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Georgian marriage of convenience turns into love

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-01-25

This book is another heartwarming Georgian romance from Stella Riley, in this case a marriage of convenience with strong allusions to Georgette Heyer's "A Civil Contract". The second book in this new series about a group of friends, this novel explores the story of Daniel who inherits a title with heavy debts, and Anna, the "Hedgehog Heiress", who manages a porcelain manufactory, legacy of her beloved father. A cool, rational agreement between the two, seemingly gives both parties what they need but not the true love they both secretly yearn for. However, the two protagonists begin to build a strong partnership, trying to deal with the villains that threaten the respective security of each, and as they support each other, a love grows that surpasses their dreams.
A cozy story, flawlessly describing details of the Georgian era, fascinating insights into the workings of a porcelain manufactory, with protagonists striving for good, supporting each other and their respective dependents, a lot of laughter, loyal friends, triumph over enemies - what's not to love about it? Alex Wyndham adds his inimitable style and talent as narrator to the story, portraying the various characters, the emotions and humour with the aplomb we have grown to expect from him, creating a rich and satisfying listening experience of secrets gradually unfolding and love gradually growing between this lovely Georgian couple.

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History, romance and a family saga

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-18-23

This fourth book of the Roundheads and Cavaliers series is another mastepiece of weaving together the turbulent history of the English Civil War, a similarly turbulent romance, a dark mystery and the heartwarming background of the Maxwell family. Eden Maxwell works as a military intelligence officer assisting to put down uprisings and secret royalist plots, He also assists the more moderate leaders of the country in trying to bring tolerance, reason and compromise into a situation of discontent and upheaval. We see how Cromwell's Protectorate loses popularity and support, many Parliamentary leaders are disillusioned with the cause of fighting against tyranny as it seems to lead to the same sort of tyranny they had tried to remove, While Eden becomes more and more frustrated with his work, it brings him into contact with Lydia Neville, a widow with a reckless Royalist brother, narrow-minded and selfish in-laws who runs charitable businesses to give jobs to disabled soldiers and women without support. This results in Eden finding his heart that he had locked away after the betrayal of his first wife, falling in love with the independent, warmhearted and contrary widow and mending the relationship with his family, in particular with his children. On Lydia's part, she also falls in love the first time in her life (her first marriage was an arrangement of convenience), and it comes at a time when she begins to need protection quite badly as strange and dark things start to happen to her businesses and to her - as we find gradually out, done by a quite horrible villain. Luckily, Colonel Maxwell has all the instincts and abilities to protect and save Lydia, but these adventures, their frequent and turbulent clashes of personality and the scars Eden carries from his first disastrous infatuation take them on a roller coaster ride until their deep love and honour, willingness to help others, and the extensive supporting network of Eden's family, friends and the people from Lydia's businesses (who are as close to her as a family too) leads them to overcome their trials and tribulations and to have a satisfying happy ending.
Alex Wyndham, as always, is an excellent narrator who brings the characters into life, highlights the complex emotions, draws the listener into the adventure and in every way provides a satisfying listening experience.

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1 person found this helpful

The healing power of love

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-26-23

This delightful Georgian romance is a spinoff from the author's previous Rockliffe and Brandon Brothers series. It features mainly new characters, but many characters from the previous books appear in supporting roles of various degree. The story itself shows the healing power of love: the hero, Christian, returns from a long absence in a state that might be called PTSD, and the lady of his heart has been bullied by her selfish family members while faithfully awaiting him in spite of the growing probability that he is gone forever. However, the loyal bond between the hero and his friends and the strong and constant love between him and the heroine Sophie gradually leads to an emotional healing. Meanwhile, Christian and Sophie also work on helping her deaf sister and the hero and his friends are on a quest of justice. The darker threads of the abuse suffered by Christian and his PTSD are balanced by the lighthearted banter among friends, the open and honest communication between hero and heroine and their romantic moments so that overall, this is a heartwarming and entertaining read. As always, Stella Riley is completely at home in the world of the Georgian aristocracy, describing the details of their life with a deft and yet light hand. The narrator, Alex Wyndham, does an outstanding job in the vocal portrait of the various characters, the conveying of complex emotions: the gut-wrenching memories of the hero's captivity and his doubts whether he is still worthy of being loved, and the heartwarming thread of love and loyalty and understanding that shine between the protagonist couple and the group of friends. I have always enjoyed listening to Alex Wyndham's voice and this experience measures up to the high expectations his past masterly narrations built up. I heartily recommend this book to historical romance fans.

