The Parfit Knight

Rockliffe Book 1

De: Stella Riley

Narrado por: Alex Wyndham

When the Marquis of Amberley's coach is waylaid by highwaymen and his coachman shot, he is forced to take shelter at the first house he finds and is subsequently trapped there for a week by a severe snowstorm.

Oakleigh Manor is the home of Rosalind Vernon who lives alone but for her devoted servants and an ill-natured parrot, cut off from the outside world by the tragic result of a childhood accident. But Rosalind is brave and bright and totally devoid of self-pity - and it is these qualities which, as the days pass and the snow continues to fall, touch Amberley's heart.

On his return to London, the Marquis persuades Rosalind's brother, Philip, to bring her to town for a taste of society, despite her handicap. But the course of Amberley's courtship is far from smooth. Philip Vernon actively dislikes him; Rosalind appears to be falling under the spell of the suavely elegant Duke of Rockliffe; and worse still, Amberley is haunted by a dark and terrible secret that, if revealed, may cause him to lose Rosalind forever.

©2016 Stella Riley (P)2016 Stella Riley

Entertaining and unexpected

Would you listen to The Parfit Knight again? Why?

Yes - good story, involving characters, and I loved Brody the cussing parrot. I am recommending this one to my sister.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the intelligent writing, the entertaining dialogue, and most of all, Brody, the parrot.

Which scene was your favorite?

The duel and any scene with Brody.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think the duel, which was the culmination of a lot of misunderstandings.

Any additional comments?

This is book 1 in the Rockliffe series by Stella Riley. The story has well-written dialogue and an involving story with no gratuitous sex scenes. It was refreshing to have a disabled heroine who held her own. I'm looking forward to reading/listening to the next book - The Mesalliance, Book 2 in the series. The books are available on amazon.com, and I hope the rest are released soon on audible.

Alex could read an obit & I would be captivated!!!

This man's voice is like velvet -- every inflection is perfect, the nuance in tone, commanding diction elevate a charming story to a supreme auditory experience. Stella Riley's story telling relies on exchanges of feelings between her characters rather than lust-fueled explosions of sex. Because of this, Alex Wyndham has to make that exchange of feeling believable. Boy does he ever! If you want to have your heart strings plucked with good old fashioned romance -- this is it.

Romantic and intriguing

I read this first book in the series after reading books 2 and 3. I love that we follow characters throughout the series (while also meeting new ones), and it was actually fun to come back to this initial storyline of Dominick "Nick" and Rosalind. I also loved the secondary love story between Isabel (a favorite) and Phillip. There was a very unusual and intriguing plot that really had me guessing how this would play out. It was romantic and at times a bit intense.

Of course, as always, I can't say enough about the incomparable Alex Wyndham as narrator. He is perfection!

Romantic, Entertaining, and Engaging

Oh my how I loved this story! Here we have an honorable hero who is indeed the "perfect knight." Riley is a great storyteller and Wyndham is a superb narrator.

Nice and sweet.

I picked this book solely for Alex Wyndham’s narration and his performance was delightful as always.
The book itself was straight to the point with very little upheaval or romantic anxiety. There was no question or confusion regarding the feelings and desires or that characters and there was also no doubt everything would be undone with one quick, candid conversation.
Glad to have likable characters all around but especially the women!

A new favorite!

Stella Riley is the newest addition to my list of favorite authors. A list which includes Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Elizabeth Gaskell. In fact, as the book progressed I had to look up who this author was and was surprised to see that she is a present day author. The language, expressions, conversational themes, character behavior, descriptions of the area were so consistent with books published a century ago that I felt transported.

The story development was captivating, shocking, heartening, and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent carried away in this story and will certainly read the sequel.

The narration was FANTASTIC and seemed to perfectly complement the story.

If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. It is a romance, but the romance does not steal the story. Nor is there a need for present day sensualism to dress up in a regency era costume to sell this story - like so many other "historical romance" books out there. A truly well written book!

Parfit

Written beautifully and though not technically original, felt that way. I’ve missed this- and brilliant narration as well. Everything about this is parfit!

