The Edge of Desire

A Bastion Club Novel

By: Stephanie Laurens

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

They proved their bravery fighting for His Majesty’s Secret Service and were rewarded with brides of great beauty and breeding. But one member of the Bastion Club has remained a bachelor - until now.

“Christian, I need your help. There is no one else I can turn to…L.”

When Christian Allardyce, sixth Marquess of Dearne, reads those words, his world turns upside down. Lady Letitia Randall is a woman like no other, and the day he left her behind to fight for king and country was the most difficult of his life. He never forgot the feel of her lips against his, but he never expected to see her again. Yet now she seeks his help, and Christian knows he will not resist her plea.

Letitia believes that Christian abandoned her when she needed him most, and she hates to call on his aid. But to clear her brother’s name, she has sworn to use every weapon at her command, even if it means seducing her ex-lover. Yet all the while, Christian is waging a war of his own - a campaign of pure pleasure and sweet revenge that will take them both beyond the edge of desire.

©2008 Savdek Management Proprietory, Ltd. (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Top Pick! The Bastion Club’s latest installment features an ultrapassionate and honorable hero and a prideful heroine, along with a masterfully crafted murder mystery - loaded with red herrings - just what we expect from an author who knows the Regency’s dark corners as well as the bright lights of a ballroom. Another not-to-be-missed, can’t-put-it-down keeper.” ( Romantic Times)

“Ms. Laurens delves into the social distinctions between classes in this wickedly captivating romance. Watching her portrayal of Letitia’s famous temper as it bursts will have readers rolling in laughter.” (Fresh Fiction)

Pretty good

I've read most of Stephanie Laurens's books and enjoyed them. This one isn't her best, but it's still quite good.

My only real complaint it the narration. I listen to audio books a lot while driving. This narrator drops to a murmur or even a whisper, then raises his voice to almost a shout. I understand that it's for dramatic effect, but here's how it affects me: listen for a few minutes, back up and turn the volume higher, turn the volume back down, turn it up, wince and turn it way down, then louder, and listen three times to the same passage, give up on that part.

With road noise and traffic added to the narrator's frequent variations in volume, I was constantly turning the volume knob.

Other than that, I suggest to Ms. Laurens that she select names for her characters that are not quite so similar. It's hard to tell Christian, Justin, and Tristen apart when the narrator is murmuring.

I will be reluctant in the future to listen to books read by this narrator. He needs to stay within a volume range that doesn't require the listener to keep a hand on that knob.

delightful

another delightful and fun book. I really like the author and her stories. keeps me entertained.

Narrator makes all the females sound like little old ladies - and the men sound old. Ruined it.

This narrator sounds old and has just one voice for females - fifty something maiden aunts. His men all sound at least 45 - not well suited for dashing characters and romance. Left me disliking everyone.

Romance and action

A wonderful read, the romance and the action are well balanced. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

an all time favorite

I think this is my all time favorite, along with Lisa kleypas, Mine till Morning. relatively low-angst, men who are open about where they stand. no deceptions or inability to communicate on the part of the MCs.

just good.

Where is Simon Prebble?

Would you listen to The Edge of Desire again? Why?

Yes, because I love the series.

What three words best describe Steven Crossley’s voice?

Deep

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The level of passion achieved by Simon Prebble is missing from this reading. And what I found most annoying (and this happens in a lot of series) is that the names are not pronounced correctly, or even the same, from book to book. Dalziel is pronounced "DL," which while confounding, is worth knowing because throughout the latter part of this book and (unfortunately I now find) will continue in the next book in the series, I will cringe every time I hear the name mispronounced. What do the directors of these recordings do if not make certain names and all other words are pronounced correctly? It does ruin the reading for me.

Narrator

This is a far cry from the previous narrator. He was far better at changing voices. You could tell when the characters changed.

Four full stars!!

An emotional & satisfying ending for the last Bastion Club member powered by a plausible if fanciful plot, two great main characters and pleasant cameo appearances from other Club members. I was delighted that Christian earned back the love of his life, and intrigued by the late introduction of Neville Roscoe who we'll meet in THE LADY RISKS ALL.

Enjoyable Read

What made the experience of listening to The Edge of Desire the most enjoyable?

Finally Christian finds his lady! For me he was like the lost sheep throughout the series, Looking for something that wasn't there, wishing for something he couldn't have. I wanted to stand up and cheer when Christian and Lettica finally realized they COULD have it all.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the way Ms. Laurens weaves in the other members of the club, it's like getting together with old friends.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

This narrator drives me CRAZY! His feminine voices are so unbelievable. It's are though every sentence is a question. And every hero sounds so arrogant that I wonder why any woman would want to bother getting close to him. It's only because I like this series so much that I purchased the remaining books narrated by him. The publisher really needs to finds a new narrator for Ms. Laurens books. I'd not be so willing to spend money on another book I'm unfamiliar with if I saw he was the narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

They had it all, just like Bogey and Bacall!!!!

Any additional comments?

I'm a sap for a good romance and Ms. Laurens is one of my favorite authors. I like the Bastion Club series in particular, I was somewhat sad to see it come to an end.

When a second chance makes you reevaluate

Date: 1816 August
Chronology: set after BEYOND SEDUCTION, before MASTERED BY LOVE.
Christian Michael Allardyce, 6th Marquess of Dearne is shocked and angry when Lady Letitia Randall asks for his help in saving her brother from being arrested for the murder of her husband. Christian believes she betrayed their promises to each other 8 years ago. Letitia believes he abandoned her in her hour of need. They are both hurt and renewed to find out the truth.
Look for Neville Roscoe’s story in THE LADY RISKS ALL.
The ending gives a mini preview of Dalziel’s upcoming story, MASTERED BY LOVE. We find out who he is!
Crossley does a decent job of narration. I wouldn’t mind if he was better with female voices or if there was a second female narrator.