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.

    Silent Melody
    Silent Melody
    Silent Melody
    Audiobook13 hours

    Silent Melody

    Written by Mary Balogh

    Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the legendary New York Times bestselling author of Heartless comes an exquisite Georgian romance of a transcendent love, "without doubt, one of the most romantic novels ever written."* Lady Emily Marlowe is beautiful, independent, and unspoiled. Deaf since childhood, she appreciates her family's efforts to nurture her spirit, but the man they've chosen for her betrothal can never fulfill her. The only one Emily has ever desired is bold and reckless Lord Ashley Kendrick. Her childhood amour inspired her fantasies and vowed never to forget her-even as he left her for a new life in India and a new love. Seven years and countless dreams later, Ashley has returned a desolate widower to Bowden Abbey and, true to his promise, to Emily. Yet his heedless proposal of marriage has left her unexpectedly conflicted. Though the heat of passion still burns, Emily fears that it's only a sense of duty-not love-that has brought him to bended knee. And what is she to make of those seven lost years clouded in secrets too dark for Ashley to share? For Emily, her greatest and only love now becomes one worth fighting for, one of startling revelations and second chances, and one, like a melody, too beautiful for words....
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 4, 2015
    ISBN9781490696669
    Silent Melody
    Author

    Mary Balogh

    New York Times bestselling, multi-award-winning author Mary Balogh grew up in Wales, land of sea and mountains, song and legend. She brought music and a vivid imagination with her when she came to Canada to teach. There she began a second career as a writer of books that always end happily and always celebrate the power of love.

    More audiobooks from Mary Balogh

    Related to Silent Melody

    Titles in the series (2)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Prince William’s Statement

      May 24, 2021

      Prince William’s Statement
      1 min read

    • Article

      Lost Children

      Aug 4, 2022

      Lost Children
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Library

      Nov 4, 2021

      The Library
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Stackpole Legend

      Mar 1, 2024

      The Stackpole Legend
      13 min read

    • Article

      Freedom

      Aug 6, 2020

      Freedom
      7 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      Alobam

      Mar 19, 2021

      Alobam
      36 min read

    • Article

      The Way Things TURN OUT

      Jun 3, 2020

      The Way Things TURN OUT
      7 min read

    • Article

      Those that Remain

      Mar 2, 2023

      Those that Remain
      6 min read

    • Article

      Ice cream DREAMS

      Jul 28, 2021

      Ice cream DREAMS
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Touch Of Summer

      Sep 7, 2020

      Leila had found a place she could go. A sandy cove, a short cycle ride from her flat, where she could spread out her beach towel, put on her headphones and watch the sea lap up onto the shore. She wasn’t sure what kept this spot so quiet, when the ot

      5 min read

    • Article

      O Fortuna, Velut Luna

      Sep 15, 2018

      What is Miss Treece’s trouble, according to a popular notion? The man A has failed to show up. Arousing herself at the restaurant, she fixes her lipstick when her solo supper concludes and takes herself down the stairs situated behind the bar. There,

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Girl On The Steps

      Jun 14, 2022

      The Girl On The Steps
      5 min read

    • Article

      Winds Of Change

      Dec 10, 2019

      “Till the end of the pitted and dusty lane, she was a dry, brown leaf swiftly floating down a clear stream. Part of it was easy, the part about being brown. ‘Brown as mud and common as mud,’ Aaji would scream every morning waking her up. The rest of

      9 min read

    • Article

      Shula And The Sun

      Oct 13, 2017

      Shula And The Sun
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Double Life

      Dec 7, 2020

      Sadie is in the kitchen, already dressed in school uniform, fastening the clips on the violin she chose for her most recent birthday, when Gabriela heads downstairs the following morning. Seven years old: how the hell did that happen? Briefly, she wo

      6 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems by Noah Warren

      Dec 1, 2020

      Some waves came up overnight, though in Norderney, there was no weather.At the commercial wharf, a thin stream of white exhaust rose vertically from the ferry.The first service would depart soon. The puddles lay dark in the stone streetsand in the ga

      3 min read

    • Article

      Karen’s CHOICE

      Jul 7, 2021

      Karen’s CHOICE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Finding Amelia

