The Parfit Knight

Rockliffe Book 1

By: Stella Riley

Narrated by: Alex Wyndham

When the Marquis of Amberley's coach is waylaid by highwaymen and his coachman shot, he is forced to take shelter at the first house he finds and is subsequently trapped there for a week by a severe snowstorm.

Oakleigh Manor is the home of Rosalind Vernon who lives alone but for her devoted servants and an ill-natured parrot, cut off from the outside world by the tragic result of a childhood accident. But Rosalind is brave and bright and totally devoid of self-pity - and it is these qualities which, as the days pass and the snow continues to fall, touch Amberley's heart.

On his return to London, the Marquis persuades Rosalind's brother, Philip, to bring her to town for a taste of society, despite her handicap. But the course of Amberley's courtship is far from smooth. Philip Vernon actively dislikes him; Rosalind appears to be falling under the spell of the suavely elegant Duke of Rockliffe; and worse still, Amberley is haunted by a dark and terrible secret that, if revealed, may cause him to lose Rosalind forever.

©2016 Stella Riley (P)2016 Stella Riley

Entertaining and unexpected

Would you listen to The Parfit Knight again? Why?

Yes - good story, involving characters, and I loved Brody the cussing parrot. I am recommending this one to my sister.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the intelligent writing, the entertaining dialogue, and most of all, Brody, the parrot.

Which scene was your favorite?

The duel and any scene with Brody.

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

I think the duel, which was the culmination of a lot of misunderstandings.

Any additional comments?

This is book 1 in the Rockliffe series by Stella Riley. The story has well-written dialogue and an involving story with no gratuitous sex scenes. It was refreshing to have a disabled heroine who held her own. I'm looking forward to reading/listening to the next book - The Mesalliance, Book 2 in the series. The books are available on amazon.com, and I hope the rest are released soon on audible.

A new favorite!

Stella Riley is the newest addition to my list of favorite authors. A list which includes Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Elizabeth Gaskell. In fact, as the book progressed I had to look up who this author was and was surprised to see that she is a present day author. The language, expressions, conversational themes, character behavior, descriptions of the area were so consistent with books published a century ago that I felt transported.

The story development was captivating, shocking, heartening, and humorous. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent carried away in this story and will certainly read the sequel.

The narration was FANTASTIC and seemed to perfectly complement the story.

If you love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. It is a romance, but the romance does not steal the story. Nor is there a need for present day sensualism to dress up in a regency era costume to sell this story - like so many other "historical romance" books out there. A truly well written book!

Alex could read an obit & I would be captivated!!!

This man's voice is like velvet -- every inflection is perfect, the nuance in tone, commanding diction elevate a charming story to a supreme auditory experience. Stella Riley's story telling relies on exchanges of feelings between her characters rather than lust-fueled explosions of sex. Because of this, Alex Wyndham has to make that exchange of feeling believable. Boy does he ever! If you want to have your heart strings plucked with good old fashioned romance -- this is it.

Romantic and intriguing

I read this first book in the series after reading books 2 and 3. I love that we follow characters throughout the series (while also meeting new ones), and it was actually fun to come back to this initial storyline of Dominick "Nick" and Rosalind. I also loved the secondary love story between Isabel (a favorite) and Phillip. There was a very unusual and intriguing plot that really had me guessing how this would play out. It was romantic and at times a bit intense.

Of course, as always, I can't say enough about the incomparable Alex Wyndham as narrator. He is perfection!

Romantic, Entertaining, and Engaging

Oh my how I loved this story! Here we have an honorable hero who is indeed the "perfect knight." Riley is a great storyteller and Wyndham is a superb narrator.