Narrated by Beverley A. Crick
Better late than never, so they say, and I’m pleased to agree with that when it comes to the release of this first book in Caroline Linden’s Wagers of Sin series. My Once and Future Duke was released in print at the end of February and I’m happy to report that the audio version – narrated by the ever-reliable Beverley A. Crick – was worth the wait.
In the prologue, we’re introduced to the three heroines of the series – Sophie, Eliza and Georgiana – when Sophie is sent to school by her grandfather, Viscount Makepeace, who wants nothing to do with her. He disowned Sophie’s father when he married an opera singer, and Sophie has lived all her life abroad as the family travelled frequently to her mother’s engagements. When her voice began to fail, Sophie’s father did what he could to support his family by gambling; having some knowledge of mathematics, probabilities and odds, he didn’t do too badly and Sophie learned many card games from him – and from the lads in the stables, she learned dicing, how to calculate odds, when to be cautious and when to take a risk. Sophie’s parents died when she was twelve and she was left to the care of the viscount, who made it clear that his financial support would stop when she was eighteen, so she has devised a plan which will secure her future – but it’s risky and means she will have to live on the edge of respectability.
Sophie longs for a home and family of the sort she had herself but knows she will never make a respectable marriage unless she can bring something to her husband when she marries. She has set herself a goal of amassing a dowry of ten thousand pounds – and by the time we meet her again as an adult, she has made a start on that by gambling (carefully) at the Vega Club, one of the few establishments of its kind that admits women.
Jack Lindeville, Duke of Ware, is furious with his younger brother Philip for running up yet more gambling debts he can’t pay. Bowing once again to his mother’s pleading, Jack tells Philip that he will settle this latest debt on condition that it’s the last time he wagers such a large sum AND that he does not set foot in the Vega Club again. Philip readily agrees – so it’s not surprising that Jack is incensed when, about to leave the club after having paid his brother’s dues, Jack spies him at the Hazard table, losing to a stunning woman in a crimson gown.
Jack is astonished at the strength of the desire for this woman that rushes through him; he’s never experienced such a visceral reaction before and it throws him off balance. Even so, he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he believes her to have set out to fleece Philip, and then, furious, hurt and caught off guard by lust, proposes a scandalous wager. If the lady will play Hazard with him and wins, the prize will be five thousand pounds. If she loses… she will give him a week of her company.
Sophie knows she’s being insulted and knows she shouldn’t accept the wager… but five thousand pounds is a lot of money, and she allows her wounded pride to get the better of her. She’s worked out that this handsome, angry individual must be Philip’s brother, and it’s obvious he’s a novice when it comes to gambling. But Hazard really IS a game of chance… and Sophie’s luck is about to run out.
Caroline Linden is one of my favourite authors, and she doesn’t disappoint, creating a wonderfully tender, sensual romance between two people who are obviously perfect for each other, but whose differences in background and social status look set to keep them apart.
Jack inherited his title in his early twenties and takes his duty to his family and dependents very seriously, which has led to his being labelled a bit of a dull dog in some quarters. He knows it is incumbent upon him to select a suitable bride who will make him an admirable duchess and has no expectation of anything other than the advantageous, unemotional marriage conducted by many of his peers. But the few days he spends with Sophie are a revelation, and he starts to believe that perhaps he can have something for himself in life after all; she’s funny, clever, charming, and exactly the sort of woman he can see himself spending the rest of his life with – but how can a duke marry a woman who makes her living at the gaming tables?
Sophie knows this as well as Jack does, yet she is unable to stop herself falling for the loving, warm-hearted and affectionate man she quickly realises lies beneath the haughty, ducal exterior. Their romance blooms quickly, yet the author imbues it with such a strong sense of compatibility and genuine affection that it doesn’t feel rushed or the least bit underdeveloped. In fact the only criticism I have about the story is the misunderstanding thrown in near the end and Sophie’s reaction to it. Fortunately, things are put right quickly but still, it feels contrived and as though it’s there just to squeeze out an extra drop of tension; and I didn’t like the way Sophie was prepared to believe the worst with no evidence to support what she’d been told.
That niggle apart though, My Once and Future Duke is a delightful and sensual romance written with Ms. Linden’s characteristic warmth and intelligence. Having enjoyed other audiobooks of hers narrated by Beverley A. Crick, I was pleased when the latter was confirmed as the narrator for this series, as she’s a very skilled vocal actress and I always enjoy listening to her. Her performance is well-paced and expressive in both narrative and dialogue, and the characters are all clearly differentiated according to gender, age and station. Sophie, Eliza and Georgiana are convincingly portrayed as girls of twelve, and again later on, their voices have subtly altered but not so much that the listener isn’t able to work out which is which. Her heroes always sound suitably and attractively masculine, and Jack is no exception; Ms. Crick doesn’t drop her voice into her boots, but makes use of a slight drop in pitch and an alteration in timbre which does the trick admirably ;) As ever, I found myself particularly enjoying the expressive nature of her performance; she has the ability to convey even the smallest sentiment or emotion through her voice without going over the top or not making enough of it. All in all, My Once and Future Duke is an audiobook I’m very pleased to recommend to others for both its excellent story and narration. By the way, book two in the series – An Earl Like You – is wonderful; I haven’t listened to it yet, but I read it a few weeks back, and I’m sure the audio will be equally enjoyable.
Caz
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