Narrated by Susan Duerden
Written in 2000, Midnight Pleasures is the second installment in Eloisa James’ Pleasures trilogy and it tells the story of Sophie York and Patrick Foakes. Reading this series in order isn’t strictly necessary, but doing so will better acquaint you with some of the supporting characters.
Lady Sophie York is adored by all the eligible bachelors in her social circle. She’s a little on the brazen side, stretching the bounds of propriety little by little, much to her mother’s dismay. Sophie, on the other hand, sees nothing wrong with her somewhat wild ways, and intends to continue on in exactly the same way.
Everyone is shocked when Sophie refuses to marry Patrick Foakes. They were caught in a somewhat compromising position, and a betrothal would go a long way toward regaining some of Sophie’s sullied reputation. Sophie turns him down for reasons no one, including this listener, understands. Instead, she becomes betrothed to Braddon Chattin, a man she doesn’t love, but who just happens to be an earl. Are you screaming shallow yet? I certainly was.
Patrick is just as mystified as everyone else. He has feelings for Sophie, and would have liked to take her to wife. He does his best to ignore her after her betrothal to Braddon is announced, not an easy feat, given the fact they all attend many of the same balls, house parties, and musical evenings. Patrick doesn’t know what the vivacious Sophie sees in the somewhat dull-witted young earl, but decides it’s the prospect of being a countess that appeals to her.
After breaking his leg in a very bizarre accident, Braddon enlists Patrick’s help. Sophie is determined to elope, but Braddon cannot do it with a broken leg. He wants Patrick to go in his stead. I wasn’t sure how this would solve anything, since Sophie, though clearly attracted to Patrick, is determined to marry Braddon. Patrick is skeptical at first, but finally agrees to help his friend out. He does not plan to elope with Sophie though. Instead, he will explain Braddon’s predicament to her, something Braddon could have done himself, I’d think.
As you might imagine, things don’t work out as Patrick planned them. He and Sophie end up married. The bulk of the story is taken up with them coming to terms with this and claiming their HEA. It required quite a willingness to suspend disbelief, but was enjoyable, in a light-hearted way.
Narrator Susan Duerden has quite a fan base. Sadly, I cannot count myself among them. Her character differentiation is very good, and her pacing is accurate and conveys the emotion in each scene accurately. Her accents all sound authentic, and, overall, she has a pleasant voice.
So, you’re probably wondering what the problem is. Ms. Duerden has a serious problem with volume consistency. Sometimes, she speaks in a whisper, making it necessary for me to turn up my iPod. Please understand that this whispering is not necessitated by the text. She just drops her voice to an almost inaudible level. She is also a fan of the other extreme. She shouts a number of times, and I found it quite disconcerting. I wasn’t sure if I was more startled or annoyed by this odd way of narrating. Either way, I do know that I dislike it immensely.
I would be willing to listen to another title by Ms. James, but it would have to be narrated by someone else. As for Ms. Duerden, I think I’m finished with her narrations, unless someone can convince me that they’re not all as melodramatic as Midnight Pleasures seemed to be.
Shannon
Narration: C-
Book Content: B-
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence: Minimal
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Midnight Pleasures was provided to AudioGals by Blackstone Audio for review.
Unfortunately, Ms Duerden has narrated almost ALL Eloisa James’ audiobooks. I think Rosalyn Landor has done one, but that’s it.
She’s very hit and miss for me, too – I’ve enjoyed some of her earlier work, but that whole whispering thing has reached such a level that I find her very difficult to listen to. I reviewed the previous book in this series, and had very similar reservations about the plot and performance, which I rated somewhat lower.
I really enjoyed the Essex sisters she narrated back in the day. I don’t recall any “whispers”.
As far as Potent Pleasures…..I really didn’t like it in print so I never felt the inclination to listen to the audio.
I remember enjoying Much Ado About You and some of SD’s Lisa Kleypas narrations. But I’ve been disappointed in her newer recordings. As for the whispering, I think it’s getting more pronounced, and she seems to be using it more and more to voice her heroes. In Potent Pleasures (which I reviewed at AAR) the hero could easily have been suffering a bad case of laryngitis!