A Date at the Altar by Cathy Maxwell

Narrated by Mary Jane Wells

It’s no secret that I’ve been rather disappointed with the previous books in Cathy Maxwell’s Marrying the Duke series; my reviews of The Match of the Century and The Fairest of Them All have praised the performances given by Mary Jane Wells, but the stories themselves have been lacklustre. Part of the problem was that, in both cases, the major secondary character of Gavin Whitridge, the Duke of Baynton, was far more interesting and attractive than either of the heroes and I was at a loss as to why either of the heroines would have thrown him over for someone else!

But throw him over they did, and now, in this final book in the trilogy, Gavin finally gets his HEA. In the latter stages of The Fairest of Them All, Gavin met Mrs. Sarah Pettijohn, a widowed actress and playwright, when the pair had to join forces to track down her niece, Lady Charlene, who had run away with Gavin’s twin brother. The sparks flew between them, with Sarah labelling Gavin an arrogant stuffed-shirt, and Gavin insisting Sarah was an infuriating harpy. Both of them were extremely relieved when their journey came to an end, and they did not expect to see each other again.

In the time that has elapsed between the two books, Sarah’s already reduced circumstances have taken a turn for the worse. Unable to pay the rent on the house she had previously shared with her niece, she has had to move to a decidedly dodgy area of London; yet even though the rent is cheaper, she is still struggling to keep body and soul together. But things are looking up. The owners of the theatre where she works have agreed to stage one of her plays if she will make a single appearance as the Siren, the seductive songstress whose single performance several years earlier made a small fortune.

Her performance is just as well-received as it was before, but she is thrown somewhat when she sees the Duke of Baynton in the audience. During their previous meeting, he made it very clear that he had no love for or interest in the theatre and she knows he very rarely attends – so she cannot account for the fact of his presence tonight. She worries briefly that he might recognise her – but very soon has more pressing concerns when a member of the audience suddenly leaps onto the stage and attempts to kiss her. Things deteriorate quickly after that as other audience members try to follow his lead, but when Sarah finally leaves the theatre, she is accosted on the street by three drunken bucks and is in very real danger of assault – when help arrives from a most unexpected quarter, and she finds herself being hauled up into a carriage by none other than the starchy, proper duke himself.

In spite of the fact that he had previously considered Sarah to be too outspoken and opinionated, Gavin is unable to deny the strength of the attraction he feels for her, and shortly after these events, asks her to become his mistress. It’s true that Gavin has a pressing reason for wanting a mistress – he has reached the ripe old age of thirty-three and is still a virgin, something he regards as ridiculous and is desperate to change. But it’s clear that he doesn’t want just any woman; the depth of his need for Sarah specifically is palpable. At first, she turns him down. No matter how bad her situation, she has no wish to follow in her mother’s footsteps; but when she discovers that the theatre managers have done a bunk with all the proceeds of the performance and that she is all but destitute, she has to reconsider her decision.

I should say at this point that Gavin in no way coerces her or forces her to change her mind. He offers his help and support, makes no demands upon Sarah and does not renew his offer. It’s she who decides that she must repay him for his generosity – and the fact that Gavin is gorgeous, as well as being kind and truly concerned for her certainly goes a long way towards helping her to make that decision.

Yet Sarah is as inexperienced when it comes to passion as Gavin is; while she has been married, it’s clear early on that the marriage was not a happy one and that Sarah’s sexual experiences were not pleasant ones. In this, she is as tutored by Gavin as he is by her, and the relationship that develops between them is nicely done. Gavin is enormously privileged and is used to getting his own way and not thinking too much about how he gets it, meaning that he has a tendency to put his foot in it and not always say the right thing where Sarah is concerned. But as their relationship develops he finds that he wants to make Sarah happy and that there is much enjoyment to be had in doing ordinary, run-of-the-mill things. Sarah’s opinion of Gavin also undergoes a major reassessment, as she comes to realise exactly how regimented his life has always been and that, like her, he is lonely and has been for quite some time. Ms. Maxwell paints a picture of tender domesticity between them, although there is a shadow always lurking in the background. Gavin is eventually going to have to marry in order to beget an heir; and not only is an illegitimate playwright not a suitable wife for a duke, but Sarah is unable to have children.

Of course, this is a romance, so we know how things are going to turn out. But there are some difficult choices to be made and the author shows very well how horribly torn Gavin is between love and duty. I also very much appreciated that she doesn’t wave a magic wand so as to fix the unfixable when she gives us a glimpse into the future lives of this unconventional pair.

I enjoyed A Date at the Altar more than the other two books, but the bar was set fairly low, so perhaps that isn’t saying much. The romance is more satisfying and Gavin and Sarah are more fully-developed as characters than the principals in the earlier stories, but there are a number of loose ends – the missing theatre owners are never found, the sub-plot featuring Gavin’s one-time friend isn’t resolved and I’m not sure what happened to the young lady Gavin’s mother had practically waiting at the altar for him – that aren’t tied up, and the build up to the big finish – on stage at the theatre in front of a massive crowd – stretched my credulity so far that it broke.

Mary Jane Wells gives an enjoyable and extremely animated performance which is absolutely spot on in terms of acting choices and particularly when it comes to bringing out the humour in the many asides and thoughts of the characters. There’s a naturalness to her delivery that I really enjoy and which served to greatly enhance my enjoyment of the audiobook as a whole. Her pacing and character differentiation are excellent, and she manages to make Gavin into an attractive-sounding hero while retaining a certain degree of stiffness in his manner of speech. Her portrayal of him is consistent with the previous books and I loved the way she brought out his frequently hidden, but deadpan sense of humour.

It pains me to criticise any aspect of an otherwise terrific performance, but I’ve started to notice a small vocal tick that’s making an appearance more often in her narrations, and it’s so often present here, that I couldn’t NOT mention it. When she’s speaking softly, Ms. Wells frequently misses the sibilant off the ending of a word. So instead of “Your Grace”, you’ll hear “Your Gray…”; instead of “house”, you’ll hear “hou…” I could list other examples, but that’s the gist of it. If you’re reading this, Ms. Wells, I think you’re a wonderful narrator, but if you could cut back on this I’d be most grateful!

A Date at the Altar works perfectly well as a standalone and is a relatively short (just over seven-and-a-half hours) and undemanding listen. It’s the best of a trilogy of fairly mediocre books, and if you’re a fan of Mary Jane Wells – as I am – then it might be something you would consider listening to on the strength of her performance. But apart from that, it’s not an audiobook I can recommend without reservation.

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Caz

AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: A Date at the Altar

AUTHOR: Cathy Maxwell

NARRATED BY: Mary Jane Wells

GENRE: Historical Romance

STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in

REVIEWER: Caz [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L7H4LJK/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy A Date at the Altar by Cathy Maxwell on Amazon[/button] [section label=’Excerpt’ anchor=’Excerpt’]EXCERPT: