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    The Virtuoso
    The Virtuoso
    The Virtuoso
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Virtuoso

    Written by Grace Burrowes

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Gifted pianist Valentine Windham, youngest son of the duke of Moreland, has little interest in his father's obsession to see his sons married, and instead pours passion into his music. But when Val loses his music, he flees to the country, alone and tormented by what has been robbed from him.

    Grieving Ellen Markham has hidden herself away, looking for safety in solitude. Her curious new neighbor offers a kindred lonely soul whose desperation is matched only by his desire, but Ellen's devastating secret could be the one thing that destroys them both.

    Together they'll find that there's no rescue from the past, but sometimes losing everything can help you find what you need most.

    Contains mature themes.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 9, 2016
    ISBN9781515974499
    The Virtuoso

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    Reviews for The Virtuoso

    4/5

    111 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The formula is a bit repetitive. The woman always has some incredibly shaming secret that is really not that big a deal and the hero doesn’t give a fig about it. What is frustrating is that long after the heroine should trust the hero she keeps the secret. It drags on and on. If Grace knocked and hour or 2 off the books they would be great. They don’t need to be quite so long. I get tired of the secret after about 75% of the book and then I start to not care whereas I cared a lot during the earlier parts of the book. Denouement sooner is my advice. That said, she is a good writer and this is a good narrator and the people are fun and engaging. I love that all the side characters are involved so it is not just total focus on the couple.
    • 5/5
      Tender and loving. Great description my favourite of the windhams
    • 3/5
      Ever since I read about Val in book 1 I wanted to read his book, he just felt so different than other heroes. He just sat by his piano all day long and played. He sounded so sweet.

      In this one he wins an estate and goes to fix it up, and to rest since his hand is red and swollen (poor Val, all he wants to do is play). There he meets his heroine, Ellen Markham, a young widow, a nice soul who lives all alone in the woods. And she has got a secret, just like the 2 heroines before her. She does sit on her secret for quite some time, but then we get a few clues along the way what she is hiding. And you always think it is so much worse than it really is. Also, it is not Val is perfect either, because he keeps a secret too, he does not tell her that he is the son of a Duke. And she does tell him that she has a secret.

      But mostly this book is about these two meeting and falling in love (lust first ;), they are nice to each other and gets along splendidly. He also works on getting his manor in order, and someone is sabotaging. There is also that question, why is someone doing it? And of course the secret of what Ellen is hiding. It brings a bit of thrill to this romance and it is that which keep you going, because you just need to know what is going on, even when you have figured it out.

      And like the two other books she has written in this series there is always that romantic shimmer over it all, and the hero is the one who fights. And I am a sucker for a hero who fights for his love and is the one who wants to put things right and win her hand.

      Conclusion:
      A sweet romance with a hero you will fall for at once.
    • 5/5
      I picked up this book because of the music component, and I am so glad to have discovered this author. With her lyric, beautiful prose she brings the plight of Valentine to the pages and to this reader's heart. His recovery (from a regency version of carpal tunnel syndrome, I think) makes for a compelling, page-turning read. Ellen's character, her love of her gardens, was a strong, three-dimensional character and these two together are like a powder keg. I devoured this book and am currently looking for more books by this author. Bravo! Bravo!
    • 3/5
      The heroine's conclusion regarding her secret was a bit of a weak point I felt. But the hero was very sweet, (a beta hero). It was nice to read an atypical hero, portrayed with good communication skills, emotional understanding, consideration, love of music, etc. He won't appeal to everyone of course, but I didn't think he came off as sappy or weak or anything. It just made him endearing.
    • 5/5
      Valentine Windham, the youngest son of the Duke of Morland, is a piano virtuoso, but his left hand is damaged and swollen. When he wins an estate in a card game, he takes the opportunity to rebuild the derelict estate - and visit with the lovely widow, Ellen Markham, who lives nearby.This is a reread for me. I probably love it just as much as I did the first time. Val and Ellen are both artists, he with his music and she with her gardens, so they make a perfect match though it takes them a while to get there. Many of the other Windham characters and various friends and relatives make appearances which are always fun. I was especially happy to see Gayle (from The Heir) was much more light-hearted since his marriage and birth of his son. As always, the writing is lovely. What's not to like in a book filled with music and flowers?
    • 4/5
      A nice, elegantly simple way to finish the year. This author is fast becoming one of my favorites.
    • 4/5
      Having read the others in this series, it was time to fill in the gap. Valentine Windham is a virtuoso of a pianist and composer, with a swollen and aching hand from overuse, and has now been temporarily forbidden by his doctor to play, or else... he could lose the ability, forever.

