This book started out well. It is somewhat of a Cinderella story. A 20-something woman, who has struggled to support her siblings after the death of their parents and was married to an abusive man, inherits an aristocratic title from an unknown relative. Having known poverty herself, she is especially compassionate.
Ariana's experience of adjustment is interesting and relatable. Then the book loses its way. It seems to get lost between issues related to her property, decisions the former earl (her uncle) had made, a new love interest, her former in-laws, etc. By the way, her abusive husband died before he could sue her for any part of the earldom. Not even sure how he died. It just seemed a matter of convenience for the story. It would have been a much different book had he not died. She would have had different issues to deal with. The in-laws also conveniently screwed themselves in writing before Ariana inherited. Again, it would have been a much different book had this convenience not occurred.
Fairly predictable, but not unenjoyable.
This book is part of a series. I have read none of the other installments, but I would consider reading them. The author's writing style is light and pleasant.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Liz Hurley novel, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise.
Ariana has had a tough life, but she is a fighter. Having lost her parents tragically when she was 18, she fought to keep her younger siblings with her.
After finding herself unexpectedly pregnant, Ari, marries Greg, who quite quickly proves he is no knight in shining armour.
A letter from a solicitors office, turns Ari’s life upside down, and leads her onto a new path.
This is a real rags to riches story. Yes, it’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s written well, with warmth and a strong leading lady.
This book is fun, engaging and so much more than just a love story.
The audio version is beautifully narrated by Martha Mackintosh.
With thanks to #Netgalley and
@SagaEgmontAudio for an audio copy of this title, #ANewLifeForArianeByrne by #LizHurley.

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Well, this was ridiculous.

There's this girl who lives with her cheating bastard of a husband and she hates him to bits. The day after she decides to divorce him, he drunkenly falls in the canal and drowns. On the same day, she discovers that she's a countess and has inherited immense fortune from her estranged family who had banished her mother because she fell in love with a poor guy, and all that after struggling with money all her life.

Now, if I had a dollar for every time they had tea, <i>I</i> would be living in this crazy mansion!

For a person who is supposed to be so close to her family, we know very little of them. There is no chemistry between her and the prince charming. There is no explanation or proper development of her decision to not sell the lands.

This book was basically mooning over the house, picking dresses and sulking over repeated misunderstandings, all including one single unsuspecting character.

There is also one idiotic and unnecessary episode that led nowhere and I didn't see it's point at all. A lot of characters were just figures appearing and doing nothing, with no proper role, mentioned and introduced like they will be a big deal but who never have a single scene.

To me, this book seemed like a story written by an amateur hobbyist and I didn't like it at all.

To say nothing of the cheap cliches, especially the one with the mistletoe.

Granted, it is a quick and light read and I see how it can (and <i>is</i>) enjoyed by the right public, but it just wasn't my thing. At all.

Ariana Byrnehastwo children and is also raising her four sisters as her parents have passed away. She has a disastrous marriage and has ghastly parents in law and struggles to make ends meet! Could life get any worse? And then a miracle happens - the sort of miracle we all wish for! Ariana is left a huge inheritance and becomes Lady de Foix Countess of Hiverton!!! This is a real rags to riches story and I loved it. I was routing for Ari all the way through the book and saw how she put everyone’s needs ahead of her own. What a remarkable character she is. This is a fun and captivating read but also isn’t shy of dealing with some serious issues
This is so well narrated by Martha Mackintosh who made it a dream to listen to. My thanks to Saga Egmont Audio and to Netgalley for the chance to review this lovely audiobook.

Ariana Byrnes gets a new life, why can’t I? Wait. I don’t want one

Posted on June 27, 2021 by michellelovatosbookreviews, world's first book color commentator, book reviews with a twist

