The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

Narrated by Beverley A. Crick

The Study of Seduction is the second book in Sabrina Jeffries’ Sinful Suitors series, but we have met Edwin Barlow, Lord Blakeborough a few times before, in both the previous book (The Art of Sinning) and in the author’s previous series, The Duke’s Men. In the final book in that series, If the Viscount Falls, Edwin – a decent, if rather staid young man – was jilted by his fiancée, so I hoped that at some point, Ms Jeffries would pen a story for him and give him his HEA, too. And I have to say that the author has done him proud, revealing him to be a deliciously sexy hero and matching him with an equally engaging and strongly drawn heroine.

In spite of the way his betrothal turned out, Edwin is still planning to get married and set up his nursery – an earl needs an heir, after all. Having watched his parents’ love match fall apart in spectacular fashion, he doesn’t want that for himself; all he wants is a sensible, demure young woman with no romantic notions to share his bed and bear his children. He readily acknowledges that he isn’t exactly a woman’s idea of the ideal suitor; he’s too literal, has no patience with small-talk, doesn’t suffer fools and isn’t good at flirting or paying empty compliments. But he’s young, wealthy and titled, so finding a suitable bride shouldn’t be too difficult a task.

However, a spanner is thrown into the works when Edwin’s closest friend Warren, the Marquess of Knightford, asks him to keep an eye on his cousin Lady Clarissa Lindsey, who has recently been subjected to the unwanted attentions of a suitor who doesn’t seem able to take “no” for an answer. Warren wants to make sure that Clarissa will be safe while he is away in Portugal on an urgent matter, so asks Edwin to squire her about during the Season. He is not exactly thrilled at the prospect. For one thing, being seen constantly in company with Clarissa is likely to hamper his efforts at finding a wife, and for another, he and Clarissa have never really got along. She’s vibrant, flirtatious, impulsive and takes delight in needling Edwin whenever they meet – which is often, considering that their family estates are next to each other and that they have known each other for years – and is the exact opposite of the demure, restful sort of woman Edwin prefers.

Clarissa is not wild about the idea of having the gruffly sardonic Lord Blakeborough at her side throughout the Season, but when she realises that accepting Edwin’s escort will put her cousin’s mind at east, she agrees to the proposal. She doesn’t dislike Edwin, exactly – in fact she thinks he’s very attractive – but he’s such a stuffed-shirt and she knows he disapproves of her; and that knowledge has led her more than once to deliberately provoke him out of his oh-so even temper.

But readers and listeners of the previous book in the series will have noticed an undercurrent of something other than dislike running between Edwin and Clarissa, and indeed, both of them are conscious of each other in a way which clearly shows that dislike is very far from what they actually feel for each other. But Clarissa is determined not to marry, for reasons which are gradually revealed as the story progresses, and Edwin doesn’t want a wife who will make emotional demands on him or challenge him at every turn.

This is a classic ‘friends’ (or frenemies?)-to-lovers story, and is one of the best examples of the trope I’ve come across recently. Edwin and Clarissa are obviously deeply attracted to each other and have been for years, so what we hear is them exploring the reasons they have denied that attraction and letting their respective guards down to come to the conclusion that they are perfect for one another. I especially liked the fact that Clarissa isn’t one of those ‘feisty’ heroines whose need to maintain the upper hand means that she can’t see sense when the hero asks her to do something. The sexual chemistry between them is scorching, their verbal sparring is witty, and the romance is very well-developed so that there is a real sense of two people coming to know each other better and discovering more about themselves in the process.

Edwin is a gorgeous beta-hero whose outward starchiness belies a wickedly dry sense of humour and hidden depths of sensuality. He’s prepared to go to any lengths to protect Clarissa from the smarmy French diplomat who insists on pursuing her and even when faced with the prospect of blackmail and scandal his determination to keep her safe is paramount. I loved those moments in the story when he allowed his heart to overrule his head when it came to her, whether he was giving in to the impulse to kiss her or to want to punch the oily Durand; and his insecurities about his attractiveness to Clarissa are endearing and made me want to give him a hug. Clarissa’s story is particularly heart-breaking, but only when the full extent of her difficulties are revealed do we realise what a strong person she really is, a woman who has remade her life and herself following a horrible trauma. Unfortunately, Durand’s determined pursuit of her has raked up unpleasant memories, but they are also the catalyst for her to finally face the truth and to fight for her future with Edwin.

Beverley A. Crick has emerged as a narrator of historical romances fairly recently, but I’ve enjoyed the couple of other narrations of hers I’ve listened to before and was fairly confident that her performance here would be an enjoyable and accomplished one. Although she doesn’t quite have the vocal range of some narrators, the thing that really makes her stand out for me is the emotion with which she imbues her performances. She’s an excellent vocal actress who really brings the characters to life by paying close attention to many of those little things in the text that some narrators gloss over. Laughs, snorts, sighs, giggles – if a character does it on the page, then it’s there in her voice but in a very naturalistic manner so that it’s never obtrusive or over the top. She gets right into the swing of things in the love scenes, which might mean that she takes things a little too far for some tastes, but it’s in keeping with the text and the heightened emotions at those moments; and anyway I’m always impressed when someone can narrate simultaneous orgasms convincingly and without laughing their heads off, so she gets extra Brownie points for that! Both narrative and dialogue are well-paced, and she differentiates well between all the characters, lowering the pitch of her voice without sounding strained in order to portray the men. I wasn’t wild about the accent she used for Durand – which, by the way, she pronounces in the English way (sounding the final “d”) rather than the French one, which I found odd – but it’s consistent and is in keeping with the character; and was surprised that she chose to give Clarissa’s brother a less-than-polished accent, but those are really my only criticisms in what is otherwise a thoroughly engaging performance. The Study of Seduction is highly recommended for anyone wanting to listen to a well-written, witty and sexy historical romance.

Caz

Narration: B+

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Tantor Audio

The Study of Seduction was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for a review.