Godspeed: Earls of East Anglia

Dashiell “Dash” de Reims is the Captain of the Guard for Edward de Vaston, the Duke of Savernake in East Anglia (England).  The duke has been like a father to him, and is steadily going senile, with a bit of dementia thrown in as well.  His son-in-law and heir, Clayton le Cairon, is tired of waiting for him to die.  He is ready to be the next rich and powerful duke.  Dash thwarts Clayton regularly, and Clayton wants revenge and he wants power.  Dash loves the duke’s youngest daughter, Belladonna, who is unknowingly being used as a pawn by Clayton, but he is much older than she is, and has never expressed his love to her.   

This audiobook brings medieval pageantry, intrigue, and war to life for the listener.  Ms. Le Veque creates a world inhabited by the de Lohr’s, de Reims, de Vastons, and other noteworthy families, and sets them during the actual reign of King John in 1215.  The setting is evoked beautifully and believably.  The age gap between Dash and Belladonna is a non-issue for most of the story; however, a misunderstanding early in the story brings attention to this age gap. 

Brian Gill does a credible job voicing each of the characters in this audiobook.  His portrayal of the male and female characters includes enough distinction between the voices as to make them easily distinguishable from each other.  The listener doesn’t have to focus on who is speaking, because the narrator and author make the distinctions plain.  With the exception of one text segment that is repeated twice, the audio quality is excellent.  There aren’t any noticeable mouth noises or other sibilant noises evident in the recording.  The story content and the narrator are a delightful match!

Carey Sullivan