Legacy of Succession

Dark Sovereignty, Book 1

By: Anna Edwards

Narrated by: Sarah Dawes

"Welcome, ladies, the next few weeks will decide your future. But before all that, let me introduce you to my son Nicholas. To one of you, he'll be a future husband. To the rest, a nightmare who will haunt your dreams for whatever time you have left."

Born into privilege, Victoria Hamilton has endured a life of opulent captivity. Disallowed to associate with any men outside her kin, she ventures beyond her gilded cage vicariously, through the art books she adores and the adventures of her dear friend Tamara.

Nevertheless, this staid existence has left her naïve and wildly unprepared when Victoria is finally allowed to debut into society - a debut unlike any other, with no place for the weak.

The arrogantly debauched Nicholas Cavendish, Earl of Lullington, knows he must marry on his 30th birthday to inherit his controlling father’s dukedom. The five women selected for him will undergo depraved trials no genteel woman should ever be made to suffer.

But for Nicholas, what begins as a means to an end quickly becomes a matter of the heart, thanks to one woman - the brave, beautiful, and achingly innocent Victoria.

Sentiment and secrecy make for poor bedfellows, with the Cavendish family legacy being the biggest, most dangerous secret of all. And despite all she’s endured to win her place by his side, Victoria may find Nicholas is truly the one in need of saving.

©2018 Anna Edwards (P)2020 Anna Edwards

Dark Enemies-to-Lovers

I love dark romance, but this one was just ok. It was an odd contrast of what felt like naïve teenage romance (even though the characters are both older), and what sometimes felt like plot elements that were included for pure shock value. I do find the plot idea intriguing and there's lots of potential there, but the story could use some polishing.

As for the narration, it did not do this story any favors, unfortunately. It also gets a 3 star rating. She spoke clearly, but could have put a bit more feeling behind it.

Quick & Dirty Details:
- Dark Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
- FMC 21yrs, MMC 29yrs
- Steamy

Book 1 - Dark Sovereignty

This is book 1 in Anna Edwards's Dark Sovereignty series and WOW - what a way to start a series. This can be read as a stand along but after listening I can not wait to see what will happen next! This is Victoria and Nicholas' story and I can't say too much without giving away this incredible storyline. Both come from wealthy and privileged families but raised for different reasons. A well written and very dark romance - I loved the strength of Victoria's character and Nicolas trying so hard to do the right thing but feeling so conflicted. A captivating read from start to finish - I can't wait for more! Narration was wonderfully done - Loved the accent and smoothness -everything flowed perfectly!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Narration detracted from my comprehension

**Review of the audiobook**

STORY: 4 Stars
PERFORMANCE: 2 Stars
OVERALL: 3 Stars

STORY
Following generations before him, Nick’s, “legacy of succession“ is to take over for his father, the Duke, on his 30th birthday. There are numerous traditions leading up to Nicholas selecting his wife, yet Nicholas isn’t as coldhearted or cruel as his sadistic father, so he doesn’t enjoy the torture placed on the women forced into the competition to be his bride. Plus there’s the more feisty candidate named Victoria who has caught his eye…

For me this book felt like a dark historical romance, probably because of the aristocratic, pompous way the characters spoke. I am personally not a fan of historical romance, so that was a negative for me. However, there is no denying that, as always, Edwards is incredibly talented, yet again producing an innovative, sexy story. Yes, there are other stories out there with similar premises, but there are twists, turns and curveballs in this story that you will not see coming!

PERFORMANCE
I listened to the Audible audiobook narrated by Sarah Dawes. I am so disappointed to say that her performance greatly impacted my enjoyment of this audiobook. In my experience, when a female narrator reads for both the male and female characters, she at least makes an attempt to deepen or alter her voice when male characters are speaking so listeners can differentiate between genders. Although Dawes did do this with several characters, demonstrating her versatility and a penchant for accents, for some reason she did not alter her voice for the male main character. Because of this, there were many scenes where I struggled to discern who was speaking, leaving me feeling confused and wondering which character had said what. She also mispronounced PLAIT, and there were some strange noises made during the production. For example, I could hear clicking (like the closing of a water bottle) between some scene and chapter changes.

Dark and Depraved

This is a very dark story. Plenty of trigger warnings are advised. The basis for The Oakfield Trials is depravity, mistreatment of women and power.

There are some shining lights. Victoria is fierce and stubborn. William is kind and naively inappropriate but also protective in his way. Nicholas wants to do what's right for his brother and those in his care but he struggles with how to best protect them. 

I also enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator's voice is soothing which is appreciated for such dark and demeaning acts that are portrayed.