Here’s a summary with links of all reviews we have had in association with narrator Rosalyn Landor.
- To Sir Phillip with Love by Julia QuinnA Flashback Friday to a series enjoying current popularity: The Bridgertons! Bridgerton Season 3 began filming last month, so be looking for the US Netflix debut near the end of 2023! Six years ago, Caz gave Rosalyn Landor A+ for her brilliant narration of Julia Quinn’s 5th book in the series. PS: If you aren’t ...Read more
- Mine Till Midnight by Lisa KleypasNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Mine Till Midnight is book one in Lisa Kleypas’s series about the Hathaway family; it was published in 2007 and an audio recording – with Rosalyn Landor at the microphone – was released in 2009. That version was never available worldwide however; only one or two of the series was actually available ...Read more
- Ruining Miss Wrotham by Emily LarkinNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Ruining Miss Wrotham is the third full-length book in Emily Larkin’s Baleful Godmother series of historical romances with a touch of fantasy. While characters from the other books do appear, it’s perfectly possible to listen to this one as a standalone provided you’re familiar with the basic premise; that each heroine receives ...Read more
- First Comes Scandal by Julia QuinnNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Julia Quinn’s Rokesby-Bridgerton / Bridgerton Prequels series (honestly, the series name seems to change with each book published!) continues with book four, First Comes Scandal, a funny, sweet friends-to-lovers story in which the youngest Rokesby son, Nicholas, finds his HEA with the elder Bridgerton sister, Georgiana. The series has been a bit ...Read more
- Irresistible by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor First published in 1998, but newly available in audio, Irresistible is the final book in Mary Balogh’s Horsemen Trilogy, which features a group of friends who served together in the Peninsular War, and whose fearless feats of derring-do earned them the nickname the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It’s a gently moving ...Read more
- Trusting Miss Trentham by Emily LarkinNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Trusting Miss Trentham is the second full-length novel in Emily Larkin’s historical-with-a-touch-of-the-paranormal Baleful Godmother series, which features a group of young women who have been granted magical ‘gifts’ by their faerie godmother. (There is a novella – Resisting Miss Merryweather – between book one, Unmasking Miss Appleby, and this one, but it’s ...Read more
- Someone to Honor by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor The heroine of Someone to Honor, the sixth book in Mary Balogh’s series about the Westcott family is Abigail Westcott, the younger daughter of the late Earl of Riverdale. She was approaching her come out and her eighteenth birthday when her father was discovered to have married her mother bigamously, meaning that ...Read more
- Someone to Trust by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Someone to Trust is the fifth of Mary Balogh’s novels about the Westcott family, and it’s probably not the place to jump into the series. The author does undertake a “previously on The Westcotts” recap in the opening chapter (which is a bit clumsy and info-dumpy), but I’m not going to attempt ...Read more
- Unmasking Miss Appleby by Emily LarkinNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Emily Larkin’s Unmasking Miss Appleby was one of my favourite books of 2016. It’s the first in the author’s Baleful Godmother series of historical romances with a magical twist – which is very cleverly incorporated into the story. If you’re looking for a high-concept paranormal romance, then you’ll need to look elsewhere, ...Read more
- The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregorNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Ever eager to find new authors to enjoy – and because Rosalyn Landor’s name on an audiobook cover is guaranteed to make me take a second look – I decided to listen to Janna MacGregor’s début historical romance The Bad Luck Bride, the first in her Cavensham Brides series. The book starts ...Read more
- Slightly Dangerous by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor In this final book in Mary Balogh’s Bedwyn series, the limelight at last turns to Wulfric, Duke of Bewcastle, the eldest of the six Bedwyn siblings who, along with the Marquess of Dain, Sebastian St. Vincent and a handful of others, is one of historical romance’s best beloved and most unforgettable heroes. ...Read more
- Someone to Hold by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor Someone to Hold, the second book in Ms. Balogh’s Westcott series, tells the story of Miss – formerly Lady – Camille Westcott, the eldest daughter of the late Earl of Riverdale, who discovered after his death that she, along with her brother and sister, was illegitimate because their parents’ marriage was bigamous. In ...Read more
- Someone to Love by Mary BaloghNarrated by Rosalyn Landor I had high hopes for Someone to Love, the debut novel in Mary Balogh’s Wescott series. Interestingly while I was engrossed and invested in the story, I found myself strongly disliking the hero throughout most of the book, which makes this a difficult story for me to rate. Usually when I dislike a character, ...Read more
- An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorAn Offer From a Gentleman – or The Bridgertons do Cinderella – is the third in Julia Quinn’s perennially popular series of books following the lives and loves of the eight alphabetically named Bridgerton siblings.
