The Third Son

King of Cardenas, Volume 1

By: Elise Marion

Narrated by: P. J. Houry

Rake. Rogue. Scoundrel. Each of these words has been used to describe Damien Largess, youngest prince of Cardenas, most frequently by his ridiculously somber eldest brother. Damien is perfectly content to spend his days drinking at the card tables, and his nights in the bed of his scheming mistress, especially since doing these things seems to vex his high-handed brother to no end. But when he steps into a glittering ballroom on the night of his twenty-fifth birthday, the roguish young prince's life will be forever changed.

Beautiful. Graceful. Sensual. When Esmeralda steps into the center of the King's ballroom to perform for his youngest son's birthday, every eye in the room is glued to the tall, lithe Gypsy dancer. One pair of eyes seems to burn straight through her, and though she has worked endlessly to shield her heart, she finds her defenses slowly slipping away in the presence of the handsome prince. She cannot resist his devastating charm, nor is she immune to the earth shattering desire in his kiss. As she falls rapidly under his spell, Esmeralda dares to hope for a future she would never have thought possible.

With a deadly plot against the royal family surrounding him in danger and intrigue, Damien will face a decision he never thought he would have to make. Would he step up to claim a responsibility that should never have fallen to the third son? Or will he abandon it to risk all for love?

©2011 Elise Marion (P)2013 Elise Marion

Wonderful historical romance

Where does The Third Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I liked this story much more than the others I have listened too.

What did you like best about this story?

Elise Marion can weave a story and the narrator made all the characters that she created come to life for me. I listened to this while I was walking to help keep me occupied. All of the characters seemed like they were real people that you could run into while walking down the street. I had reservations about a male reading when there are so many female characters, but once I got into the book I didn't even notice that.

Have you listened to any of P. J. Houry’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to any of P.J. Houry's other performances, I enjoyed this one. The tone of voice and voice inflection made listening to this book enjoyable.

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

If I could have listened to it all at one time I surely would have,

Any additional comments?

I look forward to listening to the rest of this series of books, this was the first audio book that I really devoted myself to listening too. I had tried to listen to others but the narration just did not keep my interest.

Back Stabbing and Betrayal..

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe.

Any additional comments?

** a few spoilers**

This book had alot going on in it, back stabbing, betrayal, and it was Dark, way darker than how the book description seemed.

I had an issue with, Davina, Damien's mistress.

I mean.. her being Damien's mistress could have just been "mentioned", however,
there was a very "detailed" scene between the two of them in the Prologue.

There was too much time spent on Damien admiring Davina from her head to her toes.

I thought that the story was supposed to be about Esmeralda, Damien, and their budding love but it felt as though Davina's scenes just took over the book and away from Esmeralda and Damien's relationship.

Overall, the storyline was very Interesting but..
There were two things that could / would have added to the book's rating in my opinion:
1.) The prologue could have been omitted, and..
2.) There was alot of cursing throughout the book.


P. J. Houry did really well with the narration.

Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

what era is this"Historical"romance supposed to be

The story would be more compelling if the author had not mixed so many eras, there are jousting tournaments, no mention of ladies maids or chaperones, reference to Peter Pan(the character ,by the way, wasn't first published until 1902). Certanly a King's palace would have running water by then which was available in the 1850s(so, ther would not be" imposter" servants carrying bath.water to the prince) All while alluding to regency clothing. Just not consistent.

Drama Intrigue against BRONZE girl w anglo Prince.

This a great purchase. This is about a anglo european prince (3rd in line) who was carry free living. Falls in love with a "bronze" gypsy girl. Everything & everyone against them. The intrigue & suspense is wonderful. There are sub plots with in sub plots. The story was nice & long that kept me interested. I hope this author writes more.. I appreciate the lead female is of color and hard working strong female. kudos

Not to be missed is the narration - a true delight

I had read this book back in 2012, and found so much to appreciate in the author’s writing, the premise and the twists taken as Damien finds his way to happiness and love. I love that Elise Marion started her royal tale with the third son: in royal families the third son is often the one who is left to his own devices without great expectation. Damien is no exception to this stereotype: content to gamble, drink and womanize his way through life, living without responsibility or obligation that he doesn’t fine enjoyable.

A daunting debut offering, Marion has created a world that is familiar yet fresh, characters that were richly detailed and emotionally honest, and uses the threat of a conspiracy to overthrow the royals all wind together to present a book that is hard to put down: and was an in-one-sitting listen for me for the AudioBook review.

Esmeralda enters the story in a perfect moment, just as Damien is struggling with his own feelings of inadequacy with some late revelations just before his birthday. A beautiful gypsy woman, his intentions were not honorable: women were not forever, but for the moment. But, Esmeralda’s inner goodness and depth of kindness work their magic on Damien, and while he is still less than pleasant to his mistress Davina, his walls are starting to thaw around her.

Mixing in the love story, and some super steamy sex scenes, the ominous twists from the plot-makers against the royals, the inner dialogue of the characters that reveals honest feelings and concerns, and the descriptions that create imagery with certainty and make this a great listen.

Not to be missed is the narration provided by P.J. Houry was a delight. His tone is masculine yet not overly loaded with bass until he adjusts his voice to present an ominous moment. With a smooth accent that isn’t quite distinctly British, yet not as nasal as Australian accents can be, the timbre and pacing of his delivery, and clarity of the enunciation is stellar and I would heartily recommend titles he has narrated.

I received an AudioBook Copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Five Stars!!!!

I have read this book twice and listened twice. I absolutely love it! It's a great five star read to start an amazing series.