Cadenza

Rockliffe, Book 6

By: Stella Riley

Narrated by: Alex Wyndham

Rockliffe Series recommended in The Times.

The performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.

Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy...and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.

And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob, and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle...if they dare believe in it.

Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives...most notably, their own.

And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware.

The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.

©2018 Stella Riley (P)2019 Stella Riley

Wonderful Book and series

I loved the entire series! Ms Riley’s writing is superb and the characters so enjoyable. It is so nice to read books with happy ever afters and strong, sweet families and friends but always with a little mystery as well. Each book leaves you feeling so good and wanting more stories about the delightful characters. And then there is Alex….what a fabulous narrator!! Can’t get any better combination of author and narrator. They fit so well together. Thank you both for all the wonderful hours of listening!

Exquisite! Do Not Miss this Series!

Ms. Riley and Mr. Wyndham are the simply the best thing going in current historical romance. Where other books fail because of anachronisms, or poor narration, or annoying characters, or social justice issues inserted into 1815, or too much sex (not that I'm a prude, but I'm in these for the romance, not for the sex scenes), Riley and Wyndham get everything right.

Each book in this series is delightful. Ms. Riley has an uncommon ability to create likable, charming, and realistic male leads, and Mr. Wyndham has an uncommon talent to voice all of them. Alex Wyndham's voice is simply magical. I found his skill even more impressive in this book because it is the sixth in the series, and the author brings back most of the characters each time. By now he has a very long list of male characters to voice, and yet each character's voice remains distinctive and consistent (not to mention romantic) from Book 1 through Book 6.

"Cadenza" is a worthy addition to the previous books in the "Rockcliffe" series. As someone else mentioned, I felt disappointed by all the angst in the Duke's book (Book 2), so I was really happy that he had such a large role in this book. The principle characters are well drawn, and the plot (while not unique among romance novels) does deviate nicely from the pattern set up in the previous books. The characters are so well written and so likable, and the listener can easily get caught up in the witty and charming dialogue. My only quibble with this book is that the ending felt a bit abrupt.

Above all else, the books are romantic! I rarely listen to books more than once, but I visit this series every six months ago. They are treasures. Surely Ms. Riley is a worthy successor to Georgette Hayer on her own merit, but Alex Wyndham's narration really makes them outstanding.

MORE PLEASE!!!

Perhaps the Best in the Series

I've loved just about every moment with the Rockliffe series and was afraid to see it end with a lackluster novel or protagonists that can't compare to the charm of their predecessors. "Cadenza" silenced all those worries and gave me a new adventure to love at the very end of it all.

Julian is a breath of fresh air as a male lead - not being presented as suave and powerful, but rather gentle, shy, and kind-hearted. And he's a male lead that you find yourself rooting for, desperately wanting him to succeed in both his musical career and as a reluctant earl. When he gets his chance to shine and share his musical talent, you find yourself just sitting there and grinning through the whole thing knowing how much it means to him.

It's a little disappointing that we see so little of all the other characters from the previous novels, but the cast for this final installment is so broad and delightful that you're not left wanting for more. Arabella and Elizabeth's different journeys are only made more enjoyable by how different they are and often left me wondering how things might have been had they not swapped places. Rafe's presence was something that I was initially put off by, but grew to enjoy as the novel progressed. It was a rather daring thing of Riley to bring the previous novel's antagonist back as a romantic lead in need of redemption and kindness in this novel.

My main complaint with this book is that I wish it had been a little longer! Elizabeth's story ends rather abruptly and we don't get to see her happily married by the end. It's implied that she and Rafe will make each other happy and that their wedding will happen regardless of what her father may say, but I still wish that we'd been able to see it all come together.

I would argue that this is perhaps the best book in the series!

Excellent story and narration!

