Excellent Story

The Tory was my first historical fiction book/audiobook and T.J. London was a new to me author. I. AM. A. FAN! This story is very well written and the narration adds a whole new level.

I admit I listened to the first chapter a few times as I was in awe of Shane East's narration. I tend to listen to him in the romance genre, so this was a nice and very surprising change, His narration in the first chapter will draw you into the story as the tortured, naive but well-meaning, Captain John Carlisle.

Tara Langella, as Dellis, has overcome a traumatizing past and is fierce and unwavering. She refuses to fall into the typical role expected of the women of this era and does her best to keep her family unit intact.

Marnye Young, as Celeste, is sharp and perceptive. She is ALWAYS calculating and has learned to play men to her benefit.

Patrick Zeller, as Roger. Oh, Roger. He is diabolical and as much as I know I should dislike him, I couldn't. He's so wickedly good at being bad and I kinda love it.

This cast and their narration are stellar. I'm glad I learned of this story from Shane's Twitter following and took a chance with a different genre. I was not disappointed and should you take a chance, you won't be disappointed either. I eagerly look forward to the next story in the saga.

5 people found this helpful

Captivating!

This was my first TJ London's book, and definitely won't be my last. This is the first book in The Rebels and Redcoats Saga, an outstanding Historical Romance. Wow! I loved it! The characters are great and well developed. John and Dellis's slow burn romance is enthralling. John is a wonderful character, intriguing, secretive, and fascinating. Dellis is a fantastic character, surprisingly strong, and determined. Their journey is full of adventure, and action. There is a lot going on in this story. The storyline is well written, descriptive, intricate, emotional, suspenseful, filled with danger, betrayal, secrets, intrigue, and twists and turns. The scenery is well described, and easy to imagine. Some graphic scenes are rough to listen to. The cast of supporting characters is impressive. The audio quality is impeccable. Shane East, Tara Langella, Patrick Zeller, and Marnye Young did an extraordinarily great job with the narration. This audiobook exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed it, and I HIGHLY recommend it. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the serie, The Traitor, to know what happens next!

3 people found this helpful

Top 5 listens of my year!

A story to captivate your mind, The Tory is phenomenal.TJ London takes us on a journey, in the winter of 1776. Captain John Carlisle is undercover to clear his name. Posing as a war profiteer, he meets Dellis an Oneida Innkeeper. These two have the most interesting relationship, both intellectual and slow burn romantic. She introduces John to people to sell his goods and lets him gain trust and support of those around him. With unfortunate circumstances, dangerous characters, and intriguing partners, John takes us on an adventure. London’s descriptive writing lets us visualize each scene as it unfolds and experience the story as if we were there. It’s an amazing story, and I can’t wait to find out where John takes us next.

Narrated by 4 voice actors, the story is brought to life. Shane East, Patrick Zeller, Marnye Young and Tara Langella are fantastic storytellers and together brought out the essence of this story. Each character its own voice, inflections and nuances drawing out the frustrations, fear and emotions. This is an amazing cast of narrators and they brought me hours of entertainment.

3 people found this helpful

EXCELLENT STORY

WOW, where to begin without giving away any spoilers....This story was magnificent with all the plot twists throughout the entire story!!

The characters were amazing!! Ed and I enjoyed getting to know each character and listening intently on how each character played a certain roll within the story. We could feel what the characters were feeling. They felt so very real.

The story-line was intriguing and kept us wanting to listen to more. It's no joke when I say that we listened to this 15 hour and 15 minute story in about 3 days because we just HAD to know what would happen next. And the way the author ended it...well it left us a bit deflated because we needed to know more!! London is a fantastic storyteller and she has gained two new followers and we are impatiently waiting for the next book.

The narrators were, I have no words for them!! They were remarkable and that's not even doing them justice. We loved their voice overs and they really made the story come to life. This is the first time that we have had the chance to listen to an audiobook with four narrators in it and OMG, they are for sure academy award winning narrators in my book!! Their voices along with the addicting plot twists kept us extremely entertained from beginning to end and has left us with some burning questions!! So we are desperate for book 2 and can't wait for its release!! Edson and I give this book a standing ovation to the author, the characters and the narrators for a splendid adventure and story.

