A Gathering Storm by Joanna Chambers

Narrated by Simon Goldhill

It’s taken a while for Joanna Chambers’ 2017 historical romance, A Gathering Storm, to make it into audio, but I remember enjoying the story back when I read it, so, despite the fact that the narrator is new-to-me, I decided to give the audiobook version a listen. The book is part of the multi-author Porthkennack series, all set in and around the Cornish seaside town of the same name, but it’s a standalone, so it’s not necessary to have read any of the other books in order to enjoy it.

The story begins on the night of a terrible electrical storm, when Sir Edward Fitzwilliam (known as ‘Ward’) is aboard ship, crossing the Irish Sea from Dublin to Anglesey. The storm is at its height when Ward experiences something very strange – he hears the voice of his twin brother George calling out to him and assuring him that all will be well. Realising later that this must have been the exact moment of George’s death and believing he’d received a communication from ‘beyond the veil’. Ward dedicates himself to recreating the conditions that allowed it to happen, in spite of the disapproval and dismissal of the wider scientific community of which he is – or had been – a respected member.

Ward decides to leave London for the small town of Porthkennack on the Cornish coast, where he purchases a plot of land close to a place known locally as ‘the Hole’, an eighty-foot-high cavern that stretches from cliff-top to seabed, and builds a house. There are rumours of the supernatural associated with the place, but Ward’s interest is far more scientific, as he believes the conditions in “the hole” during a storm will enable him to recreate the conditions he experienced aboard ship and contact his brother. The sticking point, however, is finding some suitable subjects willing to take part in Ward’s experiments, preferably people who have suffered recent bereavements. But with rumours that he’s performing mesmerism and electric shocks circulating, not even the promise of payment can induce any of the locals to sign up.

Nicholas Hearn is the land steward for the neighbouring Roscarrock estate and is widely known to be the grandson of its squire, Godfrey Roscarrock – although the old man has never actually acknowledged him. Nick is half Rom through his mother, who the locals believe to have been clairvoyant, and when Ward learns of this, he becomes convinced that Nick is exactly the person he needs to help him with his experiments. But Nick turns him down. He’s not interested in what Ward is trying to do, and makes no bones about the fact that he doesn’t believe in his mother’s supposed abilities as a medium. He can’t, though, deny the handsome baronet stirs his interest in other ways.

Circumstances enable Ward to manoeuvre Nick into helping him after all, and Nick agrees to visit Ward on Sundays until the end of the summer. Their first session is somewhat awkward. Nick is resentful (quite rightly) at being inveigled into being the subject of Ward’s experiments, and Ward is ashamed (also quite rightly) of how he obtained Nick’s participation. But that wariness soon begins to dissipate as Nick, who thought Ward would treat him as little more than a servant, realises that Ward, too, is nervous and uncomfortable. He hadn’t expected that – or for him to be so intriguing or agreeable, and certainly hadn’t expected the man to show any consideration for his comfort (or that of his nervous dog) and to treat him as an equal. But Ward reveals himself to be a kind man – even if he sometimes acts or speaks thoughtlessly – and, Nick realises, a lonely one, and as the weeks pass, a friendship develops and the mutual attraction that has been slowly building between them becomes stronger until neither man can deny or ignore it any longer.

There’s a lovely slow-burn feel to the romance here, and I enjoyed the contrast the author has created between the uptight yet more sexually experienced Ward and the down-to-earth yet inexperienced Nick. The two leads are well drawn and three dimensional, and the author conveys a strong sense of who they are, what they believe and what they want from life. Ward was born to privilege, and while not an uncaring person, can be high-handed, and his obsession with his work can make him blind to the needs and intentions of others. Nick’s position as a land steward raises him slightly above the farmers and working men of the village, but his illegitimacy and Romish blood mean he’s always going to be seen as an outsider. There’s no getting away from the fact that Ward, due to a happy accident of birth, holds all the cards, and it’s clear throughout the story that this is, for Nick, a cause of unease, no matter that he knows Ward is a good man or that he is falling in love with him. Ms. Chambers does a good job of exploring the effects of their difference in social status and of showing – through some very well written character development on both sides – the two men learning to make adjustments in their ways of thinking and acting in order to make their relationship work.

The settings – the village, the house by the cliffs, the bustling town of Truro – are all beautifully depicted, the secondary characters are very well drawn, and the author handles the particularly Victorian juxtaposition of science and spiritualism that underpins the story really well, with a look at the oppressive and sometimes obsessive nature of grief.

Simon Goldhill’s name and voice are new to me – and to romance audiobooks – but he isn’t completely new to audiobook narration. He delivers a terrific performance here, with clear characterisations and differentiation, good pacing, and a wide range of expression and nuance that add to the tension and emotions in the story. The West Country accent he adopts for Nick is consistent and feels just right – not so thick that it’s hard to make out the words, but enough so that the contrast between him and Ward is pronounced – and his portrayal of Ward is very good indeed. Ward is described as having a very ‘raspy’ voice due to the damage to his vocal chords caused by a childhood illness, and Mr. Goldhill is spot on with it; it’s not at all overdone and does indeed sound like someone whose vocal production has been impaired without being horrible or difficult to listen to. The small secondary cast is nicely judged, and the female voices are pretty good, too. I enjoyed the performance and will certainly be on the look-out for more books narrated by Simon Goldhill.

My one real complaint about the story is that the HEA is a little rushed, but overall, A Gathering Storm strikes the right balance between its sensual romance and unusual plot, and reaches a very satisfactory conclusion. Recommended.

Caz