Narrator stiff, writing great!

I love accents including British ones but not when they are so stiff and plummy. However, I found the writing fresh with good character development. Looking forward to more of the author's stories.

needed an epilogue but nevertheless perfect

not trying to spoil much but the brother of the h gave me anxiety lmao the guy sure jumps to conclusions. anyway this was a beautiful story and the h has been so refreshing. same with the H, I just wish to hear an epilogue T_T

A True Gentleman

Any additional comments?

4.5 "A True Gentleman" Stars for the story and 5 Stars for Alex Wyndham's narration!

What a delightful treasure! The intricate plot, complex characters, threads of humor, touching romance and one of the best ever narrations make The Parfit Knight a true gem!

There are so many things that make this this book a special listen. But if I'd have to pick just one, I'd say what I loved the most was how the hero was able to look through the heroine's handicap (she is blind), to see the fully capable, desirable woman that lay underneath the over protected layers that her family (meaning well but burying her in the process) had unintentionally trapped the heroine in. Moreover, this hero, with his multiple, selfless actions with respect to a number of the characters (not just the heroine) definitely deserves the title of "The Parfit Knight." For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this term, a similar phrase was used by Chaucer in the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, where he described the knight as a "veray parfit gentil knight" which translates to a "very perfect gentle knight." No better words could ever describe the hero of this touching romance by Stella Riley.

A Parfit Knight takes place in 1774 in England. Rosalind Vernon was blinded in a childhood accident. She lives in Oakleigh Manor, pretty much by herself except for her servants, a rather foul-mouthed parrot, and the occasional visit of from her brother, Philip. Though Philip frequents London often, and Rosalind would be entitled to a large dowry virtually ensuring she would have many offers of marriage, Philip has never considered introducing Rosalind to society. Instead reasoning that, due to her blindness, Rosalind is better off in the country in a familiar "safe" environment. Of course Rosalind doesn't really seem to mind, until a chance meeting challenges her view of the future.

When The Marquis of Amberley's coach is ambushed by highwaymen on the countryside, he is left with no choice but to seek the help of the closest home to get aid for his coachman who has been shot. That is how he meets Rosalind and becomes her guest while his coachman recovers and they weather a heavy snowstorm. Over the days of their forced cohabitation, Amberley and Rosalind bond. Amberley seems to be the only man who has ever seen through Rosalind's apparent limitations to see the unlimited potential that lies underneath and challenges her to begin to experience life to her full potential. In his opinion, there is nothing that she can't do, and after a short time passes, it becomes clear to Amberley what he must do: convince Philip to allow Rosalind to be introduced to society.

However, much to Amberley's chagrin, Philip already has a less than favorable impression of him due to a previous unrelated encounter, and is less than happy to learn of Amberley's and Rosalind's acquaintance. Soon it becomes clear that there are a number of obstacles in the way of securing Rosalind's HEA, not the least of which is Philip's disdain for Amberley. As secrets begin to surface and other suitors start to show interest, the future hangs in the balance. Could it possibly include a HEA for Amberley and Rosalind?

I recently discovered the magic of Alex Wyndham's narrations in another historical romance, and he absolutely blew me away! Mr. Wyndham has a naturally appealing voice that is likely to keep you enthralled no matter what the subject matter. Since then he has been on my must-listens to narrators list, so I was thrilled to hear that he was narrating this tale. And as expected Mr. Wyndam delivered another fantastic performance in The Parfit Knight.

Mr. Wyndham is a master at creating distinguishable, personality specific voices for each one of the numerous characters which really brought the multitude of characters from The Parfit Knight to life for me. From the noble and yet compassionate voice of Amberley to the melodic and strong voice of Rosalind, I was equally pleased with both his male and female characterizations.

Additionally, Mr. Wyndham's close attention to the mood of the scene helps to frame each and every scene. Listening to Mr. Wyndham's rendition was simply magical, and I can't wait to listen to more of his works!

If you are a historical romance enthusiast, then I highly recommend The Parfit Knight. And now that my curiosity has been piqued, I can't wait to explore and enjoy more of Ms. Riley's delightful works!

Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.