DISCLAIMER: Due to graphic scenes and depictions of war, reader discretion is advised.

3 people found this helpful

Story & Narration was beyond amazing

Audiobook review: This book was sooooo good. I’m not normally one to listen to or read historical anything but I am a fan now. TJ London is a new to me author but she has earned herself a new fan in me.

The narration was beyond amazing. Three of the four were new to me narrators but they all did such an amazing job. I became so invested in all the aspects of the story and now I’m counting down the days until I can listen to the next book.

Bravo Ms. London. Very well done.

2 people found this helpful

Captivating and entertaining

I love historical fiction and was excited to dive into the first audiobook of the Rebels and Redcoats Saga with its brilliant cast of narrators. TJ London did not disappoint. I laughed, cried, and found myself completely immersed in the period. Rich imagery, historical details, and complex characters gave way to a riveting storyline.

Shane East was the perfect voice for John, and it was delightful to hear him perform in a different genre. Outstanding. I adore Tara Langella, who brings everything to the mic. Her voice for Dellis was perfection. Patrick Zeller was brilliant as Roger and I kind of love him. LOL Marnye Young is Celeste, and I cannot imagine anyone else.

Fans of historical sagas and novels by Diana Gabaldon and Genevieve Graham will devour this audiobook. I cannot wait for THE TRAITOR.

2 people found this helpful

I could not get enough of Captain John Carlisle

I was so excited for the audiobook because a friend told me about it. I ended up downloading the ebook sample because I couldn't wait, which then lead me to purchase the full book because I just could not put it down. I completely devoured it because I was so taken in by the writing, the way the story was told and all of the amazing characters. There are scenes that will make you cry, get angry, feel scared and even a few that will make your heart melt. It's definitely what I would call an epic level story.

I was given the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook. Let me tell you this, I was absolutely blown away by the audio performance. Coming into this audio, I had heard prior performances by only one of the 4 narrators. I knew the caliber to expect from one of them, but the others were new to me. Every single one of them was outstanding! They all were able to bring T.J.'s characters to life. Trust me, you're gonna want to buy this audiobook.

2 people found this helpful

Exceptional ... everything

I am an avid reader and enjoy all kinds of genres. I bought this book because I was enamored with the narrators and saw that TJ London had won an award for this book. Let me tell you, I haven't read a book this well written in a long time.

TJ London obviously did in depth research into the American Revolution. I truly felt as if I was in this Era and knew these characters. Don't be deterred by the use of modern language as this is a book written in the 2000's placed during the 1700's, and it makes the characters more approachable. I loved that not only is the imagery and scene set up excellently executed, the characters and plot lines are carefully crafted. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

This is a bit of a cliff hanger, but you don't mind because you are already invested in the lives of the characters. I also like that this is written about a British soldier fallen from grace and an outcast woman sharing two cultural backgrounds. I also learned more about the start of the Revolution than I have in school.

The narration is top notch, which is to be expected from these narrators.

I will and have raved about this book to many people and recommend it to men and women.

Juvenile and gratuitous

Not only was the writing very amateurish it was filled with juvenile tropes and paired with gratuitous, unnecessary violence.

Historical Fiction at its BEST!

The Tory, the first book in the Rebels and Redcoats saga, by TJ London is a wonderful depiction of American history. The story of Captain John Carlisle, British spy and scoundrel on the path of redemption, and the half-breed innkeeper Dellis McKesson who helps him navigate the native tribes as part of his mission while undercover as a tradesman. Though not meant as a love story, the relationship between John and Dellis is integral to the story, as she heals John in body and spirit, while seeking revenge against the British who killed her father, not knowing the secrets John hides. The story is harsh and sometimes brutal, as was life in that time. And the end leaves you wanting to see how the story resolves.

The narrating cast, including Shane East and Tara Langella was absolutely phenomenal! I really enjoyed having the full cast narration, a first for me, but definitely it the last. I can’t wait to listen to the second book, The Traitor!