*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (Lord John Grey, #2) by Diana Gabaldon
Published by Doubleday Canada, Recorded Books on August 28th 2007
Pages: 512
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0385660960
ASIN: B000W56REQ
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From the exquisitely talented and award-winning author of the Outlander Saga come two additions to the oeuvre, both featuring Lord John Grey.
This dashing character first appeared in Gabaldon’s blockbuster, Voyager, and readers cheered him on in the New York Times bestselling Lord John and the Private Matter.
Diana Gabaldon takes readers back to eighteenth-century Britain as Lord John Grey pursues a deadly family secret as well as a clandestine love affair, set against the background of the Seven Years War.
Seventeen years earlier, Grey’s father, the Duke of Pardloe, shot himself, days before he was to be accused of being a Jacobite traitor. By raising a regiment to fight at Culloden, Grey’s elder brother has succeeded in redeeming the family name, aided by Grey, now a major in that regiment. But now, on the eve of the regiment’s move to Germany, comes a mysterious threat that throws the matter of the Duke’s death into stark new question, and brings the Grey brothers into fresh conflict with the past and each other.
From barracks and parade grounds to the battlefields of Prussia and the stony fells of the Lake District, Lord John’s struggle to find the truth leads him through danger and passion, ever deeper, toward the answer to the question at the centre of his soul–what is it that is most important to a man? Love, loyalty, family name? Self-respect, or honesty? Surviving both the battle of Krefeld and a searing personal betrayal, he returns to the Lake District to find the man who may hold the key to his quest: a Jacobite prisoner named Jamie Fraser. Here, Grey finds his truth and faces a final choice: between honour and life itself.

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While the Lord John Grey series by author Diana Gabaldon is not as celebrated as her Outlander series, I really like these books because I really like Lord John Grey, flaws and all. What I love about the Lord John books. . .besides the character himself, of course, are the glimpses we get into events that are only alluded to in the Outlander Series books, and characters who only make cameo appearances in the Outlander books are often fleshed out in the Lord John books.  Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade is certainly no exception. Readers get a tantalizing look at my favorite book boyfriend, Jamie Fraser, as we return to Helwater, the scene of a life-changing event for him. Our first visit to Helwater is in Voyager, the Outlander book during which the Lord John books fall chronologically. There is the usual intrigue both in England and Germany, and startling secrets are revealed to both Lord John and his brother Hal. There is tragedy, levity, and romance. There’s even a delightful dog! And, there is a scene in this book which I, as a retired OB nurse, found both hilarious and touching. Lord John is a man of many talents, even if reluctantly!

I almost didn’t review this book. Even though I just listened to it and it is new to me, it was published several years ago, so it has probably been widely read and reviewed by others. The deciding factor was the narrator. I would be remiss if I didn’t gush a bit over Jeff Woodman! His performance is impeccable, and that is saying a lot for a book with so many characters and so many accents. I smiled as he conveyed the snootiness in Lord John’s valet Tom Byrd as he responds with shock and dismay to his master’s unconventional behavior.  The book is read with perfect inflection and emotion, particularly the scenes between Lord John and Percy Wainwright, and Mr. Woodman is captivating as our Scotsman, Jamie. I will be looking for more books by this talented narrator. Read more about Jeff Woodman here and here, and an enlightening interview can be found here.

I would certainly recommend Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade to readers or listeners who can’t get enough of the Outlander series. I think the book can stand alone, but it will mean more to you if you have read the Outlander series through Voyager. Be forewarned if you don’t really care for Lord John at this point: you may find him to be an admirable and honorable man as you read his series.