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To Catch a Fallen Leaf
- Rossingley, Book 2
- Narrated by: Richard Stranks
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
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To Catch a Fallen Leaf
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Summary
Take one shy French gardener, mix in a naughty aristocrat, add a splash of water, a dash of sunshine, and wait for love to grow.
If only it were that easy.
Reuben Costaud counts his blessings daily. His run-in with crime is firmly behind him. He has a wonderful job gardening on the Rossingley estate, a tiny cottage all to himself, an orphaned cat named Obélix, and a friendly bunch of workmates. The last thing he needs is a tall, blond aristocrat strolling across the manicured lawns towards him.
Falling in love is not part of his plan.
Viscount Aloysius Frederick Lloyd Duchamps-Avery, Freddie to his friends, is in big trouble with everyone, from his father and his modelling agency, to his controlling older boyfriend. Seeking solace and refuge, he escapes to Rossingley and his adored cousin Lucien, the sixteenth earl. To take his mind off his woes, Lucien finds him a job with the estate gardening team.
Mutual attraction blossoms amongst the gardening tools, and Freddie charms his way through Reuben’s defenses. But as spring turns to summer and Freddie’s London life collides with their Rossingley idyll, Reuben’s trust in him is ruptured. Will their love flourish or is it destined for the compost bin?
To Catch a Fallen Leaf is a full-length MM contemporary romance, the second in the Rossingley trilogy.
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What listeners say about To Catch a Fallen Leaf
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erryn Barratt
- 15-02-24
Great addition to a great series!
I loved To Hold a Hidden Pearl. Lucien’s tragic story made me sad but when he found love, life was perfect. And he enjoyed the nicer things in life – satin, silk, lace, and pearls.
To my delight, Lucien’s cousin is much the same. Well except instead of being a doctor, Freddie’s a model. Famous model. Who’s living up to the bad boy reputation some models are notorious for. There was that incident in the States – I never did catch how that was resolved, but maybe it was there and I missed it. Anyway, Freddie’s headed down a path of destruction with a bad boyfriend to boot. Lucien offers him a lifeline and Freddie takes it. A room at Rossingley, a job as a gardener, and a fresh start.
Reuben also got that fresh start thanks to Lucien’s generosity. He had a rough start in life and fell in with the wrong people. That caught up with him big time. But he’s put all that behind him to take up a gardening job at Rossingley with a little cottage on the estate to book. Oh, and Obélix his darling cat. Having grown up with Astérix and Obélix I got a kick out the name.
So…two different worlds. And yet, as time goes on, the men find themselves drawn to each other. Each has demons to overcome. Each has to find a way to trust. Each has to help Lucien plan for his big day!
This is a wonderful romance that touched my heart. With humor and all the feelz, it just worked. I’ll also briefly say that Richard Stranks was great. I understand how hard it is to maintain an accent and he did a good job with Reuben and the French. I would’ve loved to see all Reuben’s inner thoughts in French, but that would’ve been a heavy lift. Anyway, I truly enjoyed this and I hope to return to Rossingley again soon.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 16-02-24
Narration was second to none 👍
Fantastic world that Fearne has built at Rossingley, and both Freddie and Reuben were just such outstanding characters whose personalities just shone. And I just loved their story, and the insight into their personal growth. But I have to say that Richard Stranks as the narrator just brought everything to technicolour life for me. Outstanding 😊 He even topped his Book 1 narration, and I didn't expect that because I absolutely loved his narrative of the first book. Definitely hope to see his name as narrator of many more books.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Abigail Lagan
- 27-02-24
Beautiful series
I have read all of the Rossingley series and this was my first time listening to an audio book. Wow! Was a great way to really take my time as I am a bit of a fast reader. Loved the narration and felt I got more of the book than just reading it. One of my favorite series by a fantastic author.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vania
- 17-12-23
Amazing!
I loved this story, loved the characters, both Reuben and Freddy are wonderful! Rossingley is its usual amazing self and Richard Stranks outdid himself performing all the different accents! Reuben’s French one was super hot!
The story is sweet and not particularly angsty, but it does get very emotional at times.
All in all I loved this audiobook to pieces!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- alias11
- 17-12-23
Sweet story of growth and love
I loved this sort of opposites-attract love story. Privileged and wealthy Aloysius is in trouble when his bad behavior gets hum banned from the US and threatens to damage his father's political career. He flees to his cousin's estate in Rossingley, where he meets gardener and ex-con Reuben. There is a spark between them, but will Aloysius' life and external pressures keep love from blooming?
I loved the way Reuben's drive and dedication to improve his life and situation inspired Aloysius to reexamine his own life and goals, and to make changes in his own path. I also loved seeing Lucien again, and the way he helped and protected his friends and employees.
The narration was excellent, especially Reuben's French accent.
