Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Fallen
    Fallen
    Fallen
    Audiobook12 hours

    Fallen

    Written by Celeste Bradley

    Narrated by Susan Ericksen

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Destined for spinsterhood, Isadora "Izzy" Temple can only dream of finding a husband-of feeling his touch in the dark, his lips on her neck, his passion building with each kiss. Imagine her surprise when she awakens to find she's not dreaming at all! Lord Julien Blackworth, has mistaken Izzy's room for his-and he's fallen into her bed and into her wildest dreams...

    When the household discovers a man in her boudoir, Izzy pretends that Julien is her fiance. Once he spends time playing the part, Julien finds himself falling for the fiesty beauty. But how can Izzy trust that this notorious rake's feelings are for real-and that she won't end up being branded a "fallen" woman?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 25, 2013
    ISBN9781452682129
    Fallen
    Author

    Celeste Bradley

    Celeste Bradley is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than 20 Regency romance novels and has twice been nominated for the Rita Award by the Romance Writers of America. Before becoming a writer in 1999, Celeste was an artist who specialized in pottery and ceramic sculpture. Although originally from the South, Celeste now resides in New Mexico. "It is one of the last habitats of the Free-Range Human." She is very fond of food that someone else cooks, animals of all sorts, painting, jewelry making, reading, and grandbabies.

    More audiobooks from Celeste Bradley

    Related to Fallen

    Related audiobooks

    Royalty Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Racy Bedtime Reading!

      Feb 7, 2021

      Racy Bedtime Reading!
      9 min read

    • Article

      A New Beginning

      Mar 25, 2022

      A New Beginning
      5 min read

    • Article

      In Love And War

      Jun 10, 2021

      April 1943 - Krakow, Poland Irena was bent over her needlework, stitching the frayed seam of her skirt when she heard a single gunshot ring out. She jerked and then scowled. After four years of war, she ought to be used to it. Why, the other night a

      11 min read

    • Article

      Perfect Prose II

      May 15, 2020

      Perfect Prose II
      4 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      The Last Dance

      Feb 1, 2018

      The Last Dance
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Quick Thrill

      May 20, 2021

      A Quick Thrill
      4 min read

    • Article

      In The Spotlight: Your Writing Genre - Busting

      Apr 4, 2024

      What an inventive lot the WM writers proved themselves to be with the ‘Genre-busting' submission call! The response was terrific, with a postbag full of playful, off-the wall writing that read as if its creators had a gonzo riot mashing up elements f

      5 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2020

      Ivy Lugbill, age 8 Indianapolis, IN I was so excited! My dad and I were going camping! After we packed all our stuff, my dad said, “Hop in!” I grabbed the paper towel roll binoculars I had been making and jumped into the car. It was a really . . . re

      7 min read

    • Article

      Excerpt: 'The Last Thing You Surrender'

      Feb 10, 2019

      In this abridged excerpt from "The Last Thing You Surrender" by columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr., elements of the all-black 761st Tank Battalion make a grisly discovery and Pvt. Luther Hayes, whose parents were murdered before his eyes by a white mob whe

      3 min read

    • Article

      To Save Arrhinsal

      Nov 1, 2021

      Tolin lives on Arrhinsal, an island that floats in the sky two miles above the land below. One day, while hunting in the maze of tunnels that run through the island’s thick hedges, he encounters a girl who, her sword raised, has turned to face a huge

      6 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    • Article

      Choose

      Dec 10, 2021

      “Wake up.” The words shuffled through the darkness of her mind, tugging at her. “Wake up.” Firm, persistent. A trickle of light invaded her senses, growing into a blinding glare as her eyelids fluttered. “Where… Where am I?” Myrah asked groggily, her

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Exploring The Boundaries

      May 31, 2018

      The human body: a horse gliding through a field. A monkey skipping between branches. A comet hurtling through the black moors of space. The human body can be these things, or anything, without pain. Sontag famously declared that “everyone who is born

      16 min read

    • Article

      Towns Like Ours

      May 3, 2018

      Towns Like Ours
      9 min read

    • Article

      Crescent City

      Dec 1, 2021

      Crescent City
      5 min read

    • Article

      Equinox

      May 18, 2022

      In this strange world, where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun, supernatural forces are at work – and they’re causing trouble… St Leonars prison was an appropriately imposing building. It rose out of the surrounding shacks and

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Scars We Bare

      Apr 13, 2020

      The Scars We Bare
      11 min read

    • Article

      Morbidity & the Miniature

      May 11, 2018

      Morbidity & the Miniature
      14 min read

    • Article

      100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION Winners

      Aug 16, 2022

      We’ve been delighted by the huge response to our 100-word-story competition. The entries have flooded in thick and fast during the past few months, but while we’ve enjoyed reading every story, only a few can come out on top! You, our readers, voted t

