The Widow's Redeemer

By: Philippa Jane Keyworth

Narrated by: Alex Lee

Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

A penniless young widow with an indomitable spirit. A wealthy viscount with an unsavory reputation. London, 1815: After her husband's untimely death, Letty Burton comes up from the country with her domineering mother-in-law. Hiding a past she wishes to forget and facing an uncertain future, all she wants is to navigate London Society as a silent companion. A chance meeting with London's most eligible bachelor sets in motion a series of events that will bring her quiet life under the unfriendly scrutiny of the ton. With the net of scandal, debts, and rivals closing in, will she let her dark past dictate her life forever? Will she learn to trust again? And most importantly, will she allow herself to love? The Widow's Redeemer was a finalist in the 2012 RONE Awards (Reward of Novel Excellence) hosted by InD'Tale Magazine.

©2012 Philippa Jane Keyworth (P)2018 Philippa Jane Keyworth

Worthy Of A Listen Or Two

The story starts off with me feeling sorry for Lettice May Burton. She's had to deal with a husband that we assume was all too common back then. It was uncommon for a woman to have a voice. Her outward appearances seemed a little timid and her inner voice silenced. Our story is one that takes its time to develop and having Ms. Lee reading to me made it very enjoyable.

Our author shows that romance can be seen with words instead of deed. Our narrator commands our attention as we get immersed in a time long past. Because we can't talk to anyone about that period in time we rely on the author to pull us into history as she weaves her story. It's a story that had me think "what if?"

If I ever make my way over to Great Britain, I can picture myself listening to this book as I walk the halls of the stately homes and castles that are available to tourists. In a way it's the merging of old and new. What a great way to learn a little about the history of a country where your ancestors lived. And you get to listen to a romance while looking at things that may have a place in Letty's world. If not for the narrator and the author, I may never have tried to make a connection to my own history.

Would I read the book? I'd have to say that's a maybe. I had a great experience listening to it that I'm not sure that I'd have with the written word. Also, why spoil a good thing. With an audio version of a book you can go anywhere and have headphones in so the narrator is just reading to you. With a book you have to put it down because your eyes are needed. Not with audio. I could find a field somewhere, lay on a blanket, or have a tea party as I listen to a story where Letty gives me a connection to some women authors that I never really thought about before. Plus my mind is needed more than with what I can see. So at the end I have to say "thank you" and hope you get a similar experience.

I voluntarily reviewed an Audiobook copy of this book.

Liked it.

I found this a well-written and interesting, clean romance. Liked both the Hero and the Heroine.

A Winner!

This book was so entertaining I spent a large amount of time smiling and grinning. Definitely worth an award. The characters were so lovable with their formal dialogue and personality quirks. Letty Burton is quite the lady trying to survive at a time where status and social status were so prominent. I'm glad I didn't grow up in the  1800's! The banter between her and the Viscount is highly amusing to say the least.

The narration was wonderful. Alex Lee made the story that much better with great character voices and accents. Too bad this isn't a series!

Narration voice match the era of the romance . . .

Clean Regency romance that gives you just hints of a book from the bible. There was something sweet and tender that had you wanting to get to the next chapter. If only to see the direction it all was heading. There was so much more here for Letty than what the blurb hints at. This was more than a romance. This was an adventure.

The narrator Alex Lee had a lyrical quality to her voice. I found that it matched the era of the romance being presented.

Very fun read!

Any fans of Jane Austen will love this book! Keyworth almost seemed to channel Austen in the language she uses, and the book is also set in 18th century Britain, and her description of society is almost exactly the same. More than once I thought it was an intentional retelling of Pride and Prejudice: Letty (like Elizabeth) is the spirited but poor and untitled lady with a frivolous mother-in-law (like Mrs. Bennett), and she immediately dislikes the wealthy and handsome Viscount Beuford (like Mr. Darcy) for his arrogance. He, on the other hand, is captivated by her wit, and despite her discouragement, proceeds to pursue her. 

There are a few rather major differences from Austen's famous story, though: as the title suggests, Letty is widowed. We meet her first husband only very briefly in the first chapter, and while he's a caricature of an abusive rake, he doesn't really need much depth for the purpose he serves in the story. Letty has a silly sister-in-law Theo (like Elizabeth Bennett's younger sister Lydia) but she doesn't play a huge role in the story, and she does have a plain friend Sophie (like Charlotte Lucas), though her role is more to give Letty a confidante than anything else. Letty's first husband's friend, Major Deverill (sp? I listened to the audio version of this story) takes her under his wing as her protector, even though he certainly could have played the love interest himself. (I wondered a few times why the relationship was so platonic, actually.) The main conflict toward the end involved Letty's first husband's gambling debts--and just as Mr. Darcy saves the Bennetts from disrepute, Viscount Beuford comes to Letty's rescue, having to tread carefully to avoid upsetting the delicate sensibilities of society in order to do so. 

Each chapter begins with a quote came from some famous work of literature or philosophy, and my first clue that the inspiration from this story might have been something other than Pride and Prejudice was one that came from the biblical book of Ruth. I did at that point notice that Letty's commitment to her mother-in-law was much like Ruth's commitment to Naomi, and the word 'redeemer' in the title did evoke the concept of the Kinsman Redeemer from Ruth. At the end of the book, the author states that The Widow's Redeemer was in fact meant to be a retelling of Ruth. I see it in hindsight--I guess the language and customs just evoke Austen so strongly that it was hard to see past the more obvious similarity. 

I often wish there were more Austen novels out there yet to discover, so I'll probably read more of Keyworth's work, in hopes that they will fill the void!