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The redeeming power of love in a Georgian romance

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-24-23

This book is the starting point of the author’s wonderful Georgian romance series. It takes place in France and in England during the reign of Louis XV and George II, in the 1740s. Among the court intrigue of Versailles we encounter Antonia Moran, a young, beautiful and original girl who needs help to be saved from the evil plots of the villains and the lecherous surroundings. The unlikely (and unwilling) person to help her is the Duke of Roxton, the Satyr of the title – a half-English, half-French aristocrat who is an expert at court games both political and amorous, well known for his many sophisticated lovers and his world-weary cynicism. Against all odds, they fall in love, and though they experience an idyll, they are torn apart by enemies – some known, some unexpected. All Antonia’s purity, strength, honor and intelligence, and the Duke’s cunning (he is aptly named Renard), ducal power and willingness to change for love are put to the test of fire, but they prevail and create a new and happy life together.
Besides the unique love story, the era is an equally important part of the book – the fictional characters are seamlessly woven together with historical persons, real locations. The author’s excellent and detailed research of history and culture, her love of the era shines through and allows the readers to immerse themselves in the past, to see it faithful to historical reality in many details.
Historical romance readers familiar with Georgette Heyer will notice similarities to These Old Shades, Heyer’s book set in vaguely the same time and place, and featuring somewhat similar protagonists. Both the plot and the characters are different enough, however, to give the reader a very different feel in spite of the homage paid to the renowned Heyer – I would say the good is brighter and the evil is darker and more violent in this story, the depravity in high society is openly shown, the desire and intimacy of the couple not hidden behind bedroom doors (though never crudely or explicitly detailed).
The narrator is excellent, one of the best I have ever heard. The narrative voice has flawless tempo and diction, the characters are easily discernible and their voice timbres display their personality accurately and vividly. The complex emotions and the subtle humour infusing the story are shown beautifully. It was a pleasure to listen to this audio rendition.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and all its sequels to all historical romance fans – those who enjoy redeemed rake stories, strong protagonists, those who like the world of the 18th century and those who haven’t yet experienced it described by a talented hand like Lucinda Brant’s – believe me, you’ll enjoy it!

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2 people found this helpful

Satisfying ending of the trilogy

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-23-23

This is the third and final part of the story arc of the Duke of Roxton and his young duchess Antonia dealing with all the remaining consequences of their scandalous romance, marriage and confrontation with their evil relative the Comte de Salvan. The story threads that began in the previous volumes are brought to a satisfying end. We see the Duke and Antonia both triumph at the Royal Court of Versailles, the evil comte reach his deserved ending, their deserving relatives starting a new life free of shadows, and the loving ties among the family and their almost-family friend Martin Ellicott strengthened. It is a delight to see the Duke of Roxton, the archetypal omniscient, powerful, ruthless and outwardly emotionless aristocrat relaxed, open, joking or showing his deep love for his family. There is a great deal of humor too, family members lovingly teasing each other. The scenes of the Versailles court conjure a detailed picture of that legendary world outwardly glittering but hiding intrigues of power, politics, pleasure or revenge. The ending leaves us wishing to see more of the characters before the previously published books involving the next generation of the extended family. The narration is flawless, delightfully enriching the intricately written text, showcasing the rich emotions, the different characters, infusing warmth and humor into every scene.

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2 people found this helpful

2nd installment of the Roxtons' early married life

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-23-23

Her Duke is the second book recounting the early married life of the Roxton ducal couple. The threads that began in His Duchess become more complex: the discovery of the Duke’s past and that of his sister, the machinations of the Salvan relatives, and the vengeful intrigue of the Duke’s past mistress to bring public shame to Antonia and Roxton. Again, Antonia’s pure heart, love and willingness to help, assisted by the Duke’s cunning and ruthless efforts to overcome all evil threats brings about a satisfying resolution. The scenes of the 18th century aristocratic life are enchanting and give a unique background to the characters’ love, loyalty and intrigue. An entertaining and heartwarming read, I recommend it heartily.
The narration maintains the extraordinary high quality of the previous books: the voice tones represent the complexities of the characters perfectly, French accents enrich the timbre, humour and warmth shines through the whole book. A truly beautiful and enjoyeble listening experience!

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A tribute to love and family

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-23-23

His Duchess is the continuation of Noble Satyr, the romance story between Antonia and the Duke of Roxton. Married and with a few months old baby son, Antonia and the Duke need to prepare for Antonia’s presentation at the French Royal Court, create a happy family life and deal with sthe scheming and manipulations of their French and English relatives. There is very little action, but many intimate, tender and humorous scenes of family life and friendship. Antonia settles more and more into her role as duchess, Martin Ellicot, the Duke’s valet and his son’s godfather is elevated into being a gentleman and a family friend, we see Lucien Vallentine who previously mostly served as comic relief, as a more complex character, a premier swordsman, a worthy and devoted friend. Some vague threats appear from the previously defeated enemy the Comte de Salvan, and his relatives, but these are dealt with in the next books. Fans of the Roxton universe will enjoy this insight into the life of Antonia and Renard, the exploration of the Duke’s past that shaped him into the person he was before he met Antonia and the person he has become now.
The narration is of extraordinary quality. The narrative voice has excellent tempo and diction, the voices of the characters are easily discernible and display character, complex emotions and subtle humour beautifully. Mary Jane Wells has magical voice and performs wonders with it.

