The Last Serenade

Sybil Ingram, Volume 2

By: Amanda DeWees

Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

When Sybil takes the stage again, murder plays the leading role.

In September 1873, medium and actress Sybil Ingram is looking forward to her new life as the wife of dashing violinist Roderick Brooke. But their plans for marriage are interrupted by a cry for help from Julia de Lioncourt, Roderick's former lover, who implores him to come to Paris to rescue her from a blackmailer, Danton Fournier.

When they arrive in Paris, the bewitching beauty proposes a daring plan: Sybil will take Julia's place in a new melodrama while Julia, her alibi thus secured, recovers the letters from Fournier's home. Knowing that Roderick still harbors guilt over killing Julia's husband in a duel, Sybil agrees to the plan for his sake - even though it's all too clear that Julia wants Roderick back in her bed. Moreover, the theater seems to harbor a ghostly presence that may foretell disaster for the masquerade.

Catastrophe strikes when Fournier's body is discovered stabbed through the heart. Suddenly Sybil needs an alibi. She must also find a way to prevent suspicion from falling on Roderick as well - while determining whether Julia knows more about Fournier's death than she is admitting. Can Sybil's abilities as a spirit medium help her discover the truth before the real killer stops her?

A delicious blend of supernatural mystery, gothic romance, and romantic comedy, the Sybil Ingram Victorian mysteries are perfect for listeners who love Victorian women sleuths like Anna Lee Huber's Lady Darby, Penny Richards's Lilly Long, Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey, and Elizabeth Peters's Amelia Peabody. And be sure not to miss Sybil's previous adventures in Nocturne for a Widow!

©2016 Amanda DeWees (P)2017 Amanda DeWees

3.5* - great narration of female characters

Any additional comments?

This was an interesting book. I'm not complaining about the lack of R-rated action; the author did a very good job with the light seduction scenes and the chemistry between the two main characters was well written. Indeed, the author has quite a lovely writing style and I'd certainly consider reading other books that she's written. She's quite effective at painting the setting and scenes of historical fiction, and her dialogue is well done also.

Having said that, there were times that I didn't really admire the main character (e.g., when she lost her patience at the understudy, who was upset that the main character usurped her position). I would sometimes become frustrated when she showed a backbone sometimes but knowingly let herself be taken advantage of other times. I also didn't find the motive for the France trip to be compelling (especially since the ex-mistress got away with continually provoking Roderick and Sybil for most of the story). However, since I didn't read the first book in this series, a deeper understanding of the backstory might have answered this question for me.

These are all minor things, though. There were really two main reasons why I didn't give this audiobook more stars. First, several characters in this book treated Roderick and Sybil quite shabbily after their arrival in France yet no one received their come-uppance (other than the murder victim). The ex-mistress's final fate was contrived and since she always seems to land on her feet, the ending that she received definitely does not punish her for her crimes. Second, while the narrator did a super job with the female voices in the audiobook (both Sybil and Julia were especially well done), I cringed whenever I heard Roderick's voice. Okay, I KNOW it's not easy voicing characters that are different genders than the narrator. But most narrators sound silly and fake when they do this, and that can jeopardize the reader's enjoyment of the book. I gave the narration 4 stars because of the great female voices but Roderick's voice just wasn't compelling at all. I couldn't paint him mentally as an attractive man, because of this fake male voice. In my experience listening to other audiobooks, female narrators who have alto voices do best with male characters when they drop their tones a little bit but not a lot for the male characters. Female narrators who have more soprano voices can't seem to pull off male characters when they deepen their voices substantially. It's like me pretending to be Santa Claus and booming, "Ho Ho Ho! Merrrry Christmas!" It's clear that I'm faking a male voice. And... when that fake male voice is supposed to be a romantic male lead, I can't engage with that character, and that's the time when I wish I was reading the book rather than listening to an audiobook. (This same gripe applies to male narrators who use falsetto voices for female characters.). It's tough, though. The narrator did such a great job with the female voices! I just wished she had done Roderick differently :(

I provided this honest review in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author, narrator, or publisher.

Mystery Done Well

Amanda DeWees' novel is a perfect blend of mystery and soft romance. This historical fiction was engaging with little twist and turns that had me guessing to the very end. The characters were well developed and relatable and the plot pleasingly plausible. I particularly enjoyed that the main character was a strong willed, passionate, and empathetic woman. I truly enjoyed DeWees writing style and plan to listen to more in this series.

This was my second time listening to narrator Elizabeth Klett and I was thoroughly impressed. Her accents and dialects were superb. Although the writing included heavy amounts of French, and quick transitions from British, to American, to French speakers, Klett spoke it with ease and nothing was overdone. I plan to listen to more of her work.

Overall, this was a great read and I would recommend it to mystery and/or romance fans.

This audiobook was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Great Leading Lady

Sybil Ingram is lucky enough to take the stage again in the newest installment by Amanda DeWees. Sybil is a fearless female heroine who prefers to take action in every situation. Although I didn’t care for the circumstances around this little adventure for her and Roderick, I still was entertained. In real life if my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend needed help with anything, I would tell her to get lost. I did enjoy the many twists, turns, and guesses in this novel. I hope there are future stories featuring Sybil and Roderick.
Elizabeth Klett did a wonderful job with the cast of characters in this audiobook. She is definitely one of my favorite narrators.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

I was hooked right away

I don't always love a book right away, but this one had me interested from the start. It has a good initial hook that grabs you and pulls you in. There was a great female villain I loved to hate, and there were twists I didn't see coming which I enjoyed. I consider myself a sophisticated reader so I like when an author surprises me, since I like playing the game where I guess who the culprit is before all the facts are in!

