By Right of Arms

De: Robyn Carr

Narrado por: Nicola Barber

Duración: 12 h y 14 m

Resumen del Editor

The Black Prince of England hungers to capture the lands of France, and Sir Hyatt Laidley is just the knight for the task. In exchange for years of faithful service, Hyatt will receive both land - and lady - of De La Noye in Acquitane.

When Hyatt and his men attack, both lord and castle fall, but the young and newly widowed Aurelie is not so easily conquered. Impassioned by the subjugation of her people, Aurelie pledges to forever honor her late husband. She may be condemned to marry the English bastard, but her heart will never yield! But to Aurelie's surprise, Hyatt proves to be everything her former husband was not. Fearless, wise, and devastatingly handsome, he makes for a highly gifted lord and protector. And try as she might, she simply can’t feign indifference to her virile husband’s passionate embrace. Yet Aurelie is not alone in her emotional torment. Previously robbed of his inheritance and title by a deceitful stepmother, Hyatt can’t bring himself to trust his French wife. But as rivals threaten the welfare of their people, the couple must decide which bond is stronger - allegiance to one's motherland or ties forged from love.

©1986 Robyn Carr; 2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Move over Elizabeth Hoyt (whom I still love)

What made the experience of listening to By Right of Arms the most enjoyable?

Where to start. First any story needs a good nay grear narrator who can do women as well as men voices. Nicola Barber is fanstastic!! I love Elizabeth Hoyt's books, but that narrator Anne Flosnik and her name escapes me, ruins the story, This books was soooo good and a great story line to boot! I loved the characters and spirit of the female lead. I am now a Robin Carr fan, and will seek out her other works. I just hope Nicola Barber is narrating..

Who was your favorite character and why?

Auralie of, course, burdened with an compromised a consumed first husband, and her values of marriage were stupendous.

Which scene was your favorite?

Too many to count, of of them....

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The birth of the twins

Any additional comments?

I just loved this book, Author, and Narrator.. ..

too much repeated dialog content for me

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not really, story drawn out too long, although story was good. I just got bored in places.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was fine.

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

Nothing

What would have made this romance irresistible?

Not sure

NEVER DISAPPOINTS!!!

I'm a Robyn Carr fan from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet!!! I gave this book a 5 star rating knowing there were other titles of hers that were better than this one. BUT...the ones that are better deserve more than a 5 star rating! ;) I truly thought the plot was extremely good and Nicola Barber's talents pushed it over the top for me.

Worth the credit? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Good story with a great narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved that it took place in medieval times. Really refreshing!

Have you listened to any of Nicola Barber’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, she is great and this one was great as well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Important Ingredient Missing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes, most definitely. While the story was good enough, we, the readers never hear the hero tell his wife that he loves her. He has his epiphany (I love her!) while he is away from her and, wanting to tell her as soon as possible, hacks his way through the forest, escapes the clutches of ruffians, rides to his castle with all possible haste, runs up the stairs to their chamber and then...not much! He tells her that his life is nothing without her, they kiss passionately and then, as the door closes on their bed chamber, we are told they whisper love words to each other (or something to that effect). WHAT???!!! That's it??? No declaration of love, no telling her why she is beloved, no promises??
The heroine tells her hero several times that she loves him and while it is clear that he loves her as well (looks at her adoringly, calls her "my love," sweeps her up into his arms, etc) he never says those three little words so we can hear. That is something I must have in a romance novel. I kept waiting for it, thinking, surely after this crisis or that tender moment, he will tell her he loves her. But, it never happened. And that is why, despite other things that I enjoyed about the story, it ultimately fell flat for me.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was lovely.

Which character – as performed by Nicola Barber – was your favorite?

Ms. Barber did a strong job with all the characters -- distinct voices, good accents, believable emotions. If pressed, I would say I enjoyed her performance of Aurelie the most. Although the voice was a little girlish, Aurelie is a very young woman so it worked.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe.

Any additional comments?

I was hoping to really enjoy this author. I tried the first Virgin River book but did not find it to my liking. Then, when I saw that she had written some historical romances (which I love), I checked out the reviews on Amazon. The reviews for this book were so strong I thought I'd give it a whirl, but no go. Sigh.

another intriguing book from robyn carr

this was another great book read by a great narrator. I love a romance that's filled with murder, mayhem and intrigue, I couldn't put it down. I recommend this one.

