The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr Wright by Tessa Dare

Narrated by Carolyn Morris

I remembered enjoying this novella – which rounds out Tessa Dare’s Spindle Cove series – when it came out in print what I thought was just a few years ago. Imagine my surprise when I checked Goodreads and discovered I’d read it in 2012! Where did those eight years go??

Anyway. I enjoyed it and was pleased to see it finally making it into audio with Carolyn Morris at the microphone; her performance of what I think is the author’s best book (A Week to be Wicked) is one of my favourites.

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright is a novella so it’s a short listen, and it’s really a series of vignettes that span a period of around four years, detailing several meetings between the titular Mr. Wright and a young lady named Eliza Cade who made a silly mistake made when she was just fourteen (and no, it wasn’t that sort of mistake!), and because of it, her father decided to delay her society début until all her sisters were ‘out’ so as not to spoil their chances on the marriage mart.

Eighteen-year-old Eliza first meets Mr. J. Harrison Wright on the day of her eldest sister’s wedding. Because she’s not out and therefore can’t attend the nuptials, she’s taking a peek at the gathering from behind the door of the morning room, and is surprised to find the room isn’t empty as she’d supposed. She’s even more surprised to realise the identity of her companion, the sort of man a young lady should never ever find herself alone with. But the scandalous Mr. Wright is also handsome, funny, clever and flirtatious, and she can’t bring herself to leave (and Mr. Wright – Harry – detains her on purpose, to – as we discover at the end of the chapter – prevent her being discovered with him and her reputation ruined). Right from the get-go it’s clear that these two are kindred spirits; Harry recognises the latent passion and zest for life struggling to escape from behind Eliza’s very proper exterior and also seems to know she’s not ready to admit it or face up to it yet. The chemistry between them burns bright and their conversation sparkles with the sort of wit and insight that characterises Ms. Dare’s best work.

Harry and Eliza encounter each other at intervals over the following years, at parties, dinners, outings and the like, and these scenes are both memorable and wonderfully effective. The way Harry rushes to Eliza’s side when a family tragedy postpones her début yet again is really touching, and his reactions in the final chapter are simply adorable. The characters are sharply defined, their connection is utterly convincing, and as their attraction grows, so does their deeper understanding of and affection for each other and with those things, comes the discovery they are more alike than they would ever have suspected.

I was really glad to see Carolyn Morris returning to narrate this and the other new-to-audio novella, Beauty and the Blacksmith to complete the Spindle Cove series. I generally enjoy her work and this was no exception; her pacing is good, she differentiates effectively between the cast of characters (for a novella there are a fair number of secondary characters given that each vignette takes place at a different location), and she has a way with deadpan humour that works really well. I also enjoy her ‘hero’ voice; a slight drop in pitch, a more deliberate manner of speech and an amused drawl all serve to present the scandalous Harry as an attractive rascal, who is a lot more perspicacious than he lets on. Eliza is equally well rendered, exuding warmth, good-humour and intelligence – and more than able to hold her own in the bantering department with the rascally Harry.

Although I’m not normally the biggest fan of novellas, The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright is one of my favourites, and one of Tessa Dare’s best books. There’s no superfluity here; the length of this book calls for a fast paced, streamlined plot, but nothing ever feels rushed or incomplete. The humour is spot on, and the whole story just thrums with energy and vivacity; the chemistry between the two leads is electric, and although it’s a short listen (coming in at less than three hours), it’s a wonderfully romantic story and an entertaining way to pass an evening.

Caz


Buy The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare on Amazon

3 thoughts on “The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

  1. I woke up this morning thinking I needed something light and fun right now, and this sounded perfect. Unfortunately it’s one credit or $12.77 to buy on Audible, for less than 3 hours of audio. Deep sigh. Off to look for something else. Great review. I’ll keep this in mind.

Comments are closed.