Midwinter Magic
A Rockliffe Christmas Novella
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Midwinter Magic
Narrated by:
Alex Wyndham
Buy Now for £10.44
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Narrated by:
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Alex Wyndham
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By:
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Stella Riley
Summary
Lord and Lady Sarre cordially invite you to spend Christmas at Sarre Park.
Celebrate among old friends and, perhaps, a gate-crasher or two. There will be wassailers and kissing-boughs; music, dancing, and romance; laughter, and some tears. And above all, expect the unexpected because at Christmas, anything can happen.
So, accept your invitation today for what promises to be the most talked-of house party of 1778 and a last huzzah for the Rockliffe series.
©2020 Stella Riley (P)2020 Stella RileyThank you Stella Riley, Alex Wyndham and Audible for the Christmas gift of the audio version of this book.
So sad for this series to end!
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will make no sense.
There are surprising betrothals, well deserved comeuppances, some wishful thinking and a whole lot of love.
Magical.
As always,Alex Wyndham works his own magic with the narration.
I loved it.
The happiest of endings
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A Fitting Conclusion
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A treat
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Stella Riley has brought her fabulous and much loved Rockliffe series to an end with a delightful novella, which in my opinion, is best described as an epilogue to this compelling series. It’s worth saying here, incase any new reader of this author thinks otherwise, that this is NOT a standalone story. Not normally a fan of novellas, MIDWINTER MAGIC is the exception, for I loved every word of this magical little story. Ms. Riley took the opportunity to tie off a loose end which she did with her usual attention to detail and authenticity. Never one to cut corners, she can always be relied upon to check her facts carefully.
To go into too much detail would be to give the game away to fans and followers of Rockliffe and company, who have not yet read MIDWINTER MAGIC. But to summarise, the main characters of this series, who have all had their own books, Amberley and Rosalind (THE PARFIT KNIGHT), naturally the magnificent Rockliffe himself, and Adeline, his duchess (THE MÉSALLIANCE), Adrian and Caroline (THE PLAYER), Sebastian and Cassie (THE WICKED COUSIN), Nicholas and Madeleine (HAZARD), and Julian and Arabella (CADENZA), have all been invited to a house party at Sarre Park, Adrian Devereux, the Earl of Sarre’s country seat. And as well as Adrian’s guests, we the reader/listener, are transported back to 1778 and treated to an authentic traditional Christmas party, complete with wassailers, kissing boughs, parlour games and dancing.
There are other guests too, Caroline’s grandpapa, Hubert Maitland, Lady Lily Brassington, and by this stage in the series, there are also seven children. To Caroline’s distress, there are some uninvited guests who have to be accommodated at the last minute - Caroline’s brash mother and her two younger half sisters. As usual Caroline’s mother’s social climbing antics cause much hilarity and are made all the more amusing by Stella Riley’s always evident wit and humour. And I’m so glad that Adrian’s close friend and major domo, Bertrand Didier, has been given a starring role this time, because I’ve always thought him a gem of a character since his first appearance in THE PLAYER. Bertrand has had me giggling on numerous occasions with his outspokenness and irreverence, which is only accentuated by Alex Wyndham’s portrayal of the Frenchman in the audio books.
Alex Wyndham, who has performed all of Stella Riley’s books, has done an impressive job juggling so many characters and keeping their voices distinct and recognisable, especially when you consider MIDWINTER MAGIC is book seven in the series. Two voices in particular which constantly stand out for me in his performances are Rockliffe and Sebastian. Rockliffe - always urbane, utterly delicious, and giving off an aura of power in a voice which doesn’t need to be raised in order to be heard. His timing, such as his reply to a question put to him by Adeline on entering the breakfast parlour late one morning...
‘ I regret to say, my love,’ remarked Rockliffe lazily, ‘that you have missed the most entertaining breakfast I believe I have ever witnessed...
... is, as always, impeccable with a quiet amusement that is far more entertaining because of its understatement. Then there’s Sebastian - the joker, never unkind, but whose character’s voice is perfectly pitched to portray the fun, charismatic man Stella Riley created in THE WICKED COUSIN; the amusing heckler who pipes up at just the right moment and can almost always deflect a difficult situation. But that’s just to name two, because all Ms. Riley’s characters are memorable. So, if you’ve read the rest of the Rockliffe series, but haven’t got around to MIDWINTER MAGIC, please don’t miss this gorgeous epilogue, which, by the way, has two sweet and unexpected romances for good measure. And, if you haven’t read but are in two minds about whether to tackle the seven books in the Rockliffe series, then please do not hesitate - especially the audio versions - they’re stupendous. In the words of one reviewer... ‘Stella Riley’s books make me feel happy’... and that seems like a good place for me to end this review.
A heartwarming ending to a magnificent series
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