The Vicar’s Daughter
By: Josi S. Kilpack / Narrated By: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
Holy crap! I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but I wanted to smack somebody!
Consider the premise: Youngest sister Cassie wants to get out into society but can’t as long as older sister Lenora remains unwed. And Lenora is soooooo shy, things aren’t looking good. So Cassie embarks on a plan. She will write to a gentleman (UNHEARD OF, given society’s rules at the times), pretending to be Lenora, Lenora interested, Lenora entertaining. Lenora NOT shy. And gentleman writes back, definitely interested in the personality of this inscrutable lass. But Cassie can’t help it. She finds herself falling in love with the man. Uh-oh.
Okay, so I was expecting a gradual unfolding of affection as the two exchanged letters (kinda like in Seeing Miss Heartstone). But WHAM! FIRST letter Cassie receives from the man, and she’s all furtive and desperate. The letters are HERS, screw Lenora!
And it’s screw this person, screw that person. Screw Evan Glenside, even. What does she care if she’s setting him up for unbelievable humiliation? It’s ALLLLL about Cassie! And what is Evan thiiiiiinking? He sees the total difference between Shy Lenora In Person and Witty Lenora Only In Letters, but he stiiiiiiill proposes to her? Whatthehell?!? And even tho’ Cassie sees how happy engaged Lenora is, she’s willing and ready to toss her sister aside to secure Evan for herself. Wha?!? And then Evan does something jackass stupid and crude. And then Lenora behaves poorly. And then Cassie moons and whines and gets into self-pitying snits.
I chose The Vicar’s Daughter because I was lugubrious and mourning my recently departed Wootie and thought I’d just wallow in a nice historical romance that had a sequel: Two audiobooks to look forward to, huzzah! And besides, it’s written by Josi S. Kilpack. I thought I liked her because I’d listened to, and LOVED, the All Regency Collection. So I thought, hey! What’s not to love?
But if this is the way Kilpack manages full-length novels? If this is the way she manages character development? I’m preeeeeetty sure I don’t wanna dive into the sequel. Which is supposed to be about Lenora. But which may have even moooooore Cassie, from what one reviewer stated.
I’m so done with Cassie. I’m done with Evan. I might have room for Lenora cuz she’s the only one who shows a little dignity and self-determination at the end there. But I dunno. I might even be done with Kilpack.
Again, I dunno.
I’ll have to dip into another Timeless Romance Collection where she has a story in it to see if I really do wanna test the waters of a novel again.
But this? Oh, crap, noooooooo!
By the by? Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite narrators, but I’m left wondering why they got an American to do all Kilpack’s audiobooks. Campbell does the dialogue impeccably, can pull off a British accent like nobody’s business. It’s just that it’s odd to get the main story in an American accent then switch to British accents who are British characters? I can only assume that Juliet Stevenson would have NOTHING to do with such a wretched storyline!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.