The Pawn (The King’s Cousins Book 1)

HISTORICAL:  It is 1338 A.D. and Katelyn de Blays, her brother Landon, and her half-brother Quill Cardon, are cousins to Edward III. The family is separated after their father commits treason and is captured.  Years later, Edward betrothed Katelyn to the old earl of Northmere as a political pawn to show his support for the English along the Scottish border.  Sir Nicolas Mandeville returns from away to discover that his father is dead and left a widow. Not only that, his widow is now married to HIM by proxy! Katelyn wants to annul the marriage because it is founded on a lie, and she doesn’t want the truth discovered.  Nevertheless, she begins to care for Nicolas and sees through his younger brother's façade. 

Wow!  This audiobook is an explosive start to a trilogy containing stories about each of these three siblings.  Lives are impacted at the whim of the king, with little or no input from the affected parties.  In this case, Katelyn is used as a pawn several times during the course of this tale.  She has had a rough beginning, but is stronger because of it.  This audiobook contains several interesting elements that give it credence and believability. Motivations and conflicts are delineated for each major character, and they stay true throughout the audiobook.  This well-written story is a feast for the ears!   

Brad Wills does a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life.  The male and female characters each sound distinctly different from one another, and also very believable. The production quality is excellent, and there aren’t any noticeable sibilant sounds on the recording.   This narrator is phenomenal!  He never disappoints.  His voice is smooth and his transitions between the characters are seamless!

Carey Sullivan