Once Upon a Tower by Eloisa James

Narrated by Susan Duerden

I found this rather a difficult book to rate, because it’s quite unlike most of the other historical romances I’ve read or listened to. At times, I almost forgot I was listening to a romance because there were so many uncomfortable moments that made it almost too realistic to be termed a romance.

That’s not to be taken as a damning criticism, however. I think that Ms. James has touched on something in Once Upon a Tower, which is actually very honest and, in many ways, timeless. She’s fashioned a story that details the pitfalls into which a young and inexperienced couple can easily fall when they enter into a relationship, which has no solid foundation other than a strong physical attraction, allowing their expectations and attitudes of life and relationships to be informed by too many outside influences.

Gowan Stroughton has been the Duke of Kinross since he was fourteen and is every inch the aristocrat. At twenty-two, he confidently manages several large estates, has a well-deserved reputation for financial acumen, and even acts as a consultant to the Bank of England. He fills his life with work and duty, partly because it’s how he was brought up and partly to escape the shadow of his late father, a drunken wastrel.

Lady Edith (Edie) Gilchrist is an extremely talented musician who, but for her sex, would have been a world-famous exponent of the cello. Lord Gilchrist is a friend of Gowan’s, so when the latter is struck with Edie’s beauty and serenity, it’s a mere formality for him to ask – and be granted – her hand in marriage.

Having obtained Gilchrist’s consent, Gowan has to leave London without seeing his betrothed again, as his presence is urgently required elsewhere. He is, however, very taken with Edie and finds himself, almost for the first time, being unable to completely direct his concentration where it needs to be.

This sets the tone for their relationship for much of the book. Gowan, a workaholic ruled by duty, is still a virgin and has never been troubled by such lustful thoughts; betrothed in the cradle, he believed it would have dishonored both him and his future bride had he taken mistresses or employed courtesans. When his fiancée died, he was content with his life as it was and never really had the time or inclination for dalliance.

When Gowan and Edie meet again several weeks later, it’s not long before they’re both ready to hit the nearest flat surface – although they manage to restrain themselves until the wedding, and I have to say, the sexual tension in that part of the story is pretty scorching.

It’s easy to forget that Gowan is barely more than a teenager himself, given that the majority of the heroes found in historical romances are older, experienced men of the world. Edie’s attractions hit him with full force. Suddenly he’s a walking erection – a seething mass of hormones and he isn’t too pleased about the distraction, especially when he begins to believe that she isn’t similarly affected. She is, of course. He’s the epitome of the brawny, handsome, Highland laird after all but both of them seem to be blind to the fact that the other is reduced to a pile of mush in his/her presence.

And then, the rot sets in. It’s not revealing too much to say that both parties contribute to the difficulties, but the principal problem for them begins in the marital bed. Edie and Gowan have been (to use the vernacular) gagging for it ever since their reunion after their betrothal, and although nervous, Edie has enjoyed Gowan’s kisses and the way they’ve made her feel, things she hopes to experience again. And she does. Until the main event. I have to applaud Ms. James’ decision here to paint what is possibly a more realistic picture of first-time sex for a pair of young (twenty-two and nineteen) virgins than is usually seen in historical romances. There are moments of awkwardness that made me cringe. Everything works out in the end, but not before poor Gowan goes through hell to get his HEA and I’m not sure Edie deserved him in the end.

I’m back to what I said about this being a difficult book to rate. There are lots of other plot strands going on as well – such as the fact that Edie’s father and stepmother have hit a rough-patch, and a rather too-convenient solution to one of their problems. Objectively, I think it’s an unusual story and, for the most part, well told but it didn’t grab me and I never engaged with any of the characters. And I think those things contributed to (and even amplified) some of the problems I experienced with the performance.

In my review of another recent Eloisa James’ listen, Much Ado About You, which is also narrated by Ms. Duerden, I was profuse in my praise for the way this narrator managed to give distinct voices to so many different characters. She does the same here – all the characters are clearly delineated, right down to the various servants who inhabit Craigievar castle but that isn’t the issue. I’ve listened to a number of audiobooks narrated by Ms. Duerden which I’ve enjoyed, although I have to admit that she has one or two vocal mannerisms that I’ve found more than a little irritating at times. It’s hard to explain what they are in print but it has to do with inflection and intonation. She has rather a “sing-song” delivery, which doesn’t always work for me and, at its worst, can be very grating. While that particular quirk of hers has been noticeable in the other audios I’ve heard her narrating, I’ve been sufficiently immersed in the story to be able to tune it out or at least not to let it annoy me too much. But with Once Upon a Tower, that never happened. I kept expecting to fall for the hero, or to find the story had drawn me in, but … it didn’t. And because of that, I found that the audiobook felt much longer than its twelve-plus hours, and that the vocal ticks I’d been able to largely ignore in other audios became much more pronounced to my ears.

I also didn’t care for her performance of Gowan. He’s Scottish, so it was natural for her to give him a slight accent as most titled gentlemen of the time would have been educated at English schools (or have had English tutors), so for him to have had a thick brogue wouldn’t have been quite right. The accent wasn’t brilliant, but I also know that not everyone is as critical as I am when it comes to that aspect of audiobook narration. While it may not have sounded especially authentic, it was at least consistent. On top of that, Ms. Duerden imbued Gowan with a very husky tone which, while it worked in some situations (where he was being seductive, for example), didn’t work in others, such as when he had to raise his voice – it sounded as though she was having trouble sustaining both tone and accent.

In my review of the print version, I stated that I was giving Once Upon a Tower a rating based solely on my enjoyment, rather than on the fact that I was impressed with the way Ms. James opted to tackle a rather unusual story for this genre. I’m going to do the same with the audiobook.

Caz

Narration:  C

Book Content:  C

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Minimal

Genre:  Historical Romance

Publisher:  Harper Audio