The Whispering Night

By: Kathryn Le Veque

Narrated by: Michael Angeles

1197 A.D. - Sir Garren le Mon is an agent for Richard the Lion Heart in the political war against his brother, John. Under the command of William Marshall, Chancellor of England, Garren is the king's most trusted and loyal servant.

When Garren is ordered to marry into a family deeply loyal to Prince John, the knight is understandably reluctant; the House of de Rosa is infamous for its bloodlust and bizarre characters. Upon meeting the Lady Derica de Rosa, however, Garren thinks perhaps that the marriage may not be all that unpalatable.

Derica is beautiful and humorous, and Garren is smitten. Upon the eve of the betrothal, however, Garren's identity as a spy is discovered and he is set upon by the de Rosa's. With Derica's help, he escapes execution and together the two of them begin an enormous trek across England and Wales to flee her pursuing family. When William Marshall discovers that Garren has deviated from his orders, he too goes in pursuit of him, undermining Garren's trust with a friend he has known since childhood.

Duty soon separates them and Garren stages his own death in battle in order to free himself of William Marshall's directives. But news of his death gets back to Derica, who finds herself a pawn between her family and William Marshall as she grieves for the man she loved and now has lost. It is a race against time for Garren to return to his wife before she is forced to marry another, all in the name of politics.

©2012 Kathryn Le Veque (P)2014 Kathryn Le Veque

Narration took away from this one.

I didn't enjoy this narrator because he just didn't strike the right note or tone with me. I had to speed it up to deal with his slightly off-voice acting. The story was good and because of that it's worth a listen, just didn't like the reader. I will continue with the other books in this group. I just know to speed up the narration.

again.... another amazing story

I was transported back into time and fell in love with all of the characters. I listened to this story straight through.

Hero juggles his feelings of honor and love

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Fergus a lot, because he was so very complex. I never knew which side of the political divide he would spring.

What about Michael Angeles’s performance did you like?

The narration wasn't as clean as I expected. There were engineer issues that took away some of the pleasure of the book. On the whole, I did enjoy his telling.

Any additional comments?

Both hero, Garren, and heroine, Derica, were likeable in every sense. The characters were well-matched with intelligence, wit and wills of determination.

Garren obeyed William Marshall’s edict to marry Lady Derica, even though he hadn’t wanted to. Once he met the lady, liking her enormously, he still didn’t want to marry her, but for entirely different reasons. He does indeed marry Derica, but on his terms, not William Marshall’s.

William Marshall wanted and needed to do what he felt right for England. Not even his fatherly affection for Garren was enough to deter him from that cause. But I ask you. How much should a man give to his country? Is he expected to sacrifice his personal happiness and the need to protect his own? This read helps you ponder that question.

A father’s love can be something fierce especially when he sees himself losing his only daughter. When Derica walked away from her father to follow Garren, it devastated the man something awful and with that came a desperate attempt to get her back. So here is another question to ponder. Should he have fought so hard to get her back when it was clear to him she wanted to belong to Garren?

In time of war and conflict, politics are a dirty game, no matter when in the history of man. It’s hard to know who is friend, foe, spy or no. This story has them all.

Kathryn Le Veque writes a thought-provoking story even beyond the great love that springs between Derica and Garren. I was well-engaged with the many twists and surprises as the story unfolds. I couldn’t believe what I heard when--well never you mind. Suffice it to say my jaw dropped out of disbelief. What a wonderful twist!

As with every book I’ve read of Kathryn Le Veque, this one was no less appealing and thought-provoking. I highly recommend this author.

Narrator Michael Angeles used many different voices for the dialog, from very old to very young. He was quite adept in his voices for the female and children’s voices and the scenes where Derica broke down and cried were quite emotional. Overall, I thought his performance done well, although some of his voices didn’t work well. He actually made me think a couple of the characters sounded rather simple-minded, or older than they actually were. His voice for Fergus’s father cracked so much, I had difficulty following the dialog, even though the voice was authentic sounding. The engineer work was of poor quality in several places; keeping voice levels consistent and removing extraneous noise. It didn’t occur all the time, but it was noticeable enough to comment on. Now, that being said, I want to remark even with these thoughts, I enjoyed Michael Angeles's narration, his emotional commitment to the characters. I'm happy to have listened to the story, for I'm sure he added to its entertainment.

Daddy said "no" Daughter said "go"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I like to leave all that to the author

Would you be willing to try another book from Kathryn Le Veque? Why or why not?

Yes, I really enjoy her books and have read several of them now

Have you listened to any of Michael Angeles’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first Angeles performance

Did The Whispering Night inspire you to do anything?

?

Any additional comments?

Loved the lady uncle. Would have liked to hear more of his story

Great story!!!! Great voices!!!!

Would you listen to The Whispering Night again? Why?

Definitely! The story and voices were captivating! Such a wide range of voices. I could picture each character.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Garren because he was a combination of strength and sensitivity. I LOVED his voice.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Garren came to Derica's bedroom during the time they were just starting to get to know one another. It showed believable characters that had depth and set the stage for their relationship. It was also very hot in an understated way. I also loved the fast action scenes throughout the book!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Oh yes. I couldn't put it down. I listened to it while driving and while at home. I put my phone on silent so I wouldn't be disturbed.

Any additional comments?

Great book! Waiting for the next one with the same author and narrator. Love Kathryn LeVeque and Michael Angeles.

Is this really a Kathryn Le Veque?

This story actually has a different twist to it, but the characters "cry and moan" more than talk.....or is it the narrator who I find strange and silly. I have read much better stories by this author.

Narrator problems

Some character voices very funny, others totally wrong, distracting and annoying. Breathy Barbie heroine. Also 20th century cliches, so wrong for medieval times. A rush to finish by the author? No editor? Sigh.

The narrator was horrible!!

The narrator ruined the book! It’s a good thing that I have already read the book and loved the book! I definitely will not ever purchase a book narrated by this narrator!

Absolutely LOVE this story!

I highly recommend any and all of Kathryn LeVeque's stories! Read them all! This one is no exception and will leave you with a huge smile and a stream of happy tears! I cant say I am a big fan of this narrator though. The voice just didnt fit the characters or something didnt work for me. I ended up giving up the recording and reading the rest on Kindle. It is a beautiful story with the perfect ending, though, and well worth the purchase in any format!

Bad narrator

I couldn't read this one, I hated the narrator. Makes me sad I love the ones I've read.