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The Portrait

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About this listen

Lady Catherine Claverton lives alone and angry on the outskirts of Bath, banished by her father because she was born lame and a girl. When the old earl dies, leaving the ancient title to revert to the Crown, Catherine learns the secret that her late mother kept from her - that she is the heir to a title in her own right. If she marries and bears a son, she will have what her father could never have: a legacy through the female line.

But if she takes on that challenge, she needs to marry, something she never dreamed possible. And the two candidates are men with secrets. The kind but secretive sea captain. The handsome but dangerous smuggler. And Catherine has a potentially explosive secret of her own.

"A thrilling hybrid of mystery, romance, and 19th century scene-setting - sure to enthrall fans of historical fiction." (Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize)

©2018 Cassandra Austen (P)2019 Cassandra Austen Historical Historical Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Victorian
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I didn't warm to the female lead first of all but eventually understood why she was, she was protecting herself, her childhood was awful. Born with a lame leg , she was shunned by her father and worse of all a girl.!
She meets a man and falls in love, but she cannot tell him as it will open her up to more heartache. if he doesn't reciprocate.
She asks him to marry her and he agrees.
Most of this story is about secrets not shared by both parties which leads to misunderstandings, and in a marriage you need to share everything.
I loved this book and Alex Wynham is a brilliant narrator..
Not everyone will like this story but I did and will listen to this again.

Slow but engaging

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I chose this book purely because Alex Wyndham was reading it. Of all the male readers in my vast audio collection, he is one of the best. However not even his talents could save this book. When I first started listening to it, I was hopeful that I had found a new historical author (my favourites other than Jane Austen of course, are Lucinda Brant and Stella Riley, they are outstanding & so well-researched that it is a pleasure to read). However about a quarter of the way into this book, I began huffing & puffing at the storyline - it just didn't go anywhere. I understand that Georgian/Regency romantic novels usually have The Big Misunderstanding, but really, this one was the outside of enough! The last half of the book was based entirely on what he didn't tell her, and what she didn't tell him. I wanted to knock their heads together, the stupid pair. I just couldn't root for either hero or heroine, both deserved each other. The lady of the book was ridiculous in that she wanted an heir but then whilst pregnant, embarked on a journey of such profound stupidity, that I almost stopped listening. There was also a situation involving the painting discovery when one of the main characters learnt of it's whereabouts through a prostitute - that really stretched my powers of imagination. I only continued to listen in honour of Alex Wyndham's hard work.

Outstanding narration, shame about the book

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beautifully written and performed, loved the characters in this. I hope this is part of a series - great stuff

laughed and cried

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very enjoyable although a bit long winded in places. different story line with twists and
open ended making you want to read the next book. yeah! liked it.

twists

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The story was tragic in places and full of emotion. The enigmatic characters constantly had you guessing of their real intentions. It is a slow burner of a story, the quiet kind that would make a great film of cult status. I really had no idea how this was going to turn out. Excellent listen and completely engaging. A real regency love story with all the added bonus of real people. Loved it.
Fantastic performance, as ever, from Alex Wyndham.

Slow Burner

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