Good story and narration

Would you consider the audio edition of By Right of Arms to be better than the print version?

Yes. In fact that is why I decided to write this review. The story is enjoyable but predictable. If I was reading this book I would probably have skimmed it a lot, however by listening to it I was able to relax and just let the story unfold. I enjoyed the narrator which is why I enjoyed the book. If the narrator was bad I don't think I would have finished the book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like the wide variety of characters.

Which character – as performed by Nicola Barber – was your favorite?

I think she got Aurelie's voice perfect. Or as I would image it. She talked softly like a grown woman. Not like in a previous book I reviewed where the narrator whisered like a little girl. For me, I think she got all the voices right.

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

I did listen to it all in one sitting (day). I download my books onto a kindle (with a cover for protection) and wear a pouch where I can put it in and walk around doing things as I am listening. If I am wearing ear phones no one can hear it but me.

Any additional comments?

For me, this is a book that the narrator makes or breaks it. Like a lot of books. I really wish those that produce these audio books would pay attention to listener feedback. I am beginning to think they don't care. Which leaves me extremely dissatisfied with a lot of my favorite books that have been produced recently. And I really like this style of story telling.

Still an enjoyable story

I am very pleased that I did not let some of the reviews put me off buying and listening to this story by Robyn Carr. One of the things I often look for (once I have used all my credits for the month) is value for money. Yes, this story may have dragged just a little at times, however, it still held my attention during many hours of housework.
I laughed, I cried and occasionally grew bored, but over all, it was still an enjoyable story. It was well worth the money spent when compared to other audio books I have listened to in this price bracket that offer a nice long listen.

I have listened to nine other audio books by this author and I agree that the writing style and story does not compare to the Virgin River series, it is blatantly different. But hey, if I wanted to listen to another VR story I would have. (Which is exactly what I am about to do right now as I am addicted to the series) My point is - I purchased this knowing it was not part of the VR series, I read the synopsis and knew what I was getting and then enjoyed it for the Historical styled Romance it is.

There were many characters to get to know yet they all had well developed and believable personalities, even though some of their names were a little difficult to differentiate at times. The female protagonist's strength of character was admirable, although annoying, as she stayed true to her beliefs. Thankfully she eventually adapted to the predicament she was forced into and the love story slowly blossomed. Although it is very cliche, I enjoy when the lure of an admirable woman slowly eats away at the cold, stubborn heart of a strong masculine protagonist and Robyn Carr did this well. It would have been unbelievable and untrue to his nature if he had simply rolled over one day, turned sappy, and proclaimed his endearments of love the moment he began to realise the depth of his feelings. I enjoyed the pace of the love story and the fact that there was much more to this tale than two - country of birth - rivals unwillingly and of course predictably, falling in love.
Nicolas Barber narrated the story well.

Once I get a little more of my VR fix, I will happily purchase another of these well valued, earlier works, by Robyn Carr. They may not go to the top of my list of 'superb' and 'must read', Historical Romance novels, but I will enjoy them all the same. Having said that though, I must admit, I am certainly not the fussiest reader/listener, put the word 'romance' in a synopsis and I will eagerly listen to it :)

Enjoyable Story - Great Narrator

Like another listener, I'm glad I was not put off from listening to "By Right of Arms" by some of the reviews. I guess it's what one expects from a book that makes it enjoyable to the reader/listener.

I personally do not care for books with a lot of violence and gore, nor one half filled with sex scenes. I like books that tell a story, with likeable characters, as well as unlikeable villains. The talent of the narrator makes the story unfold, if the story has substance, as this one. It was written and read in such a way, that you felt you were there viewing everything firsthand.

The violence in the story was tastefully done, as were the love scenes.

Robyn Carr is a very talented author and Nicola Barber gave a great performance.

I would recommend this book to any who like a sweet romance story.

Don't be fooled

I purchased this book because I really liked the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. However this does not nearly approach the quality of those books. After struggling with it for awhile, I looked at the copyright dates. This book was published 20 years before the first Virgin River novel and I think Ms. Carr's skill improved immensely in that time. Don't waste your credit with this early work. It just isn't worth it and if you like Ms. Carr's current work, this will disappoint you.