the roguish and grumpy son. He is Lord of the castle at this time and he has no interest in a maiden in distress besides her body.

Hellia tries to go about convincing Anthony to render her aid, but he doesn't believe his mother is her godmother and he also doesn't care if she dies in the elements. Or so he says. There is a battle of wills and a lot of heated exchanges between the two.

There were moments I really enjoyed, but I was missing a few key moments to make me believe they jumped to love so quickly, but the book is also pretty short. I was just missing some more sweet moments from Anthony. He deflected feelings into sexual innuendo at every turn and I didn't see everything I wanted to. I liked the heroine just fine though. She was strong and did her best to stand up to Anthony even though she is wildly attracted to him.

I listened to the audio book and I appreciated the narration of Will Thorne & Paula Nederhorst.

I don't think I've read anything else by Christi Caldwell, but I enjoyed the strong characterization in this book. Both our hero and heroine had well flushed out backstrories that motivated their actions and moved the plot forward. The pacing was a bit slow but overall very well done.

The Marquess of Wingrave is known for being cold and ruthless, but he surprises even himself when a young woman comes to his doorstep claiming to be his mother’s goddaughter. Helia is recently orphaned and running away from a dastardly cousin who seeks to marry her for her dowry. She’s looking for refuge, but finds a heartless Wingrave instead. He insinuates that she’s lying about the connection to his family and that she would only be suitable as a mistress. And then he offers her refuge from a snowstorm and also cares for her when she’s ill. This stubborn self-assured sunshiney woman is suddenly causing him to behave in ways he isn’t used to. He’s definitely domineering and an unrepentant rogue for most of the story, but still soft when it comes to caring for Helia. The story definitely kept me reading to see how it all worked out.

I did not love how aggressive the MMC felt in the beginning, he was very abrasive and I just don't feel like he redeemed himself at all with the FMC. It left the romance feeling very disjointed.

Also was in the only one that was put off by him calling her virginal self a Minx just for....existing?

The audio helped, I liked the narrator but this was mostly a miss.

I received this audio as an ARC and am leaving my opinion honestly and freely.

DNF.
The good: The fmc Helia was a sweetheart. Waaayyy too good for Anthony. The male narrator, Will Thorne, was excellent. Perfect inflection. Good with male and female voices.
The bad: the MMC, Anthony, was trash. He was cruel and terrible to Helia. I usually love reformed rakes but he must have a heart to start with.
The female narrator, Paula Nederhorst, was complete monotone. Her Scottish accent is a delight but the delivery is very dry. It made her sections very boring.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.

This story follows The Marquis of Wingrave , Lord Anthony Wingrave , and Lady Helia Wallace.

Helia , a proud Scot, has been recently orphaned , and a cruel distant cousin has taken over her family estate and in order to get her dowry he plans to marry her against her will. She escapes and flees to London to find her godmother Duchess of Talbot. Sadly when she arrives at the family home , the only one in residence is their rakish son Lord Wingrave.

Anthony has turned cold and calculated from a cruel upbringing and betrayals. When he finds out about this poor lady seeking help from him , he see this as an opportunity to ruin her. After being forced to stay unchaperoned due to a snowstorm, Anthony soon finds that Helia is some pushover and has no issue standing up to him.

I enjoyed the growth from Anthony and how Helia slowly healed his cold heart, while Helia had so much love to give.

The narrator really nailed the Scottish and English accents.