Under the Approaching Dark

By: Anna Belfrage

Narrated by: Greg Patmore

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Adam de Guirande has cause to believe the turbulent times are behind him. Hugh Despenser is dead, and Edward II is forced to abdicate in favor of his young son. It is time to look forward to a bright new world in which the young king, guided by his council, heals his kingdom and restores its greatness. But the turmoil is far from over.

England, in the early months of 1327, is a country in need of stability, and many turn with hope toward the new young king, Edward III. But Edward is too young to rule, so instead, it is his mother, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, who do the actual governing, much to the dislike of barons such as Henry of Lancaster.

When it is announced that Edward II has died in September of 1327, what has so far been a grumble grows into voluble protests against Mortimer. Yet again, the specter of rebellion haunts the land, and things are further complicated by the reappearance of one of Adam's personal enemies. Soon enough, he and his beloved wife Kit are fighting for their survival - even more so when Adam is given a task that puts them both in the gravest of dangers.

©2019 Anna Belfrage Creative Consulting AB (P)2019 Timelight Press

Pretty good historical fiction

This is a reasonably well written and entertaining story. The narrator does a good job in distinguishing between the various characters and with the right amount of dramatization.
The historical characters are woven into the the fabric of the plot in a believable manner. My only reservation is with the fictional heroine. By the time this story unfolds, she would be in her late 20s and would have spent many years in court. Yet she is still regrettably naive, reckless and sort of pollyannish in many ways (often jarringly so). Her naïveté is an encumbrance and liability for her husband and her recklessness drags other people into danger. There is a scene where you know what's going to happen -- like in a horror movie where the audience knows what will befall the clueless heroine if she goes down a certain path and lo and behold, she takes that path. I think that is a very cheap and unimaginative gimmick the author uses to move the plot in the direction she wants. Another thing I don't like. This author is inordinately fond of violent attempted rape scenes. In fact there is at least one in each of the 3 installments I have listened to. Hence 3 stars for the story.

Narrator

Love the narration of these series. I stop listen to many books because of the narrator but not this one he captured me right away!!!!