Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase

Narrated by Kate Reading

Lord Perfect is the third book in Ms Chase’s Carsington Family series, and whereas the first two (Miss Wonderful and Mr Impossible) featured two of the scapegrace sons of the Earl of Hargate, this book concentrates on Benedict, Viscount Rathbourne, the earl’s very respectable eldest son. Unlike his younger brothers, Benedict is a sterling example of a man of propriety and responsibility and one about whom there has never been the slightest whiff of scandal.

A childless widower, Rathbourne has all but adopted his nephew Peregrine, Lord Lisle, the son of his late wife’s sister. On an outing to museum, Peregrine becomes involved in an altercation with a girl of around his own age, Olivia Wingate, and Rathbourne and the girl’s mother step in just in time to prevent the childrens’ disagreement escalating into all-out war.

Bathsheba Wingate is one of the Dreadful DeLuceys (a family that keeps cropping up throughout Ms Chase’s books!) – known throughout society for being completely and utterly disreputable and proud of it. Her parents were selfish and irresponsible, moving around from place to place to avoid creditors or arrest, forgetting all about their daughter until she could be useful to them.

They’d count on a crackbrained scheme to solve all their problems at once, rather than tackle them directly, one at a time. They’d chance their money on a throw of the dice, rather than pay the rent with it.

Somehow, even when faced with such awful role models, Bathsheba managed to grow up as a decent human being, although her family’s unfortunate reputation has dogged her all her life. At sixteen, she fell in love with Jack Wingate, second son of Lord Fosbury, who absolutely forbade their marriage. They ran off together and were happy until Jack’s death, but because his father cut them off, they had little money and now Bathsheba eeks out a living as an art teacher, living with Olivia in one of the less salubrious areas of London.

When Bathsheba and Rathbourne set eyes on each other for the first time, it’s lust at first sight for both of them. This is especially unnerving for Benedict, who is not one to be stirred by strong emotion, while Bathsheba takes it in her stride, knowing that wantonness is one of the crosses she has to bear as a Dreadful DeLucey.

Knowing of Bathsheba’s antecedents, Rathbourne is only too aware that she is the one woman in the world he shouldn’t want. Her reputation is terrible (even though she has done nothing to deserve it) and any association with her would tarnish his impeccable reputation and could even decrease his effectiveness as a parliamentarian and philanthropist. Yet he can’t forget her, can’t stop thinking about her and can’t help wanting her. Bathsheba is just as far gone for Benedict; she knows he is not for her, yet everything about him – his kindness, his dry wit and obvious love for his nephew – only serves to draw her to him even more.

While Bathsheba and Rathbourne are busy trying to deny their mutual attraction, their respective charges have got past their inauspicious first meeting and have begun to correspond in secret. When Olivia – who is incredibly precocious and clearly possesses those qualities of the Dreadful DeLuceys that bypassed her mother – comes up with a hare-brained scheme to go to hunt for Edmund DeLucey’s pirate treasure, Peregrine fails to talk her out of it and because he is too much the gentleman to allow Olivia to go alone, ends up accompanying her.

Naturally, Bathsheba and Rathbourne set off in pursuit, and it’s during their trip that the intensity of the attraction between them becomes completely impossible for either of them to resist. I loved listening to the very proper Benedict gradually shedding some of his starch and finding that, in spite of Bathsheba’s sometimes unconventional approach to problem-solving, he’s enjoying himself for the first time in years. His attempts to resist her are always amusing:

He devoted the first tautly, silent moments of travel to trying to revive his famous self-control, gather the remaining shreds of his moral fiber, and evict the alien spirit that had taken possession of him.

Then Mrs. Wingate spoke, and everything went to pieces.

Until eventually, he stops trying and accepts that he’s fallen for her hook, line and sinker. It’s always a lovely moment in a romance when one of the protagonists shows that they’re prepared to risk all for love, and I will admit to sighing with satisfaction as Benedict does just that, in full awareness of what he’ll be giving up in order to be with the woman he loves.

I really enjoyed the story which is, as one would expect from Loretta Chase, very well written, witty and sexy but with moments of poignancy and something to say about what it means to love someone. Bathsheba and Benedict are excellently-realised, thoroughly engaging characters, and the same is true of Lisle and Olivia, who are an intelligent, well-matched pair. My main criticism of the story is that the ending is rather weak, but the rest of it – the dialogue, the characterisation and the storytelling – is so strong that I can forgive that one flaw.

What is there to say about Kate Reading’s performance here that hasn’t already been said over and over? She has a real affinity for Loretta Chase’s words and is as adept at bringing out the wonderful, dead-pan humour as she is in the more introspective moments. Her portrayals of all the main characters are spot on; Bathsheba’s no-nonsense tone masks an inner vulnerability that she rarely allows anyone to see, and Rathbourne’s deep, lazy drawl fits him to a T (and is incredibly sexy – seriously, I almost forgot I was listening to a woman at times!). I was equally impressed with her characterisations of Olivia and Lisle, because she has found a way to make it clear that they’re not adults without them sounding too young. In both cases, Ms Reading’s choice of tone is perfect, especially when it comes to Lisle who, at thirteen, has a higher pitched voice than the other male characters, but doesn’t sound at all girlish – he’s clearly a young man. There is a fairly large supporting case of servants, innkeepers and other villagers and locals, all of whom are distinctly and appropriately realised; which is also true of Lords Hargate, Northwick and Mandeville, who all appear together numerous times towards the end of the book and who are easy to tell apart.

In her review of The Last Hellion, Melinda commented that one of the things Kate Reading does so well is to perform the dialogue in a very realistic manner, especially when the characters are interrupting and interacting at a quick-fire pace. I’d agree completely with that assessment – she’s utterly brilliant at switching very quickly between different characters without putting a foot wrong. Another thing I’ve noticed is that when narrating an inner monologue, she gives those passages a hint of the tone she has assigned to that character, so while the words don’t sound as though they’re actually spoken, they are nonetheless distinct from the rest of the narrative. It might seem an obvious thing to do, but in my experience, not many performers do this, and it’s another skill in the narrator’s arsenal that adds variety, clarity and interest for the listener.

Those of us who were already fans of Loretta Chase’s work knew that if ever her books made it into audio format, they deserved a performer of the highest calibre, someone who would be able to do the words justice and bring the author’s superbly realised characters to vibrant, brilliant life. I, for one, will be forever grateful to whomever had the splendid idea of bringing Kate Reading on board, because she hits it out of the park Every. Single. Time. – and is uniquely suited to performing this material.

Lord Perfect is another superb addition to the growing canon of Loretta Chase’s audiobooks, and one I’m recommending without hesitation.

Caz

Narration: A+

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence: None

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: NYLA