      Jun 18, 2020

      Finding Amelia
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Glove

      Mar 4, 2024

      The Glove
      8 min read

    • Article

      From Dawn ’til Dusk

      May 21, 2020

      From Dawn ’til Dusk
      5 min read

    • Article

      Karen’s CHOICE

      Jul 11, 2023

      Karen’s CHOICE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Mount The Sky To

      Jan 1, 2019

      Mount The Sky To
      18 min read

    • Article

      The Other Side Of THE FENCE

      Mar 1, 2023

      The Other Side Of THE FENCE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Aug 19, 2022

      Books
      4 min read

    • Article

      Remembering Your Roots

      Aug 2, 2022

      Remembering Your Roots
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Silent Melody

    4/5

    115 ratings10 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I love all her books and the narrator is enchanting. I have come to rely on audiobooks because the world makes no time for readers anymore.
    • 4/5
      I love Mary Balogh. I also love Luke. So strong and fashionable and ducal.
    • 5/5
      So much more love for this than the prior (even though I did love the love story). Emily and Ashley had an epic love, and I kind of adored everything they had to deal with to find their HEA. Balogh had a pretty convoluted side/backstory happening here that was pretty far fetched, but it still worked for me. I also loved how Emily and Ashley communicated together and how Balogh described Emily’s connection to the universe.
    • 5/5
      Hell yeah.

