When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa JamesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Speaking of Audiobook Listing Challenge 2011: Listen to a book released in 2011.
Having never read author Eloisa James before, I bought the audiobook on the strength of several good reviews and after listening to a sample on Audible.com. The sample hinted at the possibility of wry humor and I decided to take the chance. I'm so glad I did. While not a perfect book, When Beauty Tamed the Beast is very cleverly written and thoroughly enjoyable.
Both main characters were strong, but Linnet was a delightful surprise. Her character is quick-witted and sharp-tongued, but not spiteful. She starts out a little shallow, but never mean-spirited. The combination of innocence and jadedness was especially appealing. Piers, based on the irascible Dr. House of Fox network fame, was completely believable as the "beast."
James' secondary characters are no less interesting, giving the book a well-rounded feel.
The conversations in the book were a particularly well done, with plenty of verbal sparring and clever phrasing. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. My only complaint is the anachronisms James decided to include, such as the names of two of Piers' student doctors (Kibbles and Bits) and the line, "What happens in Wales, remains in Wales."
Susan Duerden's character voices, both male and female, were excellent. Her narration of the prose sections was less satisfying, as she tended to deliver the lines in what I would describe as a sing-song, or undulating, fashion. Overall I would still rate her narration a 4* since I quickly got used to her narrating style and her character voices are much better than average.
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