      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Fallen

    4/5

    10 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      The story of Cain and Abel told backwards. Begins with Cain as an old man works back to Adam and Eve's first night outside Eden. So smart and readable and funny in parts.
    • 4/5
      This book was quite possibly the best biblical fiction book I have read in the past few years. Fallen is the story of Cain and Abel, and alternately, Adam and Eve. The book begins with the ending and cleverly winds it's way back to the beginning, with the body of the story told in shifting time-lines. Maine brilliantly manages to keep the story line comprehensive and lucid. I was very struck by the spare, yet visceral language throughout the book, and the motivations of the characters were portrayed extremely well. I raced ahead to finish the book, all the while trying to slow myself down so there was more to savor. Though the story is familiar to most, the nuances and subtleties that were infused throughout the book made this a one of a kind story, one where even though the outcome is predicted, the road getting there is anything but.Most know the infamous story of the two brothers, Cain and Abel, but what is portrayed here is so much more. Maine has managed to take small snippets of those famous verses in the Bible and make them delectably consumable, and downright wonderful. Cain is portrayed as a difficult and tractable young man, bordering on heretical. He is forever feeling slighted and wronged, and his attitude only makes things more difficult for himself. It is hard to find sympathy for Cain; he is virtually unlovable, and remains so for the entirety of the novel. It becomes easy to see him follow his path from anger to murder. Even in his exile, he curses and berates God, making him seem all the more recalcitrant and miserable. His reflections upon himself and his inherent differences from his family are captivating, and make him a full and interesting character.Abel, on the other hand is wonderfully compliant, kind and friendly. Though he tends towards platitudes and bossiness, the goodness in him shines through. Abel, his mother's favored child, strives for peace in the family, and is usually the one to try and persuade Cain to abandon his fits of pique. He is loving and forgiving, and he is truly humble to the Lord. He is constantly trying to find his brother's heart and make him see reason. It is clear to see that Abel is light to Cain's darkness. The insight gained regarding Abel's unselfish love for his brother make Cain's act all the more incomprehensible. Though Abel is more of a simple man, his devotion to his family and his God are very moving.As the story moves forward, the focus is on Adam and Eve and their flight to safety after being banished from the Garden of Eden. It is a sorrowful trek that visits many misfortunes and hardships upon the two. Everything that could possibly go wrong for them does so from the beginning. Adam's staunch belief in the Lord pulls him through the struggles, and makes him accepting of any travail that comes their way. Eve is not always so emotionally compliant. There are scenes in which she doubts the intentions and safeguarding of God, and in these moments, Maine has cleverly elaborated on what can only be speculated upon. The awareness of the characters was also a great touch. These fictional characters see themselves as we would see ourselves today, their hopes, fears and dreams are fully realized within the story, and the effect is that all the characters are living, breathing and thinking entities who can be understood and appreciated.At the close of the book, the story has finally come around to the beginning. God has banished the couple from paradise for their sin, and they are left wondering how and where they will survive. The fear they feel is perceptible, and their reactions to it recognizable. This story has been heard countless times before, yet what is different this time around is the cognizance of the sinners. It is so much clearer to imagine, in this novel, who and what Adam and Eve were like, and what they were thinking. By making them so human, the author has made them so much more plausible and believable. One can imagine feeling the same way today if one were faced with these overwhelming situations. The dialogue was also very solid. Both the children and the parents contemporized and tended towards philosophical understanding.Another lovely touch was the depictions of the world around the characters. It was easy to see the hardship once the barren and wasted landscape was described. The deserts felt hot, the river felt cool. The effect was masterful, as the panorama wasn't excessively described. It was hinted at, and sparingly related, yet so much more revealing than if countless pages of scenery had been described. It was also interesting to see deftness of the period detail.This was a wonderful book. It had so many multi-layered parts that came together seamlessly and satisfyingly. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Biblical fiction, or anyone who would just like to read a good story. This book is one of three books of biblical fiction by the same author. I will most definitely be reading the others.
    • 5/5
      This story of Cain & Abel & Adam & Eve (after their banishment from The Garden of Eden) is necessarily even more imaginative than The Preservationist, because there's so much less detail in the biblical account. This one, with its more serious themes of fratricide & banishment & disinheritance (both God's of Adam & Eve & theirs of Cain), lacks much of the humor that was integral to The Preservationist, but it has the same wit & keen insight couched in the same spare, precise prose. Here the story is told backwards, with each chapter (40 of them, a good biblical number) about a time preceding the previous one. Through the characters' memories, Maine skillfully drops hints about earlier events but also introduces surprising developments in nearly every chapter. And his method heightens our sense as readers of how events shape later events.
