The Briton and the Dane: Second Edition

By: Mary Ann Bernal

Narrated by: Sebastian Lockwood

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

King Alfred the Great has thwarted the Viking threat against his kingdom of Wessex. Signing a treaty with the formidable Danish King Guthrum, he succeeds in pushing the heathen army back to the rolling fens of East Anglia.

An uneasy peace holds sway: The King establishes a standing army under Lord Richard, who takes command of the citadel at Wareham.

Richard and his army are accompanied by his daughter, Gwyneth, an impetuous and reckless young woman - at once striking, intellectually gifted, but dangerously vain and imprudent.

While Richard broods on the Viking threat, Gwyneth falls in love with an enemy prince - only to discover that she has been betrothed to a Saxon warrior twice her age.

Refusing to countenance her grim fate, she flees the fortress, but is soon kidnapped by a Viking warrior and taken to the camp of King Guthrum while Saxon search parties scour the land.

In captivity, a hostage to fortune, and the focus of political intrigue, Gwyneth is submerged in a world of expediency, betrayal, and black treachery. Slowly, she realizes the truth is suspect, nothing is what it appears and her reality cannot be trusted.

And all the time, against this background, she desires nothing more than to be reunited with her dashing Danish prince.

©2009 Mary Ann Bernal (P)2014 Mary Ann Bernal

The narrator detracts from the story. Too forced,

Good story, but narrator detracted from story. He's too forced, slow and flat at times.

Wow! That's a lot of Characters

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast.com

Narration - Sabastian Lockwood - Hot Mess (but it's not entirely his fault!) There are SOOOO many character's in this book. I felt like it was a little schizophrenic at times. This narrator has a fabulous voice, but because of the need/his attempts to create so many character's some of the voices were a little out there and over dramatic. With extended consonants and too much bravado. For the most part, the book told you who was speaking, so I think it would have been an easier listen with just a couple of his nice voices and call it good.

I don't even know where to begin on the story. I gave this 3 stars because I thought it was ok. But I really had a hard time following this book. Maybe because it was audio and I was sometimes doing other things, it made it harder to follow. But it flipped from character to character or scene to scene and all the sudden, I'd stop what I was doing and say Huh? Who's this Helga person? (or insert one of many of the character names) I was continually rewinding and re-listening to parts...sometimes it helped...sometimes it didn't - in fact, it took me 6 days to finish this title.

I've read and listened to books with huge casts and never felt as lost as I did on this one. BUT with that said, I think maybe on a large road trip or something where my attention is a little more contained, I will try to listen to this again and I will revisit and revise this review if my opinion changes.

Read the book instead

I tried to listen to this but I just couldn't get past the performance of the narrator. So read the book instead.

Love should take longer than this

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

For light reading yes; serious romance no

Would you be willing to try another book from Mary Ann Bernal? Why or why not?

Already did

Which scene was your favorite?

Most memorable was that she falls in love when they could not possible have spoken more than a dozen words.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Horrible

This book is for an elementary reader. No imagination & narration is unbelievably embarrassing. Cannot believe anyone published this

The Briton and The Dane!!! Can't get enough!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Briton and the Dane: Second Edition to be better than the print version?

I loved being able to listen to this descriptive story on audio book. It really takes you in. I found it relaxing to listen to the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The author knows how to take you back in time. You feel like you are witnessing it all.

Have you listened to any of Sebastian Lockwood’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think Sebastian Lockwood does a fabulous job. He has a very expressive voice and told the story so well.

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

There were times I was practically sent to tears. In a good way. It was very easy to get involved with the characters and storyline.

Any additional comments?

My review.

The Briton and The Dane is the first book in a trilogy that takes place in the ninth century. This book caught my attention right away. It was easy to get swept away into the drama and intrigue. I was amassed over all the deception that took place during those time periods. This book also has a very seductive side which made the story even more captivating and entertaining for me.

I love how Mary ann Bernal writes. She is wildly talented and has a real gift for telling a colorful story. The characters are very lifelike and the dialog is impeccable. I loved how the scenes keep shifting around throughout each chapter. I had to pay attention but it was so spellbinding and alluring at the same time. It is all very comprehensible and clever.

I loved all the history along with the romantic side to this novel.

Loved this book

Where does The Briton and the Dane: Second Edition rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 20 and I've bought many!

What did you like best about this story?

This historical tale is an interesting story with scenery and characters coming to life. Treachery and romance woven into a well constructed plot.

Have you listened to any of Sebastian Lockwood’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to one other story by Sebastian and feel like, in both accounts, he did well on both books engaging me in a timeless account of Kings, Queens, and more.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to more from both the author and narrator.