The Player cover art

The Player

Rockliffe, Volume 3

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The Player

By: Stella Riley
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
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About this listen

Tragedy drove him into unwilling exile. Death demands his reluctant return. In the decade between, he has answered to many names and amassed a variety of secrets. Now the actor known to Paris as L'Inconnu must resume his real identity and become Francis Adrian Sinclair Devereux, Earl of Sarre...a man he no longer knows how to be and whose name, thanks to the malice of a friend turned enemy, remains tarnished by an old scandal. Revenge, so long avoided, slithers temptingly from the shadows.

Granddaughter of a wealthy wool-merchant, Caroline Maitland is not finding her society debut either easy of enjoyable...but, to Marcus Sheringham, she is the perfect solution to his crushing mountain of debt. Knowing she will be married for her money, Caroline never believed she would find love; but neither did she bargain for a certain charming French highwayman...and a surprising turn of events. The stage is set, the cast assembled, and the Duke of Rockliffe waits for the curtain to rise. In the wings, Lord Sarre prepares to make his entrance. He doesn't expect to be greeted with applause.

©2015 Stella Riley (P)2016 Stella Riley Fiction Genre Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Comedy Heartfelt

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All stars
Most relevant
Delightful, entertaining and continues the series with great characters and charm. Performed with skill and talent! Brilliant and perfect for relaxing!

Brilliant story and characters

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If you have not yet heard of the Rockliffe series by Stella Riley, I highly recommend them. This is the 3rd book in the series and does not disappoint. If you don't fall madly in love with Adrian as Sarre I will be amazed. But definitely begin with the Parfit Knight to get the full sense of the characters in this fantastic series of books.

Highly amusing listen

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, without hesitation because it is beautifully written and brilliantly narrated.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Player?

Mr Bailes - see review

What does Alex Wyndham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

A expertise in being able to transition seamlessly from one character to another and then back into the narrative. All his characters are well crafted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes - Mr Bailes - see review.

Any additional comments?

Sublime is the one word I can use to describe the final audio in Stella Riley’s Rockliffe series, The Player.
Once again the collaboration between Ms Riley and Alex Wyndham has proved to be a triumph because of the written and narrated content.
The hero in The Player is Francis Adrian Sinclair Devereux, Earl of Sarre who has spent the last 10 years living in France only returning to England now due to a family bereavement.
While living in France he has learned new interesting skills (I won’t say more!) and acquired a good friend Bertrand who adds a lot of fun to the story. As a result French and English characters are sprinkled throughout the book so Mr Wyndham has to narrate the different languages that he does seamlessly - Wonderful.
The storyline is typically Stella Riley with assured and well-constructed dialogue between all characters where not one word is wasted - Superb.
There are a number of touching scenes in the book but my favourite is when Adrian meets a former employee of his father, Mr Bailes. This is beautifully written and with a real emotional pull.
I will not say anymore regarding the plot but will concluded by highly recommending this book to anyone who likes a really good romance coupled with an outstanding narration, which I can only describe as Sublime.

Sublime

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Having read 'the Player' several times, I was sure that I would enjoy Alex Wyndham's narration of Stella Riley's story. It exceeded expectation; there is a vast cast of characters, male and female, from a variety of backgrounds, and Alex Wyndham has given each one a separate voice. Early on in the book, Rock, Amberley, Adrian, Sheringham, the Frenchman Aristide and several others meet by chance at Sinclairs; every voice, every accent is clear and distinguishable, which can be no mean feat and is testament to the narrator's skill.

This is a moving story of betrayal and ultimately, finding love unexpectedly. I think in Adrian, Lord Sarre, Stella Riley created one of her most vulnerable male characters, one who has forgotten how to be himself and is waiting to be kicked again, when he is down. It is all hidden behind an icy reserve, and it takes Caroline, the grand-daughter of a wealthy merchant, to see through the reserve to the man beneath. Such a good story, narrated with great skill [I especially love Bertrand, both on the page and in audio - I am so glad the author gave him his own happy ending in Midwinter Magic!]

Excellent

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Oh Adrian. Sigh, pure sigh. What a super tale of slow building love and renewal. Great characters - Caroline so kind and thoughtful and a bit naive and gauche and Sarre, damaged in many ways yet the hero of our dreams - outwardly cold and austere, inwardly kind, thoughtful and generous. Stella Riley is the best at making us dream alongside our main protaginists. We feel everything they feel and our hearts beat faster with theirs. And as for the narrator? Mr Wyndham is a master at the various voices and tones. He does women really well and uses the exact right emphasis to certain words to make us feel everything the hero feels. This is a re listen for me - sick in bed I return to old favourites - and it was even better the second time. Thanks for hours of bliss.

Delicious in every way.

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