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The Dark Lady  By  cover art

The Dark Lady

By: Dawn Chandler
Narrated by: Ashton Greso
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Publisher's summary

She should have grown up in a life of luxury and ease; instead she was thrust into one of danger and deception....

Forced by her scheming mother to pretend that she was a boy, Vanessa Fordella became Van, the Dark Knight, in 12th-century England. But when her now-dying mother demands that she leave behind her charade and marry, Van embarks on the most difficult journey of her life. And if her new husband ever finds out the truth....

After years of war, all he wants is peace and the simple life....

Peter Lawston, Lord Grayweist, hopes for a shy and controllable wife to run his castle and bear his children. What arrives instead is a hellcat who doesn't know the first thing about being docile or obedient. There's something familiar about his unconventional wife, but Peter can't put his finger on it.

As Van struggles to let go of the knight she has been and become the wife she is expected to be, events unfold that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear, including her very life.

©2013 Dawn Chandler (P)2015 Dawn Chandler

What listeners say about The Dark Lady

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My First Review...

Any additional comments?

I don't know if it carries much weight, but I have over 2,000 Audible books, yet this novel compelled me to pen my first review. I love to read and hate to write, so please bear with me as I attempt to convince you to add The Dark Lady to your Audible library.

The premise of Van the Dark Knight / Vanessa the Dark Lady is unique. It's fresh and unlike any other historical romance I've ever read. The heroine, Van / Vanessa, and hero, Peter, are a captivating duo. In their story, you experience subtle humor, sadness, frustration, tenderness, ferocity, personal strife and growth, chemistry, passion, love, sex and action. The heroine is a significant player in the action. Nothing in The Dark Lady seems contrived. The array of secondary characters are fleshed out, contributing to a multi-layered, original narrative.

The story advances in such a manner, I was always fully engaged. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I never lapsed into inattentiveness. It was a sublime balance of plot and characterization.

Narration is so integral to the enjoyment of an audiobook. Initially, I yearned for Nicholas Boulton, my favorite male narrator, but quickly embraced Ashton Greso's rendering. He conveyed the emotion with distinct and credible voices for all. Great job

!Is it worth a credit? Indeed it is! I listened to The Dark Lady twice, back-to-back. I've never done that before!

Lastly, if you've read through my "virgin" review thus far, I thank you. My intent is to share the pleasure I derived, and encourage others to listen to Dawn Chandler's novel. I promise, you will suffer no regrets!

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25 people found this helpful

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Who Was the "Black Knight"?

Kudos to author Dawn Chandler for writing such a unique book.

Fearing her husband would kill the baby because she was a girl, her mother ran away and raised Vanessa as her son Van and sent him/her to train as a squire when she was only 10 years old.

When Van was a teenager he was knighted by the King as "The Black Knight" for bravery on the battlefield for saving the King's Champion at great risk to his/her own life.

This was a new author and narrator for me, but both did an excellent job. Dawn Chandler has a great command of language drawing clear and concise mental pictures with her words without being overly wordy.

I highly recommend it for lovers of Historical Romances that include a lot of action.

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16 people found this helpful

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I don't recommend. extremely pornographic.

the book started out as interesting, but by
chapter 8 it had turned into a novel with extremely pornographic sections. I stopped listening and removed it from my audible device. this book is way beyond spicy.

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7 people found this helpful

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Best female heroine ever

I hesitated to buy this book as I wasn't thrilled with the narrator's voice, but soon was so taken by the characters and story, I didn't notice the narrator so much.

I love that the female character was strong, athletic, could kick ass,flawed, imperfections so although not perfect, she tried to be, over and over. I'm so over petite blond frail women with pink lip gloss and perfect skin!

This is a beautiful story, real and passionate. I loved every moment.

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Great surprise of a book. Highly recommend

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dark Lady to be better than the print version?

I prefer audiobooks so that I can multitask so the audio version is always better for me.

What did you like best about this story?

The heroine is great. The story has all the emotions covered for a great read/listen. Narration is very well done.

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

Ashton brings all characters emotions in perfect timing. Ve ray well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely! I will listen to it again in a single sitting.

Any additional comments?

An amazing surprise. I was hesitant to get this book but very glad I did. Well worth the credit. This book makes you laugh, cry and enjoy. I will definitely look for more books by this author.

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AWESOME SAUCE!

Have you ever started to read a book and it was so good that you couldn't put it down? Well this is that book. Writing at it's best, and a GREAT Narrator. I don't want to give away too many details but this book was way worth a credit!

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2 people found this helpful

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Not bad.

Not bad. A reasonably good story, made better by well done narration.
I don't often enjoy male narrators doing female voices, but all the voices done were distinct and full of character.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Awesome!!

It's worth a credit. The characters were very entertaining and full of life. Highly recommended.

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One of the best

I listened to this book twice in four days. I enjoyed the new approach and the variety in the story.
My only complaint is a few of romance scenes that seemed out of place or just plain irritating timing. That is not due to a poor story, but to my own personal conviction that I would have stood my ground with that arrogant husband not giving into a romp in the grass.
This was a great action packed love story following a woman having a major identity crisis. I laughed, cried, and became angry with the characters. Listen! It's worth it.

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    5 out of 5 stars

awesome book!

loved it so much! laughed, cried all the emotion! can't wait for the next one.

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1 person found this helpful