Short & Sweet: A Book Review

I recently re-listened to two Regency historical romances by Jennie Goutet, an ex-pat who lives with her husband and children in France. A Fall From Grace and Philippa Holds Court are Books 1 & 2 in a three-book series, although I initially listened to Philippa Holds Court when it first released before I realized it was part of a series! So these books can stand alone, but you might prefer them in order.

These clean reads are character-driven, and though categorized as romances, they’re light on the romance. The author stays true to propriety and etiquette rules of Regency England that we 21st Americans know very little about. While I didn’t cling to the edge of my seat riddled with angst and tension, I was very much invested in the characters and their everyday lives. If Goutet excels at anything, it’s in making the mundane of historical living enjoyable and relatable to the modern reader.

So if you’re looking to escape for a quiet afternoon of reading (or in my case, listening), I highly recommend this series. The writing is not only superb, but I also loved the narrator—an essential role for any audiobook.

[Writing tip: In today’s world, when the demand for audiobooks continues to increase, the narrator can complement or destroy an author’s work. While a traditionally-published author has little-to-no say on the narrator chosen for his or her book, indie authors have all the say, so if you’re going down the self-published route and thinking about offering an audio version, choose your narrator wisely. 🙂]

Happy reading, everyone!