      One of the best books with a deaf main character that I have seen in forever. The heroine is not treated as being broken. Or stupid. A lovely, sexy read.
    • 5/5
      4.5 "There is More to Love Than Just Words" Stars for the story and the narration!What a unique story line! This little gem of a historical romance grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept me enthralled throughout the entire story. Moreover, in addition, to a touching romance and the empathetic handling and portrayal of a disabled heroine as a capable and loving woman which genuinely tugged at my heartstrings, Mary Balogh also manages to infuse an interesting and intriguing suspenseful arc into this already stellar romance. Moreover, this is a great title to pick up in audiobook format as Rosalyn Landor's experienced and well-done narration further enhances the magic of this story.First off, for those that are wondering if this book can be read as a standalone, yes it can. Although this is book 2 in the Georgian series, and the hero and heroine are the siblings of the main characters from book 1, Heartless, the romance is fully contained in this book and I had no trouble following the background without having read or listened to Heartless.Lady Emily Marlowe is death and mute. While many would think this fact devastating, Emily has actually led a pretty free and independent life as a result. Unconstrained by the typical customs of the day that prohibited women from running around with their hair down and otherwise being free to do what they wanted to do, Emily has spent many years running around hersister's estate and painting. Interestingly, the one person who never viewed her as limited and always understood her better than anyone else was Lord Ashley Kendrick, the younger brother of Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon, who married Emily's sister.But Emily's romantic fantasies are shattered when Ashley decides to leave for India to build his own wealth. After a while of being gone Emily's hope for a future with Ashley is further dashed when she finds out that he has married another woman. It is amongst this backdrop that seven years after he left, Emily is finally ready to try to find a husband. She quickly finds herself with suitors, bearing their own unique reasons for wanting to pursue and deaf and mute woman, when Ashley returns to the vast surprise of his family and carrying a number of closely held secrets. Will his reappearance dash her family's well orchestrated efforts to find Emily a husband, or will Ashley's secrets render possible a HEA that could rival Emily's childhood dreams?The experienced and well-known historical romance narrator, Rosalyn Landor, performs an above average narration in Silent Melody. Ms. Landor is a pro and she always manages to create easily distinguishable voices for each on of the cast members making it easy to sit back and enjoy the listen. In Silent Melody I was particularly impressed with Ms. Landor's depiction of Emily. Managing to sound just like a deaf person learning to talk for the first time, Ms. Landor brought a an extra sense of authenticity to this inspiring tale.All in all, Silent Melody is a creative and inspiring tale with a rock solid narration, making this a must listen audiobook for the historical romance enthusiast.Source: Review copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Mary Balogh's back catalog is now becoming ebooks and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because I love her books, but it's bad because some of the older books are not the quality of writing I usually get from her.The premise of this story is fine. Emmy is deaf-mute from a childhood illness. Ash is the brother of Emmy's brother-in-law, Luke. As the brother of a Duke, Ash wants to make his own way and joins the East India Company and goes to India to make his fortune, leaving a heartbroken Emmy behind.Seven years later Ash returns just as Emmy is ready to move on with her life. Ash has dark secrets, but he has never forgotten his attraction to little Emmy. He finds the grown-up Emmy dangerously alluring, but he feels he has too much baggage to act on that desire.The language here was a bit overblown and the plot was not very believable. But the characters are engaging and made me want to read more. Emmy is a strong woman and intriguing in the manner in which she rised above both the handicap of deafness and of being a woman in that period of England. Ash's character is a bit more muddled. It takes him longer to grown up, but he becomes a fine man and a good match to Emmy.I'd say this book is a strong 3 1/2 stars.
    • 3/5
      An awful lot of people to keep track of the in beginning, but they were all part of the later story. Early regency England. Emily is deaf, but can read lips well. After her childhood love, Ashley, moves to India and marries, she's determined to learn how to be a proper lady and marry. Then Ashley returns to England, a broken widowed man. Ashley is the only one who really understood her spirit and could communicate with her, despite her inability to speak. They each believe they are wrong for each other, but the various members of the families keep coming up with ways to keep shoving them together until they realize that they really belong together.
    • 4/5
      Emily fell in love with her brother-in-law, Ashley, as a teenager, when he cared enough communicate with her although she was deaf and mute. Then he left for India for seven years, and returns a bitter and haunted man after the deaths of his wife and son in a fire. Emily is being courted by a man who would be a good match, although he is revealing himself as pompous and controlling. Emily gives herself to Ashley to comfort him, but then refuses his assumption that he will marry her. He only sees her as a sister, and he is horrified that he took advantage of Emily and corrupted the one sweet and innocent person in his life. The whole family finds out, and an aunt offers to take Emily to London for the Season. Ashley goes to the estate that he inherited through his wife. Since Ashley is part of the family, they can't stay apart, and Emily visits his estate with her sister Anna and her husband (Ashley's brother). Ashley reveals to Emily that his wife hated him and cheated on him, and the child was not his although he loved him. The night they died Ashley was committing adultery, for the first time and encouraged there by a good friend, so he blames himself even more for their deaths. The old friend shows up and it turns out that he had been plotting for years to get rid of Ashley's wife so that he could buy the estate, and marry the woman with whom he was obsessed, the mother of the illegitimate son who should have inherited. This is a poignant and beautiful story of two people discovering love based on friendship, despite a handicap which would never be featured in most romance books.
    • 1/5
      Quite often, in a romance novel, one of the main couple will get married and then return. This provides a lot of conflict, which is nice, and then something has to happen to remove the wife or husband that is in the way. Usually gives you lots of delicious angst to work with.So in this book, the Hero Ashley leaves the Heroine Emily, when she is a young girl in love with him and goes to India. He gets married, has a kid, and comes back.Oh, but of course, the wife and child are dead. A usual conceit to provide the needed angst. Oh but of course the wife never truly loved him and his love for her died quickly. Another usual conceit, but to have them both??? BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!He only had sex with his wife ONCE! She wasn't a virgin when they married! And the kid's not his! And his wife is still majorly in love with someone from her childhood! BTW that love was her BROTHER! Who she had incestuous sex with! And then murdered! And she married Ashley because they vaguely look alike! And she cheated on him constantly!Could she have been any more of a one dimensional villain character? OF COURSE he falls for sweet Emily who is desperately in love with him!I had many more problems with the book, including the depiction of Emmy, Ashley's desire to have Emily be the girl he wants her to be instead of the girl she is (only slightly resolved), and the DRAMATICS that seemed unnecessary to me.
    • 4/5
      First off, this book is Georgian, not Regency, but I'm including it here because Mary Balogh is, for the most part, a Regency writer. This book is also the sequel to "Heartless." I truly enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure at first whether having a deaf-mute heroine would even work - it sounds difficult to transfer facial expressions, etc, into words in a book, but Mary Balogh succeeds in doing so, and in making Emily a warm and complex character. Ashley, on the other hand, is a tortured and hurting man, filled with guilt over the accidental deaths of his wife and son in India. In Emily he finds the comfort of a long friendship, and with the realization that she is a woman, and not a little girl, he finds the hope of a great deal more. This book has more of a plot than many of Mary Balogh's books, and it's a good plot that unravels at a reasonable pace - it's not thrown at you, but it doesn't slow down the book either. Truly an enjoyable work!