Benedict is the second eldest and has spent most of his life being referred to simply as “A Bridgerton” or “number two” and he’s fed up with it. Nobody – other than his family (and sometimes not even them!) – sees him as an individual, a man worthy of attention on his own account, until he meets a lovely masked woman in a silver gown at a masquerade, who sees him – Benedict – and his life changes instantly.
- Simply Perfect by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorSimply Perfect closes out Mary Balogh’s Simply Quartet of books, each of which takes as its heroine a school teacher from Miss Martin’s School for Girls in Bath. Our heroine here is the formidable Miss Martin herself, a confirmed spinster in her mid-thirties who has worked hard to achieve success and who loves what she does. But the course she has mapped out for herself is challenged when Joseph Fawcitt, the Marquess of Attingsborough arrives at the school, introducing himself as a friend of Susanna, Viscountess Whitleaf (Simply Magic), and offering to escort Claudia and two of her older pupils to London
- The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorOnce again, we are gifted with a Bridgerton audiobook – sort of out of the blue, considering the “release date” on the publisher’s site is more than 3 months away – and once again, it’s the delightful and talented Rosalyn Landor in the narrator’s booth for Book 2, The Viscount Who Loved Me. The Bridgerton children are famously named alphabetically, starting with the eldest and heir, Anthony. The elder Bridgertons were expecting their 8th child (H = Hyacinth) when Edmund was felled by a fatal allergic reaction to a bee sting. Anthony was hit the hardest
- Unforgiven by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorIt’s a brave author who decides to write a novel in which one of the central characters is infuriatingly stubborn, who frequently, as the saying goes, cuts off her nose to spite her face, and who, because of those things is often downright unlikeable. In Unforgiven (originally published in 1998), the second book in her Horseman trilogy, Mary Balogh shows herself to be one such author, as she introduces us to Miss Moira Hayes, a young woman who is so intractable and determined to protect herself and her emotions that she almost loses her chance at happiness with the man she (won’t admit she) loves.
- Slightly Married by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorTantor is following its reissue of Mary Balogh’s Simply Quartet with new recordings of the Slightly series, six novels about the Bedwyn siblings which have been on the wish list of many a romance audio fan for some time, starting with Book 1, Slightly Married. Anyone who has read or listened to the Simply books will already have met most of the Bedwyns and be aware of who ends up with whom, but that doesn’t take anything away from the pleasure of being able to hear their stories in audio for the first time.
- Simply Magic by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorWhile I’ve enjoyed the previous two books in this series, Simply Magic is my favourite so far. It’s the story of Susanna Osbourne, another of the group of friends who are teachers at Miss Martin’s School for Girls in Bath, and Peter Edgeworth, Viscount Whitleaf, who met each other briefly – once – when they were children, but whose lives have taken them in very different directions since then.
While on a visit to Frances, Countess of Edgecombe (Simply Unforgettable), Susanna is introduced to Viscount Whitleaf and his name sends a chill
- The Duke and I by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI was first introduced to Julia Quinn and The Bridgertons series in the mid-2000s, when I started my audiobook listening in earnest. My first book in the series was When He Was Wicked, narrated by Simon Prebble, and released in 2006. I was totally, helplessly in love – with Michael (of course – smitten heroes are my favorite!), with Julia Quinn’s writing, with Simon Prebble’s voice. I quickly moved on to the next audiobook, It’s In His Kiss (#7, Hyacinth’s book) where I made the rookie mistake of listening to a humorous audiobook while having dental work done. Advice: don’t do it!