It’s a New Life For Ariana Byrnes, and I wouldn’t mind giving it a try for myself temporarily.
This summer fun read by Liz Hurley is a blast. I consumed my version of this book in large chunks through an audiobook. This fun story blasted in my ears as I sat under a fan, getting frustrated by my quilting mishaps in 110-degree heat.
Hurley must have known people like me needed this wonderful break from reality at a time when the problem in my lap was too much to bear. Besides, I adore English humor, English sensibility, and English manors – something Ariana Byrnes, living the life of an abused street rat wife in London’s worst suburbs, was experiencing. For Ariana and her four sisters, however, life is about to change; dramatically.
Before I begin, let’s introduce this author, whose biography says that she “became a professional librarian for the money and the glamour. Not finding quite enough of either, she set up a bookshop with her husband in Cornwall. She didn’t find much there either, so she started writing. Now she has loads of money and glamour but only in the pages of her books!”
Isn’t that amusing?! Maybe it’s just me and my 40-percent DNA that is from the UK. But I digress.
After the first few chapters, and we get rid of the horrible circumstances that stand in the way between Ariana and a bright future, we find this young mother of twin boys rambling around a “manor” as the new “Lady.”
Suddenly gifted with more money than she imagined, power out her sleeves, and a tremendous distrust of other people’s motives for knowing her, Ariana works hard to reverse the wrongs of relatives who walked the English countryside generations before she arrived.
Someday I want to see England, Ireland and a castle of some sort. After all these years of listening to Cinderella stories like this one, I want to smell the damp ground and touch the stone-cold walls – literally – of a castle and get a slight inkling of what it might be like to be rich and royal. Well, truthfully, I am already royal. I’m a child a God. But the rich part has alluded me.
Enjoy this royal romp away from reality for between eight hours and 23 minutes, and you will be happy you spent your time with your head, or ears, in a book.
This is the first book in the Hiverton Sisters collection. And since there are five sisters, it sounds like I’ll be entertained for a while. Bring it on. A New Life for Ariana Byrnes was narrated by Martha Mackintosh, and well done by the way, and produced by Saga Egmont Audio.

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Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him. You will enjoy what you work for, and you will be blessed with good things. Psalm 128: 1-2

Well, I didn't expect this book to bowl me over as much as it did.
The narrator was spot on!
The story took dips and dives along the rags to riches way and was no way a corny read.

LOVED the characters and can't wait for the next story about the sisters.
Strongly recommended if you like a good romance.

When I picked this book I hadn't realised that it was book one of a series of which I had already read number two. Useless to say I was utterly delighted!
I loved this one even more than book 2, the story is engaging and the narrator is FANTASTIC!
Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was really happy to receive this audiobook and I really enjoyed it. I loved the beautiful cover of the book and the story itself was heartwarming, cute and rosy. A woman called Ariana was guardian to her four sisters as their parents died when she was young. She had to work hard to help them which meant she had to grow up fast. Then she was married to a monster called Greg, who abused her and cheated on her. Now she is free from him and after finding out that she has an inheritance, she is living the life of a lady in a fantastic posh estate in Norfolk with her young children William and Leo. Her in-laws were nasty to her and her children, which made me feel sad, but Ariana held her head up high and overcame her difficulties, which made me feel proud of her. Now she has a huge estate to take care of. Will she manage this? How will she get on with her new neighbour Sebastian? The narrator of the audiobook was fantastic and I really liked her voice and her accent. Great book!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful story to listen to!

I absolutely loved the narration. The narrator did a superb job and I was immediately sucked into the story, smiling and laughing and completely immersed in all Ari’s feelings and adventures.

The story is about Ariana, a mother of 4 year old twins. Ariana has 4 sisters and is married to a rather useless husband it seems and is just rather down on her luck when sudden events change her life drastically leading to her moving to Norfolk with her sons and suddenly living a completely different type of life. The challenges of her new lifestyle literally made me laugh and few times and made for a very entertaining listen.

There are struggles, family drama, lots of love within the family between Ari and her boys and Ari and her sisters, some jealousy and romance... so a bit of everything, even some excitement.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Narrator 5 stars. Soothing voice

Story 5 stars

This book gave me happy feels from the moment the police showed up!!
This was exactly what I needed and I didn't even know it! What I loved about it was that it was just so fluffy and heart-warming.
First time I've come across this author but definitely won't be my last time.

Ariana fought for custody of her four sisters after the tragic death of their parents. Now in her 20's, in an unhappy marriage, she discovers that she has inherited her estranged family's title. Soon after she moves with her two sons to the countryside and starts trying to fix the damage that her family did.

A light quick read. Very easy to get lost in, with characters that pull you in. Very well written, the author created a world that plays like a movie while reading this story. I look forward to reading the other books in this series

The narrator was not my favorite.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.

All her life, Ari Byrne has been the responsible one, taking over to raise her little sisters when their parents died, and now doing her best to raise her sons in a bleak and unhappy marriage. She’s clearly due for some good luck, but she’s not expecting to hear that she has a title, a grand old estate and an entire village to sort out. The new Countess of Hiverton is shocked; she’s spent all her life counting pennies, trying to make ends meet, and now….this? It only gets better, as Ari makes new friends in her little village and meets her very handsome and charming next door neighbor. Readers will cheer for Ari as she finally gets her time in the sun

Fantastic! I listened to this in a day it is so good, a fairy tale story to lose yourself in. Having now become completely engrossed in Ariana’s life I can’t wait to find out what happens next, roll on book two.