A true déjà-vu! Magnificent narration.

As a longtime fan of Lucinda Brant I have not only read all of her books, I have also listened to most of them. Noble Satyr, being the foundational book of the Roxton Series, I have read several times, both to refresh myself on the characters and also to revisit Antonia, who is my favorite character in the series. Others have already amply recounted the content of the book so I will not do so here--suffice to say if you love well-researched historical romance, and the Georgian period in particular, this book belongs in your collection.

This volume is actually a re-release that cleverly weaves in the relevant letters from "Eternally Yours", prepares us for the following three volumes (which I am eagerly looking forward to reading); and--most importantly--gives the story a brand new life with the introduction of a new narrator.

Mary Jane Wells is a magnificent narrator (and of course I like that she is another MJ, there are not many of us!). The nuance that she brings to the characters' voices brought out new aspects of the story and shades of meaning that I had missed in previous reads and listens. Her narrations bring a poignancy to the story that the previous narration frankly lacked, and I found myself having this wonderful déjà-vu experience, getting to go back in time to revisit a very young Antonia and meet all of her dear friends when they were still in the prime of their lives. (Without giving too much away, I want to say that this is a particularly poignant experience if you have already read the other books in the series, particularly Autumn Duchess).

The expense, effort and time required to produce a brand-new narration must have been significant, but this reader (listener) believes that it was well worth it. Brava!

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A refreshing change

I already have the previous audible version with Alex Wyndham, so I was not going to purchase this version. But after listening to His Duchess, I decided to purchase it. I am glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed Mary Jane Wells narration, even more than the Alex Wyndham's.

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Sumptuous retelling of Noble Satyr

I was very excited to listen to this newly revised version of Noble Satyr with a brand new narrator, Mary Jane Wells and I was definitely extremely pleased. MJW has a warm, rich, melodic voice which agilely handles both male and female roles with ease. Her voice draws you in to the story and brings to life all my favourite characters, most especially Antonia. A++

Antonia Moran at 17 is clever, determined, innocent, yet worldly-wise and in a precarious position in the reign of Louis XV 1745. Her grandfather is dying and she will be left under the guardianship of the Comte de Salvan who plans to marry her to his drug-addled and increasingly erratic son Etienne. In reality, she is to become Salvan’s mistress in this world of intrigue and unbridled sensuality. Antonia despises Salvan and forms a plan to escape his clutches by enlisting the Duke of Roxton, Renard to save her.

The Duke of Roxton is an arrogant, selfish, bored and unrepentant womanizer who is forced by
Antonia’s plot and his honour to carry her off to his home, where his sister Estee and his best friend Valentine, an English Lord are both staying. Roxton is half English and half French, a thoroughly debatched character, omniscient through his intellect and a network of spies both English and French. He is an intimate friend of the King and in his forties has become a formidable presence in Paris. Scarred by his ruthless upbringing at the hands of his grandfather, he is cynical and emotionally distant with a rapier wit and cool efficient manner with little interest in putting himself out for anyone else. Antonia engineers a plan where his honour demands that he aid her and so she joins the Roxton household as essentially his ward. Also there are his sister and for propriety’s sake and best friend Valentine.

Estee is a noted beauty, self-centred, vain and damaged by the early loss of her father and her mother’s inability to cope. She is highly strung and subject to wild emotional outbursts, totally, entitled yet she loves her brother intensely and his best friend Valentine. Family and reputation are all to her as is the custom of the times.

Enter Valentine, Roxton’s best friend since boyhood, a gregarious and endlessly cheerful English peer, another wild contrast to Roxton. He is outgoing, endearingly silly at times, loyal to a fault and in competitive in all things. He is a master swordsman and this is the only area he can actually best Roxton. The two carry on a banter of insults and challenges, which covers a devoted and enduring friendship. Valentine is naively funny, easy to fall prey to a joke and good natured in the extreme. He is in love with Estee and their relationship provides much humour to the narrative.

Add in some wicked and conniving aunts and you have the main protagonists to the story, in this homage to These Old Shades
by Georgette Heyer. This is a much more sensual story, which Brant handles expertly and delicately, a complicated story rife with plots and counterplots, thrusts and parries, like the moves of the swordplay so beloved of that time.

This is Antonia’s story, she shines as a pure beam of light in the Roxton family. Mischievous and piquant, she adores the Duke and sees the best and the worst in him and loves him no matter. She is as determined as he is in her own way, she makes mistakes with good intentions and charms everyone including us. She is a unique and enchanting character and in her presence the Duke is transformed by his love for her. There are many ups and downs but her optimism ultimately carries her through and makes them a a magical couple. Humour is woven throughout, but there is also sadness , betrayal and drama galore and we are always intrigued and captivated. Mary Jane Wells ‘s Antonia is pitch perfect and enchanting as well.

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Romance, Greed, and Deception

Antonia is a woman that is young but determined, smart yet naïve. Comte de Salvan is bent on marrying her off to his worthless son thus moving his hidden agenda to claim her as a mistress is close to becoming a reality. Antonia enlists the aid of an unsuspecting Duke, who rumor has it is equally dangerous in his own right. Antonia and Duke Roxton join forces and together; their entanglement creates changes and challenges neither are prepared for.

