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  • Cadenza

  • Rockliffe, Book 6
  • By: Stella Riley
  • Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
  • Length: 13 hrs
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (135 ratings)
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Cadenza cover art

Cadenza

By: Stella Riley
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
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Summary

Rockliffe Series recommended in The Times.

The performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.

Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy...and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.

And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob, and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle...if they dare believe in it.

Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives...most notably, their own.

And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware.

The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.

©2018 Stella Riley (P)2019 Stella Riley

What listeners say about Cadenza

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Cadenza is a feast for the senses

This series has been absolutely tremendous and I have loved every wonderful minute of it, especially with the velvet tones of narrator, Alex Wyndham, added into the mix.

Cadenza follows the fortunes of a talented musician - a virtuoso in fact. Julian Langham is abruptly thrust into an aristocratic world he does not want, and worse, it’s at the expense of his beloved music. He is broke and desperately unhappy when Arabella (Belle) Brandon arrives with her beautiful laugh and practical good sense to save him. She has changed places with her cousin Elizabeth (Lizzie) Marsden who has travelled in her place to take up an offer of a London season under the sponsorship of the Duke and Duchess of Rockliffe.

Obviously the cause and effect of the girls subterfuge has far reaching consequences, but they are entertaining and give the author and her narrator great scope for drama, wit and spine tingling romance.

There is a parallel, secondary romance between Lizzie and Ralph Sherbourne which is quite lovely, but my favourite of the two romances is Belle and Julian’s. I think Julian is probably the most unusual character I have ever encountered in Historical Romance and quite delightful in his complexity.

Six books down the line and the superb acting skills of Alex Wyndham have never dimmed. He has kept a grip on Rockliffe’s ‘gang’ of friends and family and effortlessly replicated the voices of each one so expertly that there is never any doubt as to which character we are listening to. With each new book in the series more characters have been added, but he is never phased and his versatility knows no bounds. A consummate actor and an eloquent writer - what more could we, their audience ask for? Bravo Ms. Riley and Mr. Wyndham.

If you have never listened to an audio book by this author/narrator combination, then my advice is to begin with The Parfit Knight. I guarantee you will want to lock yourself away until you have devoured all six books. Highly recommended.

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6 people found this helpful

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  • F
  • 26-02-19

Another Triumph !

The sixth book in The Rockliffe series is as superb as the previous 5 novels. Stella Riley's books have an elegance about them and her flow of the English language is a joy to read. Cadenza has a plot that is interesting in that it has two hero/heroines with a separate story development throughout the book. Not wanting to give too much of this wonderful story away, our main hero is an extraordinarily talented musician who has landed back in England through circumstances of inheritance, while our two heroines swap places ( Lizzie is a likeable character with a quiet, tempered personality and Arabella (Bella) is wonderful, practical, fun-loving, intelligent and kind). I was thrilled to have The Duke of Rockliffe and his family & friends making their re-appearance, which is always a delight and feels like we, the reader, are welcoming back old & much-loved friends. I particularly liked the musical angle to the story as it is something close to my heart, and as with all Stella Riley's books, the reader finishes a book not only enjoying a well-written and very enjoyable book, but having gleaned some well-researched facts. As to Alex Wyndham's performance - he is absolutely one of the best male narrators that I have heard throughout my 9 years with Audible. Thank you to both for giving me 13 hours of joy, which if it is anything like all my other Stella Riley books will be listened to many times in the future.

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Outstanding narration and an outstanding story

I have just finished listening to Cadenza written by Stella Riley and performed by Alex Wyndham.
As always Alex brings the Rockliffe series to life with his narration and this story is a lovely ending to the Rockliffe series.
I shall miss all the characters but know I can go back time and again to listen to all the wonderful stories in this series.
Deborah C

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Wonderful all round

Marvelous, carefully researched and beautifully written. Alex Wyndham's performance is, once more, memorable. Well worth keeping.

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a Mozart - Da Ponte plot for a delightful fugue

As a fan of baroque and classical music, the harpsichord, Couperin, Mozart and Stella Riley, I was always going to enjoy this wonderful romp. I just hadn't realised how much!

The plot could be from one of Mozart and Da Ponte's operas. Two beautiful young cousins switch places - the poor vicar's daughter Lizzie becomes an honoured guest in a ducal household in London (Riley's omniscient Rockliffe). There, she captures the eye of the saturnine Ralph Sheringham, a villain in Riley's Hazard, and sets him on the road to redemption. The wealthy heiress Belle travels to a dilapidated estate in Lincolnshire, where she works as housekeeper and governess to the neglected children of the late master of the house.

The new master, Julian Langham, is our hero - and what a hero! Turn every single 'romance hero' cliché on its head, and you have Julian. He is shy, socially awkward, tongue-tied in the presence of women, unless it be to blurt out the first thing that comes to his head, a fish out of water tricked into taking on a ruined estate and a title he neither sought nor wanted. He is also a genius at the harpsichord, a friend of Mozart, and a kind, compassionate man who fosters his predecessor's illegitimate children in his home and heart. Julian is adorable and you understand how the accomplished and clever Belle falls for him and wants him to succeed as a concert musician. Incidentally, Belle is the descendant of Gabriel and Venetia Brandon, of Garland of Straw fame, which gave me a happy moment.

And what of the 'switching places' plot? The inimitable Rockliffe, of course, has a hand in untangling it... and after an adagio intermezzo during which the lovers are separated, we are treated to a happy scherzo... amabile and con brio!

