Closing the Chapter on the South Downs Romance SERIES

The South Downs Romance Series has officially come to an end. I’m a little sad to say goodbye. I’ve loved weaving familiar faces in and out of the stories, but it feels like the right moment to move on. 

Grief was a central thread through all three novels, just as it was in the Nunswick Abbey Series. It’s a theme I’ve explored from many angles — love lost, love found, the ache of absence, and the quiet, everyday resilience that comes with carrying on. By focusing on the everyday realities of grief, the stories touched on feelings that are often hard to put into words and I think it’s something readers really resonated with.

Having all three books brought to life by the enchanting voice of Angela Dawe was a dream come true. I first heard her during her narration of The Brutal Truth, which has since become my favourite book — and from that moment, I knew she was the one I wanted for this series.

“Why an American narrator for English books?” some might ask. My answer: why not? As long as the character voices are spot on — and I can absolutely confirm that they are — it shouldn’t matter. Should we exclude a narrator just because they’re French or Brazilian? Is a South African narrator only allowed to narrate books set there? 

The job of a narrator is to act, their nationality shouldn’t be prioritised over their skill. My only requirements are that they speak clearly and don’t chew their words, nor hit that oddly specific frequency that makes my teeth itch — which, surprisingly, is harder to avoid than you’d think! Angela more than delivered for me on all counts.

Having worked with her for the last two years bringing the South Downs Romances to life, I was more than a little intrigued by her thoughts on the series. With five questions burning I pleaded for answers and she kindly obliged.

ANGELA DAWE Q & A

"The scene between Gillian and Viola on the bench at Kingsford toward the end of Beyond Her Manner is one of my favourites ever as a narrator."

Which book was your favorite and why? 

This is such a hard one! I think if I absolutely had to choose, I would say Reality in Check. Arte and Charlotte's stories, as individual characters and as a couple, were so layered and compelling to me, and the way they were woven together toward a happily-ever-after that felt earned and satisfying and grounded was just a beautiful thing. Plus, I love a story with a good dog! (And guess what: they're all good dogs.)

Did you have a favorite character to voice, and what made them stand out? 

I have really enjoyed voicing all these characters, but I think my favorite has to be Viola from Beyond Her Manner. It was fun - and a bit daunting - to take on a character who's famous for her voice. Of course, I didn't have to do any operatic singing (thank goodness!), but knowing that Viola's voice was such a huge part of her identity and her story, I gave a lot of thought to how I wanted her to sound. Every time I voiced her dialogue, I brought to mind an image of a crystal clear stream of pure spring water running through some pristine, untouched place in nature. That's how I wanted her voice to feel. I realize that may sound absolutely insane to some people, but it's the truth!

Were there any characters you found particularly challenging to portray? 

There's always a fine line when voicing an antagonist - as a narrator, I want to make choices that communicate to the listener that these characters are problematic and perhaps even worthy of some condemnation, but unless a book demands a one-dimensional portrayal of a character (for example, a supervillain in a wacky crime comedy or a fantasy character who's pure evil incarnate), I never want to cross into caricature. Nobody is just one thing; people are complex. So for Reality in Check, I was very mindful as I was voicing Claudette, Charlotte's mum. I wanted the listener to be as frustrated with her as Charlotte was, but I couldn't make her an outright baddie - because she wasn't one. Keeping her grounded and multi-dimensional while also making listeners want to throttle her was a fun challenge.

Which scene did you enjoy recording most from the series? 

The scene between Gillian and Viola on the bench at Kingsford toward the end of Beyond Her Manner is one of my favorites ever as a narrator. It was written so beautifully, and by that point in the book I was so connected with the characters, the emotions were just right there - I felt like I was channeling Gillian and Viola more than portraying them. I actually purposefully didn't make any specific decisions about how I would read the dialogue in that scene before recording it. Instead, I just let the emotion of each line inform the emotion of the next line, and it felt really organic and alive as I recorded it. It reminded me of my work as a stage actor, in the best way.

Did you ever get emotional recording a scene? If so, which one? 

Well, yes, the aforementioned bench scene from Beyond Her Manner is a perfect example. But the truth is, I get emotional a lot in my work, even when I'm narrating a book that might not move me if I were just reading it silently for my own enjoyment. Off the top of my head, I can think of several occasions when I got very choked up in the recording booth narrating books that I knew would have probably left me unaffected as a casual reader. If I'm not feeling at least a little bit of what the characters I'm narrating are feeling, I'm not confident I'm doing my job to the best of my ability.

***

Angela brought the series to life beautifully. If I was pressed to choose a favourite story... it would probably be Broken Beyond Repair. I see so much of Sydney in myself, and as for Beatrice, well, in my mind she is Cate Blanchett — enough said I think!

Each of the younger characters shares some small piece of me. Whether it’s Sydney’s passion for efficiency and writing (and of course, cute campers), Arte’s love for art and dozy Labradors; or Viola’s deep-rooted connection to classical music and playing the piano — all of them hold echoes of me.

And now, it’s time to move on — to new horizons, new characters, and fresh challenges. Thank you to everyone who picked up even one book, and an extra cheer for those who read them all and shared them far and wide. Your voice makes all the difference. I've been overwhelmed with support for the series, from kind words and glowing reviews to awards I never expected. Every bit of it fuels the next chapter.

You can read the series on Kindle Unlimited, or purchase the ebooks, paperbacks, and hardbacks through Amazon. Audiobooks are available through Audible or wherever you buy your audios. Signed paperbacks and special limited editions hardbacks can be purchased directly from me.

Until next time...happy reading!

Emily