Narrated by Mary Jane Wells
When I read His Wicked Reputation a few months back, I enjoyed it, but came away from it feeling as though there was something missing I couldn’t quite put my finger on. As any regular listener to audiobooks will know, there are times when listening to a book rather than reading it can enhance the experience and enjoyment of the story, and I’m pleased to report that his was one of those times. Thanks in no small part to another excellent performance by Mary Jane Wells, I enjoyed the story even more this time around.
The wicked reputation of the title belongs to Gareth Fitzallen, the bastard son of a duke, and it relates entirely to the fact that, apart from being drop-dead gorgeous, he is purported to be able to give a woman such incredible pleasure in bed that they are willing to do absolutely anything to keep him there! Gareth makes no bones about his skill in that direction, but he is always faithful and discreet in his liaisons; In fact, he’s rather a wonderful man – intelligent, deeply honourable and kind – obviously, the appellation “wicked” only applies to his activities between the sheets!
Although acknowledged by his father, Gareth had to make his own way in the world, and now makes his living as a successful art dealer and broker. He shares a strong bond of friendship with his half-brothers, Lance (now the Duke of Aylesbury) and Ywain (Ives), although none of them were at all fond of their eldest brother, Percy, a particularly nasty individual who went out of his way to make life difficult for others and especially for Gareth. His most recent piece of unpleasantness concerned a property their late father had willed to his illegitimate son, but now Percy is dead, Gareth hopes that Lance will set aside Percy’s objection to his inheritance, and in anticipation of taking possession, travels to the Midlands to inspect it.
On the way to the house, he accidentally runs a young woman into a muddy puddle and finds himself intrigued by her caustic reaction to him. He offers to help her with the rather large package she is struggling with, but she refuses and goes on her way.
Eva Russell realises she has had a narrow escape. The sister of an earl, she and her younger sister are living in the reduced circumstances occasioned by their late brother’s profligacy, and Eva earns a little money by selling her paintings. She does not, however, sell original works; instead she paints copies of the famous paintings she “borrows” from the attics of the deserted house that is her nearest neighbour – the house she now knows is owned by the gentleman she met in the lane, who would no doubt be furious if he knew what she was doing.
Shortly after Gareth’s arrival, he is summoned back to London by Ives, who has been asked to investigate the disappearance of a large number of valuable works of art. Some years previously, when the threat of an invasion by Napoleon and his forces was a very real one, several noblemen packed up their art treasures and had them transported to a place of safety in the north of England. These paintings were never returned to their owners after the war ended, and questions are now being asked. Ives asks for Gareth’s help, knowing his brother’s knowledge of art and of who owns what will be invaluable in such a task.
It’s not hard to work out the direction the story is going to take, but that doesn’t take away any of the enjoyment in listening to how things play out.
Having been intrigued by Eva’s reaction to him, Gareth soon seeks her out, and even though she knows such marked attentions from a man of Gareth’s reputation can only lead to one thing, Eva can’t help but be strongly attracted to him. She’s on the shelf – and in any case, believes that her passion for painting precludes her having such things as a husband and family of her own. Yet as she comes to know Gareth, to know his kindness and the truth of the man behind the wicked reputation, she finds him increasingly difficult to resist.
One of the best things about the book is the way in which the relationship between Eva and Gareth develops into a true and deep friendship, with them coming to know and depend on each other almost without realising it. Their romantic relationship is lovely, too; highly sensual, but with an element of caring and thoughtfulness on Gareth’s part which shows him to be not only well-and-truly smitten, but a genuinely good man. I also enjoyed the interplay between Gareth and his brothers, which is often funny, and which leaves the listener in no doubt about their fondness for one another.
Mary Jane Wells is a favourite narrator of mine, and her performance here more than lived up to my expectations in every respect but one. It’s not something that spoiled my enjoyment, but it struck me as rather odd that she has opted to give Eva a less-than-upper-crust accent. Eva has fallen on hard times, it’s true, but she’s the sister of (and therefore the daughter of) an earl, and I had expected to hear her voiced accordingly; but instead Ms Wells gives her an accent I can only describe as slightly “cockney”, which didn’t fit the image I had of her. The rather bright edge given to her tone works, given Eva’s sometimes acerbic pronouncements, and the way she brings out the emotional nuances in Eva’s speech is also excellent – I was just confused by the choice of accent. In all other aspects, however, Ms Wells’ performance is faultless. All the characters are clearly delineated by use of a variety of tones and timbres; Lance, Ives and Gareth are easy to tell apart, as are Eva and Rachel and the two sisters who are their friends and neighbours. While Eva’s accent gave me pause for thought, all the others Ms Wells adopts are terrific, from the accurate “Brummie” used for Gareth’s servant, to the utterly hilarious hybrid Italiano-Scottish one she employs to portray one of the art dealers under investigation. Her interpretation of Gareth is especially good; she makes him sound masculine and sexy by adopting a slightly lower pitch and a measured delivery that conveys an impression of quiet competence which is very attractive.
All in all, His Wicked Reputation proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. The romance is well-developed, the protagonists have great chemistry and the mystery element doesn’t overshadow the love story. I’m really glad I gave the story another chance, and am now looking forward to listening to the next book in the series.
Caz
Narration: A-
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: None
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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Great review Caz as always. This looks intriguing – it’s a pity that there’s nothing by this author available for download in the UK..
I know – it’s incredibly frustrating that there are so many good romance audios being put out that aren’t available in the UK. I know its all to do with publishing rights etc. but this IS the 21st century and it’s about time these things were sorted out. It’s really annoying when you WANT to give companies your money and you can’t!