Masked Love

Beyond Boundaries, Book 1

By: Nicole Zoltack

Narrated by: Melanie Fraser

Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Isabelle will do anything for her lady, even accompany her to a masquerade ball. Lady Theodosia needs extra support for tomorrow she will meet the man her parents have pledged her to. Meeting an enchanting young man during the course of the evening makes Isabelle wish for a life she can never have. Imagine her shock when he shows up the next morning, announcing his claim on Lady Thedosia. Torn between duty and desire, Isabelle hopes for something more this Christmas.

©2016 Nicole Zoltack (P)2017 Clean Reads

An Enchanting Story!

Any additional comments?

The thought of love at first sight in this story was intriguing to me. I wondered how this couple would react when they saw each other the following day. Not only that, but how would they be able to express their fascination toward one another when an arranged marriage had been agreed upon, between the man she met at the ball and Isabelle's mistress. But that's not all. The ending was quite a surprise, something I didn't expect.

This was such a fun story to listen to. Melanie Fraser's voice brought a sense of reality to each character. I thoroughly enjoyed her narrating. The men had compelling voices and so did the women. She's an excellent narrator.

So worth it

Any additional comments?
You know from the book title that you are probably dealing with mistaken identity. The best thing about this listen though, is that it was so much more. Even more amazing when you realize that not all of the masks could be seen. (That reveal at the end was priceless.)

Melanie Fraser is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. She's definitely my favorite in this genre. The way she manages to capture the prim and proper attitude of the Regency era (for both male and female characters, mind you!) is a work of art.

This was a short listen but I'm glad it's a series. That means there's more to come.

Easy Listen

Charming Cinderella style romance novel.

I enjoyed the narration, especially Melanie Fraser's British accent.

I received this audio-book free for an honest review by the author, narrator, or publisher. Thank you!!!

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Lovely Story 💕

This book is such a lovely story! This is a short listen so it is perfect choice while commuting. This is a Cinderella style book with a twist. It's a light, sweet, fun story and a nice beginning to this Beyond Boundaries series.

Melanie Fraser was the perfect choice for narration. Her voice enhances the characters and makes the story come alive. 😊

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily provided this review. 😉

Regal and light..this book is fun!

Every once in a while, I really enjoy a historical listen. This novella by Nicole Zoltack slipped in between some of the more angsty, contemporary listens I have had and gave me a real feel good story. The Masquerade ball during the Christmas holiday led us to several characters. Isabelle, maid to Theodosia and Theodosia's betrothed Adrian. There are sparks flying everywhere at this ball, the problem resulting that it's not with the couples that are expected to be in love. With their upcoming nuptials during the holidays, Theodosia and Adrian are set in a quandry...marry as their arranged marriage suggests or go against their parents and marry whom they love. Lots of issues and secrets are released but you will have to read or listen to find out how this first book in the series ends. I loved results and way Nicole was able to capture the times.

Melanie Fraser narrates this book with her regal sounding voice. I love her when she reads historical romance, always giving the book the sound of importance, yet includes the passion and emotions of the characters. This book is a must listen!

Enchanting short romance!

I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun, light and clean regency romance. Lady Theodosia is an eligible young lady on the eve of being introduced to her intended, picked by her parents years ago. She takes one last night of innocent fun at a masked ball and brings her trusted maid Isabelle along as her companion. The fact that she is a maid won't be known since they dress her in her mistress clothes and she will wear a mask.

Isabelle is nervous and feels out of place until she meets a charming masked man whom she is able to speak to easily. They share one dance and some conversation till her lady leaves and Isabelle goes home with her heart full of a man who will haunt her dreams.
Such dreams all come crashing down when she meets her mistresses intend the next day, the self same Lord Adrian Wingave whom she recognizes by his voice. From here on out broken hearts and mishap ensue in the attempt of true love finding it's way.

