The Bedding Proposal by Tracy Anne Warren

Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

The Bedding Proposal boasts a somewhat darker storyline than is found in many historical romances, and certainly possesses a depth which one might not expect on reading the synopsis, which tells us this is the story of a rakish young man who becomes enamoured of a scandalous older woman and doggedly pursues her. That is part of the storyline, it’s true, but it is quickly apparent to the listener that the older woman is not what she is reputed to be, and there is more to the hero than the façade he presents to the world of the devil-may-care rogue.

Lady Thalia Lennox was ignominiously divorced by her husband six years previously when, following a series of miscarriages, he decided she was incapable of giving him an heir. As anyone who reads or listens to historical regularly will know, divorce was an extremely difficult thing to procure in the 19^th century, and was only available to those with a great deal of wealth and influence. Both parties would have been subject to scandal and gossip, but unfortunately – and again, typical of the time period – most of that attached to the woman in the case. So for six years, Lady Thalia has lived on the very fringes of society, carefully managing her very frugal means, not going out very much and not even able to take solace in friendship, as the husbands of her two closest friends do not wish their wives’ reputations to be besmirched by their association with a scandalous divorcée.

Unlike Thalia, Lord Leo Byron has everything. He’s very handsome, charming, independently wealthy and comes from an influential and close-knit family. He’s used to having the ladies falling at his feet, but when he sees Thalia on one of the very rare occasions she ventures out, he is smitten and determined to have her. After all, she is rumoured to have a revolving door of lovers, so he thinks she’ll fall for his obvious masculine charms at the drop of a hat.

His twin brother, Lawrence, cautions him, but Leo is confident of success and duly proceeds to approach the lady and turn on the charm – only to be staggered when he is rebuffed not only verbally, but with a glass of champagne dumped over his head.

This makes Leo only more determined to have Thalia, and he begins his pursuit in earnest. Thalia is dismayed to discover that she has been invited to a fashionable houseparty solely because of a request from Leo, and determines to exact her revenge upon him. But when her plan goes awry and Leo is injured, he can’t help but be grateful as it gives him the opportunity to play on Thalia’s sense of guilt, and to make a bargain with her. When they return to London he asks her to spend two weeks getting to know him. If, at the end of that time, she does not wish to see him again, he will abide by her wishes. If not – well, Leo is confident that by that time he will have seduced her and there will be no “if not”.

It’s true that, up until this point in the story Leo, while undeniably attractive, does come across as an arrogant arse who won’t take no for an answer. And up to a point, he is – his pursuit of Thalia in the face of her refusals is unpalatable – yet somehow, the author keeps him from becoming a complete bastard by showing the listener that in spite of his less than honourable intentions towards her, he can be kind and thoughtful, and by making it clear that the more time he spends in her company, the more he is coming to see that her reputation as a woman of loose morals is completely undeserved.

The central relationship is very well developed, and a genuine friendship grows between the two protagonists before they become lovers, which is something I always appreciate. I enjoyed listening to them get to know each other as they uncovered the real person beneath their respective veneers. Ms Warren really brings home how much damage would have been sustained by a divorced woman at this time as we come to know how badly Thalia’s whole life was ruined through no fault of her own. The author also takes an unvarnished look at the horror of domestic abuse – a terrible thing no matter the time period, but even moreso in the 19^th century when women had no recourse whatsoever. She handles the subject very well and with sensitivity, but those particular scenes are hard to listen to, nonetheless.

We hear Leo turn gradually from that arrogant young idiot we first met into a devoted, caring man who wants nothing more than to be at the side of the woman he loves. Sadly there are insurmountable obstacles in the way of that path and in a heartbreaking development, it seems as though the pair is destined to remain apart.

Barrie Kreinik is a new-to-me narrator, although she has a number of titles to her credit listed at Audible. I’m always a little apprehensive when approaching an audio of a book I enjoyed when the narrator is unfamiliar to me, but I’m pleased to report that Ms Kreinik delivers a very strong performance indeed. Her highly cultured tones are somewhat reminiscent of those one hears in British films of the 1940s, but that was a definite plus, as the characters come from the highest echelons in society, were born into privilege and well-educated; and Ms Kreinik’s strong RP (Received Pronunciation) accent reflects those circumstances perfectly. She differentiates very well between all the characters, and while she doesn’t drop the pitch of her voice all that much for the men, she nonetheless makes a very clear distinction between the sexes. Leo and Lawrence Byron are identical twins, but although they sound similar, they sound different enough as to enable the listener to tell which of the two is speaking fairly easily.

The narrative is well-paced and expressive; it certainly feels as though Ms Kreinik is both familiar and comfortable with the material, and she’s a narrator I will definitely be listening to again. In fact, if I were keeping an accents leader-board, she’d be at the very top, as I only spotted two small mispronunciations that gave away the fact she’s not British!

All in all, The Bedding Proposal is a highly satisfying audio experience. The story is a little different to the norm for historical romances, and the central characters are well-rounded and ultimately likeable. The chemistry between them is undeniable and Ms Kreinik injects the right amount of humour and sensuality into their exchanges. I’m looking forward to the next book, and really hope that this narrator continues with the series.

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Caz

AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: The Bedding Proposal

AUTHOR: Tracy Anne Warren

NARRATED BY: Barrie Kreinik

GENRE: Historical Romance

STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in

REVIEWER: Caz [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V75S824/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy The Bedding Proposal by Tracy Anne Warren on Amazon[/button]