THE IVY LESSONS Devoted, Book 1

Anna Parker-Naples's young-sounding voice works well for the protagonist of this forbidden romance between a student and her teacher. In particular, her sweet tone makes the relationship that develops between the 22-year-old coed and her acting teacher, who is five years older, seem more elicit. In this British production, reminiscent of 50 SHADES OF GREY, Parker-Naples gives just the right middle-class London accent to most of the characters. For the players who are more refined or from different backgrounds than the heroine, the absence of the appropriate accent isn't noticeable, though the production would be richer for it. Though Parker-Naples uses limited voicings, her pacing is good, and the individual characters are easily distinguishable, though they're relatively homogeneous in their tonal and gender attributes. M.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2015]