The narrator, Elizabeth Klett, did a delightful narration of the many characters in this audiobook. She is a new favorite narrator of mine now, and I was compelled to purchase more books by this author and narrator so I could keep enjoying their pairing.

* I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher courtesy of Audiobook Blast in exchange for an unbiased review. *

Good strong characters

I haven't read the first book but I enjoyed this one. Good strong characters and a great mystery. A bit slow at times but overall a fun read. I'll have to get the first book now.

Not really a fan of the narrator, it was just ok.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

A Victorian crime with a paranormal twist:)

Where does The Last Serenade rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This audiobook ranks among the top 5 I have listened to so far (both in English and my native Polish) - and I've listened to about 30 only in the last year.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think my two favourite characters (especially in Ms Klett's interpretation) were Sybil Ingram and Julia de Lioncourt - two completely different women: the first a proper, intelligent, romatic lady, truthful and loyal, the other a manipulative coquette, self-centered and indifferent to anyone but herself. Both were portrayed excellently through words and actions. But there are many other well-developed characters that stay with the reader/listener, although they kind of take the backseat role in this book.

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

Ms Klett excellently brings all the characters to life, giving each one a distinctive voice.

The thing that worked especially well in this audiobook (and which would be difficult for me to get a grasp of if I was just reading the book) was the French accent of the French characters - especially Julia's; in Ms Klett's interpretation she comes out as a brilliant manipulator.

Generally, I loved Ms Klett's interpretation of all the characters; the emotions rang true, the way Ms Klett modulated her voice to differentiate each character from the others was spot on - I had no problem realizing who was speaking...

And I loved Ms Klett's singing in one of the scenes describing a rehearsal of a play:) It was a great surprise and a delight to hear a song from the play being actually sung by the narrator:)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

If it was made into a film, my tagline for the book would probably be: Beware of what you do for your past actions may hunt you and cause your demise - and the ghosts of those you wronged will see to it...

Any additional comments?

I liked the tempo of Ms Klett's reading - it was neither too fast nor too slow, just the right pace. It was especially helpful when the French characters were speaking - as I'm not a native speaker of English, listening to "French" English would be much harder for me if the narrator spoke too quickly:)

I will definitely look for another book read by Ms Klett.

DISCLAIMER: I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the narrator.

Strong Female Character

If you could sum up The Last Serenade in three words, what would they be?

Romance, Mystery, Supernatural

Any additional comments?

I was given free copy of this book by the author, narrator, or publisher. I'm voluntarily providing a review for it.

This book is mostly a romance and mystery novel. I like that this has a strong female lead. The author has built a good connection between the two lead characters. And the introduction of supernatural elements was a nice touch. The story was a little dull at points, but overall, it was alright.

if you like Victoria Holt you'll love Amanda DeWee

I was gifted this audio ARC from the author/Narrator for a honest and unbiased review
I'm new to the world of Amanda DeWees and am glad I was gifted this audio ARC. I loved Elizabeth Klett's voice. She did a great job.
The story had many twists and turns, but you never felt cheated that the author had withheld any vital clues.
I am ready to try out more audiobooks by Amanda 5and books narrated by Elizabeth Klett.
I highly recommend this book

Mystery and romance with a bit of the paranormal

Which character – as performed by Elizabeth Klett – was your favorite?

The narration of the female characters was very good. I enjoyed the story on general. It was a very long and complex plot that at some points I wondered if there was a purpose to some of it. The portrayal of the main character was very good though Roderick left a little to be desired. Overall the story was good. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Outstanding gothic historical mystery!

Any additional comments?

The Last Serenade is another thoroughly enjoyable gothic historical mystery by Amanda DeWees. This is the second story in the Sybil Ingram Mysteries and follows a few years after the first book in the series, Nocturne for a Widow, where we are introduced to Sybil, who is a spirit medium and her fiancé, Roderick Brooke, who is concert violinist. However, rather than setting this second story in the Hudson Valley of New York, The Last Serenade is set in the theatre world of 1873 Paris.

The story primarily revolves around Roderick’s former lover, actress Julia de Lion court, who is being blackmailed by a former lover. Because Roderick still feels guilty for killing Julia's husband in a duel several years before, Julia persuades Roderick to travel to Paris to help her; and of course, Sybil comes along to help. [One of my favorite scenes is when Julia is found naked in Roderick’s bed just after Sybil and Roderick checked into the hotel.] While our main characters hatch a plan to retrieve the documents that are held over Julia’s head, the blackmailer is murdered. The rest of the story is figuring out who killed the blackmailer, in addition to keeping Sybil and Roderick from being suspects.

DeWees writing is simply outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that Sybil is taking to learn more about her mystical abilities to communicate with ghosts (she visits a renowned medium in Paris). And I especially enjoyed how Sybil supports Roderick to help him overcome his personal demons (guilt over the duel).

I listened to the Audible version of this story, narrated by the outstanding Elizabeth Klett. She really brought the characters to life, using a variety of accents and giving each character their own distinct voice. In summary, I can't wait for the next book written by Amanda DeWees and narrated by Elizabeth Klett!