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Heartwarming romance of the third Brandon brother

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-30-22

Stella Riley managed to surprise and delight her readers again. The third book of The Brandon Brothers series, like the previous two volumes, has a unique flavour as well as the recognizable heartwarming effect of the honourable character and emotional depth of each Brandon brother and the loving bond of their extended family clan and circle of friends.
This book focuses on Leo, of whom the prequels had revealed that he is a very talented painter. He is starting to make a name for himself as a portraitist, when he is thrust into a scandal through malicious gossip involving him and a young lady relative of one of his clients. This results in a "fake engagement" type romance story, allowing Leo to find what he was looking for, "a wife who would be the centre of his being" in the unlikely young lady who fights her attraction and love for him to avoid forcing his hand, revealing the integrity of character lacking in his previous infatuations with ladies of fashionable society.
The heroine in question is Mariella Talbot, descended from the Montesoro family in Venice through her mother, which is where the “legacy” in the title comes from. Her initial situation includes the responsibility for a younger brother (Donato) who is somewhat different – I’d say he is on the autism spectrum – and the oppression of a stepbrother who, we soon learn, is up to no good: keeps the Talbot siblings under his thumb, refuses to allow them access to their inheritance, and seems to be more and more threatening. The compromise situation, for Mariella, results in the unexpected opportunity to receive the protection of Leo, but being embraced by Leo’s family and friends, and seeing Leo shine in his friendship and sensitive care for her brother Donato threatens with inevitable heartbreak when she’ll have to end the pretence.
Leo’s protective actions bring in the protagonists of the previous book, Adam Brandon and his wife Camilla, and through them, members of the secret government agency described in their story. This results in a storyline of secret agents against criminals sparkling with excitement and humour, counteraction of the gossips introducing Mariella into the aristocratic circle of friends from the previous books, helping Donato to integrate better with a new soon-to-be family, and in the end, revelation of the legacy and Mariella reconnecting with her family roots.
The book fits well into the Brandon Brothers series, but its unique strength is the way Leo is made different from his brothers – his artistic talent, his ability to see and understand people’s inner feelings and character enable him to form a bond with the reclusive and socially awkward Donato, to create portraits that illustrate the subjects’ character rather than their superficial features and to support Mariella in all her difficulties.
Alex Wyndham's talented portrayal of emotions and characters is perfectly suited to bring new life to this story, I love the way his use of different voices for different character types is consistent throughout the series; the way he never falters in illustrating young and old, male and female, aristocratic elegance, perfectly trained valet or seedy criminal... in this particular book, the palette of characters includes the awkward and lonely young man on the spectrum. I was entranced, carried away by emotions, and felt I was really part of this story.

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3 people found this helpful

Disappointing narrator

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-27-22

I like Jo Beverley's Medieval stories and this is a unique story of a fractured marriage and a difficult situation of rebuilding a relationship. There is also a secondary couple of a would-be nun and a seductive knight who end up deeply in love - their more straightforward relationship brings relief from the tension in the primary couple dancing on the knife's edge.

The narrator could handle some of the aspects, mainly the protagonist couple's conflicts and emotions, but in other ways, she was a great disappointment.
First of all, she chose a very strange pronunciation for the hero's name (Galeran) - she kept omitting the 'l' in the middle. Then, she could not keep a consistent voice pitch for the characters, especially the males. It even happened sometimes during the same dialog that something said by the male character sounded as high-pitched as the female character he was talking with, so I lost track of who was supposed to say what. Then, sometimes the characters spoke with a cartoonishly exaggerated voice totally inappropriate to anything but comedy, which this Medieval romance is not. A Medieval king pronouncing judgment can't say "so be it" in a chirping governess voice! The knights had no weight and force to them at all. There is a long, crucial scene where the king sits in judgment of several of the characters, where the villains' plot is revealed and they are served justice. This scene is completely ruined by the cartoonish, unreal way the characters speak and by the narrator occasionally using a soft feminine voice timbre when knights and king should be displayed by the voice.
The secondary hero, the Norman-French character Raoul has a really silly-sounding supposed French accent, and while his dialogue is supposed to be very sensual, there is nothing attractive in the way he speaks. Also, the narrator seems to be chuckling over the sensuality and physical attraction experienced by the characters,
I wish this was narrated by Susan Duerden who read the other recently published Jo Beverley titles. Or a male narrator even. Although I love Jo Beverley's Medieval stories, I can't really look forward to them if they are read by this narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable audio of a Heyer classic

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-08-22

The book is a famous Georgette Heyer title, set in the mid-1700s France and England, the revenge quest of the cynical Duke of Avon (nicknamed Satanas) and his love story with Leon/Leonie, the young imp-like girl masquerading as a boy, Intrigue, kidnapping, the Versailles court, Paris, England form the colourful background to the relationship devloping between these two unique characters. I think this audio version captures te spirit of the book and Heyer's characterisations. I enjoyed it a lot more than the previous audio edition.

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1 person found this helpful