Night at the Opera

By: Stacy Henrie

Narrated by: Kelly Burke

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she's sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped - and kissed. Surely he can't be the irritating Avery Winfield though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.

While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It's a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.

©2018 Stacy Henrie (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Wonderful Book!

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
--1908--
When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.

While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.

MY TAKE
This was my first book by, Henrie, and I LOVED it! I listened to the audiobook, and Kelly Burke was wonder as the narrator. She blended the American and English accents very smoothly. Both Gwen and Avery were fun characters. Gwen had a crippled foot that's helped to make her compassionate and able to see outside of herself, in spite of her family's affluence. She's not looking forward to the trip to London but makes the most of it by telling herself it will give her a chance to to talk with a doctor who specializes in the kinds of problems the children suffer from at the orphanage she volunteers at. He might even be able to help her.

Very early into the story, Gwen comes across a wounded man in a dark opera box and renders him aid. They end up sharing a kiss--hey it worked to wake up Sleeping Beauty, right? Though neither she nor Avery know who the other one is, they were both touched by the short time they spend together. What follows is a charming romance with just enough intrigue to spice it up. Wonderful characters, flawed but trying to do the right thing.

I'm excited to listen to the next book in the series.

just ok

short on the romance and a bit wordy the narrator did a ok job not a book I would read again

cute and romantic

This was a cute and romantic read, it was a little bit fast-paced but I really enjoy the story and the book.

A beautiful heroine with a disability that makes her even more powerful, more kind with so much to give and so much to teach.. her mother wanted to arrange her marriage with men who really didn't understand her but life and circumstances put her in the right place and moment to meet the right man for her heart.

the narrations were great!!

This is a good read it was a little fast-paced and things got to resolve a fast but I did enjoy the romance.

a delightful night at the opera!

the voice actor REALLY sells this almost on her own. aside from that it's a genuinely charming tale of romance, dashi and daring, spies, broody dukes. all the good stuff.

Very weak plot

Positives: characters are generally likeable. I DNF but the religious bent hints that this is a romance that isn't focused around sex, which is refreshing. The narrator is fantastic. She flows between American and British accents beautifully, and the latter aren't over done.

The part I struggled with, which is key to being able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the book, was the plot and its execution. The spy angle felt half baked and not well researched. Just generic and vague. Avery also just isn't a good spy. It felt like an over simplified imagined reality that a twelve-year-old would come up with. I couldn't stomach it. His methods were the methods of someone who really didn't know what they're doing (ahem, the author doesn't have a grasp of what the reality would have been like). The whole thing would also have benefited from some historical context. The story takes place prior to WWI, some context to this often neglected period would have raised the stakes and made it generally more interesting. Instead, Avery is just "looking for German spies." There is no reference to why or what the stakes of failure are. It's all general, vague, and consequently boring.

It's also irritating that Avery and Gwen's "great powers of observation" really aren't great. It's more like general common sense. The moment when Gwen "showcases her intelligence" and Avery wonders if perhaps she is a spy too is ridiculous. She is making pretty basic observations. It's not believable and there is no tension. Just makes Avery look dumb.

Also, Gwen's foot injury....I'm not sure that it really adds what it's meant to add. It feels more like a gimmick and it's apparent that Gwen is going to find this doctor in London and he will fix it.....honestly, you can probably take it out and the story survives just fine, which is not a good sign. If you're going to write a disabled person, really write them. Don't borrow something simplistic, like a limp, to make your character more sympathetic. And really, a limp is not a huge deal. Her being ostracized for it in New York really makes no sense especially with her money and being beautiful, and then all the men in England magically not caring....yeah, that's just as ridiculous.

I made it almost four hours in, but I didn't finish it. Perhaps it gets better, but I doubt it. It's just mediocre.

Decent story.

I actually enjoyed the story. However, the writing included several minor annoyances. Thankfully, the storyline and the two main characters were interesting. The writing falls back on repetitive internal ponderings to fill space. Also, there is an abundance of word repetition in sentences. For example one of the hero’s scenes includes phrases like my best friend, his best friend, my best friend, and closest friend, etc. all in one short conversation. Then in the very next scene, the heroine’s interaction with Sybil includes the description “her best friend” several times as well. I started cringing each time it was said. Some spots relied on coincidence. And some spots re-explained the meaning of someone's words or intonations, even though the meaning was already obvious. Additionally, several anachronism found their way into dialog. Though wishing it had gone through skilled and tight editing, the story kept me intrigued, and I liked the H/h. Both drew me in. if you can ignore a few amateurish writing weaknesses, it’s worth the listen.

LOVED IT!

From the characters to the narration, this was such a great book. i can't wait to listen to more.

Great book of a new to me time era!

Fantastic reading of a fantastic book! It kept my interest and the entire time! This was my first book by this author but before I reached the second chapter I had ordered all three Edwardian Era books!

Good plot

Enjoyed the story, plot, and twists. Good mix of romance and detective work. Good book

too religious

I know for certain that there are many people who would appreciate the heavy emphasis on religion and faith in a Christian God that was present in the story. I'm just not one of those people.