The Shameless Flirt (The Ashbrooks, # 2)
By: MA Nichols
Expected Publication: February 5, 2019
284 pages
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction
Source: YouTube Audiobooks
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Goodreads description--A rogue with a silver tongue, a spinster with an iron heart, and the doorstep baby that brings them together.Ambrose Ashbrook spends his life hiding. Even his family sees nothing but the roguish façade he hides behind. But when he finds an abandoned infant, all pretense is upended with one look at her dimpled smile. Knowing his sister is better equipped to help the child, Ambrose climbs aboard a carriage bound for the country.
It’s only a day’s journey. An easy distance. Caring for a baby cannot be that difficult…
Mary Hayward despises flirts. One broke her heart, and she won’t allow it to happen again, so being trapped in a public coach with a chatty charmer is the last thing she wants. But when it’s clear the gentleman is struggling to care for his young charge, Mary has no choice but to lend a hand.
If only he would be quiet! A gentleman like him cannot possibly be interested in a plain spinster like herself… Could he?
I started The Shameless Flirt on my drive to my sister's house 3-3.5 hours away from home. And I have to say that this was the perfect audiobook for me to listen to on my drive. And shame on me, but I finished this book more than a month before sitting down to write my review. I can't seem to get into a rhythm of writing reviews now that my computer is shut away in the office where Husband is working from home all day.
I haven't often read (or listened) to a book where one of the main characters is described as unattractive. That was the case for Mary. Because she's unattractive, she's pretty much been overlooked her whole life. She had an experience with someone that she was in love with, and they gave all indications they reciprocated until it became clear that she was just being used as sport. It broke Mary's heart and shattered her trust. As far as trust goes, it didn't help the way that her parents put all their efforts on helping her sister secure a wealthy match and treat Mary like a servant or housekeeper. How could anyone love her when her family didn't even seem to?
Amrbose has been labeled as the flirt. His family doesn't take him seriously, and neither does society. He has been known to engage with women here or there, but only ones who wouldn't expect him to marry them. He's charming, even when he doesn't mean to be. And he reminded me of Husband in many ways. Ambrose finds himself in possession of a small child that was meant for his neighbor, who, of course, would not accept the child. Ambrose needs to determine a good home for Dottie (I think I remember that being her name), and so he sets off to his sister's house to ask her for help.
Mary's parents take her sister to London for the season in hopes of securing her a wealthy marriage. Mary expects to spend the season in London as well. But her mother essentially sends her home in a public coach. Mary and Ambrose are forced together in the coach for most of their journey home since Mary's home and Ambrose's sister are neighboring estates. Despite Ambrose quickly forming an attachment to Dottie, it is obvious that he doesn't know the first thing about entertaining or taking care of a child. Mary takes pity on him despite having an objection to Ambrose's flirtatious personality, which she almost takes as a personal affront, considering flirtation was used as a weapon against her at one time. She despises the falseness about it all. Ambrose can't figure out what he's done to offend her, but he appreciates her help with Dottie regardless.
You would think their journey would take up the majority of the story, but that isn't the case. Ambrose and Mary do have a lengthy journey that felt like it would never end in some ways, but it was also not the entirety of the book. Ambrose begins to realize he's developed feelings for Mary and attempts to court her, but Mary is so wholly unable to even imagine someone could possibly love her in that way that she can't believe him to be genuine. Much of the story revolves around Ambrose's attempts to woo her.
Since so much time has passed between finishing the book and sitting down to write this review (shamefully, a whole two months), I'm struggling with the finer details. But I do remember that I really enjoyed it. I appreciated the backstory between both main characters. Their own histories and hurts from the past playing into their struggle to overcome where they are now in hopes of having a future where they could possibly be happy together was done well. I will check out other books by MA Nichols for sure. I liked how each and every piece of this story played out. I only wish I had written down my feelings about it all much sooner. I can't forget the narrator, Madeleine Brolly, does a wonderful job as well. The Shameless Flirt gets 4 Stars. Have you read or listened to The Shameless Flirt? What did you think? Let me know!
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