King Kelson's Bride

A Novel of the Deryni

By: Katherine Kurtz

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Speculation runs rampant throughout the kingdom of Gwynedd as to when, and to whom, King Kelson will finally be wed. As a rival monarch takes his place on the throne of a nearby land, it becomes more imperative than ever that Kelson produce a long-awaited heir.

Friends and enemies alike have a candidate for queen. Some put forth their ideas with passion; some with cold calculation. But while his councilors are busy trotting out potential possibilities, Kelson's heart is heavy. Two women have already been taken from his grasp - one by death and one by duplicity. Now, he must choose with his head, not his heart, for he is wed to his beloved Gwynedd by oaths far more binding than any marriage vows.

With the mystical Deryni blood flowing through his veins, Kelson can only hope for a woman whose power and conviction are equal to his own. Love is set aside for duty - and Kelson the king must make the choice that Kelson the man cannot.

©2000 Katherine Kurtz (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Kurtz's strengths lie in her patient accumulation of telling detail, well-articulated plots, and believable magics. Should bring the fans flocking, and attract newcomers too." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Series denouement

This was mostly a book-length denouement to the King Kelson series of books. There were some action sequences, but the plot here was almost entirely a process of tying off each of the plot threads left over from previous books.

There's good character development, and the threads are tied off in satisfactory ways, but this book breaks little new ground.

I enjoyed it, and as an ending to the series, it was well crafted. If you've read the rest of the series, I would unreservedly recommend this book.

Excellent Reading

The story was very good and the reader was excellent. I’ve heard him do several stories now and am very impressed.

well narrated

the second time I've listened to this book and I really enjoyed it. the narrator did a great job on all the different voices.

Better than I imagined

This tied up a few loose ends yet created a few more. I just loved this and all her books. Hope to see more in the future.

Almost as good as the book!

Would you listen to King Kelson's Bride again? Why?

Definitely! It's an easy way to immerse yourself into the land of Gwynedd.

What was one of the most memorable moments of King Kelson's Bride?

The entire story line is fantastic. I think the best part of the entire story is not Kelson and his bride but the ceremony to in Torenth to really put Liam on the throne. The magic and politics involved in that scene are just out of this world.

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

He does attempt to give different "voices" for the different characters which is not easy for him with the female voices.

Any additional comments?

The one detriment to an audio book is that the pronunciation of the character names, especially when they are not common names, may not be the same as you have always thought of them as you read.

For example, I have always thought of Meraude (Kelson's Aunt) as "mer-awd" where it is pronounced in the audio book as "mer-od" (long "o"). It may be technically correct but with a fiction book, I still think of her the way I have always done before and that pronunciation just catches at my ear!