- Simply Love by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorSimply Love is the second book of the four that make up the Simply quartet of stories about a group of young women who teach at a girls’ school in Bath. We met Anne Jewell in the previous book (Simply Unforgettable) and learned that she has a young son, David, who lives with her at the school. Anne is an unmarried mother whose family turned their backs on her after her ‘disgrace’, and it is made clear quite early on in the book that David is the result of a rape that took place when Anne was around nineteen. David’s father is long-since dead, but his relation, Joshua Moore has been a good friend to Anne
- Simply Unforgettable by Mary BaloghRead more
- Only Beloved by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThis seventh and final instalment in Mary Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series has rather an autumnal feel about it, telling as it does the story of two mature people who come together in order to gain a friend and companion but find so much more. George Crabbe, Duke of Stanbrook, has been a strong background presence in all the other books, as a support and sounding-board for the other characters. He could, in fact, be termed the club’s founder given that it was his generosity in opening his home to wounded soldiers that created the conditions
- Ransomed Jewels by Laura LandonRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI have listened to a couple of books by this author in the past, and I confess to having been somewhat underwhelmed by the stories. In both those cases, however, Ms Landon was fortunate in having excellent narrators – Rosalyn Landor in Silent Revenge and James Langton in A Risk Worth Taking, both of whose performances were more than good enough to paper over some of the cracks in the storytelling, so I thought I’d give this latest offering a try.
Ransomed Jewels sees Rosalyn Landor at the helm once again, and a very fine job she does
- Her Every Wish by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorAs was the case with Once Upon a Marquess, the book in Courtney Milan’s new Worth Saga that precedes this novella, reactions to Her Every Wish have been mixed. That said, I found it to be more cohesive in many ways than the novel. Because of the shorter format, the storyline is simpler and less complex – not that there aren’t complexities, because there are – but with fewer characters and fewer obvious foibles, there is more room to concentrate on the relationship between the protagonists, something I felt lacking in the previous story.
- Caz’s Classics Corner: Sense and Sensibility by Jane AustenRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI confess that when it comes to Jane Austen’s novels, I have an A team and a B team. The A team consists of Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, and the B team of Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey. Mansfield Park kind of hovers between the two – it’s a wonderful book but the heroine is difficult to like and understand for much of it, which can make it a bit problematic.
While I own at least one version of my Austen A team books in audio, I don’t have any of the B team ones, so when I saw that Rosalyn Landor
- Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI always find books and audiobooks by Courtney Milan difficult to review, usually because she explores such complex, meaty themes that it’s hard to talk about them all without writing a literary treatise! Once Upon a Marquess presented me with just that challenge because, as the first in a series that the author is envisioning as seven full-length novels plus several spin-off novellas, there is a lot of setting up to be done and a lot of back-story to get through whilst also telling the story of two former lovers who were torn apart by a scandal that rocked English society.
- Talking with Rosalyn LandorRead more
Anyone who knows me or reads my audiobook reviews regularly will know that Rosalyn Landor is my hero. Her recording of Lisa Kleypas’ Devil in Winter was, I think, the first historical romance audiobook I listened to and I was so thoroughly taken with her performance that I was hooked on audiobooks from that moment and haven’t looked back since. I’ve listened to her probably more than any other narrator – which isn’t surprising, since much of her work is in my preferred genre of historical romance – and while I can’t actually say that she’s recorded more in the genre than any other narrator (I haven’t counted!) her name does appear more than any other in AudioGals’ Guide to Historical Romance. She’s narrated books by the biggest names in the genre – Mary Balogh, Lisa Kleypas, Courtney Milan and Julia Quinn, to name but a few, and I’m delighted to welcome her to AudioGals to talk about her latest performance – in Julia Quinn’s Because of Miss Bridgerton – audiobook narration and her career in general.
- Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorJulia Quinn’s Bridgerton family are among the most iconic creations in historical romance in recent years. Throughout eight books (and then a set of subsequently published Second Epilogues), readers followed the exploits of Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne et al as they found the loves of their lives and their happy ever afters.
Now, in Because of Miss Bridgerton, the author returns to her much-loved family to kick off a prequel series set in the late Georgian period, The Rokesbys, who are a neighbouring family with whom the Bridgertons have always been very close.
- Silent Melody by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorSilent Melody is the sequel to Heartless, which was one of my favourite audiobooks of 2015. In that story, Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon, gradually reconnects with the family he had fled from a decade earlier, and I particularly enjoyed listening to the way the author has Luke repairing his fractured relationship with his wayward younger brother, Lord Ashley. Towards the end of Heartless, Ashley leaves England to take up a position with the East India Company, eager to make something of himself and of his life. Even though he leaves behind him a family he loves
- Longing by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorOriginally published in 1994, Mary Balogh’s Longing is a standalone novel set in the author’s Welsh homeland among the mining community of Cwmbran. The romance between the local landowner, an English marquess, and the illegitimate daughter of a nobleman and a working-class woman is set against the backdrop of the last days of the Chartist Movement, and the Newport Rising, so the novel as a whole has a strong – and fascinating – historical and political background.
