The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

Nobody who has listened to Laura Kinsale’s wonderful prose brought vividly to life by the massively talented Nicholas Boulton can be in any doubt that the dozen audiobooks they have produced (so far – fingers crossed) have shown again and again exactly what an audiobook can and should be. Every aspect – writing, performance, direction and overall production have combined to put these titles at the top of the heap when it comes to romance audios, and they undoubtedly represent a pinnacle of achievement in the field.

But all good things must come to an end – unfortunately – and The Hidden Heart – the first of the author’s published works – is the last of Ms Kinsale’s books to come to audio. While I enjoyed it, I can’t help thinking that perhaps it would have been better to have had a different title as the Kinsale/Boulton swansong. I realise that these things can’t always be planned, but this isn’t my favourite Kinsale story; the pacing is uneven, the protagonists spend large chunks of time apart and there were times I wanted to throttle the hero!

Lady Tess Collier, daughter of the Earl of Morrow, had a most unconventional upbringing in some of the world’s most inhospitable places as she accompanied her naturalist father on his travels. When the earl dies in Brazil, his will requires her to return to England and settle down to a normal life with a husband and family. While perhaps not something Tess would have chosen for herself, she is nonetheless determined to honour her father’s wishes; so his friend and executor secures passage for her aboard the Arcanum, a clipper under the command of a young Englishman whom she comes to know as Captain Gryphon Frost.

Frost is actually Gryphon Meridon, the rightful Marquess of Ashland who, as a boy, saw his entire family perish at sea due to the treachery of his uncle, who coveted the family’s wealth and the Ashland title. Knowing his life is still in danger from his ruthless relative, Gryf opts to lie low and now makes his living at sea, running operations of dubious legality in the Americas.

Tess is beautiful, intelligent, wealthy and naïve, her life with her father having in no way prepared her to navigate the drawing rooms and ballrooms of English society. Gryf is engaged to transport Tess to England and also – unbeknownst to the lady – to keep an eye on her as she moves about in society and do his best to ensure that she doesn’t fall into the clutches of any unscrupulous fortune-hunters.

Given that Gryf is already more than half in love with Tess but knows she can never be his, this task is akin to torture – but he can’t afford to turn down the fee that goes along with the job. Tess doesn’t expect to see Gryf again after they’ve arrived in England, so she is very surprised when he shows up at a party at Morrow House, purporting to be the cousin of another one of the guests. Guessing that “Mr Everett” doesn’t want to be exposed as blockade runner, Captain Frost, Tess plays along and is delighted to encounter him at other events in the coming weeks.

The two become closer and very soon, it’s clear that their feelings for each other are mutual, and eventually – but not without much metaphorical gnashing of teeth on Gryf’s part – they plan to marry. It’s obvious, as this happens well before the half-way point of the story that things are going to go wrong, and when they do, they go very, VERY wrong indeed. The story is quite complicated, with lots of twists and turns and there were several times along the way I felt like tearing my hair out along with my earbuds and howling “Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!”

Most of my frustrations stemmed from Gryf’s fear of letting himself get close to people. Having lost his family when he was young in such tragic circumstances, his trust issues make perfect sense, as do his difficulties with allowing emotional attachment. Like many of Laura Kinsale’s heroes, he’s deeply troubled; and his insecurities and vulnerablities cause him to say and do some things that are cruel and unwarranted. That’s not to say he’s an unlikeable character; in the early part of the book he’s charming and romantic, and I enjoyed listening to his interactions with Tess and the development of their relationship. He is devoted to Tess – even when he’s trying to push her away – and everything he does is because he wants the best for her, even though he often goes about it in a misguided way.

Tess somehow manages to be a relatively well-adjusted young woman for the most part, although she makes a disastrous decision when she believes Gryf has betrayed her and marries a cruel, perverted man – Gryf’s cousin, Stephen Eliot. The listener isn’t privy to much that happens during their brief marriage, although there are a few scenes that, while not graphic, some may find disturbing.

The Hidden Heart is beautifully written; the plot – in spite of the frustrating parts – works, the central relationship is intense and the listener can feel the truth of the emotion between the characters. But even though I tend to like angsty romances, I found some of the situations in the story a bit hard to take. Tess and Gryf go through the wringer and then some, and seem to lurch from torment to torment without ever gaining a moment of happiness for themselves until the very end of the book – and even that is precarious right up until the last minute. In fact, had I not been listening to the gorgeously modulated tones of Nicholas Boulton, I can’t help but wonder if I’d have stopped listening once or twice to give myself a break from the almost unrelieved tension.

As he has proven time and time again, Mr Boulton is extremely adept at getting to the emotional heart of the characters and the story of whatever book he’s narrating. Whether in narrative or dialogue, his pacing is perfect and his acting choices are spot-on; Gryf’s smarmy cousin Stephen is endowed with a suitably unpleasant demeanour and manner of speech that frequently made my skin crawl, and he once again brings his considerable range of dialects and accents to the various minor and secondary characters, from salty old Sea-Dogs to Tahitian matrons. Each adds richness and colour to the overall listening experience and sounds completely authentic. Given that Gryf is – I was going to say “another”, but he’s actually the first! – one of Ms Kinsale’s archetypally tortured heroes, Mr Boulton’s interpretation of him was always going to be pivotal to the success of the audio. By echoing Gryf’s confused, conflicted emotions in his voice, he manages – as he did in Seize the Fire – to transform a difficult, sometimes unsympathetic hero into one whose actions are, at the very least, understandable, even if they aren’t always rational or laudable.

In spite of these reservations, I enjoyed listening to The Hidden Heart, and can forgive the weaknesses in the story because of the wonderful writing and the terrific performance. Just make sure you’re surrounded by lots of soft cushions when you’re listening, in case you want to punch something!

Caz

Narration: A+

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Hedgehog Inc [jwl-utmce-widget id=32435]