      Luckily, he has the distraction of his new, horribly rundown estate to occupy his time, along with lovely widow Ellen FitzEngle.

      I liked that Ellen was NOT a surprise virgin widow, but her sexual experience was limited, and not particularly overwhelming. Val was maybe a little TOO perfect, and they both hung onto their secrets a little longer than I would've liked, but it was still sweet and satisfying, and love the involvement of the Windham family in helping bring about the HEA. Fun, satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      Book 3 in the Windham series. Valentine Windham is the youngest son of the Duke of Moreland, and a gifted pianist. Eventually the pain and swelling in his left hand prompts him to seek help and he is advised to stop playing the piano or risk losing the use of his hand completely. Devastated by the loss of his only outlet, he escapes to the countryside and the Markham Estate he has won in a game of cards. The estate is in a tumbledown condition and he begins its restoration, however his efforts are beset by sabotage. Widowed Ellen FitzEngle lives in solitude and near poverty in a cottage on the estate. She scratches out a living by raising plants and flowers and selling her wares at the nearby town. Ellen is haunted by the past, as well as the villainous Freddy. Valentine starts to find relief for his hand via her treatments and becomes close to her, however he will have to untangle the past to help Ellen overcome her grief as well as her fear, and to help him deal with the death of his older brothers. A good read.
    • 4/5
      Finally we get Val's story and I really enjoyed it. Burrowes always has a way in this series of having her leads fall in love with someone who takes care of them in some way. Usually it's been a housekeeper, but here it's a helpful neighbor who is a widow and the former resident of the estate he has just won in a card game (convenient.) Val, a musical protege with the piano has found he's losing the ability to use his hands and he must stop playing the piano to avoid losing them altogether. He and his friend, Darius go to his new, crumbling estate and start fixing it up (though he appears to be doing more damage to his hands this way than playing the piano!) There he meets Ellen, who has her own crushing secrets that need to remain hidden. As they begin to fall for one another, we have the usual trope, I can't marry you because I'm not good enough for you, but it was all done very well, and somewhat heart breaking. Val suspects that something has happened to Ellen in her past and he asks her to tell him, but she won't for fear he'll never want to see her again. Instead she puts a halt to their affair and sends him away, which I really didn't understand why, for I felt it was unnecessary, but I still really liked it. Now I'm caught up on the Duke's sons, and now it's onto resume the series (I started with the daughters first) with the rest of the daughters.
    • 5/5
      I picked up this book because of the music component, and I am so glad to have discovered this author. With her lyric, beautiful prose she brings the plight of Valentine to the pages and to this reader's heart. His recovery (from a regency version of carpal tunnel syndrome, I think) makes for a compelling, page-turning read. Ellen's character, her love of her gardens, was a strong, three-dimensional character and these two together are like a powder keg. I devoured this book and am currently looking for more books by this author. Bravo! Bravo!
    • 4/5
      Valentine is the yougest son of a duke. His life revolves around the piano. When his left hand becomes injured, he finds a new challenge in restoring a dilapidated estate that he won in a card game. Eager to make his own way in the world, he conceals his noble relatives from his new neighbors.Ellen is a widow with an awful secret. An avid gardener, she ekes out an existence in a cottage on Val's new estate. The two are immediately attracted, but a future seems impossible.An engaging romance.
    • 4/5
      Ever since finishing up Julia Quinn's Bridgertons and Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower series I have been looking for something to fill the void, The Windham siblings definitely fit the bill. If you enjoy Quinn or Kleypas you should definitely give Grace Burrowes a try.Valentine Windham's love, muse and passion is playing the piano. But tragedy strikes in the form of a hand injury. Making it devastating and painful to play. A friend and doctor suggests taking a break. With his grief he heads to the country - with hope of mending. He runs into Ellen FitzEngle, a widow he once shared a passionate kiss with. A charming read. The Virtuoso is elegant, witty and deliciously sexy. When first introduced to Val in The Heir, I thought for sure he was destined to be with Anna's sister. But Ellen was a surprise and turned out to be the better match for him. I love the Regency era and Grace Burrowes brings it to life so beautifully.