The author, Lucinda Brant creatively weaves a romantic story with vivid and detailed characters and conversations both of which are highly reflective of this historical time period. Brant is deliberate in pulling on the heartstrings of romantics, capitalizing on a variety of drama, and capturing the passion of those infatuated with the Georgian Era.

The narrator, Mary Jane Wells delivers a riveting performance. Her unique voice captures and projects the essence of each character in rich and deliberate tones. Her cadence is upbeat, playful, serious, and passionate depending on the situation. She speaks clearly and succinctly. As a voice actor, she further enhances the story with her deliberate and smooth performance.

This is a highly engaging and entertaining listen. Lucinda Brant is an excellent author that captures society in historical periods accurately and effortlessly.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Loved it!

Roxton series is one of my favorites. Especially narrator Alex Wyndham. I was hesitant on listening to the new narration but I was mistaken. It was wonderful! Now I’m going to listen to the new foundation series.

Bringing the Georgian Era to life!

I have to start with I adore the writings of Lucinda Brant. I have been a fan of hers for many years and have already reviewed the ebook version (5 Stars!) of this book. However, this Audible version has taken my breath away! The narrator, Mary Jane Wells, has an incredible talent and the ability to differentiate between each character and bring them to life purely with her voice. You can tell who each character is, without being told, simply by the changes in her voice. It's an astonishing talent!
The combination of Lucinda Brant's beautiful love story and Mary Jane Well's narration immerses you in the world of 1740's France and England in such a way as to bring it to life! A wonderful experience and I can't wait to experience the rest of the Roxton Foundation Series!

The redeeming power of love in a Georgian romance

This book is the starting point of the author’s wonderful Georgian romance series. It takes place in France and in England during the reign of Louis XV and George II, in the 1740s. Among the court intrigue of Versailles we encounter Antonia Moran, a young, beautiful and original girl who needs help to be saved from the evil plots of the villains and the lecherous surroundings. The unlikely (and unwilling) person to help her is the Duke of Roxton, the Satyr of the title – a half-English, half-French aristocrat who is an expert at court games both political and amorous, well known for his many sophisticated lovers and his world-weary cynicism. Against all odds, they fall in love, and though they experience an idyll, they are torn apart by enemies – some known, some unexpected. All Antonia’s purity, strength, honor and intelligence, and the Duke’s cunning (he is aptly named Renard), ducal power and willingness to change for love are put to the test of fire, but they prevail and create a new and happy life together.
Besides the unique love story, the era is an equally important part of the book – the fictional characters are seamlessly woven together with historical persons, real locations. The author’s excellent and detailed research of history and culture, her love of the era shines through and allows the readers to immerse themselves in the past, to see it faithful to historical reality in many details.
Historical romance readers familiar with Georgette Heyer will notice similarities to These Old Shades, Heyer’s book set in vaguely the same time and place, and featuring somewhat similar protagonists. Both the plot and the characters are different enough, however, to give the reader a very different feel in spite of the homage paid to the renowned Heyer – I would say the good is brighter and the evil is darker and more violent in this story, the depravity in high society is openly shown, the desire and intimacy of the couple not hidden behind bedroom doors (though never crudely or explicitly detailed).
The narrator is excellent, one of the best I have ever heard. The narrative voice has flawless tempo and diction, the characters are easily discernible and their voice timbres display their personality accurately and vividly. The complex emotions and the subtle humour infusing the story are shown beautifully. It was a pleasure to listen to this audio rendition.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and all its sequels to all historical romance fans – those who enjoy redeemed rake stories, strong protagonists, those who like the world of the 18th century and those who haven’t yet experienced it described by a talented hand like Lucinda Brant’s – believe me, you’ll enjoy it!

An enchanting romance!

The romance between Antonia and the Duke of Roxton are what dreams are made of, but minus all the evil characters that conspire to keep them apart. At the beginning it would seem that these two are unsuited for each other and not only due to the wide age gap but also in life experiences. However, as the story progresses, it’s revealed that Antonia had somewhat of an unusual upbringing, especially for that time period. She’s young but smart and have a very clear understanding of the world she lives in while also retaining her youthful innocence in some areas of her life. She’s such a delightful character and what a wonderful match for the much older and serious Duke of Roxton. Monseigneur, as Antonia calls him, is a powerful and IMO sort of a scary person. Everyone is afraid of him and as they should be because he holds a lot of power and influence over almost everyone. And therefore, it was amazing to see how he falls unequivocally in love with Antonia and have one of the most devoted and loving relationship that I’ve ever read. Besides the romance there were lots of court intrigue, people scheming for power, and lots of details on the everyday life of the English aristocracy.

Of note, I really appreciate the research and all the attention to details the author put into her writing. It’s quite amazing and I’ve learned a lot about the Georgian period.

The narrator did a wonderful job. Her male character voices were really good. Her pacing was also good. However, it seems that in some parts she was whispering or her voice was really low and it was very hard to understand what she was saying even when I upped the volume.