Noble Satyr by Lucinda Brant

Narrated by Alex Wyndham

I confess that I did find it a little odd that Noble Satyr, the first book in Lucinda Brant’s Roxton Family Saga was the last one to be released in audio, but whatever the reason, it was well worth the wait to finally get to listen to Roxton and Antonia’s love-story. At first glance, the premise of “world-weary-rake-tamed-by-love” may seem somewhat formulaic, but Ms Brant puts her own, distinctive spin on the tale, making it a thoroughly entertaining listen filled with strongly drawn characters, a poignant and well-written central romance and an utterly compelling hero in the titular Satyr himself, Renard, Fifth Duke of Roxton.

Anyone familiar with the other books in the series will already know that the romance between Roxton and Antonia is a May/December one, with the hero being some twenty years the heroine’s senior, and that he starts out as a sort of guardian to her when she is orphaned by the deaths of her father and grandfather. I mention those things upfront as I know that they are problematic for some; personally, the large age gap and the guardian/ward dynamic don’t bother me, and once the story gets going, it is apparent that while Antonia is a very young woman (she’s eighteen), she does, in fact, have rather a lot of power in the relationship that eventually develops between her and the duke. And then there’s the fact that Roxton is gorgeous – handsome, virile and commanding, there is no shortage of women waiting to fall into bed with him, so we are left in absolutely no doubt as to his attractiveness to Antonia, and indeed to any woman with eyes and a pulse.

Following the death of her father, Antonia Moran, granddaughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathsay now lives with her dying grandfather in Paris. Trying to secure her future, the earl wants to betroth her to the Vicomte d’Ambert, son of the Comte de Salvan, but Antonia is unwilling.  She thinks of d’Ambert as a friend, nothing more; and besides there is something about the young man that unsettles her. Knowing that once the contracts are finalised, she will be forced into the marriage, Antonia reaches out to the one person she believes will be able to help her, the powerful Duke of Roxton, a very distant relative.

Roxton is in his late thirties, has been there, done that and got the T-shirt several times over; and while he is sensible of his responsibilities to his title and to his family, his general mien is one of aristocratic hauteur and ennui. He is arrogant, doesn’t suffer fools and has a notorious reputation as a seducer and lover of women, but his complete lack of artifice and his self-awareness somehow render him an attractive character in spite of his tendency to be somewhat overbearing and not overly concerned with the problems of others.

He wants nothing to do with Mlle. Moran – until the comte attempts a violent abduction which results in Antonia’s being injured. While she recuperates at the Hôtel Roxton in Paris, she and the duke become close, the unspoken attraction between them growing deeper over time. It’s obvious that Antonia has fallen in love with her protector, and while Roxton is just as deeply smitten, he tries hard to resist her, telling himself he’s too old for her and that she deserves more than a life with a man with such a dissolute past.

But Antonia is just as determined to prove that age is no barrier to love and in fact makes all the running in their relationship. She may be young, but she knows what she wants, and her combination of playfulness, intelligence and youthful self-confidence ultimately proves too difficult for the world-weary Roxton to resist. She brings much needed colour and vibrancy to what he realises has been a very grey existence – but their idyll of newly discovered love is not to last when Salvan informs Roxton that d’Ambert’s betrothal to Antonia is now a fact. The only way to save her is to send her away to her grandmother in England – which he does with a heavy heart, and in the knowledge that the Countess is unlikely to prove an appropriate or sympathetic guardian.

The odds are stacked against the lovers – alone once more, Antonia is again vulnerable to the machinations of others, even as she continues to try to find a way to live life in the way she wants. The romance between the central couple is well developed and very sensual, and in spite of the age gap between them, there is no doubt that Roxton and Antonia are soul-mates. I also loved the way we get to see the cynical duke evolve into a man capable of great love and humanity and one determined to live a better life than heretofore.

As well as the romance, there are a lot of other things to enjoy in this story, not least of which is Ms Brant’s ability to immerse her listeners in the world of 1740s Paris, complete with its sumptuous fashions and its essence of overblown decadence and debauchery. The various secondary characters are fully fleshed-out, even the villainous Salvan and d’Ambert, who turns out to be more dangerous than anyone could have predicted. Roxton’s great friend, Lord Vallentine, is appealingly endearing and often provides the comic relief, although he proves himself to be a great chap to have around in a crisis. I will say, though that I did sometimes struggle to keep abreast of all the familial relationships in the story; everybody is related to everybody else in some way and I did occasionally have to refer to the Roxton Family Tree on Ms Brant’s website to keep it all clear in my head.

But that’s a minor point because Noble Satyr is a wonderful love story, full of wit and charm and featuring two intensely memorable protagonists.

When it comes to the narration, I think the words “narrated by Alex Wyndham” should by now be sufficient to tell anyone reading this review that they are guaranteed a thoroughly accomplished and highly entertaining performance, both technically and artistically. He is simply outstanding in Noble Satyr, with every single character being easily identifiable thanks to his incredible range of characterisations, from the whiny, weaselly tones he gives to the cowardly Comte de Salvan, to the bluff, friendly almost-bellow of Lord Vallentine. Given the bulk of the story is set in France, many of the characters speak with French accents, which Mr Wyndham maintains consistently and which are not so thick as to be unintelligible. The female characters are numerous – Antonia, Estée, the Countess of Strathsay, Charlotte Harcourt – and each is portrayed distinctly and without resorting to falsetto. He brings out Antonia’s youthful playfulness very well, but it’s his performance of Roxton that is the real stand-out. The duke is sexy on paper, but in audio, he’s to die for; deep-toned and softly-spoken, this is a man who never has to raise his voice in order to command obedience, but who is also capable of great tenderness. There are so many layers to Mr Wyndham’s portrayal, key moments which have stuck in my mind – far too many to list here – so I’ll just mention the way in which he so brilliantly conveys the duke’s growing love for Antonia in the gradual gentling of his tone of voice whenever he thinks or speaks of her or to her.

Having listened to the entire series – as it stands so far; I believe there are two more books to come – I can say without doubt that the Roxton Family Saga is one of the most enjoyable historical romance series I’ve yet listened to. The stories are intelligently written and plotted, and the author’s love for and knowledge of the period are unquestionable. Add in the expert narrations by the very talented Alex Wyndham, and you’ve got a set of audios to be savoured over and over again. I know I’ll be doing just that while waiting for the next book in the series, Proud Mary, next year.

Caz

Narration: A+

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in, but at the tame end

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Sprigleaf Pty Ltd

Noble Satyr was provided to AudioGals for a review.