The Mésalliance

Rockliffe, Book 2

De: Stella Riley

Narrado por: Alex Wyndham

The Duke of Rockliffe is 36 years old, head of his house, and responsible for his young sister, Nell. He is, therefore, under some pressure to choose a suitable bride. Whilst accompanying Nell to what he speedily comes to regard as the house-party from hell, he meets Adeline Kendrick - acid-tongued, no more than passably good-looking yet somehow alluring. Worse still, her relatives are quite deplorable - from a spoiled, ill-natured cousin to a sadistic, manipulative uncle. As a prospective bride, therefore, Adeline is out of the question. Until, that is, a bizarre turn of events cause the Duke to throw caution to the wind and make what his world will call a mésalliance.

©2016 Stella Riley (P)2016 Stella Riley

Very elegant and intoxicating listen

I loved this. It is the second Stella Riley novel I have listened to and aside from Alex Wyndham breathing a life into characters that only he can do, the story itaelf was rich and mature, the plot well set. xx

Simply Wonderful

Stella Riley's clever, romantic, and honorable characters come vividly alive through the sublime narration of Alex Wyndham. His voice is like liquid velvet. The characters' personalities are defined by intelligent dialogue and the various voices Wyndham employs. Listening is a pleasure.
This book as well as the first in the Rockliffe series are among the best I have listened to in my many years of enjoying audio books. I can't wait to begin book three! Great storytelling!!

Almost perfect! Listen to it!

Narrator makes this a story not to be missed. Great hero and heroine, Truly awful family villains both male and female, but the friends more than make up for them, everyone should have such friends.
Rags to riches love story! And of course many misunderstandings Oh Well off you go on an adventure with lots of humor

Stella Riley Rocks!

The second book in the Rockliffe Series features Tracy Wynstanton, Duke of Rockliffe aka Rock. I enjoyed this book very much. I have always preferred The Regency Period and never really read any books that took place in The Georgian Period. I find I like this time period for the same reasons that Stella does. The men are sexier and masculine in their wardrobes and Stella's descriptions are like the cream on top of the ambrosia.

Rock is a Duke whose gravitas makes him a figure to be admired by men and women alike. He has a wicked wit with a mischievousness that his friends encourage. He is a perfect Gentleman who will protect his family with his life. He is handsome and charming on the outside with a heart of gold hidden beneath his lace and brocade. A side that he shows only to his family and closest friends. He has never had a serious romantic relationship with any proper lady. He realizes that now at the age of

36 he must start looking for his Duchess. His requirements for a wife are simple, be well bred with the grace to be his partner in promoting and protecting his Dukedom and advancing the causes that are important to both of them. She must be willing to chaperone his younger sister through Society and most of all, SHE MUST NOT BORE HIM. The last requirement is going to be difficult. He has no interest in empty-headed chits.

He younger sister Nell is so excited that her brother is chaperoning her to the house party of her friend Diana. Rock is not impressed with Diana and most of the guests at the party. Two weeks of hell!! The lady of the house was a simpering sycophant that Rock planned on avoiding at all costs. Matchmaking mothers are to be avoided at all costs. When he is introduced to the lady's companion he is intrigued. He knows her, he encountered her numerous times while out riding in the country. She was young, vivacious, and full of life. Time has not been kind to her. He is surprised in the change in her, now a poor relation with a spiteful tongue. He is intrigued and is determined to bring her out of the shadows and find out what happened to her.

Adeline wants nothing to do with anyone at the party and especially Rock. She is not the same young girl she was years ago. Life has not been kind to her, an orphan who now exists on the perimeters of dead mothers family. Her Aunt and Cousin have drained any desire for life with their constant cruelties, insults and forced servitude. She has learned the best way to survive is to be invisible. Now Rockliffe remembers her and is making her life difficult.

When Adeline's aunt informs the guests that the party will have an odd number of ladies due to one of the guests declining due to illness. Rock immediately suggests that Adeline could even up the numbers and insists that she be able to join the party. Adeline is furious with Rock for bringing her out of the background. Her Aunt and Cousin Diana are going to make her sorry. Diana is a spoiled, selfish, spiteful brat that knows the world revolves around her and is livid at Adeline. Rock knows exactly what kind of young lady is and wants nothing to do with her. Diana is furious that Rock is paying more attention to his mouse of a cousin then her. She decides it is time for Rock to make her his Duchess and sets up a trap for him that will result in her being compromised and he will have to marry her. Only Adeline finds out about it and rescues Rock. Diana is beyond angry and attacks Adeline after Rock has left the room. When Rock comes back to check in on her, he is furious at her condition and tries to help her repair her gown. Impulsively he drops a brief kiss on her lips and of course, that's when they are discovered.

Rock is surprised how much he wants her and he really does want to marry her. Adeline is confused, and afraid but agrees to the marriage. Rock has never felt this way about a young lady before and is finding himself looking forward to all that this marriage will bring to both of them. He knows that Adeline needs time to adjust to her new life and he agrees to delay the consummation until they know each other better. Adeline is overwhelmed by his generosity, kindness, and respect. She begins to believe that she could love him and be very happy.

