Mrs. Budley Falls from Grace
Poor Relation • Book 3
by Marion Chesney, M.C. Beaton
Narrated by Davina Poter
Why Listen to This Audiobook?
A widow steals from a senile marquess to save a hotel, and somehow that's the most charming premise M.C. Beaton ever wrote.
- Great if you want: screwball Regency romance with a charmingly scheming heroine
- Listening experience: breezy and light — wraps up in an easy afternoon
- Narration: Poter handles the comedic timing and period dialogue cleanly
- Skip if: you want emotional depth over comedic escapism
About This Audiobook
Widow Eliza Budley needs money to keep the Poor Relation hotel afloat, and the most promising source is the ancient, confused Marquess of Peterhouse — whose goods she begins lifting with the confidence of necessity. The only problem is that the Marquess has just died, and his handsome nephew is now in charge of both the estate and the uncomfortable discovery that a stranger has been robbing it. M.C. Beaton's third Poor Relation novel combines Regency comedy, light crime, and the inevitable romance between two people who should never have met.
Davina Porter brings her characteristic warmth and precision to the Poor Relation series, which requires a narrator capable of treating the improbable premise with the complete seriousness of someone who has read a great deal of Georgette Heyer. Her timing for the comedic reversals is excellent, and the short runtime — just over five hours — keeps the story moving at the brisk pace the genre demands.
