Audiobook Blog Tour: I Serve by Roseanne E. Lortz

 

 

A tale of arms, of death, of love, and of honor.

 

 

 

 

About the Audiobook

Author: Rosanne E. Lortz

Narrator: James Young

Length: 10 hours 50 minutes

Publisher: Madison Street Publishing⎮20

Genre: Historical Fiction

Release date: Jul. 18, 2017

 

Synopsis: A tale of arms, of death, of love, and of honor.

Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War, I Serve chronicles the story of Sir John Potenhale. A young Englishman of lowly birth, Potenhale wins his way to knighthood on the fields of France. He enters the service of Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, and immerses himself in a stormy world of war, politics, and romantic intrigue.

While campaigning in France, Potenhale develops an interest in Margery, a spirited lady-in-waiting with a close-kept secret. He soon learns that Sir Thomas Holland, a crass and calculating baron, holds the key to unlock Margery’s mystery and possesses the power to overturn all of his hopes.

When the Black Death strikes Europe, however, Potenhale realizes that the fiercest enemy does not always appear in human form. Seeing the pestilence as a punishment for the sins of his generation, he questions his calling as a knight and considers entering the cloister. Margery or the monastery? Torn between losing his soul and losing the love of his life, he finds friendship with a French knight who might – just possibly – help him save both.

 

Buy Links

Buy on Audible

 

 

 

 

 

I like the historic backdrop of this book and the story of Sir John Potenhale. It was eye-opening to see the effects of the Black plague upon London and its inhabitants. This book is very rich in its historical detail, settings and dialogue giving it an authentic feel. I only wish his point of view were deeper. That would’ve made the book a lot better in my opinion. The narrative was rich and informative, but tend to get lost at times. At any rate, it was fascinating and kept me listening to find out what happens.

 

 

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE: 7/10

• Narrated by: James Young

 

• Narrator-Story Connection:  8/10

Narrator James Young is fully enveloped within the story and characters. This is one of his strong points. Believe me, it makes a huge difference!

 

• Voice Creation/Switch Over:  7/10

 

The only thing to note here is the difficulty switching from narrative voice to the voice of the french characters. French can be a difficult language to speak, let alone toggling back and forth English and French. Some of the guttural parts are hard on the ear, but not bad.

 

• Pacing 7/10

The pace of the narrator is a bit fast for my taste which forced me to concentrate more than I normally would. A small but significant aspect of the performance. I could’ve slowed the pace in the app but I don’t normally like to adjust the original performance.

 

• Emphasis 7/10

The narrator has good emphasis at certain spots, but somewhat monotone. This could be due to the heavy narrative, less dialogue and depth of character.

 

• Reader-Story Connection  6/10

I did have some difficulty following the story due to the aforementioned aspects. This probably would’ve been remedied by slower pace, more emphasis and characterization.

 

• Sound Quality: 10/10

Publisher:  Madison Street Publishing

Great sound quality.

 

• Overall Performance: 7/10 

Narrator James Young actually had a good performance and is a worthy medium, but some aspects hindered me entering fully into the story. He has a rich British accent and fully grasps the breadth of the entire book. I would listen to him again.