The Earl of Sunderland

HISTORICAL/REGENCY:  Lady Grace Beaumont is fiercely independent, and has been since the age of 15, when her mother died after giving birth to a son.  She is well-educated and has a modicum of freedom that other young ladies of her station rarely experience.  Christopher (Kit) Roker is a younger twin and a military man, who has distinguished himself in the war against Napoleon.  His older twin brother, Carson, is the heir to the Earl of Sunderland, and marries Lady Grace’s cousin, to secure the succession.  He is settling down nicely when he dies in a tragic accident, leaving a pregnant wife behind, and leaving Kit as the possible Earl of Sunderland, dependent upon the sex of the baby.

Kit is a very likeable character, although he makes some statements that show him in a less-than-flattering light.  Lady Grace is so independent that she can’t see any benefit to being married, and she seems a little too far ahead of her time.  She carries this belief to extreme lengths, even after Kit expresses admiration for her independence, and reassures her that he isn’t interested in stifling her spirit.  They are well-matched in many ways, and this is a believable story.  The pacing holds the reader’s interest, and the heroine is a refreshing change from the simpering misses often characterized in books set in this period.

The characters are performed well by this narrator.  The production is clear and crisp and well-modulated, and the voices are easily distinguishable for the most part.  There aren’t any distracting mouth or background noises.  The narrator is able to convey the emotions evoked in the struggles of each protagonist in a believable way.  

Carey Sullivan