The Ice Captain's Daughter

By: Suzanne G. Rogers

Narrated by: Rachel F. Hirsch

Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

The daughter of a wealthy ice merchant, Miss Jillian Roring intends to marry for love. En route to her first season in London, however, a failed kidnapping sends her into the arms of the most jaded bachelor in England. When Logan and Jillian unwittingly violate the rigid rules of propriety in Victorian-era England, he is obliged to make her an offer of marriage. Because she aspires to be more than an obligation, Jillian refuses the match. Logan follows her to London to woo her properly, but his scheming ex-fiance has other plans.

Can Logan convince Jillian that his love for her is real or will the cruel gossip and sharp tongues of London society tear their budding relationship apart?

A romantic Victorian-era novella set in 1899, England.

©2013 S.G. Rogers (P)2014 S.G. Rogers

Great Character Role

Would you consider the audio edition of The Ice Captain's Daughter to be better than the print version?

Because I haven't had time anymore to read, I listen to books on my way to work in the car. This book was awesome to listen to. It's not normally one I would pick up and read, but I am fond of Rachel F. Hirsch and her reading style. She is top notch when it comes voice acting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ice Captain's Daughter?

That would probably be a spoiler and I against those.

Have you listened to any of Rachel F. Hirsch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Again, Rachel's voice acting and reading is perfect. Her accent impression is excellent.

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

It made me laugh. And like every book I get into, it made me antsy for what was going to happen next.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this.

Great little love story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! And have. It's a great little love story, and Rachel F. Hirsch's narration makes each character seem so interesting that all you want to do is keep listening.

What other book might you compare The Ice Captain's Daughter to and why?

It's a TV series, but I would definitely compare this to Downton Abbey. Like the show, you get a behind the scenes look at the British Aristocracy and their help.

Which scene was your favorite?

Without giving too much away, the hero rescues the heroine when she is set-up by jealous peers resulting in a very uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous, situation. I was rooting for the couple through the whole book.

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

Yes. And it is only 3 hours long, so it goes fast. I couldn't stop listening. I took it with me from the car, to the house, etc. until it was done!

Any additional comments?

I would listen to it again, and just might :)

Disappointed

It started out with promise but, in the end, the story was flat and undeveloped with a lackluster and obvious plot. However, (and I do hate to say this because I know I couldn’t do better) the performance was even worse. There was no consideration for age in the characters’ chosen voices and any character outside of the main characters where given obnoxiously irritation voices. I’m glad it took me less than a day to finish, at least.

Just okay

This story held my attention in the beginning, but after that, I found myself drifting off, speeding it up, and fast forwarding through quite a few spots. The narrator did fine with female voices and the narrative but had difficulty with men. They were stilted and sometimes odd sounding.

Good, but not great...

Writing is good, but not great. I wonder if this is one of the author’s earlier works. I enjoy her books for a light read, though, and this one was ok. (A little too much description of the heroine’s gowns...)

The reader was ok, but I didn’t like the way she voiced the lead man—she made him sound monotone and bored, even when he wasn’t. I didn’t really like any of her male voices, come to think of it. They were too high-pitched and whiny. She did a good job with the female voices, though.

Worst narrator ever

Couldn’t get past the first half hour of this one. I now have a new worst ever narrator.

Ice Captain's Daughter

What made the experience of listening to The Ice Captain's Daughter the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed hearing the story in a new way.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jillian, of course! She's charming and sweet, with just a hint of spunk.

What does Rachel F. Hirsch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I thought the way she voiced the characters was charming.

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

Ms. Rogers' work always contains a touch of humor that lifts my spirits.

Any additional comments?

I love Ms. Rogers' work and the Ice Captain's Daughter is no different. Her Regency Romance debut, The Ice Captain’s Daughter is a delightful Young Adult novella, well-researched and with some surprising elements. I also enjoyed Ms. Hirsch's Naration and found she lent the audiobook a charming air.

Coupled with Rogers’ signature hint of humor, I think her new title lends something to the sometimes stuffy genre of Regency Romance, that may hook a few younger readers to the genre. If you enjoy sweet, lighthearted romance, Suzanne G. Rogers’ The Ice Captain’s Daughter will be one to add to your listening list.

Well written, but not my cup of tea

Set in Victorian England, Miss Jillian Roring, daughter to the ice captain and merchant Mr. Roring, is headed off to her first season in London. Unfortunately, there is failed kidnapping en route and she must seek assistance from the nearest estate, that of Logan. What ensues is a mess of flirting, confused signals, mild insults, and misunderstandings.

I will admit that it was the title that drew me into this book. The job of an ice captain has to be exciting, and I had pictures in my head of the daughter wrapped in furs, big rock pick in hand, hammering away at a small iceberg as the men of the ship collected the chunks and stowed them away in the hold. Alas, the captain is barely mentioned in this book, and his profession is only discussed by snide gossips who find his career far beneath them. Of course, they are sipping ice chilled drinks as they do this.

I think that if you like Jane Austen’s works, you wold enjoy this book. It is a sweet tale of two people struggling through their own fears and desires, London society’s strict rules of propriety, and vicious gossip. If that all sounds like your cup of tea, then check this book out. It is well written with a decent pacing. There is also a little sub-plot dealing with the failed kidnapping that added some dimensionality to the our main character, Jillian.

Unfortunately for me, I have never been much of a Jane Austen fan and so this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I find all the gossip and people pushing against London society’s unspoken rules to be tedious and a bit boring. Also, none of our characters work for a living (except the ice captain, who we see so very little of) so their lives seem small to me.

The ending was sweet. I think romantics will enjoy it. Of course we know from early on that they must get together by the end, because that is how these books go. The amusement was in watching how they figured everything out.

The Narration: Rachel Hirsch was a good fit for this book. Most of the tale is from Jillian’s point of view and Hirsch had a nice, proper English accent for her. She also had dialects for the servants. Her range of male and female voices served this book well.

Well.....

STORY : This had the promise of a fairly good story .... but that did not quite come to be... it needed fleshing out a bit here, a lot there, etc... Some very interesting aspects needed more time to develop and there was room for a great drama if Sam's character had been utilized creatively, as I expected it to be.

NARRATOR : This book was truly painful to listen to although I did struggle through somehow. She had a very small repertoire of character voices and used ridiculous extremes to fill in. It was painful! She also had the habit of suddenly speed reading a couple of lines to where I literally checked to be sure I hadn't somehow hit the speed on my audible app! Volume was a problem for her as well. Pronounciation was a issue as well. As was cadence and intonation. I am amazed actually that I got thru it all!!!

CREDIT WORTHY? NO!
HEAT FACTOR? NONE!

My recommendation.... pass unless you have nothing better to do.