This book is the 6th in the Rockliffe series. They are all wonderful. The dialog is well crafted, the characters varied, and the historical aspects thoroughly researched. The hero in this story, Julian, is especially endearing, but each story includes characters with their own appeal. I can only recommend strongly that you read and/or listen to them -all of them. As for Alex Wyndham’s narration, it is incredible. I had heard him narrate other books so I knew that he was excellent. In these stories, though, I found the perfect pairing of narrator and story. My only slight criticism is that the women all sound a bit too serious or mature. A couple of the young ones could have been a bit more girlish or lighthearted, I think. However, for someone who seemingly has an infinitive number of ways to portray male voices, the higher-pitched 20ish female might not be in the vocal range. I will not quibble with a minor point. His ability to portray the different male characters and a broad range of emotions for both sexes is outstanding. I read the books when I could not listen to audio, but made sure to listen to all of the audio. It was too good to miss, even if I had already read a section. Enjoy!

My favorite of both series’ AND you get to listen to Alex Wyndham

I love both the Rockcliff series and the Brandon brothers series and this book bridges them.
First: I love Max. I love his sense of humor and his insight. He’s not the star of this book but he definitely steals the show sometimes.
Julien. I fell in love with him same as everyone else. I am not sure anyone could resist. Love Julien.
But my favorite is Ralph. Even though, near the end, you find out he had little to do with the worst atrocities that are attributed to him (hmmm.. pattern here) still he seems pretty irredeemable in the previous book, Hazard. He is very myoptic, controlling and rather angry in that book.
Then, in this book, he dutifully rescues a young miss and her servant from the rain. When I first read this story I expected him to be the villain again. Society has enjoyed painting him as the blackest of villains and his aloof, cold and tightly controlled persona (and actions) just reinforces everything. As Elizabeth (and Rock) gets to know him their (and your) opinion of him starts to thaw.
I love the big conversation between him and Rock where you really realize what Ralph has borne, alone, for so many years. (Ummm, probably should have warned you about that spoiler).

Now you need to read Trick of Fate. It’s Max’s story. (LOVE Max! And his story is so Max). You learn more about Ralph that will make your heart melt just a bit more.

Lovely story with an unforgettable virtuoso!

This was an amazing end to the series. I loved the story of Julian and Arabella. Julian was endearing and the children were lovely. Stella Riley never disappoints when creating unforgettable characters. Alex Wyndham was outstanding as always, making me feel the story and watching the scenes as if I was there. I'll keep on hoping this will not really be the end.

Historical romance at its finest

Stella Riley writing. Alex Wyndham narrating. Of course, it's five stars.

This is the final book in Riley's Rockcliffe series, and every volume has been a joy to listen to. Treat yourself and listen to them all in order.

Heartwarming and beautiful.

Please Ms. Riley, I beg you, give us more stories with our dear friends around Rockliffe.

PURE ENJOYMENT

This book was an unexpected edition to the Rockclife series. I thought after Aristead's, etc story the series had reached its conclusion. However, this book was an enjoyable addition to this series.
Needless to say the author writes a fantastic story. She puts the story together in such a way that even the minute details are interesting, when at times these can be boring and tedious.

The book tells two concurrent stories with very different heroes and heroines. Julian, a shy virtuoso with a big heart captured me from the very beginning. He was a delight to get to know. Rafe, the villain from book 5, was a surprise. He was a man with a glacier demeanor but vulnerably fragile on the inside. It was very difficult not to like him. Arabella and Elizabeth were also well developed characters. I was very sad to see this book end, I enjoyed it thoroughly. My only criticism is that she did not finish Rafe and Elizabeth's story. I wanted to see them married and Rafe's walls of protection come down a bit more. I hope this means Stella will give us more of these two in .a later story

The three adorable children were a great addition to the story.

Alex Wyndham narrates this story.. nothing else needs to be said. He is FANTASTIC.

Overall this was a light, enjoyable listen that left me smiling at its conclusion and during many excellent dialogues throughout. You will not go wrong with this choice and it is certainly credit worthy.

Flawless and Captivating!

After listening to Cadenza, which is both brilliantly written and narrated, I was compelled to start the Rockliffe series over again finishing with a 2nd listening of Cadenza. I am naturally feeling bereft of a group of friends I feel I have come to know quite well. With luck, this wonderful author is brewing up another masterpiece for her engrossing series.