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. ( )

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. ( )

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 her
sister'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. ( )

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. I just had a really hard time staying interested in it.

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. ( )