My only regret is that we don't see the full blossoming of Ralph Sherborne's heart. But Stella Riley leaves us with him well on the way to redemption, so I'll just have to imagine the rest.

Alex Wyndham narrates the book with his customary assurance and talent - his voices, accents and tempo are all excellent and a credit to Ms Riley's flowing pen.

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Loved it

Up to the high standards of the rest of the series

I liked that the story had two sets of protaginists- kept it interesting. not too much unnecessary "misunderstanding" for fake plot jeopardy . I liked that there wasn't a falling out between each of the couples at the reveal.
my only criticism was that the second couple (my favourite) didnt seem to get a conclusion/closure to their story- just suddenly ended after the first couples HEA..

Alex Wyndham's narration impeccable as ever- beautiful voice.

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A Winning Combination

Having already read this story in e-book and hard copy, I was delighted to discover that Alex Wyndham’s audio performance enhanced my enjoyment of Stella Riley’s “Cadenza”.

I am a huge fan of all Ms Riley’s work and “Cadenza” showcases all her skills, notably: superb characterisation, deft plotting, sparkling dialogue and pitch perfect evocation of period and place. Ms Riley’s books are always so well researched and yet this research always sits lightly in the story. For example, it must have taken hours upon hours to find out what it would take to be a virtuoso harpsichord player in the late eighteenth century and to build a character that displays the requisite knowledge and skills and temperament. Julian Langham is entirely credible in this role and yet he is so much more than this. He is a fully rounded character and I defy anyone not to fall in love with him.

I love the juxtaposition of the two stories and the way the characters of the four protagonists contrast and complement each other. On the one hand we have the warmth and immediacy of Belle and Julian's story and on the other we have the quiet depth and restraint of Lizzie and Ralph’s tortuous progress to their “Happy Ever After”. The cast of supporting characters are particularly well defined and add so much to the story. From the three delightful children to Julian’s “terrible” cook and from Ralph’s dreadful brothers to Rock and our old friends from previous stories, they are each a joy whilst also serving to highlight traits and motivations of the main characters.

Alex Wyndham is particularly skilled in highlighting the nuances of character through his sensitive, thoughtful and empathetic narration. From my own reading of Cadenza, I already adored Julian and Belle but through listening to the audiobook, I was better able to appreciate the depth of feelings held by both Lizzie and Ralph: the way Lizzie accepted Ralph and could see beyond his brittle, harsh and self-contained exterior to his lonely, disillusioned and self-loathing soul. Through Alex Wyndham’s reading, I felt I understood Ralph more from the inside, as it were.

I have enjoyed other Stella Riley audiobooks performed by Alex Wyndham and look forward to catching up with the ones I have not yet heard. Ms Riley’s superb stories and Mr Wyndham’s excellent narration are always a winning combination.

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well worth the wait

What a riveting read from the first to last word and so well read .. again by Alex

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Another excellent story by Stella Riley

Alex Wyndham is a great narrator and Stella Riley brings the historical period to life

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Bravissimo & Encore

It is said that you should always leave the best until last and in Cadenza- Rockliffe book 6; Stella Riley and Alex Wyndham have certainly done this as the final curtains closes on this most exquisite series.
Once again the collaboration of writer and narrator has produced another stunning performance that will live with me for a long time.
The story starts in Vienna where Julian Langham has just presented his first virtuoso performance and is on the brink of a dazzling career when lawyers lure him into making a catastrophic mistake and now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy and thus begins his Cadenza.
What follows are two parallel love stories that are very different. One is warm, sensitive and heartfelt while the other is tentative and reticent with both parties treading very carefully in order to be sure of each other’s feelings. I’ll not give the names of the couples and who ends up with who because that would be a spoiler but suffice to say the writing and performance by Alex Wyndham throughout is measured, moving and completely believable. What I can also say is that once again Ms Riley’s dialogue and characterisation are truly exceptional.
The main lead Julian Langham is an absolute delight and Mr Wyndham squeezes every ounce of emotion out of him with the result that he made me smile and also shed a tear. I defy anyone to listen to this audio and not fall in love with Julian. He is truly wonderful and one of Ms Riley’s best male leads that Mr Wyndham performs so well. In fact Alex Wyndham is one of the finest Audio narrators around whose wonderful narrative voice is supplemented by superb transitions from male to female, young to old, gentry to common man that are seamless.
In addition to Julian, Arabella – Belle – and Elizabeth – Lizzie – also grace the stage along with Ralph Sherbourne - previously featured in Hazard - where he was truly obnoxious. This is another tour de force from the pen of Ms Riley. Add to this the usual Rockliffe entourage led by the charismatic and formidable Duke, detailed knowledge of the Harpsichord, a well written plot and you have the perfect blend.
However, just when you think the ensemble is complete and the performance ready to begin, in walks Max Brandon, Belle’s brother, who steps centre stage. Wow, how good is he. I think he’s the brother all girls would want because he is witty, smart, supportive, intelligent and practical. I can only hope that Ms Riley has a future planned for him because I would like to see more of this relative of Gabriel Brandon from her excellent R&C series, Garland of Straw.
I truly think this is probably the best audio in Stella Riley’s Rockliffe series as it has everything a Georgian Romance should. Consequently when all the participants take their final bow all I wanted to do was shout ‘Bravissimo and Encore’ for Stella Riley and Alex Wyndham who have given another stunning performance.

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