    • 2/5
      Not too impressed with this one, though it was quick enough that I finished it in one day. It's one of those books whose premise sounds interesting, but ends up lacking a little something in the execution. As you might have guessed from the title, it's the story of the Biblical first family. The twist is that it's told back to front; it starts with Cain as an old man and goes back through time to the moment that Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden. The story just felt flat to me; it didn't add much to or change my perspective on the story that I already knew.Maybe my hopes were just too high for this one, but it was a disappointment.
    • 2/5
      New twist on Adam & Eve's fall from grace. Worth reading.
    • 5/5
      I am not a religious person, nor am I Christian, but that did not prevent me from enjoying this novel. Beginning with the final days of Cain and moving back in time to Adam and Eve's banishment from the Garden, this book portrays the dusty old Bible stories in a brand new light. Breathing life into these well-known characters in a way no Bible story ever could, Maine reminds us that few people are truly evil and that we all have the potential to commit terrible acts.The names in this book are all familiar - Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, God - but their personalities are far more fleshed out and sympathetic than those portrayed in Genesis, and I was left with many more questions than I began with. Was Adam and Eve's crime truly so great as to deserve permanent banishment? How long should a man be punished for the sins of his youth? And just how just is the Christian God really?Whether you are Christian or not, this is an extremely well-written and entertaining read that you will be unable to put down and I will be recommending it to everybody I come across.
    • 4/5
      Loved it. As with all of David Maine's books (to date) this is the story of Cain and Abel (as well as Adam and Eve) told backwards, from Cain's death to the beginning of man. I love his work, and his mind, and his writing! I really enjoyed how when Cain, Abel, Adam or Eve tell "their" story -- it is from their perspective, which adds richly to the novel. Maine has a unique and wonderful way of writing, and of seeing the world.
    • 5/5
      A modern retelling of the story of Adam and Eve—told in reverse order starting with Chapter 40 which describes Cain’s last night on earth and ends with Chapter 1 which tells of Adam and Eve’s first night outside the Garden. There are 4 sections: Book 1, “The Murder,” tells of Cain’s life after the murder ending with a short paragraph of “The Murder” (Chapter 31); Book 2, “The Brother,” starts with “The Murder” from Abel’s aspect and moves backward to tell of the life of Cain and Abel told from Abel’s point of view and includes God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice and rejection of Cain’s ending with “The Proposal” that Adam makes to make an offering to God; Book 3, “The Family,” starts with “The Proposal” from Adam’s point of view and tell the story of the family back to the birth of Cain; Book 4, “The Fall,” describes Adam and Eve’s adjustment to their new life immediately after the expulsion from the Garden, from Eve’s point of view. One of the intriguing things to me when I first picked up this book was the arrangement of the chapters and the chapter titles which seem to recur and revolve, rather like the poetic form of a Villanelle. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read based on a Bible story. So much of it rings exactly true (especially why God rejected Cain’s sacrifice—best explanation I’ve ever seen). It would make a great discussion book for anyone interested in Adam and Eve—or even just a discussion about families.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this book up. I'm still not quite sure what I got. This is a fictional account of Cain and Abel. It starts with Cain's death and goes backward, all the way to Adam and Eve's eviction from the Garden of Eden. It's?different.I wish I could say that I found this to be a brilliant way to write this story, that it was witty and original, that it knocked my socks off. It didn't quite do that. But it was worth the time it took to read it. Even though that was a looooong time.On the otherhand though, it was thought provoking. It was philosophical. It was funny. I had never truly stopped to think, what did Adam and Eve do when they left Eden? They, as interpreted by Maine, knew nothing about how to survive. They didn't know how to kill an animal. How to cook a plant. How to start a fire. And there was that lingering questiong?where did other people come from?Maine's prose is often quite pretty. He can turn a beautiful phrase such as, "The rainy season comes, bringing with it long gray afternoons and lingering twilight as the sun pokes its fingers through the cloud's spent tatters, filling the landscape with ghostly golden pyramids." He depicted the characters in a way that lead me to wonder just who was at fault, with Cain and Abel's murder. He left me feeling that it didn't sit on Cain's shoulders alone. At least that it shouldn't have. And I enjoyed the thoughts he had on God, love, family, desire and sin.I did enjoy this read and plan to try more by Maine. Eventually.