Perfect in Every Way by Kristen Ashley | Audiobook Review • Ana's Attic Book Blog

Perfect In Every Way (Manors and Mysteries Book 2) by Kristen Ashley

Narrated by Stella Bloom

I received an arc of this book, but I had no obligation to review it.

Kristen Ashley has been my favorite author for about 15 years now, and I absolutely love her writing style. There is something about the way her writing affects me that makes her books easy to reread and perfect for pulling me out of a slump. That being said, a few of her series just haven’t been for me. The Ghosts and Reincarnation series took place in five different manors in the English countryside, and the setting and descriptions didn’t really do it for me. I’m finding the same issue with the Manors and Mysteries series.

Kristen is known for her long and detailed descriptions, and usually I like them. But because the house is such a large part of this story, the descriptions felt even more detailed, and honestly, I was bored. There may be a couple of reasons for that. I received an e-book ARC, and I mostly listen to books now. Usually, Kristen Ashley is an author I prefer to read, but I think I’ve been struggling to concentrate on all ebooks lately. When I finally got the audiobook for Perfect In Every Way, the story felt better. I’m just not quite sure if it actually improved or if the audio format made the difference.

Vivienne Dupree is a historical fiction writer working on a novel based on her great-grandfather, a WWII soldier, and his affair with Lady Harmony, who lived in an English manor called The Downs. While researching, Vivienne becomes friendly with the current residents—Prue, Chassie, and Tempie—and is invited to stay there to continue her work and research. What she doesn’t expect is their handsome and bossy Duke of a brother, Battle Talyn. Unfortunately, the name ruined him for me, especially when they called him Battie.

The four siblings live together at The Downs. They’re all single, very close, and share the house with lots of cats. One sister hasn’t even left the grounds in years. It feels like there’s going to be some kind of paranormal element, but it only hints at it and never really develops. What does happen is Vivienne and Battle hit it off immediately, and I loved their banter.

The story follows Vivienne trying to piece together what happened 80 years ago, and searching for missing letters between her great-grandfather and Lady Harmony. It read more like historical fiction to me, and sadly, it just didn’t keep my interest. The current-day storylines of the siblings and their almost non-existent love lives worked for me, but the historical mystery never fully pulled me in, even though it makes up a large part of the book.

Kristen’s writing is still something I love, especially her romance and dialogue, but Perfect In Every Way wasn’t for me for the most part. There were moments where that classic Kristen Ashley style really shined, but much of the first half felt slow, and I found myself getting bored. I had a similar experience with the first book in the series, Too Good to Be True, so I’m thinking this just isn’t the series for me. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make Kristen Ashley any less of a favorite for me.

A note on narration: I started listening at about 65%. Stella Bloom narrates, and to me, she is a Kristen Ashley heroine through and through since she narrates so many of her books. Hearing her voice gave it that familiar Kristen Ashley feel and instantly picked up the book for me. I also think the book itself improved in the last 35%, with a great KA-style epilogue.