Refreshing

I like Rothwell. Her heroines are funny and unusual. Her novels are a nice change from the “ton” ballrooms and spunky virgin heroines of the more standard regency romances. They also often occur in the US, which I thought I wouldn’t like but I actually do. I listened to the Earl, the girl, etc. and it was pretty good. I liked this one better. There is only a little bit of steam and very little explicit sex but it is not “clean”, which I prefer — the “clean” ones I don’t like because it feels like they are leaving out an important part of the story but some explicit stories rely too much on the sex. This book is excellent — could have even used a little more steam. Narrator is good but not perfect. Lots of accents to deal with after all. I’m going to read the next one in this series. This is worth a listen.

18 people found this helpful

An upbeat historical romance gem!

I was hesitant to begin this novel, as historical romances can often be stuffy and stiff, however this book was an absolute gem!

Set around the Gilded Age in New York City, at a time when the squalor of tenements and the corruption of those in public office made life exceedingly difficult for many immigrants coming to America with big dreams and heavy responsibilities. Irish cop, Michael McCann, is walking home from doing his rounds one night when he comes across half-dead Timona, as she is beaten by a local gang. He takes pity on her and brings her home, tends her wounds and tolerates her eccentricities. For Timona, the poor, but noble Michael is exactly what she is looking for in a husband. She wants him immediately and is willing to do just about anything to have him. He, on the other hand, is convinced Timona is up to no good.

The story that follows is, at times, tragic and as gritty as the setting deserves, and at other times, sweet, humorous, and moving. Kate Rothwell crafted her characters well, breaking free of genre convention as well as societal strictures of the era beautifully and believably. Michael is the kind of character that makes a perfect romance hero -- he seems real. He is honorable, but fallible: kind but not a pushover: sexy, but not over-the-top. and the perfect sensible counter-balance to Timona's head-in-the-clouds, impetuous and bright character. She is absolutely lovable, flawed in very believable ways, and full of antics that make the story fun and accessible.

I loved how the author broke convention in absolutely delightful ways. The climax (without giving anything away) both paid homage to many historical romance tropes, while subverting others in entertaining ways.

The narrator did a fantastic job. Truly. She voiced Timona's character perfectly, adding an endearing flare of old-timey sounding dialogue reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn. The story is paced well throughout and the ending feels just right when you reach it. There is only one somewhat naughty scene told with any detail and even that is handled elegantly and with dignity.

I will definitely be adding more books by both this author and narrator to my queue for the future. If you are looking for an upbeat departure from the same old story, I strongly recommend this little gem.

10 people found this helpful

Delightfully Different

What made the experience of listening to Somebody Wonderful the most enjoyable?

I read a lot of romance but this was delightfully different. Poor Mick (literally and figuratively) constantly battling the image of a kept man. Possible spoiler: I like the fact that when each of them might have doubted the other, they held fast to their love and trust in the other.

What does Stephanie Cannon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does well with the accents and children's voices. Men's voices are a bit of a challenge.

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

I practically did listen to the book in one sitting. I finished the book in 1-1/2 days, listening every chance I had.

9 people found this helpful

Somebody Wonderful Indeed

Would you consider the audio edition of Somebody Wonderful to be better than the print version?

This is a fabulous story complete with a super sexy Irish hunk as the hero and a totally alluring woman who's free spirit and unassuming beauty break the barriers of class society had established in the 1800's in New York. These characters are so well developed and described that you cannot help but gravitate toward them. The audio edition of this book provides a 5 star performance by a gifted narrator who breaths life into the multifaceted characters written by Ms Rothwell. The vivid descriptions of the characters, their surroundings, and the detail of the plot all bring together a fabulous experience. I really delighted in listening to both of the "Somebody" audio books. Me. Rothwell is a superb writer who makes every experience enjoyable. This series is an easy one to recommend to friends! If you haven't given it a listen yet, you are really missing out! 😍

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

Finished in two sittings I believe

6 people found this helpful

disappointing

gave up after ten minutes. narrator drove me nuts, an odd accent and cadences that I couldn't get used to. if the book is set in England it needs a British narrator.

3 people found this helpful

I just couldn't do it

I liked the idea of this book but I couldn't make it past chapter 3. I didn't get any mental image of what either of the main characters looked like or what main pieces of their personalities were. Didn't get how old they were even. Outside of "3 feet of brown hair and green eyes" I couldn't tell you what they looked like. Moved so fast into a romance scene and in the first 5 seconds of the book, she's talking marriage? ugh.. I just can't. 😞 Sorry.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent story and narration!

I really enjoyed all the characters (even those I loved to hate). The narrator, truly made the book for me. Each character had their own voice., and the accents were fantastic. Very well done!

2 people found this helpful

Really Wonderful!

What a delight in every way. Interesting lead characters, each strong, tolerant but not insipid, especially considering this is a historical romance. Well written and perfect narration. I love especially that the typical, expectation that the romantic leads spend much of the book being adversarial is eschewed.

1 person found this helpful

Cute

The two main characters are very likable. I appreciated how upbeat and generally straightforward they were. I wasn't interested in their sexcapades, so I did a lot of fast forwarding.

1 person found this helpful

Pretty Good

** spoiler alert **
Not bad. Had some funny moments. But I hate that the heroin was attacked by thugs and the hero thought she was a prostitute.

1 person found this helpful