Narrated by Beverley A. Crick
I’ve enjoyed the three stories that comprise Tracy Anne Warren’s Rakes of Cavendish Square trilogy in both print and audio – with the exception of the audiobook version of Happily Bedded Bliss (book two) which is the only narration to which I’ve ever awarded an F grade. I was glad, therefore, that Tantor Audio engaged Beverley A. Crick to narrate this last instalment, Bedchamber Games, which tells the story of the one remaining unmarried Byron sibling, Lord Lawrence, who, although the brother of a duke, has built himself a career and sterling reputation as a barrister.
Lawrence is at the top of his profession, known to possess one of the keenest legal minds around, and his reputation for winning his cases is pretty much second to none. So it comes as a bit of a shock one day when he is bested in court by a young barrister, new to London, named Ross Carrow. But Lawrence is gracious in defeat, acknowledging that his opponent’s carefully reasoned arguments carried the day, and invites Mr. Carrow to have a drink with him at his club the following evening.
Rosamund Carrow and her brother, Bertram, have recently lost their father, a respected barrister. His death was sudden and he left a number of unfinished cases and commitments behind which Bertram wants to complete, but there’s a snag. He’s an extremely capable lawyer, but he suffers from a debilitating stammer when he is anxious or the centre of attention, meaning that he is very unsuited to trial work. So he persuades Rosamund – whose legal training was every bit as thorough as his, and who frequently used to assist her father with his trial preparations – to pose as their cousin Ross and make the necessary court appearances until all the cases are cleared.
Not without misgivings, Rosamund agrees and starts work, unable to believe that all the men around her are taking her at face value. During the next few weeks, she also spends time with Lord Lawrence Byron, who seems to have taken her under his wing. Lawrence feels oddly drawn to this highly intelligent young man whose gaucheness and inability to hold his drink is rather endearing; but is completely thrown when he starts to notice other things about him, like the speaking grey eyes hiding behind his spectacles, his plump lips and nicely rounded bottom. Lawrence has never before experienced feelings of attraction towards a member of his own sex, and is very unnerved by it.
Fortunately for poor, confused Lawrence, an offhand comment by his brother Leo suddenly brings things into sharp focus and he realises that Ross Carrow isn’t a man at all. After breathing a huge sigh of relief, he then becomes determined to expose ‘him’ as a fraud – but later thinks better of it, realising that while Miss Carrow’s sex prevents her from entering the legal profession, her intelligence and ability is as good as any other lawyer he knows and he believes she should be able to continue to do something she so clearly loves. Besides that, he has come to value her friendship, has enjoyed their many discussions and wants to continue to see her and talk with her … while adding in a few extra benefits. Like kissing. And more than kissing.
Rosamund has found it increasingly difficult to ignore the strength of the attraction she feels for Lawrence, even though she is well aware of the fact that even if he met her as a woman he would be unlikely to give her a second glance. When she learns that he has uncovered her deception, she expects the worst – so she is stunned when Lawrence tells her that she should continue her work… and that he desires her. At first she is wary, but eventually allows herself to accept what is being offered her – the chance to experience passion in the arms of a devastatingly attractive man.
The woman-disguised-as-a-man trope is one of my least favourite in the genre, but Ms. Warren makes it work, mostly by having Rosamund be surprised at the ease with which she carries off her deception and emphasising the care she takes to maintain her male persona. And in audio, of course, there is the extra dimension to the portrayal afforded by the narration; Ms. Crick quite rightly chooses to use a different pitch and timbre when Rosamund speaks as Ross than when she is speaking as herself. I really liked Rosamund as a character; she’s a strong, intelligent woman who knows full well that she has the ability to be and do far more than the constraints applied to her gender permit, but who also knows that she can’t afford to cross too many lines. Lawrence is perhaps less well defined, but he’s a charming, sexy hero, even though some of his actions later in the book are ill-judged.
And speaking of Lawrence’s poor judgement; while the central romance is very well developed and imbued with a slow-burn sexual tension that is very appealing, there is very little conflict in the story, and what there IS is obviously manufactured so as to provide some tension in the final few chapters. Throughout the book, we’re told that Lawrence is courting the daughter of a judge, an influential man he hopes will help him to achieve his ambition of one day ascending to the bench. He knows it will be a marriage of convenience, yet even though he recognises the strength of his feelings for Rosamund, he never thinks about marrying her. His dilemma is completely on his own head – he could change his mind, but doesn’t – and this makes the ending more than a little bit of an anti-climax.
I said at the outset that I was pleased to see that Tantor had switched narrators (again – book one, The Bedding Proposal – was excellently narrated by Barrie Kreinik, and I can’t help but wonder why she didn’t continue with the series) and brought in the ever reliable Beverley A. Crick to finish out the trilogy. I always enjoy her narrations, which are well-paced in both narrative and dialogue, and in which the various characters are clearly distinguishable. Leo and Lawrence are easy to tell apart in their scenes together, and she does a good job of portraying the various Byron family members who have cameo appearances in a couple of scenes and of differentiating effectively between them. Her acting choices are solid and she has a nice way of bringing out the humour in a story; the banter between Lawrence and ‘Ross’ is nicely done and their affection for each other is strongly communicated to the listener. Both principals are well realised and Ms. Crick really captures the strength of the emotion that lies between the pair in the latter part of the story.
Bedchamber Games isn’t my favourite book of the trilogy, (that would be The Bedding Proposal), but it’s a well-developed, sensual romance between a couple of engaging central characters and Ms. Crick’s accomplished narration is a definite plus.
Caz
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