Lady Fortune

By: Anne Stuart

Narrated by: Christine Rogerson

Is he a half-mad court jester or a brilliant spy for the king?

Lady Julianna knows this much for certain: He is no fool when it comes to the art of seduction.

Nicholas Strangefellow is a scoundrel prized by King Henry himself - a court jester. Now sent to the wedding of the Earl of Fordham to entertain, but secretly under orders from the King to bring back a legendary chalice, Nicholas is a man on a mission that could easily be bollixed. Suddenly the chances of bollixing increase merrily when he meets irresistible Julianna, the widowed daughter of the bride-to-be.

After a loveless arranged marriage, Julianna plans to join a convent. Yet she finds herself in wickedly provocative conversation with, of all men, the king's mocking, ribald "wedding present" to the Earl. Nicholas - the jester, the fool, and a mere commoner who immediately decides to seduce her while procuring the chalice for King Henry.

What follows is a rollicking comedy, an intrigue spiced with villains and danger, but most of all, a tender and sexy romance. Nicholas is hardly the husband a noblewoman should choose, and when he's faced with a choice between desire and betrayal, or loyalty to King and a comfortable life, he'll have to confront the shocking truth that he's become a fool for love.

©2000 Anne Stuart (P)2015 Bell Bridge Books

INTERESTING CONCEPT

I thought this was a very interesting book. I found myself swept back in history and engaged in what was happening. I found the Julianna naive with her thinking but still wanted to know what happened to her in the story. I also found alot of humor in this story.

I thought the story was overall wel written and the twists and turns were interesting. I found myself listening to hear how everything would turn out.

I felt the narrator was very thorough. Her speech was precise with clear diction. Christine did a good job of making each of the characters recognizable with their own distinct voices.

Who doesn't love a hero who's a fool? Officially!

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

PRO - the narrator, whose pronunciation hints that English might not be her first language, is easy to listen to at low volume thanks to her precision of speech 98% of the time and has a pleasant alto.

CON - her regular mispronunciation of certain words threw me out of the story each time as my brain froze. Gentle said as Gentile. Ribbon as rib-band. "Heretic" was mangled to where I had to stop the recording, go back, and try to figure out what word was intended.A careful listen and edit of the recording by someone would have fixed this and turned an uneven performance into an excellent one.

I'd listen to the narrator again if I knew someone was able to go back and correct her occasional slips in pronunciation. She's got a lovely voice and does excellent characterizations.

Any additional comments?

This novel dates back to traditional publishers and the era of editors who hobbled the very things that make their authors great.

The usual twisted Anne Stuart anti-hero is there, only somewhat muted from the warped deviants who make her later books so memorable and irresistible.

Who can resist a hero who is actually an official fool? The king's fool. And not a well-intentioned king, either. Everyone has their own agenda in this one.All the deft Stuart touches are here. The affectionate kitten determined to cause our heroine to be caught. The subplots of mother and lord, corrupt prelate versus lovable monk. Characters who actually get wet in the rain, shiver, and steam in front of the fire. Very vivid!

Character (or lack thereof) rules, so if you're a historical purist who obsesses over anachronisms, run away. If you love unpredictable stories and devious, delicious anti-heroes who manage to fall head over heels in spite of their most nefarious scheming to be devils, add this one to your shelf.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Very good

A delightful book/audiobook and I enjoyed the twists and turns that held me fast.
Lady Julianna is such an innocent even though she has been married and widowed and The Fool, Nicholas is totally enchanting. A strange friendship builds between them which soon turns to love and I love it when each of them realised their true feelings for the other.
This story is written in the times when the King and/or the Church ruled, their words and whims being unquestioningly followed for fear of death or whipping or even being burned to death as a heretic.
In this story, the hunt is on for the mysterious and legendary chalice. Who will find it and bring this valued prize to the King? But even though it gets found, it lands up in various different places, time and time again.
The story and its narration are woven and told with such expertise that it is a book well worth reading or listening to.
This audiobook was supplied by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

GREAT STORY, NOT SO SURE ABOUT THE NARRATOR.

Would you listen to Lady Fortune again? Why?

I probably would, but only because i love the story. I listened to the sample before i bought it and it took me a few weeks to finally relent and purchase it...i mean its Anne Stuart. I was also hoping that the narration would improve further in the book...it didnt. I dont regret it though...Anne's stories are addictive and her audiobooks are like a new fix ; )

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lady Fortune?

Dont have one memorable moment, but have memorable characters instead. I love Nicholas...i mean who wouldnt even if he is not the typical medieval knight or a sorcerer, but the king's fool. That was unexpected and fun. Julianna is also a great character and their love story delightful. The secondary romance involving Julianna's mother was also interesting.

How could the performance have been better?

By changing the narrator. Susan Ericksen would be perfect (Rohan series was her absolute masterpiece). I am not trying to be unkind but, actually anyone would be better then this lady. Her style of reading just dont go together with Anne's stories.

Any additional comments?

Waiting for Lord of Danger audiobook with bated breath ; )

I really enjoyed this book

However predictable, but still enjoyed.
listening to the book, you could tell the narrators first language is not English, however, since it was the 2nd book by Christine Rogerson that I've listened to, I got use to it.

It was a good story. Felt for the characters.. The daughters resentment for her mother, and her mothers loss of a daughter.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

So Sweet and Funny

I loved the twisting way that this story works. At times it almost seemed like a Clue type mystery. So much good to say about this story and its intrigue. I loved how Christine narrated. Her many different voices and all the emotions to go with each and just how she infused this story with so much more than just words. The story was truly transformed into something so much more amazing than it already was on its own. I really loved how I was happy or sad or even on the edge of my seat every moment and I never knew quite what was going to happen next.

Laughed Throughout the story

I got this book via audiobook boom. I am glad I took the time to listen to all 10 plus hours. They were funny and strange and wicked and wild. The narrator made me laugh so hard when she did the priest's voice. She did mispronounce several words but aside from that, she did a great job. I am so glad that not only Julianna had her HEA but so did her mother. This is one regency romance that I did not mind listening to. The narrator was very good with all the ranges of voices she had to perform. Glad that Bogo got to retire in peace. I am sure with the priest the monk's order was a much nicer place. The story was well written and there were enough plot twist to keep the story going. There were not many filler parts that made you wonder if the author was just trying to fill pages.

Liked the story, couldn't tolerate reader

I read the book when it was first published and wanted the audio version as I use audio books to help me sleep. Unfortunately the reader was so bad I couldn't listen to more than a few chapters.

lady fortune

A funny and interesting story. The characters are compelling and interesting. A great way to spend a rainy afternoon.