Narrated by Sophie Eastlake
Being a big fan of vampire romances, but having read only the first title in this series, I was a little skeptical to jump in at Book 7, as usually paranormal romance series are best read in chronological order. However, the blurb really intrigued me, and I decided to take a chance. Well, am I glad I did, as I really enjoyed the characters and the romance in Night’s Honor. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that I had no trouble following the larger backstory of this paranormal world, given that this aspect really took a backseat to the immediate danger and the romance. In fact, I imagine that if I were a long time Elder Races fan, I may have been clamoring for more progress in general in that arena. Nonetheless, it worked perfectly for me, particularly when you factor in Sophie Eastlake’s talented narration, which really brought this audiobook to life.
Tess is deathly afraid of vampires. So why would she attend the Vampyre’s Ball to audition to become a human attendant (basically an employee who also donates blood) to a Vampyre of the Nightkind? Moreover, when she takes the less traveled path of brutal honesty at her audition, she is shocked to find that Xavier Del Torro – the second in command to the Nightkind King no less – is interested in potentially hiring her.
Xavier never publicly obtains human attendants, for anonymity is much more preferable for the humans he takes on for his line of work. However, Tess’ seemingly contradictory behavior intrigues him, and he is determined to find out her secrets. So he hires her for a trial one-year period.
Soon Tess is immersed in an intensive training program where she learns things she never even dreamed of doing before. And the more Xavier and Tess get to know one another, the more evident their connection and mutual admiration becomes. Xavier, however, has strict rules that he follows when it comes to his human attendants, which includes absolutely no fraternization. When Tess’ past comes back to haunt her though, and they are thrown into incredible danger together, Xavier will be left to reevaluate just how far he is willing to go for Tess and exactly what her rightful role in his life should be.
Surprisingly, I had never listened to Ms. Eastlake. Then, in a two week time period, I listened to two of her titles nearly back to back. I have to say that overall I enjoyed Ms. Eastlake’s narration of Night’s Honor quite a bit more than my first (Bound to DangerBound to Danger by Katie Reus – see my AudioGals review). Ms. Eastlake really excels at Spanish (and American) accents, and given that both Xavier and his righthand man are of Spanish descent, it provided for fantastic enactments of their dialogues. Her mastery of these accents allowed for her to provide slightly nuanced versions for each, such that I could easily distinguish between the two.
I also enjoyed Ms. Eastlake’s rendition of Tess. She accurately imbued Tess’ voice with just the right amount of snarky defiance that was so indicative of the behavior that garnered Xavier’s attention in the first place. At the same time, her portrayal contained sufficient temerity to convince you that Tess was indeed afraid of Xavier when they first met. Also, her voice for Tess is easily distinguished from the other female characters that play a role in Night’s Honor.
Ms. Eastlake also does a good job of pacing her delivery to properly convey the tone of the scene being read. Whether it be the action-packed suspenseful scenes or the passionate ones, her approach aids in setting the mood to heighten the overall effect of the passage being performed.
All in all, if you are a fan of the Elder Races series or are seeking a stand-alone vampire paranormal romance with a strong alpha hero, and an equally tough heroine who knows just how to cleverly outwit her opponents, then Night’s Honor may just be the next listen you are looking for.
BJ
Narration: A-
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: For your burning ears only
Violence: Fighting
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Night’s Honor was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.
Excellent narration by Sophie Eastlake! The difference in her tone is subtle, but I hear the darkness in her voice, not as upbeat as the Dragos books. I’ve listened to two of the Vampyre books and I prefer the Wyr, they’re not as dark or blood thirsty.
Great review!