The Chaperone

By: Sophia Holloway

Narrated by: Matt Addis

Sophy Hadlow does not want to return for another London Season. Her own debut into Society was marred by self-consciousness and her cringing embarrassment every time she was announced as ‘The Lady Sophronia Hadlow’. Yet, much to her dismay, Sophy is back in London to oversee the debut of her younger sister and their wild cousin, Susan Tyneham, who risks ruining both her own and her innocent cousin’s chances of marriage.

Sophy, a most reluctant chaperone, is left to guide her sister and attempt to keep Susan from complete disaster, all whilst dealing with her own unexpected feelings for the disarming Lord Rothley.

©2023 Sophia Holloway (P)2023 Allison & Busby Ltd

A delight

Excellent in all ways, engaging characters and plot. There are, perhaps, a few trite tropes but Holloway weaves them better clothing. Addis voices each character in different and suitable tones. 5 stars all around.

Took Awhile

I initially struggled to connect with this book, but I'm eager to acknowledge the narrator's impressive efforts, particularly with the male voices. While the female voices presented a challenge, I recognize the complexity of mastering various tones. The multiple storylines, however, caused confusion, especially with similar names. I aim to provide constructive feedback, recognizing that many will appreciate this book. Although the characters didn't resonate with me, I value the ambitious narrative.

Very Enjoyable

Very enjoyable story with characters who are believable and whose romances are slowly developed, leading to very satisfying conclusions. Well narrated and well written. The author has the characters think and behave in keeping with their time (the early 1800s), which is a rare pleasure in literature written today. The horrible young cousin behaves atrociously repeatedly, but there has to be someone to hate!

Narrator is a whole other layer of the cake

This is a multi POV story. Sophia Holloway loves this style of writing. I have read 5 books by her so far and they were all written in this fashion. Because of this I have come to find that listening to them being performed by the superbly talented Matt Addis is just what adds a whole other layer of loveliness to that cake. He is just too much fun.

This a clean romance-kisses only. But there is talk of physical intimacy-though not sordidly laid out nor detailed in any uncomfortably vivid fashion. It is lightly mentioned and vaguely alluded to.

Also, this is truly a story about Chaperoning-as is the title, with love coming second to that. The former is the main theme while the latter happens second to it. So please go in knowing this.

All in all this is a period story full of humor and wit and a clever light hearted way to pass the time.

Secrets and misconceptions

A wonderful young woman "handicapped" by being taller than the average man, a man burdened and branded by the sins of his father, a childish minx reacting to her questionable birth, an honorable man willing to look beyond the obvious, plus a cast of weak-willed and obnoxious relations all converge in London for "The Season." A most satisfying tale. Matt Addis does a great job performing this clean, interesting story.

Narration excellent

The writing was a littler tighter than many in this genre, and internal thoughts were kept to a minimum, so I appreciated those aspects. But I’d hoped for more time with the main character and felt the plot was spread thin because of all the focus on the least appealing character. Matt Addis really put life into this. I’ll look for more of his narrations.