Narrated by Nicholas Boulton
I think it goes without saying that this could be the Manhattan healthcare providers directory narrated by Nicholas Boulton and it would get an A+ because his voice is incredibly fetching and his acting skills remarkable in every way. Add to that the same fetching and remarkable writing skills of Laura Kinsale, and this is an audiobook dream team that will make you glad you have an Audible account! Kinsale admits Uncertain Magic is an early effort on her part, with a touch of paranormal before paranormal was cool.
Roderica (Roddy) Delamore was born with the genetic gift that isn’t named – she can sense and hear the innermost, unspoken thoughts and emotions of humans and animals around her. In the way of gifts like this, it is also a curse because it’s difficult to control, In crowds, she is constantly bombarded by unwelcome feelings and words. Her ancestors have dealt with it in ways that made her realize she would never be able to have a normal life, with a family and children – even her own mother is frightened by her. (The gift is passed down in the male line, to their daughters.)
As the youngest of five children and the only girl, she starts out the tale in a trouser role, passing as a stable boy, when she senses a thoroughbred race horse in intense, excruciating pain. She steps in to keep the animal from being raced again – certain of its death – and learns the horse belongs to Iveragh, the Devil Earl of Ireland. Then she realizes something awful and wonderful: she cannot read Iveragh’s mind.
Faelen Savigar, the Earl of Iveragh. has secrets of his own – he is called the Devil Earl because of all the rumors surrounding him. It’s said that he killed his father, that he was a blackmailer and a thief and a pitiless corrupter of innocent maids. He is also bankrupt, Roddy learns, and so she decides to have her stable boy self convince him to offer for the hand of his employer’s daughter, who is wealthy (that would be her, see?). Although he catches her in the deceit, he decides it is a good plan. Since his reputation is so black, he cannot find a wife on his own and it’s a good solution.
Roddy’s childhood friend is Jeffery, whom she originally had hoped to marry, and who also happens to be Faelen’s best friend. Jeffrey has married an Irish girl and is now caught up in the current Irish political unrest. He plays a part in getting Faelen and Roddy together, and then he convinces Faelen to help him aid the rebels back in Ireland, where the current tenants of Iveragh hate and fear the Devil Earl and his apparently fae new wife. This is where Faelen and Roddy must confront Faelen’s past, and they are both tested – does Roddy still carry a torch for Jeffrey? Is Faelen actually compromising young women, even after they are married? Can she trust him with the secret of her gift?
Once I got past the opening scene (the trouser bit) and the pretty large difference in age (she is 19 to his 35 – a little creepy, especially since he keeps calling her “little girl”), the action picked up and I got involved. The story is told almost exclusively from Roddy’s POV (something I definitely noticed, and that Kinsale mentions on her website), almost as if the reader is also blocked from Faelen’s thoughts. This is very effective, really, until the very end, when the details of Faelen’s childhood are revealed. Let’s just say that although I enjoyed the story as a whole, I found the ending a little too much.
But, hey, Nick Boulton, Narrator! Yes, his narration definitely lifted the story up for me and I enjoyed it much more in audio than I had in print. His grasp of language, of accents, of acting is so complete, that there isn’t much left to say: it’s pretty much perfect! He delivers the contents of Roddy’s brain – both her own thoughts and those of the people around her – in a way that makes you a total believer in Uncertain Magic. He differentiates between genders and between characters seamlessly, with a sort of gentling of his voice for female characters instead of the dreaded falsetto – he uses the highs and lows of his own vocal range to great effect. His pacing is perfection – urgent when needed, more deliberate in other parts. His voice totally complements Kinsale’s lush and provocative writing.
Notable Pet: MacLassar the piglet – I couldn’t find a way to work him into the review, but he is delightful all the same!
Melinda
Narration: A+
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Graphic – descriptions of past events, but told graphically
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Hedgehog Inc
Uncertain Magic was provided to AudioGals by Hedgehog Inc for review.
Laura Kinsale’s early efforts are, nevertheless, way above the average. I love all her books and with Mr. Boulton as narrator this audiobook will undoubtedly become a favourite of mine. It’s already waiting for me in my Library and I’m waiting for Christmas to come and go before starting the listening.. These days are getting crazier and crazier at work and at home and these audiobooks are meant to be enjoyed at leisure.
Thank you for the review Melinda!
I alluded to this in today’s article featuring Laura and Nick’s video but Uncertain Magic has always seemed a little “magical” to me and not in the paranormal way. Start with the hero’s name – Faelen. I love that! And it has a bit more of a traditional romance feel to it. It’s not as deep as some of her other books but it is an easier book to listen to as the protagonists don’t have as many deep problems to sort through. It is my favorite after The Shadow and the Star and Flowers from the Storm. I’ll return to it for another listen before I do…say…For My Lady’s Heart – a book I thought was magnificent but I had to fight my desire to strangle the heroine. Uncertain Magic was a breeze to listen to by comparison and sometimes that just works!
Great review! Thank you.
Thanks for reviewing – I thought I had ready every single one of LK’s books but don’t remember this one, even though I swear the paperback is on my shelf!