- Only a Kiss by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI’ve enjoyed every one of the novels I’ve read and/or listened to in Ms Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series, and Only a Kiss, the sixth book, is no exception. The author continues her extraordinarily insightful stories about a group of people – six men and one woman – indelibly scarred by their wartime experiences with the story of Imogen, Lady Barclay who, eight years previously, watched her officer husband die at the hands of his French captors.
One of the things that attracted me most to this story was something the author said on her website
- Only a Promise by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThis, the fifth book in Mary Balogh’s Survivor’s Club series, is a gently moving marriage-of-convenience story in which a badly emotionally scarred young man is gradually brought back to the land of the living by a woman who has been dogged by scandal and who has her own emotional dragons to slay. Only a Promise isn’t just the story of a marriage of convenience turning to love, however; it’s also a story that shows us that sometimes the biggest barriers to happiness are internal rather than external, and that we are sometimes our own worst enemies.
- The Scoundrel and the Debutante by Julia LondonRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThe Scoundrel and the Debutante is the third in the series of books about the four Cabot sisters that began in The Trouble With Honor. The first two books saw the eldest two sisters, Honor and Grace, find love and happiness, albeit in rather unconventional ways – Honor proposed to her lover in front of a crowd at a gaming den, and Grace set out to trap a man into marriage and trapped the wrong one! But society being what it is, even four years later, the scandal surrounding her sisters continues to taint the reputation of Prudence, a conventional young woman
- Heartless by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorIt’s been a treat, over the last few months, to see some of Mary Balogh’s older titles finally making it into audio format. I have noticed a number of them (including this one, and its sequel, Silent Melody) coming back into print and being made available digitally, so I’m hoping that the audiobooks will follow – and will add my voice to those longing for re-issues of Ms Balogh’s Simply series (also narrated by Rosalyn Landor) and for recordings of her Bedwyn books.
Heartless was originally published in 1995 and is set in the late Georgian era. Its hero, Lucas Kendrick, left England a decade earlier
- Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa DareRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThis is the final book in Tessa Dare’s Stud Club trilogy, and while I’ve enjoyed the others, Three Nights with a Scoundrel is the strongest of the three, and my personal favourite. The mystery that has run through all three books surrounding the death of Lord Leo Chatwick is satisfactorily concluded, the central romance is truly touching and the two protagonists make an exceptionally well-drawn and engaging couple.
The hero, Julian Bellamy, appeared as a secondary character in the other books, and was not an especially appealing one. Handsome as sin and twice as charming, he is arrogant and selfish, a trendsetter
- The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThe Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy is the final book in Ms Quinn’s Smythe-Smith quartet, and while I think it’s the strongest of the four, it has keenly divided opinions amongst readers and listeners due to the actions of its eponymous hero, which, it has to be said, are very far from heroic.
Sir Richard Kenworthy, a baronet from Yorkshire, comes to London in search of a wife. A bride with a big fat dowry would be nice, but what he’s really looking for is someone who will marry him quickly. Having asked around, it seems to him that attending the annual Smythe-Smith musicale would be a good idea, as a family with five daughters is bound to have at least one that needs marrying off. The musicale is
- Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa DareRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorTwice Tempted by a Rogue is the second book in Tessa Dare’s Stud Club series – the moniker not referring to the sexual attributes of the heroes (sadly!) but to the fact that they belong to an exclusive club which allows its members breeding rights to Osiris, England’s most valuable stallion. In the first book in the series (One Dance With a Duke) we learn that the club’s founder, Leo Chatwick, has been murdered, and the quest to bring the killer to brook is a theme running throughout the three books in the series.
A secondary character in book one, Rhys St. Maur has recently inherited the title of Lord Ashworth. Following a devastating fire fourteen years previously, he left his Devonshire home to join the army, and he hasn’t been back since. In all his years away, he’s faced death – gone looking for it, even – more times than he can count and has cheated it every time.
