Dauntless

Gentlemen of the Order, Book 1

By: Adele Clee

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Listen to the first book in the new heart-stopping series Gentlemen of the Order.

Noah Ashwood has suffered his fair share of injustices. It’s why he joined the Gentlemen of the Order, why he solves crimes committed against the vulnerable and needy. To his friends he’s known as Dauntless - a fearless fighter, a man with steely determination. And yet his strength is tested when he forms an infatuation for his new client.

When a catalogue of strange events leaves Evangeline Dunn fearing for her life, she has no option but to seek professional help. Given the choice of four agents, she’s drawn to the enigmatic Mr Ashwood. The gentleman commands respect, seems as competent as he is handsome. Who better to help her catch a thief, a blackmailer, and find her wastrel brother? He’s the perfect solution to her problems. All she need do is overcome her inconvenient attraction.

In an adventure that takes them from the lavish ballrooms of the ton to the dark depths of the rookeries, Noah and Eva must work together to unravel the mystery. Will their powerful attraction hinder the investigation? Will the suspenseful twists and turns send them racing into each other’s arms?

Find out in Dauntless: Gentlemen of the Order, Book 1.

Features:

• Regency historical romance novel
• Contains descriptive sex scenes bursting with passion
• A satisfying mystery with a wicked villain you’ll love to hate

©2020 Adele Clee (P)2022 Adele Clee

Narration

The narration was not fitting It sounded like a kid was reading it I hope the rest of the series sounds better

Not the Best Narrator for this Story

This is the first in a series and we meet the gentlemen who will be highlighted in future books. Initially I was giving this a lower rating across the board because I couldn’t connect with the characters. Plus I never really experienced the issues they were dealing with. It was basically just a story. Then I went back and read it on my kindle and found that it’s actually good writing with serious emotional and physical issues for the characters. Sadly, it must be the narrator. She’s usually good, but not in this case.

Starts well

Though a good beginning, it slows midway with lots of filler and long scenes of the H/h flirting, thinking of having sex (far too soon), and having sex (with far too cringy details). Some will like that, but I didn’t appreciate how it took over and stalled the plot. The mystery was intriguing and, when they were actually attempting to solve it, held my attention. It’s a decent mystery; I just wish it had stayed better focused and left out all the insta-lust. This goes into my “don’t read again” folder. Noah’s personality had depth but with a few contradictions—a supposed elite investigator who flies off the handle, threatening to break noses and beat people to a pulp. Often. He also swears he won’t get distracted by lust yet does exactly that. He misses details. Eva is only interesting in the beginning. After that her personality is relegated to lusting after Noah, though occasionally she shows good sense and backbone. Stevie is, as always, a good narrator. She gets the tempo and tone right.