Rockliffe Series recommended in THE TIMESThe performance finished in a flourish of technical brilliance and the young man rose from the harpsichord to a storm of applause.Julian Langham was poised on the brink of a dazzling career when the lawyers lured him into making a catastrophic mistake. Now, instead of the concert platform, he has a title he doesn’t want, an estate verging on bankruptcy … … verging on bankruptcy … and bewildering responsibilities for which he is totally unfitted.
And yet the wreckage of Julian’s life is not a completely ill wind. For Tom, Rob and Ellie it brings something that is almost a miracle … if they dare believe in it.
Meanwhile, first-cousins Arabella Brandon and Elizabeth Marsden embark on a daring escapade which will provide each of them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The adventure will last only a few weeks, after which everything will be the way it was before. Or so they think. What neither of them expects is for it to change a number of lives … most notably, their own.
And there is an additional complication of which they are wholly unaware.
The famed omniscience of the Duke of Rockliffe.
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A hero so lovable it hurts!
A shy daydreamer with an amazing musical talent finds out that all his dreams will have to be postponed (perhaps forever) because he is responsible for a failing estate and three illegitimate orphans.
A daring girl (Arabella Brandon), hoping to avoid an unwanted season in London, changes place with her poorer cousin, and ends up accepting a post as a housekeeper/ governess.
Destiny mingled with determination and love are the main ingredients of this masterpiece by Mrs. Riley. Julian, the hero, is so lovable it hurts!
The children are so delightful, the friendships so real that you find yourself in a happy place throughout the book.
In addition to revisiting the indomitable Duke of Rockliffe (and all the other couples in the Rockliffe Series), there is also an extra romance between Elizabeth (Arabella’s cousin) and The Earl of Sherbourne. Rafe is a wonderful hero in his own frosty way, and a villain redeemed to boot. Elizabeth is a vicar’s daughter that decides to take her destiny in her own hands.
Although I’m not well versed in music, I loved all the musical references (the ones in the final scenes are gold), and I have managed to find beautiful renditions of the pieces mentioned on the internet and they are lovely. The artist that inspired Julian is called Jean Rondeau and he is so very talented.
For those who have already read Mrs. Riley’s Garland of Straw, it’s lovely to find out that Arabella is a great great granddaughter of Gabriel and Venetia.
As the audience did at the end of Julian’s lovely performances, I can only clap my hands and shout “bravo”, as I really enjoyed every minute of this book.
I have read and listened to every book in the Rockliffe Series, this is the sixth and sadly the last. This is another stunning work of art by Stella and brilliantly performed by Alex. Julian Langham is arguably the best hero in this series, with the exclusion of Rockliffe of course. A music genius and protege all Julian wants is to play the harpsichord and compose music. When he is not playing his music he is thinking about it and he appears to be absentminded and distracted. He forgets to eat and sleep. He wants nothing to do with anything outside his purpose for being alive. Then one day everything changes and his life will never be the same. He has inherited a title with an estate that is nearly bankrupt. He wants nothing to do with any of it but is tricked into returning to England by a lying lawyer and now he is stuck in a hell, not of his making and finds himself trapped and sees no way out. There are three orphaned children, bastards of the previous lord that are literally living on their own with no proper food, clothing or reliable shelter. Julian has no idea how to take care of children, he barely can take care of himself. He is determined to find a way to help the children without having to sacrifice what makes him sane and fulfilled, his music.
Arabella Brandon has just been jilted. Her fiancee of three years has just married someone else, which isn’t that big of a tragedy except for the fact that she allowed him the ultimate liberty with her body, knowing that it didn’t matter too much because they were going to get married. Now her family wants her to go to London for another Season to find a husband. She is adamantly opposed to the idea. It will be awful and embarrassing that her betrothed married someone else and she will be the object of malicious gossip which she wants to avoid at all costs. When she comes up with a wild idea that will save her from going to London and giving her best friend and cousin the season that her father refuses to give her. They will trade places, Arabella will be the governess that her cousin Lizzie applied for and was accepted and Lizzie will go to London and have her season. They both know that he won’t be forever but Arabella needs to get away for a while and this is the perfect plan, what could go wrong? The biggest obstacle to the whole plan is Rockcliffe himself, Arabella’s distant cousin who will be presenting her to Society. Being who he is Rockcliffe is far too intelligent to fall for the charade for long.
