When Charlotte Heath sees her husband bend to kiss another woman, she drives her carriage out of town and takes refuge in Boston's Beechmont Hotel. It turns out to be an unusual place, particularly for Massachusetts in 1900: By day, the porters carry bags; at night they visit the all-female clientele. Despite the sexual high-jinks, Cooney's story is more elegiac than boisterous, and Cassandra Campbell's well-enunciated reading emphasizes the reflective tone. She has a nicely timbered, well-modulated voice that is a pleasure to hear, yet some listeners may wish for more energy in the delivery. Slightly less enunciation and more liveliness would have lifted a good reading into an excellent one.
Pub Date: 2005
Duration: 11 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A model and a mogul get married in Vegas on a bet, and Diana Luke narrates their story with élan. While it would be easy to portray Leila Darling as a scheming caricature or Carter Bain as a ruthless businessman, Luke never crosses that line. Her portrayal of Leila is generous and encompasses the full range of her character--from the formidable professional at the top of her game to the vulnerable woman who is unsure if she can trust a man with her heart. Likewise, Luke's portrayal of Carter showcases both his business acumen and his emotional vulnerability as he opens himself up to Leila. While loosely connected to the previous Unconventional Brides volumes, this can easily stand alone.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501968471
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After her divorce, Roberta Jewett, with her three daughters, returns to Camden, Maine, to start a new life. Such an independent move in 1916 brings difficulties with her mother, her in-laws and the townspeople. Dukes's performance, while skillful, sometimes suffer in scenes of emotional content. His pace slows, and his reading acquires the peculiar emphasis of someone trying to get instructions across to a non-English-speaking person. The effect is disturbingly laughable. When he resumes his normal pace, the story revives and personalities emerge again, but the awkwardness remains as an odd interruption to Spencer's drama of pain and love, dispelling Dukes's carefully constructed characterizations.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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