- The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan Read more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThe Governess Affair may quite possibly be the best novella I have ever listened to. This was my first experience with Courtney Milan, and I guarantee it will not be my last. I’m extremely impressed that Ms. Milan was able to deliver an original, well developed, believable, and touching romance in just a little short of four hours. Further rounding out this well made audiobook is Rosalyn Landor’s expert narration which masterfully brings this emotional story to life. Although this is an older title, for those historical romance enthusiasts who have not yet had the pleasure of listening to it, this is a great time to get The Governess Affair, as Amazon is presently
- Only Enchanting by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorOnly Enchanting is the fourth book in Ms. Balogh’s Survivors Club series. It stands very well on its own, but did make me more than a little curious about the characters featured in previous books. We meet them all here, and are given glimpses into the happiness they’ve found, but I definitely want more.
Flavian, Viscount Ponsonby, came back from the Napoleonic wars a changed man. Not only does he stammer, but he’s prone to violent fits of temper. After spending time in Cornwall to learn to cope with these ailments, Flavian is much better than he was when he first returned home. His stammer is still present, but far less noticeable, and he is better able to control his
- The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
The Suffragette Scandal is an extraordinary book, and one which is quite difficult to encapsulate in a review. It’s the last full-length novel in Ms Milan’s Brothers Sinister series, and like the books which precede it, contains a beautifully developed romance set against a thoroughly researched and fascinating historical background. Ms Milan is surely unique among the writers in the genre of historical romance for the incredible insight she affords her audience into the issues of the time at which her books are set and for the way in which each story is developed so that these elements are fully integrated into the plot and characterisation rather than seeming like a tacked-on history lesson.
- The Trouble with Honor by Julia LondonRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThe Trouble with Honor, the first book in a new series from Ms London, tells the story of the eldest of the four Cabot sisters. With their sick father not expected to live much longer and their mother gradually succumbing to what we would today recognise as dementia, Miss Honor Cabot has little alternative but to assume parental responsibility for her younger sisters.
She’s vivacious and beautiful, and has not been without male admirers. Having had her heart broken a couple of years previously by a young man who showed every sign of being equally smitten until he offered for another woman, Honor has been reluctant
- The Escape by Mary BaloghRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThis is the third book in Ms Balogh’s Survivors Club series of books that follows a group of war veterans who were physically and/or mentally wounded in the Napoleonic Wars.
In The Escape, our hero is Sir Benedict Harper, whose legs were so badly damaged that he was told he would never walk again. Through a combination of his own sheer bloody-mindedness and the support of his friends, he has confounded expectations – and though he will never be able to walk without the aid of his canes, he does walk and is able to live a more or less normal life. Previously a career soldier, that avenue of occupation is now closed to him, and
- Smuggler’s Moon by Cynthia WrightRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorSmuggler’s Moon is the first new book from Cynthia Wright in around twenty years, and is the first in a new series called The Raveneaus in Cornwall, set at the very end of the 18th century. Brother to a marquess, Lord Sebastian Trevarre has recently resigned his navy commission and returned to England with the intention of managing the horse-breeding business in Hampshire that he had helped his late mother to set up some years previously. But his brother has lost the bulk of the family fortune at the gaming tables, and Sebastian can think of only one way of amassing a suitably large amount of money quickly enough to enable him to achieve his
- The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorCourtney Milan is one of those authors who gives me a serious case of Brain-Envy. Everything she dreams up is so creative and her heroines are refreshingly intelligent. Recently on her blog in the FAQ, she answers the question, “Did you always want to be a writer?” Her answer kind of startled me, because, well, these are things I can relate to. Except, here is a woman who has the courage to change her career path – not once but several times. When you listen to The Countess Conspiracy
, a novel where the heroine is driven to use her gifted intelligence to discover new scientific breakthroughs, you realize exactly how much of Milan goes into this character. Her answer to that question is very relevant to The Countess Conspiracy.
- The Mistress Diaries by Julianne MacLeanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI’ve only known Julianne MacLean to be a writer of glorious contemporary fiction. People had mentioned her historical romances to me, but I never picked one up. There was something about the magic of her contemporary writing that held me in place and I was afraid the magic would lessen with the change of genres. However, anyone who knows me well will tell you that I can’t resist the draw of a historical for very long. Once the Pembroke Palace series became available in audio format with the incomparable Rosalyn Landor as the narrator, I knew I had to give it a try.
