Nottingham

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes when I saw *another* Robin Hood adaptation—but *Nottingham* gutted my cynicism in the first hour. Anna Burke’s Robyn is a revelation: a woman whose heroism is accidental, whose charm is more snarl than smile, and whose relationship with Marian crackles with the kind of tension that makes you grip your headphones tighter. Annette Romano’s performance is the audiobook’s secret weapon. She doesn’t just *read* Robyn; she *is* her, from the sarcastic drawl when she’s mocking the Sheriff’s men to the way her voice roughens with exhaustion after a sleepless night in the cold. Even the secondary characters—like the terrifyingly calm Guy of Gisborne—get distinct, memorable treatments. Romano’s Marian, though, is the standout: her posh accent isn’t just affectation, but a shield, and the way it softens when she’s alone with Robyn is audiobook alchemy. That said, the pacing isn’t perfect. The middle act drags slightly as the political maneuvering between the outlaws and the nobility gets dense, and there’s a subplot involving Robyn’s sister that feels undercooked compared to the main romance. But the payoff—especially in the final act, where Burke subverts the expected “happily ever after” with something messier and more satisfying—makes up for it. The production quality is flawless, with no distracting edits or volume inconsistencies, letting Romano’s performance shine. This isn’t a cozy listen; it’s a story that demands your attention, with a romance that feels earned precisely because it’s built on shared scars, not just shared glances. If you love your historical fiction with dirt under its nails and your love stories with teeth, this is your next obsession.