I received a free review copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anne M
- 23-12-23
Arc Audio review
Story = 3.5
Narration = 5 stars
This is book 2 but can be read as a standalone. This is a new to me author and I was able to easily follow the story. I enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. I loved Reuben and his back story broke my heart. Freddie was nice but I didn't feel anything for him. I felt his character needed more development. I also didn't feel any sparks between the couple, but I liked them together enough to finish the story. This was a slow burn and that suited the characters well. The couple are the reason I finished the story, the plot itself was just ok. I usually enjoy stories with more going on. I found myself checking to see how much longer was left, so while I made it til the end, I didn't love it. Very sweet ending though.
The narrator did a great performance. He expressed the emotions well. He had a pleasant reading voice and sounded in the same age range as the MCs. I did speed up the pace but no more than most narrators. He gave the characters distinct voices including different accents that were distinct, making it easy to follow the story and pleasant to listen to. I enjoyed listening to this narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Meph666
- 21-12-23
Wonderful narration for a brilliant series
To catch a fallen leaf is a wonderful second book in the Rossingly series. we briefly interact with Freddie and Reuben in the first book and they are two men who are very deserving of finding a partner to love and adore them.
Freddie is a model but going through a rather tricky patch and so comes to stay with his cousin, Lucien, at the Rossingly estate to regroup. l=Lucien sets him to work in the gardens which turns out to be the best thing for him as he meets Reuben and is enchanted with the shy frenchman. Reuben is living his second chance working as a gardener at Rossingly, moving there from France after a stint in prison. He definitely has not had an easy life but is working hard towards a future that he wants and earns for himself. Freddie is unexpected and with them being so different and from different worlds, he doesn't expect anything for long but a connection develops between them over gardening, cups of tea history revision. It's a slow burner between them as Reuben takes time to build his trust and Freddie wants what Reuben wants. It's sweet between them as they move from friends to more, adding heat to their relationship as they get closer.
There's always someone out to spoil the party though and that comes in the form of Freddie's politician father who's open to using him to his advantage, and then there's Vincent, the ex who just doesn't take a hint. To balance out their negative vibes, there's a lot of goodness from the people of the Rossingly estate. Lucien and Jay are there for both men from the start and Reuben's friends, the other gardeners, are a lot of fun but also very protective of their friend.
I really enjoyed this story, there are a couple of darker moments with characters history but they both deserve each other and make for a great couple. A recommended contemporary romance.
I did really enjoy Richard's narration, providing voices that match the characters but I was expecting Reuben's voice to have a french accent all of the time, not just when he was talking out loud. He has made it such an easy story to listen to and get into, despite the occasional tough moments for the MCs.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Edga
- 12-12-23
beautifully emotional.
Beautifully written, this is a WONDERFUL story. I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it. Freddie and Reuben are gorgeous together, both have been abused (in different ways), but both prove themselves to be survivors. Honestly I shed some tears of sadness and some joy as I read. The humour is gentle and subtle, but cleverly written. It certainly left me with a smile on my face. I howled when Freddie was describing to Reuben how much he loved him:
“Swee— Reuben. Please, listen. You are not, and never have been, my apéritif. You are my amuse-bouche, my starter, my main course, my dessert, and my coffee and chocolate mint afterwards.”
“You are the restaurant chairs and the tables, the tablecloth, the…er…the crockery, the cutlery, the bar, the optics, the barstools, the…um…the toilets, the…” 😂😂😂😂
Richard Stranks narrates tis beautifully. He really catches the spirit of both Freddie and Reuben. I loved the way Reuben said, 'Freddee,' made me smile every time. This is definitely one I'll listen to again and again.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Caz
- 29-12-23
Sweet low-angst romance
Top-tier male model Freddie Avery (cousin of Lucien from book one) causes something of a scandal when he's arrested for possession and public vagrancy in New York. He goes to Rossingley to wait for things to die down, where Lucien puts him to work in the gardens, saying the fresh air and exercise will do him good.
Here, Freddie meets the shy and charming Frenchman Reuben Costaud, who has been working in the gardens at Rossingley for around a year, and loves it there. They're both instantly smitten with each other, and romance, of course, blossoms.
The romance in this one is a little bit under-developed, although I liked Freddie and Reuben as a couple and their supportive friendship is lovely.
Narrator Richard Stranks delivers a very strong performance, complete with a lovely French accent for Reuben's dialogue and accurate pronunciation of the various French words and phrases in the text. His portrayal of Lucien and Jay sound as I remember them from the previous book and his interpretation of Freddie is nicely done. My one criticism is that he mispronounces "Aloysius" (Freddie's actual first name) half the time and gets it right the other half (it's pronounced "a-low-ish-us", not as it's spelled) - so he obviously knows how to pronounce it – which kind of makes it worse when he gets it wrong. Apart from that, it's an excellent performance that really enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I hope he's on board for the rest of the series if it makes its way into audio.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Reading to stay awake!
- 05-12-23
Merde, mon dieu ...
My god I love this series!! the narrator hits the French accent perfectly and brings this book to life. I've lost count of how many times I've listened to it!
love love love it xx
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