After the loss of her family, Evangeline Blake is uprooted from her upper-class lifestyle and sent to Smeatley, a small town amid the moors of West Yorkshire, to work as a teacher. Narrator Justine Eyre's wide-ranging performance expertly showcases this region's challenging dialect, allowing listeners to fully experience the language and culture barriers Evangeline must overcome to connect with her students. Evangeline is not the only outsider in Smeatley--she soon forms an unexpected relationship with lilting Irishman Dermot McCormick, a brick mason and single father. For the townspeople and Dermot, their dialects are tied to their identity and sense of community. Eyre's thoughtful consideration of these traits is wonderfully displayed through her nuanced and well-crafted performance.
Pub Date: March 6, 2018
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781538545027
Publisher: Blackstone 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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