Narrated by Matt Simpson

Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms has a Regency-esque feel, set in a world where fae and humans live alongside each other, magic is a part of life, and homosexuality is accepted. While humans and fae interact, their magic is very different. Roger Barnes, a rather ordinary human, is paired with Wyndham Wrenwhistle, a handsome fae, in order to design a new rubric for testing human magic. The two have a long history of antagonism and Roger is sure the endeavor is doomed. When a local gossip column falsely announces their engagement, they must go along with it to save their families from scandal. The book is a tad overlong, but Wren and Roger are great characters and watching them come to care for each other is delightful. They end up needing to thwart a devious plan, but there isn’t overmuch tension. It’s a lovely feel-good listen.

Matt Simpson is a new-to-me narrator and appears not to have any other books to his credit. That’s surprising because he is marvelous: great character voices and a polished delivery. I hope to see him narrating much more in the future.

Breakdown of Grade: Narration – A; Story – B+

Running time: 14 hours 8 minutes

~ Carrie Gwaltney