- In My Wildest Fantasies by Julianne MacLeanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorIn My Wildest Fantasies is a British, historical romance with elements of suspense. The first book in the Pembroke Palace six-book series, it sets the background for the Sinclair family story. While there is a teaser at the end, which describes the main conflict for the second book, it could nonetheless be listened to as a stand-alone book, as the love life of the primary hero and heroine is resolved.
When I first read the description of this book, I was expecting the cliche romance where the hero and heroine experience love at first sight after the hero rescues the heroine. To my delight, In My Wildest Fantasies contained much more, including intrigue,
- Devil in Winter by Lisa KleypasRead more
A Month of Romance Audio Favorites SelectionNarrated by Rosalyn Landor
I’m a relative newcomer to the world of romance – both in terms of books and audiobooks – and even though I’m a voracious reader, there are still a number of older books on my TBR pile that I despair of ever getting around to reading. That’s one of the reasons my audiobook listening has increased so much over the last couple of years; discovering that a number of those titles I had on my TBR list were available in audio format gave me the opportunity to listen to a large number of books that would probably still be languishing on that very pile, of which, until last year, Devil in Winter was one.
I have no idea what made me choose it out of the list of titles I could have selected. I remember that a number of my Goodreads friends had urged me to read the book and, one day when I was
- A Cathy Maxwell Double Review – Lyon’s Bride and The Scottish WitchRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorLyon’s Bride and The Scottish Witch are Books One and Two respectively in Cathy Maxwell’s Chattan Curse trilogy which tells the stories of three siblings – Neal, Harry, and Margaret Chattan – whose family was put under a powerful curse almost two hundred years previously.
Each book (including Book Three, The Devil’s Heart) opens with a prologue telling the story of the curse from a different viewpoint. We learn how, in 1632, a young Scottish girl was cruelly jilted by her lover, Charles Chattan, and killed herself as a result. Over the girl’s funeral pyre, her mother, the witch Fenella Macnachtan, curses Chattan and all his decendants before consigning herself to the flames.
- A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorBook 1.5 in the Brothers Sinister series, this novella gives us the backstory of Minnie’s best friend Lydia Charingford. Minnie, the heroine of The Duchess War, Book 1, had helped her friend when she ended up pregnant and unmarried some years before. Lydia overcame her ruined status in part by becoming cheerful and positive about life, always seeing the glass as half full. Dr. Jonas Grantham is a bachelor looking to wed, and who decides that Lydia is pretty enough to make his list of potential brides. What he doesn’t remember is who she is – as it turns out, he was there as the old town doctor’s assistant the fateful night the doc affirmed her pregnancy. Now that she has aged from 15 to 21, she has changed from a
- The Heiress Effect by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorThere was a time when I read historical romances as quickly as I could get my hands on them. I loved things that took place in England. There was something about the balls, the magic that seemed to surround the Ton, that really pulled me in. Sadly, in recent years, I found myself reading less and less of those kind books. Now that I’ve read Courtney Milan’s The Heiress Effect, I know I won’t let so much time go by before immersing myself in that world again. In fact, I’ll be keeping an eye out for books that are similar.
When people look at Jane Fairfield, they see an obnoxious, outspoken woman with really bad taste in clothing and jewelry. Society has christened her the “feather heiress”, saying that spending time with her is like being beaten to death by a feather. What they don’t know is that Jane has a reason for her bad
- The Sum of All Kisses by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorFrom the moment I first read a Julia Quinn historical romance, I was hooked; her historical romances are full of flawed and funny characters who value family and friendship above all things. As an added bonus, when I listened to Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea
(a wonderfully mystical book), I fell in love with narrator Rosalyn Landor. She breathed life and emotion into her heroine and consequently, I had no worries about choosing this latest Quinn release and was excited to start listening.
The Sum of All Kisses begins with a duel between two inebriated friends, from the point of view of the hero, Lord Hugh Prentice. As events unfold, Hugh is
- No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLeanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorNo Good Duke Goes Unpunished is the third book in Ms. MacLean’s Rules of Scoundrels series, and it tells the story of Temple, widely known as “The Killer Duke”. Persistent rumours name him as the murderer of a young woman (his father’s betrothed) on the eve of their wedding twelve years ago.
