A Lady at Willowgrove Hall

Whispers On The Moors, Book 3

By: Sarah Ladd

Narrated by: Carmel O'Donovan

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Her secret cloaks her in isolation and loneliness. His secret traps him in a life that is not his own.

Cecily Faire carries the shame of her past wherever she treads, knowing one slip of the tongue could expose her disgrace. But soon after becoming a lady's companion at Willowgrove Hall, Cecily finds herself face-to-face with a man well-acquainted with the past she's desperately hidden for years.

Nathaniel Stanton has a secret of his own - one that has haunted him for years and tied him to his father's position as steward of Willowgrove Hall. To protect his family, Nathaniel dares not breathe a word of the truth. But as long as the shadow looms over him, he'll never be free to find his own way in the world. He'll never be free to fall in love.

When the secrets swirling within Willowgrove Hall come to light, Cecily and Nathaniel must confront a painful choice: Will they continue running from the past...or will they stand together and fight for a future without the suffocating weight of secrets long suffered?

©2014 Thomas Nelson Publishers (P)2014 Thomas Nelson Publishers

Flawed but endearing characters

This has been my favorite Sarah Ladd novel and the narration my favorite, too. So often there is a character so annoying that I want to fast forward til he leaves the scene. In this book, there is a richness to each character that made me want to know more. Sarah has content for more novels here!

Great story.

I really enjoyed the characters, the personal struggles. I would love to see what is next.

Good mystery, better narrator other 2 in series.

Any additional comments?

This narrator was the better of the 3 in this series, but still had a lot of extra "s" sound which hurts your ears and lots of times when the male/female voices were indistinguishable.

Captivating characters and story

I appreciated that the story was not so predictable that I lost interest. The characters were believable and easy to relate to without being totally evil but quite human.
The story flowed believably through ups & downs of circumstances that led to the conclusion (though predictable, interestingly told).

Wonderful!

If you like Jane Austen you will love Sarah Ladd! I was only recently introduced to this author and in three days time have listened to two audio books and read one paperback novel written by her. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

Enjoyable read

Lessons to be learned in this book, like how to treat people, child raising ski!!s and letting God in your life.

Pleasant Story; Difficult to Hear Audio

The story was well written and engaging. Unfortunately, the narrator kept lowering her voice (or what can only be described as slurring her words) throughout the story. It impacted the story so much so that I missed parts and when I was in the car I couldn’t turn the volume up any louder than the car stereo would allow making it a difficult ‘read/listen’.

Good story

I liked the story line even though at times it was hard to follow. Several loose ends kind of left me hanging. The narration was hard to understand as the narrator swallowed some of her words and had very little variation between voices. It would have been great to go to sleep with, but it was almost painful while driving.

STORY LINE IS FINE BUT, NARRATOR NEEDS PRACTICE

I'm reviewing another Sarah Ladd book. This story was fine, and it was good to hear that there was a new narrator, however this new narrator dropped the words at the end of most sentences, making it very hard to hear what she was saying! For example: "SHE WENT TO THE LIBRARY, AND TOOK OUT a book....", "HE WAS VERY HANDSOME and amiable...." The last few words of almost every sentence were almost dropped, and said with a very low voice! I had to strain to hear what the narrator had said! Her voice wasn't bad, she just needs to learn not to drop the words at the end of her sentences! Narration is so important - it's more than just reading a book - and I'm not sure if narrators truly understand that? A good narrator makes a book, while a bad or difficult one breaks the book. Authors should have some say in who reads their books! For example, the readings of the characters in the Jane Austen book "Northanger Abbey" - especially Emma Thompson - changed my opinion of that book from bad to good!! They were excellent narrators.

Just ok

Would you try another book from Sarah Ladd and/or Carmel O'Donovan?

It was a bit too boring for me. It's one of those books where the characters are completely proper with one tiny peck and the very end of the book. I don't read smutty romance novels, but I do need a little more romance than was in this one. Very predictable storyline. Not my favorite.

What didn’t you like about Carmel O'Donovan’s performance?

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and i didn't care for this narrator. It felt like she was simply reading the book to herself. I prefer when it feels like the narrator is giving a performance rather than simply reading the text.

Do you think A Lady at Willowgrove Hall needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No