When Adeline's evil Uncle reveals something horrible about her mother she is shocked and pays him the money he demands to keep him from telling Rock. It will destroy her and her marriage and she will do anything to protect Rock. Things go progressively downhill from there. Rock doesn't understand why she is pulling away from him and she won't talk to him. He has such high hopes for this marriage and he suspects that Adeline is being threatened but she won't tell him. They grow farther and farther apart and comes to a climax in a way that could be the end of any chance of a happy ending.

Stella writes a stunningly beautiful story full of heartbreaking sorrow, and a love that will make you laugh and weep. I loved the last few chapters when Rock opened himself up and let the world know how much he loved Adeline and will ruin anyone who hurt her. You see a side of him that he has kept hidden away, how deeply he can love and how he will do anything to keep Adeline and make her happy. I am actually tearing up thinking about the way Stella let Rock reveal his love for Adeline. I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next one. Of course, listening to Alex Wyndham brings the book to life in a way only he can do.

Ouch!

By the end, I had a headache from rolling my eyes. I've never read a book with so many misunderstandings between the main characters. Just silly. But the narrator was great, as he always is.

LOVED IT

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I hesitated taking the second book as I didn't think it would be as good as the first but boy was I wrong. I loved Book 1 and this was just as good if not better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the characters were good. Dry, witty, humorous.

What about Alex Wyndham’s performance did you like?

He is the best.

Any additional comments?

When I arrived home last night I realized that I had had a smile on my face for the whole hour and twenty minutes. I loved it. Can't wait till the next one.

Perfect for Georgette Heyer fans!

If you are a Georgette Heyer fan, you should listen to this audiobook. It is probably the best book I've ever listened to from the Georgian time period. I was reluctant to listen to it because I kept tripping over the title, which translates to "a marriage with a person of inferior social position." However, in this story, the match is perfect! You have a pompous duke brought to his knees by a down-to-earth bluestocking. More heroines should be like Adeline. And the narrator, Alex Wyndham, was pure perfection. Bravo!

Very very annoying leading lady.

It's a testament to Stella Riley's talent at great character development that the female lead character was aggravating and annoying. I was ready to scream at times. But...the story is excellent as are the supporting characters. And of course, Alex Wyndham did an outstanding job.

Couldn't stop listening

I thouroughly enjoyed this book! I loved the plot, the side stories and the excellent performance of the narrator.

Scandalous Beginnings Lead to Perfect Endings

Any additional comments?

4.5 for the story and 5 Stars for Alex Wyndham's narration!

Having fallen in love with the Duke of Rockliffe from his role in The Parfit Knight, nevermind the oh so soothing and sexy voice of Alex Wyndham (who narrates this series), I just knew I had to listen to The Mesalliance to get Rockliffe's story. Delivering another thoroughly enchanting and heartfelt tale, Ms. Stella Riley has impressed me yet again with her true gift for romantic writing.

As the head of his family, the Duke of Rockliffe's days as a bachelor are inevitably limited. So when his duties lead him to quite the dreaded house party--as the escort for his sister who is also in the market for a suitable match and has her own ideas as to who might be a proper duchess for Rockliffe--the Duke maneuvers what could be quite the scandalous situation into a solution for his familial obligations and his need for a wife.

Adeline Kendrick has been plagued by misfortune since her childhood when a series of unfortunate events end up with her being left with her Aunt and Uncle to be raised. In this household she is treated like quite the cinderella, frequently used to clean up after her two cousins and made to feel like she doesn't belong. Adeline being quite spirited and quick witted, however, survives as best she can and has learned how to deliver little spiteful blows that generally go unnoticed given her shrewdness (and the lack thereof by her Aunt and her favorite, spoiled daughter, Cousin Diana, who are particularly disdainful of Adeline and have their own plans for turning Diana into the future Duchess of Rockcliffe).

Rockcliffe never imagined marrying for love. His only expectations were to fulfill his obligations. And Adeline certainly never expected to escape her evil Aunt's and Uncle's grasp (though the truly evil Uncle is her Aunt's brother, not her Aunt's husband--who seems, along with one of the cousins, to have some altruism to his disposition though its generally squelched by the general black heartedness of the Aunt and Diana); much less be presented with such a higher station. However, when everyone has an opinion as to who should be the future Duchess of Rockcliffe, and many are willing to manipulate the situation to make it happen or at the very least to manipulate the situation for their own advantage, and given her own bold and unlikely background, could there possibly be a HEA in the future for her and Rockcliffe?

As for the narration, Alex Wyndham's performance is simply perfection. Mr. Wyndham's voice is just so dramatically appealing and his attention to the detail of the specific story being told is superb. This is now my third book by Mr. Wyndham and I am clamoring for more.

One of the features that makes Mr. Wyndham's narrations so amazing is his ability to create highly differentiated and personality specific voices for each one of the characters. From the aristocratic and tongue in cheek humor that is so characteristic of Rockcliffe, to the generally somber and yet intellectual voice of Adeline, Mr. Wyndham does perfect justice to the characters that Ms. Riley has penned.

Lovers of historical romance and audiobooks will not want to miss this gem (in fact, the entire series should be on your TBL). Now I can't wait to listen to the third and final book in this series, The Player.

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.