Watchmaker’s Heart

Juli D. Revezzo
Rachael Beresford
Genre: 
Audiobooks

HISTORICAL/STEAMPUNK:  Phoebe likes to tinker instead of fulfilling her duties as a society woman, much to her parent’s dismay.  So, to force their will on her, they have arranged for her marriage to an abhorrent man.  Phoebe’s only way out is to buy her way out.  On one of her trips to sell one of her inventions to do just that, she runs into Mortimer, who seems to see the value in a diffuser that does not ever work on command. He needs to buy himself out of his own bad situation, and plans to gain Phoebe’s trust so that he can sell the invention for himself. 

This honey-sweet audio, featuring a  headstrong heroine with spunk in spades and a thieving anti-hero, is such a romantic story!  Juli D. Revezzo took the bones of a plot that is used quite often and made it her own by adding steampunk touches, mystery, intrigue and sexuality that was so taboo back then but so elementary to us now.  It stays on the lighter side of dark, never becoming too intense which makes for a languid listen.

This story takes place in London, so the accent that Rachael Beresford presented with was imperative and she did a brilliant job.  Her voice and tone for the storytelling  portion really takes one back to historical London.  Rachael does act out male voices as well as try to give each character something different to set them apart, however the male voices were fake and distracting.  There are also computer clicks and a few other outside noises that distract from the overall audio quality.  All of her female character voices were just great!

Misty Walker