This story was, as a novella, short but complete. You get to know the characters quickly but intimately making the magic of love ring true. This was helped along by narrator Melanie Fraser who brings each character to life with tone and inflection that makes it easy to tell who is speaking. There were many conflicting emotions throughout the story and Ms. Fraser embodied them all for each character. You could hear the love, longing and hopefulness in each voice. Sigh. A lovely read designed to leave the reader satisfied to which I can definitely attest!

Sweet, Light, Fun!

What did you like best about this story?

The narration.

What does Melanie Fraser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She makes the characters come to life and offers the proper amount of emotion for whatever is happening in the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile.

Any additional comments?

This was a short, enjoyable book to listen to; although, there were a few things that occurred that I would question as appropriate for the Regency time period. There's nothing overly original about the premise or how things turn out, but it's a fun little romp. It's just over two hours long, and light. It takes place at Christmastime, when Lady Theodosia insists that her lady's maid, Isabelle, accompany her, in costume, to a masquerade ball. As true in all proper Regency romances, Isabelle meets a handsome lord and they fall instantly in love. Of course, this cannot be allowed to progress without difficulty, for Adrian turns out to be the man Lady Theodosia is promised to in marriage. A few little twists and turns arise, to keep the reader interested. The narration is top notch, making this a very easy audiobook to listen to. The narration is delivered clearly, with the proper amount of emotion, and the voices of each character are easy to distinguish.

My thanks to the narrator for her kindness in offering me this book as a gift. My opinion of the book was not influenced by her generosity. All comments are my true feelings concerning the book.

Sweet Regency Novella set during Christmastime!

Any additional comments?

Rating 3 1/2 Stars.

Masked Love is the first book in the Beyond Boundaries series by Nicole Zoltack. It is basically a short story that is a sweet Regency romance set during Christmastime. Although this audiobook might not be historically accurate in jargon or conversation, I found it entertaining nonetheless. I became engaged in the story and characters almost immediately.

The story begins with Lady Theodosia inviting her devoted lady's maid, Isabelle, to a masked ball as one last lark before she is married in a few days to a man she never met (needless the say, she is not thrilled about getting married). While providing Isabelle with a fancy dress and a glittering mask, Theodosia abandons Isabelle almost immediately at the ball leaving Isabelle to fend for herself. Her savior comes in the form of Lord Adrian who sweeps her off her feet in Cinderella fashion with one dance. Unbeknownst to Isabelle, Adrian is Theodosia’s betrothed and he comes to stay with Theodosia’s family for the holidays in an attempt to get Theodosia to cry off. The rest of the story is how everyone gets their “happily ever after.”

It was very refreshing to have a regency romance that didn’t have any sex in it. If I have one complaint though, it is that the ending felt too rushed. Considering that the audiobook runs at only 2 ¼ hours, it could have easily been longer with an epilogue at a minimum. In fact, I rewound the audiobook a few times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Melanie Fraser did an outstanding job narrating this audiobook. She really brought the characters to life, giving each character their own distinct voice. Simply put, Melanie’s reading was sublime!

A light fairy tale

Masked Love is like a fairy tale - for kids or early teens. It reminds me of Barbara Cartland, just without the Dickens and Shakespeare.

As a very grown up adult, I missed a lot more to this story. I missed some drama and tragedy for it to work out in the end. The Ugly Duckling also went through a lot before his happily-ever-after.

This book is as light and sweet as it can ever be and is wishful-thinking story about falling in love with someone you can't really have. And if I would expect a light fairy tale, I liked it.

Melanie Fraser narrates in a very poetic way, which fits this story perfectly.

A Sweet Regency Novella

This book has a sweet premise about finding the one you can truly love. Melanie Fraser, the recording artist captures this perfectly. There are some short comings due mainly to the abbreviated story arc of the novella format which doesn't allow for full character and plot development. Ms. Fraser is able to flesh out the characters with her interpretation. All in all it was an enjoyable story to listen to.