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The Damsel: A Dark Regency Erotic Romance
- The Villain Duology, Book 4
- Narrated by: Darcy Stark
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
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The Damsel: A Dark Regency Erotic Romance
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Summary
The honourable Mr. Robert Stanley is heartbroken....
After losing the love of his life to another man, he stumbles into a public house looking to drown his sorrows. The last thing he expects is to be approached with a scandalous proposition. When Lady Cassandra Lane offers him one night in an upstairs room with her, he leaps at the chance despite her stipulation that he submit to her every whim. He wants nothing more than to lose himself and forget his pain; allowing someone else control seems a small price to pay for it. Little does he know that one night will have the power to change everything.
Lady Cassandra Lane is in a constant state of rage....
After her brutal assault at the hands of a lord, she’s had her name and reputation dragged through the mud. Her family and friends have turned their back on her, and she’s become a social outcast. In the midst of it all, the anger and fear caused by the theft of her innocence rules her existence, and Cassandra has had enough. Deciding to take control of her circumstances, she sets out to find a man with whom she can overcome her anxiety over physical intimacy. Robert Stanley seems like an ideal choice - someone she can use for her own ends and discard once she is done. However, she never anticipates that their one encounter will lead to a craving for more.
Even when she fights him, all he wants is to save her from herself....
Robert cannot understand why he responds so readily to Cassandra’s dominant nature, or the cruelty fueled by her anger. Nevertheless, he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame - despite the possibility that she will only hurt him in the end. As he falls rapidly under her spell, he begins to uncover Cassandra’s deep, dark secrets, as well as her hidden pain. Even though she pushes him away at every turn, he finds himself unable to walk away - especially when it becomes clear that one of her secrets might just be the death of her.
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What listeners say about The Damsel: A Dark Regency Erotic Romance
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kate @MLHearingThings
- 17-06-19
Regency London as you have never seen it before...
The Damsel was my first 'Dark Regency', and I wasn't sure what to expect. I have always listened to Regency stories when I want lightweight, predictable, easy-listening, but I was intrigued by the prospect of exploring another facet of the period. I'm glad I took the chance, as it was very entertaining and a fresh - though some may feel a rather sacrilegious - take on the genre.
In Vale's Regency world, society etiquette is dramatically subverted at many a turn, though mainly behind closed doors. The villains are brutal, the intimacy graphic, and the characters' torturous experiences are not all of the sensual variety. The Damsel features a D/s relationship with the heroine in the Dominant role, and I enjoyed having both Robert's and Cassandra's pleasures articulated during the steamier scenes.
This audiobook was the best blend of romance and kink of any I've heard, thus far. So often the affection in similar novels feels tacked-on to justify or soften other behaviours, but the tenderness between Lady Cassandra and Mr Stanley felt as sincere as their passion.
The first hour or so of this novel is almost relentlessly bleak, to the point that it did feel a little gratuitous. A rich backstory is helpful for developing a solid understanding of a character's motivations, but I would have preferred it to be woven into the novel rather than delivered like an Oscars 'People We Lost This Year' montage at the start. Keep going, though, as it picks up pace well after that.
Overall I was sorry to part from the characters and was pleased that their story ended on a positive note, especially after such a grim start. Whilst this audiobook has rather little in common with a traditional Regency romance, its HEA was a welcome nod to the classic format.
The narrator, Darcy Stark, was new to me but very enjoyable. Stark's reading was very dramatic with the occasional unusual inflection toward the beginning, but he brought each character to life very nicely. His voice was passionate and emotive, coping well with tragedy and intimacy.
Whilst very different to my usual, lightweight Regency fare, I'm looking forward to listening to similar audiobooks by Victoria Vale. I think the earlier books in the Villain Duology will be next on my wishlist, even though this was a stand-alone novel.
I would recommend this audiobook to people who usually find Regency romances a little too sweet, and to those who would like to explore Dominance and submission against the safe, ordered backdrop of Regency England.
*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bev
- 26-04-20
Loved every book in the series
Well written down right enjoyable to listen to
Thank you Victoria Vale thumps up
If you haven’t listened or read any of her work. Please give a go xx
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