Try free for 30 days

  • Radiance

  • Wraith Kings, Volume 1
  • By: Grace Draven
  • Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Radiance cover art

Radiance

By: Grace Draven
Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

The prince of no value

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

The noblewoman of no importance

Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn't just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she's known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.

Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.

©2014 Denise Shaw (P)2015 Denise Shaw

What listeners say about Radiance

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    53
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    50
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A masterpiece

Brilliantly written , Brishen and IIldiko's story is enchanting with a quirky sense of humour .
Five star *****

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great character development

I loved this book and couldn't wait for the next one. It is beautifully written and narrated (lisp or not). The characters are so well portrayed that you almost feel as if you know them. To me that it a sign of a great book. The laugh out loud moments too were greatly appreciative. I will be sure to follow this author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Easy, fun but not life changing

I was looking for an easy romance/fantasy- I definitely was not dissatisfied... and I’m going to listen to the next one!
But overall the fast romance and other relationships were unrealistic and the all was a bit corny
That being said I enjoyed it! And was exactly what I waned for the time.
The performance is fine- she has a lisp which can be distracting but she does a really good job portraying the emotions of various characters
:)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

This book was such a a great listen. Most romantasy books have an enemies to lovers type, but this one didn't, and it was such a refreshing listen. I can't wait to start book 2!
Only down side would be, the random long pauses in between sentences every now and then.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another wonderful Grace Draven story

What did you like most about Radiance?

The story is highly original, developing in a fascinating way as we learn about this world and its inhabitants. The central characters are engaging and believable, more rounded than is often the case in this genre.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ildiko is clever, funny and brave. She faces the challenges of being a stranger in a strange land with fortitude and humour. She is not a warrior, just an honest and likable woman determined to make the most of her circumstances and not to give in to cruelty or bullying. She is optimistic, open mind and willing to see each person she meets on their merits, not on any preconceptions or prejudices.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Unlike some of the US reviewers, I found the narrator's accent pleasant and enjoyed her characterisations. However her slight lisp was a little distracting, as were her odd pauses, especially every time the word 'but' was used. This sounds petty, but there is no punctuation in the written text to suggest that the author wanted these pauses and I found them jarring enough to irritate.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I became immersed in the story and deeply interested in the world the author created. I enjoyed the humour and the slow growth of the loving relationship between the two central characters.

Any additional comments?

I have read several other books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them. Draven takes fantasy concepts and weaves them into adult tales with entrancing stories. I thoroughly recommend her work. I look forward to future audio presentations, but hope she finds a different narrator next time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great book

I really enjoyed this book and the reading of it the voice actors did a great job and the story was an interesting mix of romance, action and drama.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I really liked this series - Radiance in particular, and will be looking out for more books narrated by Gabrielle Baker. This is a romance novel in a fantasy setting, but it is an excellent fantasy world. What I liked was the character development between the main characters. Neither finds the other at all attractive, no insta-love! They like each other’s personality and become friends before anything else.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved everything about this!

Great storyline that was only improved by the narration. So glad I downloaded the audio book despite some reader concerns of narrators lisp (which I found to be minimal). I have only recently discovered Grace Draven and am really enjoying her unique stories. Grace has found a winner in narrator Gabrielle Baker. For me, Gabrielle was perfect - her inflection and tempo was spot on.
I need to feel fully immersed in a story to download the second book in series and I purchased Eidolon immediately upon finishing Radiance.
5 stars all the way for me!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

One of my favourite series, I love how there is no miscommunication and the couple are trying to make the best of their situation instead of being petty and cruel for the sake of it even though it wasn’t their partners choice either. Can’t wait to listen to the next one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brishin and Ildiko

Really enjoyed the journey that this story takes you on. It's about differences and being open minded but also about the love that can bloom when you give it a chance.

The narrator was good. She brought the story to life.

The dry humour kept me listening it was great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.