As with the two previous novels in the series (A Rogue by Any Other Name, and One Good Earl Deserves a Lover), the book opens with the story of the hero’s fall from grace. The powerful Duke of Lamont is about to marry his fourth wife, heiress Mara Lowe, who has been, more or less, sold into the agreement by her cruel and violent father. Desperate
- The Duchess War by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorWhat a wonderful and intriguing story!
The Duke of Clermont, Robert, is behind a plot to end the aristocracy, publishing worker-organizing flyers under a pseudonym. Minnie – Wilhemina Pursling – is a dowdy mouse of a woman, who is actually trying her best to live under the radar, to hide her scandalous past and real name. When she is accused of writing the seditious flyers herself, she goes on a mission to uncover the real author, and in the midst of her search, falls in love in spite of herself.
- Saving Grace by Julie GarwoodRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI thought Saving Grace
was a truly delightful story and a thoroughly engaging character-driven romance. I admit that, yes, it did have rather an anachronistic feel to it and that both Lady Johanna and her Laird were a little too modern in their sensibilities, but I was so drawn into the story that it really didn’t bother me.
Lady Johanna is a young English noblewoman who, at the beginning of the story, is only too relieved to discover that her older, abusive husband is dead. An heiress who lives under King John’s rule at a time of great unrest and uncertainty, she has no control over her fate and is summarily informed that she is now to be married to one of her late husband’s cronies.
While Johanna is dismayed at the prospect, she does not – cannot –rail against her fate. The disposal of her hand is at the king’s pleasure, and, as we discover later, John has his own nefarious reasons for needing Johanna married off to Baron Williams, another of his most loyal courtiers.
- Ten Things I Love About You by Julia QuinnRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorI’ve been on a bit of a Julia Quinn audio-glom this year, having listened to Just Like Heaven, A Night Like This, and It’s in His Kiss in the last few months alone! I frequently turn to her books or audios when I want something light and a bit fluffy, which has plenty of humor and engaging characters, and I can say that Ten Things I Love About You most definitely fits that particular bill.
It may not be up to the standard of some of her earlier Bridgerton books, but in Sebastian Grey she has created a hero who can give any of the Bridgerton men a good run for their money! He’s everything one would expect of a romantic hero – handsome, extremely charming, and very witty, but he’s also rather a troubled young man whose distressing dreams lead to bouts of serious insomnia. In the midst of one of these bouts, he starts toying with the idea of writing a book – something we discover later has actually served him rather well.
- The Governess Affair by Courtney MilanRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorFor me, this is one of those times when it’s like Christmas came early – one of my favorite authors, stories, and couples are realized in audiobook form by one of my favorite narrators.
When I wrote a review of the book at the beginning of January, I said I thought The Governess Affair was just short of perfect. As a novella, it’s a supreme example of how to craft a compelling story with a limited word-count without sacrificing anything in terms of characterization or plot; and how to create a deeply satisfying and sensual romance that evolves organically and doesn’t feel at all rushed.
Hugo Marshall solves problems. He’s ruthlessly efficient, ambitious, and without scruple – and at the beginning of the story is presented with a challenge. He is currently engaged in
- Prince Charming by Julie GarwoodNarrated by Rosalyn Landor I have to go on record, right up front, and let you know that Landor is not one of my favorite narrators, and here is why: her heroes are, as a rule, stuffy, overblown and dreadful. Dreadful. She is a wonderfully gifted narrator whose stiff-upper-lip, upper crust British delivery is superb when ...Read more
- The Winter Sea by Susanna KearsleyRead more
Narrated by Rosalyn LandorWhen I saw that Rosalyn Landor had won an Audie Award in 2012 for Best Female Performance with The Winter Sea, I knew I had to give it a try. I’d love to find reason to add Ms. Landor to my preferred narrator list. To date, I haven’t favored her voicing of male characters – they generally sound old and stuffy. But much to my delight, her performance of the The Winter Sea definitely swings the pendulum into my “preferred” category and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more Landor narrations.
Carrie McClelland, a well-known author, is working on her latest book of historical fiction set around 1708 in Scotland. Inspired by the ruins of Slains Castle, Carrie moves from France to Scotland to further research her project. Her writing begins to take on a life of its own as she instinctively writes events that she knows are accurate or play out in her dreams, only to discover later that her research proves each event to be true.
