Lovely

This was a wonderful story, love and hate and deceit!
The characters came to life for me as the narrator was great! It made me cry a few times too, and is well worth a read...

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Loved the narrator! She did a wonderful job of bringing the each character to life.

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so sweet ❤❤

thank you so heart warming to listen, I am looking forward to hearing some of your books. narrator was perfect thumps up xx

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Pirates and Decite!

This book was full of all kinds of betrayal and decite, it was fabulous! I loved the circumstances that the author orchestrated to bring Talon and Kathryn together. I liked that the author made Talon, the illegitimate son and pirate, more noble than his aristocratic family. This had a couple twists and turns and was well written. Talon, Kathryn and even Daniel were entertaining and delightful characters. A great pirate romance!

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job in this performance. Everything was clear and we could easily distinguish between characters even though she spoke with a slight Brittish accent. The accent is just enough to indicate the time period and setting but not so much that it overpowers the story. Her narration made this an enjoyable afternoon listen.

I received a review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

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Once a Pirate

I loved listening to Louise Barnes, She makes this book even more enjoyable.

We have pirates, a historical romance. We have twists ad turns, adventure, love, oh yes deceit and betrayal. A great listen.

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Enjoyable

This book is what I call predictable but still very enjoyable. It was a well thought out story and well written. Editing needs a little recap but otherwise very enjoyable.
Narration was beautifully done by Louise Barnes who I could listen to for hours.

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Fantastic...a joy to listen to.

This was a fantastically written story that has everything you would hope to get from a good book...love, deceit, honour, passion, heartbreak and suspense. The narrator did a brilliant job bringing the characters to life.

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good book

The earl of Sutcliffe has a problem - his son, Daniel, prefers men to women. After two years of marriage to Lady Kathryn Sinclair, Daniel hasn’t produced an heir.
good book enjoyed it

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Romance, adventure, and intrigue on the high seas

Once a Pirate is a sweeping historical romance full of family secrets, betrayal, passion, and adventure which spans the Atlantic.

In Regency London the only thing the Earl of Sutcliffe dislikes more than his son, Daniel Sinclair, falling in love with another man is that Daniel has also failed to provide the family with an heir. The Earl decides it is time to reconcile with Daniel's estranged brother, Talon Mongomery; the illegitimate son Sutcliffe disowned long ago. If, that is, Talon is willing to strike a deal to seduce his sister-in-law...

The story follows Talon as he grows closer to the innocent, alluring Kathryn Sinclair, and the burden of the contract he has with his father weighs heavier upon his conscience.

Kathryn's strength and vulnerability are well balanced, and often matched by Talon's. I'm glad that Daniel's proclivities were treated sensitively (given the period), with him understood to be just as much a victim of his father's Machiavellian schemes as his unsuspecting wife and errant brother.

Louise Barnes is a wonderful narrator, whose voice deftly conveys the emotion of the characters and helps immerse the listener in a rich and compelling story. Her experience filming the tv drama Black Sails may have contributed to her performance and I think it particularly helped her bring the wayward crew and tempestuous ocean crossing to life.


My only issue with this audiobook was the occasional use of what felt to be rather anachronistic language. The book ends in 1814, which means that the majority is set in c1810. Phrases like "...a child caught stealing from the cookie jar," and "I like the way your mind works," felt too contemporary. A little research suggests that the earliest known reference to 'cookies' was in 1703 when it referred to Scottish buns, but Ngram suggests 'cookie' only gained widespread popularity in literature in the 1900s in both British and American English. In American English it originates from the Dutch, koekje, meaning 'little cakes' and it did not become recognisably Anglicised for some time. Therefore, whilst it would not be impossible for Talon to have made the comparison, it is unlikely to have been synonymous with a guilty expression at that time. It would have been a nice little nod to the word's etymology if an earlier Dutch variant had been used to modify the phrase.

Another jarringly contemporary comment, "...isn't he just the cutest little kitty you've ever seen in your life?", also stood out for the wrong reasons. In that era 'cute' still meant 'shrewd' or 'clever', and would not really emerge as slang for 'sweet' or 'adorable' until much later. It was such a modern mode of address that it felt very out of place, at a time when the characters were being portrayed as having finally settled and in a home of their own. Though a very small and relatively insignificant moment, it did detract from the authenticity of the tale.

I did enjoy the audiobook despite it lacking a little research, and containing a blip in the editing on Chapter 14. My current gold-standard for fun, sultry, lightweight, historical romance is Tessa Dare, and this audiobook compared favourably - though the steamier scenes are not explored in as much detail and there are fewer humorous moments. It was the first title I have heard by this author but I'll definitely add more of Diana Bold's audiobooks to my wishlist when they become available. If you're a fan of the genre, or are just looking for an easy listen which is performed well and driven by romance and intrigue, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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Great book!

This was a delightful historical romance. It was romance loaded with adventure, decide, and intrigue. I appreciated the twist and turns. Louise Barnes narration was wonderful, I wholly enjoyed her reading of this audiobook.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

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