The Player cover art

The Player

Rockliffe, Volume 3

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The Player

By: Stella Riley
Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
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About this listen

Tragedy drove him into unwilling exile. Death demands his reluctant return. In the decade between, he has answered to many names and amassed a variety of secrets. Now the actor known to Paris as L'Inconnu must resume his real identity and become Francis Adrian Sinclair Devereux, Earl of Sarre...a man he no longer knows how to be and whose name, thanks to the malice of a friend turned enemy, remains tarnished by an old scandal. Revenge, so long avoided, slithers temptingly from the shadows.

Granddaughter of a wealthy wool-merchant, Caroline Maitland is not finding her society debut either easy of enjoyable...but, to Marcus Sheringham, she is the perfect solution to his crushing mountain of debt. Knowing she will be married for her money, Caroline never believed she would find love; but neither did she bargain for a certain charming French highwayman...and a surprising turn of events. The stage is set, the cast assembled, and the Duke of Rockliffe waits for the curtain to rise. In the wings, Lord Sarre prepares to make his entrance. He doesn't expect to be greeted with applause.

©2015 Stella Riley (P)2016 Stella Riley Fiction Genre Fiction Romance Romantic Comedy Comedy Heartfelt

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All stars
Most relevant  
"slowly removing his "vest" instead of waistcoat does not, to us readers in the UK, create the picture the author was hopefully, looking for

great story

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Delightful, entertaining and continues the series with great characters and charm. Performed with skill and talent! Brilliant and perfect for relaxing!

Brilliant story and characters

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Again the same characters as before, with the additional new comers.
I like the romance of this story and how the main characters slowly get to know each other. Finding out they are nothing like expected or thought.
These have all been gentle evolving stories, deal with some tough issues.
All showing how hypocritical and censors society was and sadly still can be. However, in those days you were either accepted or rejected.

One of my favourite

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Having read 'the Player' several times, I was sure that I would enjoy Alex Wyndham's narration of Stella Riley's story. It exceeded expectation; there is a vast cast of characters, male and female, from a variety of backgrounds, and Alex Wyndham has given each one a separate voice. Early on in the book, Rock, Amberley, Adrian, Sheringham, the Frenchman Aristide and several others meet by chance at Sinclairs; every voice, every accent is clear and distinguishable, which can be no mean feat and is testament to the narrator's skill.

This is a moving story of betrayal and ultimately, finding love unexpectedly. I think in Adrian, Lord Sarre, Stella Riley created one of her most vulnerable male characters, one who has forgotten how to be himself and is waiting to be kicked again, when he is down. It is all hidden behind an icy reserve, and it takes Caroline, the grand-daughter of a wealthy merchant, to see through the reserve to the man beneath. Such a good story, narrated with great skill [I especially love Bertrand, both on the page and in audio - I am so glad the author gave him his own happy ending in Midwinter Magic!]

Excellent

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I personally would recommend the Rockcliffe series to anyone who loves Georgette Heyer , but at the risk of hearing horrified cries would say Stella Riley is the better of the two.

Yet another fabulous book in this series,

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After reading The Mésalliance, I was especially intrigued by the actor known as ‘L’Inconnu’, whom Rockliffe recognises at the Comédie Française. Ms. Riley subtly hints that a nasty scandal forced this man to flee England eight years earlier and I knew then that this mystery man was destined to have his own book. In The Player, the identity of ‘L’Inconnu’ is revealed as Francis Adrian Sinclair Devereux, Earl of Sarre.

Ms. Riley excels in writing the most gorgeous heroes and Adrian is no exception. I also love the fact that he is such a wonderfully complex character. I understood his feelings of anger and hurt towards the family who basically disowned him, and over the years, he has played so many different roles that he no longer knows who he really is. The romance is sweet and heart-warming and their gradual falling in love seems so natural. They complement each other perfectly; Caroline helps Adrian discover the man he was meant to be, while Adrian sees Caroline’s inner strength and beauty. Their declarations of love are positively heart-melting.

Narration: Just reading this book is an absolute pleasure, but listening to the audiobook narrated by the sublimely talented Alex Wyndham takes that enjoyment to another level entirely. He brings Ms. Riley’s wonderful story vividly to life and captures all the details and personalities of each individual character perfectly.

Stella Riley’s brilliant storytelling combined with Alex Wyndham’s superb narration is sheer magic!

Brilliant storytelling and superb narration

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I thoroughly enjoyed this while doing my daily chores and working in the garden. Stella Riley's heroes are delicious and her heroines believable. The narration is also very good.

Another gloriously improbable bit of escapism

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This is my favourite of the Rockcliffe series. What I love about Stella Riley’s writing is the way she makes her characters three dimensional. I find that so many authors have difficulty in achieving this. The story gives a real insight into life in the late 18th century and the main characters are so likeable.
Add to this Alex Wyndham’s superb narration and you have my favourite!

Possibly the best of the Rockcliffe series

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Every time I read or listen to one of Stella’s books, I think that these are my favourite characters, until the next one! Book one was the Marquis of Amberley and Rosalind, then the Duke of Rockliffe and Adeline, and now the Earl of Sarre and Caroline. All have their own stories, but all are intertwined with each other. I love this, and can listen or read them again and again. On to the next one!

Another wonderful story

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Another wonderful story in the Rockcliffe series with perfect narration by Alex Wyndham once again.

Another wonderful story with perfect narration

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