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Cadenza

Rockliffe, Book 6

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About this listen

Rockliffe Series recommended in The Times.

The performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.

Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy...and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.

And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob, and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle...if they dare believe in it.

Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives...most notably, their own.

And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware.

The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.

©2018 Stella Riley (P)2019 Stella Riley Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance
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From start to finish this book was wonderful and enticing…
Where the last book lacked THIS BOOK I LOVED & ENJOYED TREMENDOUSLY!

Needless to say and repeating what everyone says - Alex Wyndham is a marvellous narrator!

Thank you for these hours of joy!

I LOVED RHIS BOOK !!!!

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As a fan of baroque and classical music, the harpsichord, Couperin, Mozart and Stella Riley, I was always going to enjoy this wonderful romp. I just hadn't realised how much!

The plot could be from one of Mozart and Da Ponte's operas. Two beautiful young cousins switch places - the poor vicar's daughter Lizzie becomes an honoured guest in a ducal household in London (Riley's omniscient Rockliffe). There, she captures the eye of the saturnine Ralph Sheringham, a villain in Riley's Hazard, and sets him on the road to redemption. The wealthy heiress Belle travels to a dilapidated estate in Lincolnshire, where she works as housekeeper and governess to the neglected children of the late master of the house.

The new master, Julian Langham, is our hero - and what a hero! Turn every single 'romance hero' cliché on its head, and you have Julian. He is shy, socially awkward, tongue-tied in the presence of women, unless it be to blurt out the first thing that comes to his head, a fish out of water tricked into taking on a ruined estate and a title he neither sought nor wanted. He is also a genius at the harpsichord, a friend of Mozart, and a kind, compassionate man who fosters his predecessor's illegitimate children in his home and heart. Julian is adorable and you understand how the accomplished and clever Belle falls for him and wants him to succeed as a concert musician. Incidentally, Belle is the descendant of Gabriel and Venetia Brandon, of Garland of Straw fame, which gave me a happy moment.

And what of the 'switching places' plot? The inimitable Rockliffe, of course, has a hand in untangling it... and after an adagio intermezzo during which the lovers are separated, we are treated to a happy scherzo... amabile and con brio!

My only regret is that we don't see the full blossoming of Ralph Sherborne's heart. But Stella Riley leaves us with him well on the way to redemption, so I'll just have to imagine the rest.

Alex Wyndham narrates the book with his customary assurance and talent - his voices, accents and tempo are all excellent and a credit to Ms Riley's flowing pen.

a Mozart - Da Ponte plot for a delightful fugue

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Oh how I cried! I loved it! Gorgeous characters and who knew I could turn the corner on Lizzie’s chap! xxx

I loved it!

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As a late convert to audio books, I have found that an extra dimension has been added - descriptions and conversations have more colour and meaning. Having bought this book when it was first published and devoured it a number of times since, I was reluctant to acquire the audio version believing that I would find it less enjoyable. I need not have worried. This is the final book in the Rockcliffe series and ties up a number of loose ends, telling the story of two cousins who change places which makes things interesting. Not wanting to give anything away - all I can say is that Alex Wyndham’s rendition is superb, the Harcourt men’s voices in particular! I would recommend Cadenza (either audio, kindle or book form) to anyone who is looking for a well written and researched historical novel.

Loved it!

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I have just finished listening to Cadenza written by Stella Riley and performed by Alex Wyndham.
As always Alex brings the Rockliffe series to life with his narration and this story is a lovely ending to the Rockliffe series.
I shall miss all the characters but know I can go back time and again to listen to all the wonderful stories in this series.
Deborah C

Outstanding narration and an outstanding story

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