The Bride Wore Pearls: Fraternitas Aureae Crucis, Book 3

Liz always writes wonderful stories! The narrator was wonderful too. Great plot had me guessing all the way through. Sensual love scenes and romantic, emotional connection. I need the next book in the series to be out yesterday but will probably have to wait a while :(

I really enjoyed this story very much. I loved Anisha and Lord Lazonby. What a great couple with great chemistry, and some good steamy sex scenes. She was strong, determined, witty and took zero crap. No whiny whimpering heroine here. Lots of great dialogue throughout the book. I was so glad to finally find out who the killer was that set Rance Lazonby up for the murder rap. A nice mystery and a little surprise too.

As for the narration, Angele Masters did a fantastic job. The men sounded like men and everyone had their own distinctive voice.

Setting: England Prologue is 1834, otherwise 1848-49
Genre: Romantic suspense

Angele Masters provided a good performance of this interesting book, the third in the Fraternitas Aureae Crucis series. Her delivery was smooth and differentiation of characters was well-done.
Apparently, there is some sort of paranormal element to the series, but it wasn't really an important part of this book. I didn't listen to or read the first two but, except for some references and appearance of the main characters of the other books, this wasn't dependent on them for enjoyment.

The plot was interesting, with enough twists to keep you listening. The hero, Rance, was somewhat standard in that he was gorgeous, had a shady past, and is somewhat still a bit twisted. The heroine, Anisha, was a bit unusual, more exotic than the standard English rose. She is the daughter of a Scottish Company man living in India who married a native woman of high caste. She is also the widow of an Englishman (also with the East India Company) and has two sons from that marriage. The plot revolves around Rance and Anisha trying to clear his name and restore the family honor.

The book has a slow start as the author felt the need to explain how English and Scottish men would sometimes marry native women. I don't think that was necessary because we're smart enough, as readers, to get that. So, regarding the mystery/suspense, there are some events and people you need to keep straight in order to "get" it, but it's good nonetheless. And there is a strange obsession Rance has with a newspaper reporter that gets weird, especially when he gets introspective about it. But no worries, you'll get it, especially when you consider the spoils of war and the need men have in showing dominance.

Overall, worth the credit, whether you read the first two or not.