The Lion's Lady

This book kept me captivated from beginning to end. The story wasn't your typical historical romance and I liked that......it kept it interesting. I recommend this book not only to anyone who enjoys romances but also people who like Native American stories.

I heard this narrator before and I really enjoy her reading. Many people complain when she whispers and I don't understand the complaint. She only whispers when the book says "she/he whispered". How can you fault the narrator for whispering when the author wrote that in the book?

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its worth a credit (or better yet if you find it on sale like I did snatch it up quick!)

The first book in the Crown's Spies series. Susan Duerden does a wonderful job of narrating this one. What I liked most was the unique plot. The prologue nicely set the stage for this, as well as for Christina's character, and Jessica's journal developed this plot nicely without interfering with Lyon and Christina's romance, which was rather whirlwind and angry, but tender and joyful as well. Christina being raised by Natives and then returning to England to honour her mother's request. Christina is one amazing character, and she never leaves one feel bored. Christina made me laugh. She's proud and strong willed and Lyon loves that about her. I love it when she divorces Lyon for shaming her. I love his reaction too. But most of all I love how she has everyone so damn confused, but so convinced of her sincerity that they'll do anything she asks, no matter how ridiculous it is from their point of view. And Lyon there is no words to describe him, he is gorgeous and very very stubborn but he is definitely not the only one. The witty dialog between the couple constantly made me laugh and smile. In fact, this book caused me to laugh a lot. If you are looking for an amazing love story with lots of funny moments than I highly recommend this audiobook.

As a fan on Julie Garwood's books, I'm always excited to see one available on audible.com. This story doesn't disappoint... lots of romance, twists and turns... a nice distraction. The performance by Susan Duerden, however, almost had me turning off the book and scrapping the whole thing. Her portrayal of a child's voice was cringe inducing, and the voice used for the heroine was like nails scraping on a chalkboard... on the rare occasions she spoke above a whisper. In her defense, the author seemed to write a lot of, "she whispered", so I guess the narrator was only doing what was written, but it was so frequent that is was almost comical.

I disliked the narrator so much, the even though I want to hear some more Julie Garwood books, I just can't sit through this narrator ever again.

Very good read and I can't wait to read the other books in this series. At first I was thinking that this book is just another one of those that you listen to but your heart is not set upon it. From chapter 1 to finish I was intrigued and excited for more. I was hoping that the section with her father who was supposedly dead but actually was alive, was longer and more detailed. But it was great all the same! Susan did a wonderful job overall but more with the character voices.

I enjoyed this book enormously. Julie’s books have a great storyline and she manages to mix that with sex that stems from passion. I enjoy passion in books and she certainly delivers it here. The female characters in her books are usually hesitant about getting involved emotionally and it is nice to read books where women are not always desperate (as I see played in real life).
This storyline is unique in that JG mixes the American Indian lifestyle and upbringing with the old British stuffiness. I like how she shows a strong Indian leader bending to his wife’s will to raise a child not his own during those times where white people were disliked so extensively by them. And then the strength in male character continues to show through in Lion as well. I just love the characters in this book. A nice mixture of good vs. evil.

As a real life Dakota woman, the use of my cultural background is disturbing. It might've been nice had JG did some research instead of casually flinging stereotypes on the page. Seriously, I wouldn't have minded if she had at least tried to show some effort toward authenticity. I bought this book long ago and couldn't remember hearing it. Now I know why I didn't finish it. I've read other Julie Garwood books and they were good. This one just made me a bit angry.

Also, Susan Duerden's narration is truly cringe inducing. Her attempt at accents and the weird intonation she uses really irritated me. With other books she's read, I've listened at 1.25x and it was ok. This one was not.

Julie Garwood is my favorite author, and this book didn't disappoint! If you've read and loved her other books then you'll love this one too. Also, I really enjoy this narrator. Susan Durden(sp) has a great voice and I thinks she does the characters spectacularly.

I looked at this book, passed it up. was really scared it wasn't good. Glad I finally purchased it. will listen to it over and over again.

One more to re-listen to!
Loved this story! Loved the beginning where Mary fights to keep the baby girl.
Liked it a lot when Christina popped up in England at the Tons balls and how she reacted to Lyon. How he takes charge kinda.
Susan Duerden as usual did one heck of a job.

Julie has really done it again! A great heroin, with a new story line. No clammy, boring English fellows here - this Lord is just the right one to match wits with Christina. Excellent, highly recommend, enjoyed every minute! The narrarator switched from a young girl, a man, another man to a nasty old countess within seconds and you don't even notice.