A Rebel Without a Rogue by Bliss Bennet

Narrated by Alex Wyndham

I read and enjoyed books three and four in Bliss Bennet’s series about the Pennington family when they were released a couple of years ago, but I missed the first two, so when book one, A Rebel Without a Rogue, appeared in audio format, I decided it was a good chance to catch up. Set in the 1820s, the author tells a story of love, revenge and betrayal set during the political turmoil and upheaval that followed the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, and the growing calls for political reform and universal suffrage – and also looks at the dire situation in Ireland after the Rebellion of 1798. The background is interesting and obviously well-researched; the problem is that it rather overwhelms the romance for almost half of the book, and while I like my historical romances to contain some actual history, having the romance taking a back seat for such a large part of the story was frustrating.

The story opens with the heroine, thirty-year-old Fianna Cameron, making her way into a public meeting with the intention of shooting Major Christopher Pennington, the man she holds responsible for the death of her father. She’s only partly successful in her task; she has mistaken Christian Pennington for his uncle (Christopher) and she merely grazes him rather than killing him. Right off the bat, I was questioning how she was able to get into this gathering with a weapon, fire it without anyone trying to stop her and then escape – again without anyone trying to stop her – while leaving the gun – which bears an inscription in Irish Gaelic – behind.

But escape she does, while Christian – Kit – has his wound tended, wondering who on earth that lovely redhead was and why on earth she’d want to shoot him. All he has to go on is the gun, so he decides to see if he can find someone who can translate the Gaelic as a starting point.

Kit Pennington is a younger brother of the Earl of Saybrook, and although he had originally been destined for the Church, has decided he’s not cut out to be a man of the cloth and instead wants to enter politics with the aim of pursuing the cause of parliamentary reform and giving a voice to the disenfranchised. But his spotless reputation – a direct contrast to his older brother who, a year after inheriting the title is no closer to actually taking up his responsibilities – takes a hit when gossip starts circulating that the woman who shot him was a disgruntled mistress, and he’s concerned that such salacious rumours could damage his political ambitions. He decides that he needs to find his fair, pistol-waving attacker to find out her reasons for shooting him.

Fianna has sold body (literally) and soul in order to come to England, where she’s been living as mistress to Lord Ingestrie, the eldest son of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. With her mother dead and her father’s family wanting nothing to do with her (her parents were not married) she is now completely focused on proving her worth to them by avenging her father’s death and killing the man who lied about her father’s betrayal of his comrades during the Irish Rebellion – Major Pennington, an English war hero and Kit’s beloved uncle.

Kit and Fianna come face-to-face again in Ingestrie’s house, where Kit goes to ask if the viscount can recommend anyone who can translate the Gaelic phrase inscribed on the pistol. Much to Fianna’s relief, Kit doesn’t seem to recognise her; to her annoyance, now she’s able to look at him properly, she realises she likes what she sees… but isn’t going to let the sweet, untouched something she sees lurking in his eyes deter her from her purpose. Instead, she decides that a touch of flirtation, perhaps even seduction might work to her advantage, and is surprised when Kit doesn’t respond to her overtures.

Shortly after this, when Ingestrie abandons her, it’s Kit who steps in and offers to help save her from destitution. Fianna immediately thinks it’s because he wants to get into her bed; but while Kit is undeniably attracted to her (he’s still a virgin for those who like to know these things – a father suffering from syphilis was enough to put him off putting it about indiscriminately!) he has other reasons for offering her a roof over her head. He’s realised that Fianna is the woman who shot him, and also that she mistook him for his uncle, so he wants to find out why she’s out to harm a member of his family – and Fianna thinks to use Kit to get closer to enacting her revenge.

Once we reach this point in the story and the author has manoeuvred her pieces into place, the romance starts to develop. I didn’t feel a great deal of chemistry between them, but on the whole, it’s nicely done as Kit and Fianna begin to find common interests and realise that they enjoy each other’s company; both are deeply committed to the cause of reform and obtaining justice for the oppressed, and Fianna is surprised to find out that Kit – the son of one earl and brother of another – feels as strongly as she does on that score.

I admit that it took me a while to warm to Fianna. I understood why she was the way she was – tough, calculating and sometimes ruthless; she has to be that way if she’s to attain her goal – but it wasn’t until much later on in the story, when the author started to show a softer side of her, that I started to comprehend why she was so driven. Kit is a lovely beta hero; handsome, intelligent and honourable, with a strong sense of fairness and justice

The last couple of audiobooks by Alex Wyndham I’ve listened to haven’t been wholly successful. He’s an excellent performer and vocal actor, but I noticed some changes I wasn’t wild about (mostly a repetitive intonation and a new tendency to whisper dialogue rather than speak it) but ever the optimist, I decided to pick up this title for review. His vocal characterisations are excellent, and he’s always impressed me with his ability to find so many different ‘voices’ for all the characters, from the principals right down to the smallest bit-player. Kit, Theo and Benedict don’t appear in many scenes together, but they’re easy to tell apart when they do, and his portrayal of the elderly Christopher fits the character perfectly. Mr. Wyndham is in very good form here, and his performance is well-acted and expressive. BUT. The heroine is Irish, and her “Irish lilt” is referenced directly in the text – but there is nary an Irish accent within earshot. Her uncle also appears in the story – and he doesn’t have an Irish accent either. Instead, both characters are given some sort of all-purpose “country-yokel” type accent, and while I’m sure that for many listeners the fact that the accents are different to most of the others they can hear will be enough to remind them that “this character is not English” – it’s not enough for me. While I found Mr. Wyndham’s performance to be a good one in most respects, I really can’t ignore something that important and have adjusted my narration grade accordingly.

I think A Rebel Without a Rogue is this author’s first historical romance, and while she’s obviously a skilled writer who does her research, the romance here isn’t completely successful and got a bit swamped by the political and historical detail. This attention to such detail is a feature of the other books in the series, but I recall that Ms. Bennet achieves a better balance in the books I’ve read (Theo’s and Benedict’s stories), so I was able to rate them more highly. Still, this one is a good bet if you’re looking for an historical romance that eschews the normal round of Almack’s, routs and visits to the opera in favour of something a bit more substantial.

Caz

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