Zara Hampton-Brown narrates a fairy-tale romance between a principled duke and a former sex worker. Profligate rake Tom Powell recently became the Duke of Northfield when his father died unexpectedly. Lucia manages the Orchid Club, a popular secret sex club owned by a member of the ton. Hampton-Brown does an excellent job with the necessary accents. Tom, while British, was raised in Ireland and has a slight brogue; Lucia is Italian and uses Italian words and phrases with some regularity. The secondary characters are also well done. Members of the ton, including Tom's Irish mother, are easily distinguished from one another, and members of the working class also have a range of accents. While the story is perhaps not historically accurate, it is wholly enjoyable.
Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2018
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062884886
Publisher: Harper Audio
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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