DUKES PREFER BLONDES The Dressmakers, Book 4

Narrator Kate Reading skillfully lays out the unique romance of Barrister Oliver Radford and the forthright Lady Clara Fairfax. Oliver is argumentative, condescending, and overly fond of lists, but he has the wit to appreciate Lady Clara's intellect even more than her admirable figure. With their shared love of debate, both characters might have come across as prosy, but Reading avoids this trap, hinting at Oliver's vulnerability and voicing Lady Clara with melodious humor and just the right touch of firmness. Reading keeps the pace moving through Oliver's and Lady Clara's many trials, literal and otherwise. Her delightfully acrobatic renderings of the verbal sparring between the protagonists are the high points of the production. T.M.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]