Hot Listens (Romance Audiobooks): The Devil You Know by Victoria Vane #Audiobook Review

Audiobook Review

by: Victoria Vane

Narrated by: Eva Hathaway

Published by: Victoria Vane March 6, 2013

Hot - Very!

The Devil DeVere Series # 3

4 hrs and 27 mins
Sample

When dealing with the devil it's easy to be burned… especially when passion ignites the flames.

Who can find a virtuous woman…

Beautiful, respectable, and dutiful, Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley
has long resigned herself to her decade-long loveless and childless
marriage to a feckless husband…until his gambling pushes them to the
brink of financial ruin.

Sometimes the devil is in disguise…as a gentleman…
Viscount Ludovic, "The Devil DeVere", is a man accustomed to taking
what he wants according to his whim and heedless of the cost…until he
encounters a woman who won't be had at any price.

When dealing with the devil, it's easy to be burned… When
Diana discovers a secret that shatters the carefully built façade
concealing her private pain, she seeks aid and comfort from the most
unlikely place…the devil's arms. But will a single night of heavenly
passion damn them both forever?

Vauxhall Gardens - the Grand Walk, c.1751
by Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal)

Eva Hathaway is a new to me narrator, and I must admit I had to get used to her reading. Nevertheless, once I did, I quite enjoyed her. She certainly improved – or I adapted – as this delightful story moved along at a brisk pace. Her “S” letters have a strong “sssss” sound, giving some of them a bit of a whistle, but it isn’t too bad. (Better than a hiss, certainly.) It was something I didn’t even notice by the middle of the book; I wouldn’t be opposed to listening to her again.

Ms. Hathaway did a nice job differentiating the characters; this was probably due more to her getting the characters’ personality right in her mind. An audiobook is always more enjoyable when you can tell the narrator is enjoying the story as much as you are, and understands the characters.

Victoria Vane has given us a witty novel set in Georgian England and she does an excellent job of transcribing an era that was elegant and more extravagant; a time when maneuverings and manipulations of romantic liaisons were deemed necessary in order to alleviate the boredom of the idle rich.

I really got caught up in the story. It just flowed by so quickly, yet the dialogues sounded very much of that era, without having any Purple Prose. Quite a trick, that, considering it was known for an emergence of Romantic poets. Ms. Vane has a distinctive narrative voice that is pitch-perfect for her settings; evocative, atmospheric, and fun.

What can I say about the Viscount Ludovic, AKA ‘The Devil DeVere’? I shouldn’t like him, or adore him, let alone fall for his wit and charm any more than the proper Lady Diana Palmerston-Wriothesley. However, despite his taunting arrogance and manipulations, he doesn’t resort to mendacity; you are assured, deep in his core, he is a nice person.

I’m not big on adultery, but Ludovic is a product of his times; still, he manages to rise above the common libertine. He is both vivid and true to life. I even forgave him when he jumped to a conclusion about the heroine – whom I also liked – near the end of the book, and I don't think I would do that with any other.

I can’t recommend this novel enough; it was wonderful! I look forward to listening to the rest of this series.

P.S. I recommend you have the next one ready to listen to – or read – as this is a story in two parts! The rest of the series is coming out on audio soon, not all by the same reader.

I received this audiobook from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.