When Arabella arrives at Lizzie’s new post she meets the most beautiful man she has ever seen. The chemistry between them is instantaneous, which will cause all kinds of dilemmas for both of them. With the addition of the three precious children, things start to get complicated.
I really don’t like to spoil a book that I really enjoyed by giving away the whole story. A HAE is a certainty in Historical Romance and this story is no different. The difference in this book is the amazing talent of Stella’s writing, this is an intelligent love story that is historically accurate in all aspects. I loved all the facets of Julian’s idiosyncrasies that made him such a wonderful lovely man who anyone could imagine as the love of their life. Arabella is feisty, stubborn, intuitive with a generous spirit and the courage to protect what she considers hers. Stella has definitely hit this one out of the park. She has stepped over the line and surpassed all my expectations. This story has everything a beautiful love story needs, wonderful characters that will live on your memory. Add Ale x Wyndham’s beautiful performance and this is an incredible swan song for The Rockliffe Series.
I was unfamiliar with Stella Riley until I saw a few of her books on Readers’ Favorite earlier this summer. I’m so glad I did!
In the last month I think I’ve listened to each of her audiobooks. They are all wonderful but Cadenza is my favorite. I LOVE the characters in this story, particularly Julian.
I have read and cherished all of the books in the Rockliffe series, so much so that when I am reading one of them, I very often snap at my family if they attempt to talk to me. They cannot relate to my passion, but they do understand and forgive me, because it is impossible for me not to get totally immersed in this series. EVERYTHING: the authentic, witty dialogue; descriptions of settings and characters that I can easily envision; interesting historical background; fascinating plots! EVERYTHING draws me in. (Who else but Ms. Riley could make me interested in a harpsichord?)
The characters, however, are my favorite thing. Ms. Riley has created a world in which I wish I could live. Most of the characters appear in all of the books as they are introduced, with each book focusing on one or two of the couples’ story. The closeness, warmth, humor and loyalty of their large circle of friends are what makes this series so exceptionally good.
In Cadenza, I loved the way both love stories unfolded gradually. Julian and Arabella were fun and easy to love, because of their innate and obvious goodness. Julian was poignantly funny, and the children added to the sweetness and humor.
As for Ralph and Elizabeth, their love was an even slower burn. I loved it! I just wish there was more written about them. I would love to see another book focused on these two. I enjoyed Ralph’s dealings with his brothers. It was funny to see how he got ALL the brains in the family, and while no one can compare to Rockliffe, Ralph reminded me of him in terms of his strength, discretion, and honor.
I loved Cadenza and highly recommend it, and I sincerely hope this is not the last book! (Arabella’s brother deserves his own story )
Cadenza, Stella Riley’s 6th entry in the Rockliffe series, has a most interesting and unique hero. A genius harpsichordist thrown into circumstances he is ill-prepared to handle, Julian Langham becomes more then a splendid musician, which he already is at the beginning of the book. His relationship with the children, the townspeople of Beckingham, and all our acquaintances from the previous books, especially the Duke of Rockliffe, add to his growth as a character to be admired. Add to that two wonderful love stories as only Stella can do them.
Once again Ms. Riley has intrigued me and held my interest through out. It was especially welcome to catch up on characters from the other Rockliffe books that I’ve known and loved. My favorite is Julian’s handling of the children, Tom, Rob, and Ellie, with such aplomb. And he said he didn’t know what to do with them.
Alex Wyndham’s reading of Cadenza gave life to all the nuances I had missed from reading the story. And I read Cadenza twice. I especially like his reading of Julian; his voice made me like him that much more. Good job, Alex.
A definite recommendation.
Every one of the Rockliffe books is a joy to read. “Cadenza” may well be my favorite of all of them and that is saying something. Rockliffe was his usual omnipotent self. I adored the development of Arabella and Julian’s relationship. The way Julian treated Tom, Rob, and Ellie warmed the heartstrings. I also enjoyed the way Stella Riley wove previous characters of the series into the story. Huzzah for the “Garland of Straw” reference too. I highly recommend the entire series. The mind boggles with the thought of Rockliffe using hairpins. He would merely will his hair to behave as it should!