A Wicked Kind of Husband
Narrated by Kate Reading
Mia Vincy’s début historical romance, A Wicked Kind of Husband, came out in the middle of 2018, but I didn’t get around to reading it until December – and was so impressed by it that it was a last-minute entry into my Best Books of 2018 list. Historical romance has been in a bit of a slump for the past couple of years, so it was a huge relief to find this gem, a very well-written, funny, tender and poignant marriage of convenience story featuring complex, well-drawn characters and peppered with superb-one liners and humour that never feels forced. In fact, even as I was reading it, I just knew that if the book ever came out in audio format, Kate Reading would be the ideal narrator; that dry wit and banter was just crying out for her wonderful deadpan delivery – and what do you know? Sometimes wishes really do come true!
And your wish to listen to a free copy could come true as well, as we are doing a GIVEAWAY of this audiobook for one lucky winner! See below for details and the entry form.
Two years before the book opens, Cassandra married
wealthy industrialist Joshua DeWitt, a friend and protégé of her father’s. At
the time, Cassandra was nursing a broken heart – the man she loved had eloped
with someone else – and agreed to the match after her father persuaded her that
DeWitt was a good man and that marrying him would ensure she would be able to
retain possession of the family home, Sunne Park, after his (her father’s)
death. Cassandra remembers little of the wedding or her bridegroom – other than
that his manner was rude and abrasive and their wedding night was perfunctory
and uncomfortable – and has been content to remain in Warwickshire ever since. This
preference has accorded well with her husband’s stated wish that she should
stay put in the country, but the increasingly erratic and outrageous behaviour
of her nineteen-year-old sister Lucy has caused Cassandra to decide to spend
some time in London. Lucy’s behaviour is, she suspects, partly due to her being
cooped up with little to do or to interest her, so she decides to ask their
grandmother, the Duchess of Sherborne, to sponsor Lucy’s début into society in
the hopes that she will eventually attract a suitable husband. As luck would
have it, Mr. DeWitt is due to travel to Liverpool, so as long as Cassandra
times her visit to take place whilst he is away, he won’t even know she’s in
London.
Um.
The trouble starts just a few days after
Cassandra’s arrival when, out walking with a group of friends, she encounters a
tall, dark, (and yes, very handsome!) rather unkempt and rude gentleman who
immediately rubs her the wrong way:
“Did you scold me?” he said.
“Had
you greeted us politely, neither of us would be wasting this time.”
“Had
I greeted you politely, you would have taken that as an invitation to blather
on about balls and bonnets and I don’t know what. And what are you laughing at
now, Dammerton?”
“You
two make an adorable couple,” the duke said.
The
man snorted. “Spare me your matchmaking. I’m already married.”
“As
am I,” Cassandra said automatically, her head beginning to float away, her eyes
fixed on His Grace’s cravat
“I
realize you are both married.” The duke looked from one to the other. “But do
you realize you are married to each other?”
Oops.
We all know where this is headed, but Ms.
Vincy has put her own spin on a well-used trope and elevated it into something
fresh, exciting and, in places, even unpredictable.
Cassandra and Joshua are compelling,
likeable and flawed characters who leap off the page. Cassandra has taken on
the burden of caring for her family – her laudanum-addicted mother and two
younger sisters – since the death of her father, and none of them has any
concept of all that Cassandra does for them and certainly no appreciation for
it. She’s an admirable heroine, one who operates within the constraints of
society but who is most certainly not the sort of biddable and demure wife
convention suggests she should be. She’s quick witted and more than able to
hold her own against her irascible husband, but there’s a vulnerability to her,
too, one that Joshua quickly recognises in the way she retreats behind a mask
of fixed smiles and diplomacy whenever she finds herself becoming too
emotional.
Joshua – who grew up as the heir to an
earldom until, aged fourteen, his father’s marriage was declared bigamous and
he was cast out – is blunt, lacks patience and doesn’t suffer fools AT ALL, let
alone gladly, but he’s also full of energy and ideas. He expects unquestioning
obedience and likes his life as it is – so the sudden and unwanted appearance
of the wife he married as a favour to a dear friend is unwelcome to say the
least. He wants to pack her off back to Sunne Park as soon as possible; she
wants to stay until her grandmother agrees to sponsor Lucy’s season; they’re at
an impasse, and the last thing Joshua wants or needs is to start finding
himself reluctantly impressed by his wife’s determination and her quick wit.
“You
should… Let me explain, Mrs. DeWitt, how marriage works.”
“Oh,
please do, Mr. DeWitt, I’m all agog.”
“I
am the husband, so I make the rules to suit me.”
“And
I am the wife, so I change the rules to suit me.”
And
worse… she might even be likeable. Which would be disastrous.
“You
seem puzzled,” said his disruptive wife, as they reached the gate. “Have I said
something to puzzle you?”
“Most
of what you say puzzles me. It’s almost as though you have a mind of your own.”
“Please
don’t vex yourself. I’ll try not to use it too often.”
If you’re familiar with any of Kate Reading’s performances of Loretta Chase, then you’ll understand why I thought she’d be the perfect narrator for this book. She’s an incredibly skilled performer, as adept at narrating this sort of dryly amusing, quick-fire banter as she is in moments of reflection or intimacy or in scenes where the humour is of the laugh-out-loud variety. (Her Drunk!Lucy is a hoot.) Her portrayal of both principals is spot on; Joshua’s lower-pitched almost growly delivery immediately paints him exactly as he’s described – tetchy and cantankerous but brimming with energy, and Cassandra’s even, unflappable tones and measured delivery are the perfect foil. In Ms. Reading’s capable hands, their verbal exchanges are so well timed that it’s easy, sometimes, to forget you’re listening to one person and not two. Yet for all her skill in this area, she’s no slouch when it comes to quieter, more reflective moments, where she brings their more vulnerable qualities to the fore. It will come as no surprise when I say that all the other aspects of Ms. Reading’s performance are excellent, too – the secondary cast is expertly differentiated (she has a great line in ‘grande dames’) and the pacing is just right. A Wicked Kind of Husband is a real treat in terms of both story and narration, and Mia Vincy is most definitely an author to watch. Do yourself a favour and grab a copy as soon as you can.
THE GIVEAWAY
And now for the GIVEAWAY info! One lucky winner will get an Audible download code for Mia Vincy’s A Wicked Kind of Husband, narrated by Kate Reading! Just click below to enter for a chance to win – ends midnight Monday, December 9, 2019, Central Standard Time (US).
The Fine Print: No purchase is necessary. The
giveaway is open from 12 am CST Monday, December 2, 2019, through 12:00 am CST Tuesday,
December 10, 2019 (which is midnight Monday, December 9).
One winner will be chosen. The prize is 1 download code for the audiobook on Audible. (approximate value estimated: US$25), therefore, winners may need to have an Audible US, CA, UK or AU account in order to redeem the prize. Anyone over 18 who can redeem an Audible code and for whom this audiobook title is not geo-restricted is eligible to enter, with the exception that the reviewers at AudioGals and their immediate family members are not eligible. :) Also, not eligible where prohibited by law. :)
One entry per person, please. Winners will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter software. Winners will be notified by email used for entry by 11:59 pm Wednesday, December 11, 2019 CST, and will have 72 hours to respond to claim the prize. If no response is received, another winner will be chosen.
Recent Comments
