The Lord and the Cat's Meow
Written and Narrated By: GL Robinson
Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
Where GL Robinson’s narration does NOT mar a delightful romp!!!
You know me: I’ve waaaay too much time on m’ hands when it comes to hunting for new Regency romances, discovering authors who’ve dabbled, or p’raps truly wallowed in the genre, offering decidedly new options, chances for wonderful (And CLEAN!!!) Regency Listens!
So when Amazon had GL Robinson as a Suggested Author, and when I saw that some o’ her works were ALSO available as audiobooks? Dude, I was soooo THERE!
The only hitch?
Our author narrates her works herself. Uhm, whilst this might be okay for some genres? Romance?! Uhm, well, and uhm YIKES! I mean, noooo, I discovered that Ms. Robinson’s works are NOT steeeeamy (Huzzah!), but would she be able to manage a Hero, a heroine, a madcap romp, along with growing longings and pleading glances?
Cuz you see, The Lord and the Cat’s Meow was the second of her stories that I purchased (Did I mention that I’ve too much time on my hands and can make forays into, like, a gazillion (And SIX!) Regency offerings?).
The first? No, I shan’t mention it as it miiiiight turn out to be okay. -BUT- It was an Enemies To Lovers type (Not a fave trope o’ mine), and dude! her narration! Good cow, Ms. Robinson has a deep throat-y kinda garbled delivery. To go with a NON-Fave Trope? It has thus far been a resounding NO!
That said, this has a cat in it, so of COURSE I purchased the audiobook cuz I truly canNOT resist a Hero stuck with a cat.
Lord Devin is an Uber-urbane gentleman of the Ton, perpetually and oh so insouciantly late to each and every affair he’s invited to. He just doesn’t care, and he’s SUCH a Catch that nobody bats an eyelash at his tardiness. As a matter of fact, he’s got it down to a science: Give the Ton just enough time to get bored with each other? And yesss, when he finally gets to each shindig the Ton is deLIGHTed to see him! Lazy? Not exactly. It’s just that he doesn’t much care.
This extends even to his pursuit of Hermione, an Incomparable he kinda sorta makes an offer of marriage to… kinda sorta on a whim… kinda sorta cuz she’s also being pursued by a courtly Colonel. Devin haaaates coming in second, so yeh, he’ll make an Offer, Secure Her Favor, and well, he’ll marry her, settle down, get his Heir and maybe a Spare, all hunky dorry.
The monkey wrench?
A petite virago, Nina, Hermione’s best friend whom he’s met on a previous occasion. Like, when she shows up on his doorstep haranguing him about selling off a lame horse, only to have it brutally mistreated after the sale. If there’s ANYTHING Nina deplores, it’s animal cruelty!
The mess/misunderstanding cleared up, they reach a rather civil and friendly truce, and whilst Devin and Hermione go about their rather staid courtship, Devin can’t help but be bemused and amused with Nina’s devotion to the welfare and well-being of animals, so outspoken is she, so dedicated, so, well, gosh-danged awesome! EVEN when a jaunt to the country lands him with a scrawny, filthy, kitten she rescues but can’t take home herself. Devin? You MUST assist, and feed him every two hours, and do NOT let anyone else do this, because this kitten (Now named Horace) will feel abandoned if you do!
The Lord and the Cat’s Meow turns into a delightful tale as Devin discovers hitherto unplayed heartstrings this little ball of fluff plays. And Nina? What a dynamo! What courage! What a sense of right and wrong! What a true friend! Uhm, a weee bit on the heedless side, what with her taking the owner of London’s biggest hackney company on, shaming him in the Press, and earning him as a Foe Most Dire.
This was so pleasantly written that I pretty much could entirely Not Hear how ill-suited for narration Ms. Robinson is. Yes, her tones are so very low, there’s such a thickness to her voice, and sometimes the written dialogue doesn’t sparkle as she delivers it, but dude! there’s Horace!!! to consider.
And did I mention how very, oh so very, clean a romance this is?
Truly, such a pleasant story that I’m kinda sorta torn about purchasing some of Robinson’s other offerings. She credits her Beta Readers with helping her fine-hone her stories, but I really wish she’d get some Beta Listeners to p’raps suggest: Maaaaaybe invest in a professional narrator?
Until then? Well, I s’pose I shall let the story plots guide me: Do they seem engaging enough for me to wade through the somewhat sliiiiightly vaaaaguely off-putting narration? Cuz, really, I’ve perused her other works and some do indeed seem delightfully written as well.
Soooo? I guess I CAN say that I’m glad GL Robinson came up as a Suggested Author of m’ beloved Regencies; it’s just that, well, I’ll be hittin’ those Publisher’s Summaries. I KNOW!
But one does what one must! Onward and tally ho!
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