Larken

Graceling Hall Book 1

By: Suzanne G. Rogers

Narrated by: Stevie Zimmerman

Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The sole survivor of a train accident, young Larken Burke is dubbed the Miracle Orphan. Four years later, however, her life is far from fortunate. Because of her emotional and physical scars, she believes she's not marriageable. With little hope for the future, she agrees to wed a gentleman she's never met. Unfortunately, his aloof manner proves difficult to bear.

Marked by romantic tragedy and the loss of his brother, Brandon King has forsworn marriage. Obliged to take in a ward, he advertises for a mail-order bride to raise the boy. Since the union is to be a marriage in name only, his criteria are youthful age, a certain level of intellect, good breeding, and that the girl shouldn't be so ill-favored she would embarrass him in society. To his dismay, he gets more than he'd bargained for.

Will it take a miracle for Mr. and Mrs. King to fall in love, or is their marriage another accident waiting to happen?

©2014, 2015 S.G. Rogers (P)2015 S.G. Rogers

I couldn't stop listening

If you could sum up Larken in three words, what would they be?

Strong, wise, spirited

Who was your favorite character and why?

Larkin and Miles had a wonderful relationship.

What about Stevie Zimmerman’s performance did you like?

Excellent timing and voice

Any additional comments?

While a steady diet of Regency romance would be boring, I enjoy picking up a good one and this one was good. The author avoided the whole horrible male, suddenly falls in love by having the romance blossom slowly with obstacles popping up to slow down the eventual love scene.

Larken audiobook

What made the experience of listening to Larken the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the story very much, loved narrator Stevie Zimmerman's charming inflections and portrayal, especially, of Miles. If you like historical romance with a hint of intrigue, do check Larken out.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Larken--her imagination and spunk.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Larken's playing in Brandon's drawing room.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The story about Brandon's brother.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the story very much, loved narrator Stevie Zimmerman's charming inflections and portrayal, especially, of Miles. If you like historical romance with a hint of intrigue, do check Larken out!

Compelling Story & Great Narration!

They called her the Miracle Orphan because she was the sole survivor of a train wreck that killed her Mother and Father.

Sent to an orphanage as soon as her injuries allowed she was soon adopted by a benevolent couple, or were they?

Because of her physical and emotional scars, her adopted parent made Larken believe she was un-marriageable, with no other options than to marry a man of their choosing or be thrown out of their house into the street with no money and no place to go. They sold her into a marriage of convenience to a dispassionate gentleman of means to care for his ward.

This story has many twists and turns with few things as they seem. It keeps your interest from beginning to end.

Mr. King's ward is a charming young man of 4 years old who tugs at your heart strings. He, too, is an orphan having just lost his mother and not knowing a father; being said to be born "on the other side of the blanket".

This is my first book by S. G. Rogers, but it won't be my last. She's a talented author, and Stevie Zimmerman a perfect choice for narrator.

I highly recommend this book!

Lovely, clean and romantic

Very enjoyable book! The hero and heroine were allowed time to get to know one another, even though they were attracted to each other almost immediately.

Well-written with only a few blunders of expressions used that wouldn’t have existed back then. Not enough to truly pop you back out of the book...

I always know that S. G. Rogers will deliver a clean, interesting and romantic novel.

Stevie Zimmerman’s narrations are excellent!

Excellent story

This was a wonderful well presented story that held my attention and did not rely on gratuitous sex scenes.

Compelling story with lots of twists and heartache

Would you listen to Larken again? Why?

Probably yes. Lots of detail and characters to interest me.

What did you like best about this story?

The way the heroine ultimately triumphed against all the odds.

Which character – as performed by Stevie Zimmerman – was your favorite?

I couldn't pick a favorite - she brings them all to life so well.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I thought the train accident was just awful - so tragic.

Any additional comments?

Like all the books I've listened to with Stevie Zimmerman's narration the audiobook is so vivid and absorbing compared with just reading it myself.

too predictable

This book, although a simple delight, was just a tad bit too predictable. It is filled with too many coincidences. I did however enjoy the story immensely. To me it's just the kind of book you read when you need a break from a more intense series or genre. Larken, the "miracle orphan " is forced to accept an offer of marriage as a mail order bride or be tossed on the street by her nefarious guardians. Upon arriving at Graceling Hall, her life slides into a fairytale story, filled with amazing coincidences with an HEA at the end. This book was a refreshing break for me.

Another case of Decent Plot; Not-so-good writing

Sounded like a good plot and though there were only 4 ratings, I thought I'd give it a shot - and was burned. I know I should wait until there are more ratings, so it's my own fault.

I'm just too spoiled by the likes of authors Laura Kinsale, Lisa Kleypas, Loretta Chase and others. The plot for Larken did keep me interested enough to see how everything turned out, but when the hero says or thinks stuff like (and this is not a spoiler): even though my brother ran off with my fiancee and got her pregnant, I shouldn't have been so hard on him. Now, when he means hard on him - it's all verbal. Didn't even punch him out. The heroine also had a bunch of eye rolling statements. Felt like I was listening to a pre-teen book. I finished it, but more than once, I just wanted it to end. Even Stevie Zimmerman couldn't help this book.