Narrated by Kate Reading
It’s been a great pleasure to have almost all of Loretta Chase’s backlist produced in audio, and with the fabulous Kate Reading performing to boot! This month, we get to revel in two books from the Fallen Women series – Your Scandalous Ways and Don’t Tempt Me.
Francesca Bonnard is a British divorcée turned courtesan, living in Venice. She was married well and young through the “marriage mart” but soon learned that her husband had a series of mistresses and bad political choices, making her life miserable. In a naive effort to get him to pay attention to her, she had an affair which brought the breakdown of the marriage and the disastrous divorce, leaving her shunned by British society. She managed to find evidence of his treason in letters that she takes with her and taunts him with over the years. There are two camps that want these letters badly – one that wants to out him as a traitor and ruin his political career, and the other that wants to destroy the letters so he can move up higher in political circles.
When we see James Cordier in Venice, we know he is there to get the letters but it isn’t clear which camp he is in. He’s a master spy, master jewel thief, master mimic and 2nd son. He thought he was at the end of his spy career until pressed into service one last time to retrieve the treasonous letters.
James first meets Francesca at the opera, while he is in disguise as a servant, and realizes right away the charm and appeal she has for all the men in her life. She is currently between lovers, and is stringing along a series of men, waiting to see which one will be her new protector. Francesca has been using her wiles to attract men for 5 years – skills she learned from a madame in France. She is independent and strong – character traits she honed from her experience with men abusing her trust, mainly her father and her first husband. She is no pushover, and doesn’t give in willingly to her attraction to James, who she immediately assumes isn’t worthy of her.
From the beginning, though, the chemistry is strong between James and Francesca. What makes their story different from stock Regency Romance is that both characters have had a lot of experience with lust and sexual chemistry and the use of sex as a weapon or a means to an end. They go into their adversarial relationship with eyes wide open, knowing (or assuming) each is only good for one thing. She teases him and leads him on only because she assumes he could not afford her services, and he plays along because he is only looking for the letters. What they don’t see until they are both in the thick of it is how their relationship has evolved, how their teasing and intrigue has changed, and how they have both fallen so deeply in love, against both their better judgements. In fact, in a conceit I love, he realizes it and voices it first and often. Sigh! The besotted hero!
Chase’s writing skill is unmatched in my experience – she manages to write layered, complex stories that are still light and funny and witty and romantic and steamy and also ring true. I almost wrote “unique” and I guess “unmatched” isn’t exactly right either. (obviously I do not possess this talent!) The story becomes almost romantic suspense as James and Francesca work together to find the villain who has made attempts on Francesca’s life and ransacked her home. The suspense is well done although the romance is front and center.
Kate. Reading. I feel like those 2 words are enough to describe the narration of Your Scandalous Ways in the most positive way possible. If you follow AudioGals at all, you already know how much we value her skills and talent at bringing romance to audio. Her pronunciation, her pacing, her ability to differentiate between all the characters, all of these traits are top-notch in every book she performs, and make listening a pure joy. Her acting is superb; her delivery of all the emotions is spot on. Her experience shows in the things you never hear, never notice because she doesn’t commit any of the Deadly Narrator Sins that reduce a book’s worth – no awkward or out of place pauses, no cringe-worthy mispronunciations, no gasping/audible breaths. Not just highly recommended, but this is required listening for all historical romance audiobook buffs. (There will be a test at the end of the month.)
Melinda
Narration: A+
Book Content: A+
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence Rating: Minimal
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: NYLA
Your Scandalous Ways was provided to AudioGals by NYLA for a review.
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Thank you Shannon! It’s been quite a ride!
I mean Melinda! Melinda! Sorry.
Hah! I will add “Who wrote the review?” to the test at the end of the month, just to see if anyone is paying attention. Thanks!
I can only say, in paltry defense, that Shannon posted your review on fb, which is where I read it. My lizard brain assumed she wrote it. I blame the font change. And not enough coffee. But thank you! It has been so much fun to read these books. Takes me back to my Barbara Cartland childhood.