The Work of Art

Somerset Stories, Book 1

De: Mimi Matthews

Narrado por: Alex Wyndham

"Matthews weaves suspense and mystery within an absorbing love story. Readers will be hard put to set this one down before the end." (Library Journal, starred review)

An Uncommon Beauty....

Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it’s caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland - a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke’s clutches, she’s going to need a little help.

An Unlikely Hero....

Captain Arthur Heywood’s days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.

Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her - and her heart - in more danger than ever?

©2019 Mimi Matthews (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

Finally, a great romance story!

I was so happy to have finally found a romance book in which main characters are behaving and communicating in a normal, rational manner!
There were no forced misunderstandings - just two love thirsty people finding each other. Thank you Mimi Matthews!
I get it (from the comments by other readers) that not all of us out here look for the same in romance books, but to me - this book - that’s it!! Sweet and exciting story that is not insulting one’s intelligence. Perfect!

Narrator was not quite to my liking - I mean he has a great (really great!!) deep voice but he should work on not having so much of that whispering, questioning tone to the narration parts. He does voices (dialogues) otherwise well and I could thoroughly enjoy his reading if only he could tone down his monotonous rhythm a bit more (actually I think it did not bother me this time so much as it did in Parish Orphans of Devon series ;-) so - on a good way there!)
I am sure I will be listening to this story again and I can heartily recommend it to all Victorian novels’ lovers!

My favorite

This IS my favorite of all Ms Mathews stories, and I loved all of her stories. Yet this one out did all her books.
I will give no spoiler alert but I will add the narrator is gifted making the audible twice as enjoyable.
Thank you

Wonderful!

Oh! All the best feels ☺️☺️☺️. This is my new favorite author, and love the reader.

Full of surprises

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the first book I had read (listened to) by Mimi Matthews and I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency of language, character development and behavior, and general knowledge of this historical era.

The plot itself was full of surprises and I often found myself smiling or laughing aloud with the story. I was glad that story didn’t seem to dwell unnecessarily on misunderstandings between the main characters. Although they naturally happened, misunderstandings were efficiently resolved, thus moving the story along.

Great story with a great narrator.

The most wonderful and realistic regency romance.

This is the best Mimi Matthews novel that I’ve read. The story was wonderful, complex and deeply real. I loved the main characters and I know I will read this book again and again if I want to feel good that beautiful love story and mystery can be told without cumbersome and irritating plot devices. Kudos to Ms Matthews and also to Alex Wyndhams peerless narration.

Good until the end

This is a great story but it seems like the author just wrapped up the ending without much thought. Like it was “good enough”. It was so serious and loving but the end is ridiculous. I’m not crazy about Alex Wyndham. He has a nice voice but everything he says sounds like it’s very important. No variation in speech and terrible at female voices.

Pretty good!

A couple concessions need to be made by the reader, but the story is enjoyable overall. Narration was great.

Wow

Terrific story about a partially crippled military officer and a girl who’s lost everything and is facing an awful fate. In the author’s beautiful style, the tale unfolds as the psychological tension builds. A magnificent story of redemption, healing, and love.
Alex Wyndham is spectacular as always. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Graceful prose, well-crafted story

Audiobooks can't necessarily be made by narrators, but a bad narrator can surely kill one. Fortunately, THE WORK OF ART benefits from a talented audio actor, and the writer is equally gifted. This is a sweet romance with believable characters and sufficient intrigue. The story held my attention.

A bit scary

I loved the characters and the romance. Filly was a great person to spend time with. Practical, kind and full of understanding for animals and people. The mystery was scary though as it should be and the villain reveal at the end was a surprise.