Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Francesca cover art

Francesca

By: Gillian Godden
Narrated by: Fiona Hasen-Bowes
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £23.99

Buy Now for £23.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Dangerous Games cover art
Rough Diamonds cover art
Gold Digger cover art
Revenge cover art
Nemesis cover art
Savage Sisters cover art
Slur cover art
Takeover cover art
Fearless Girl cover art
Never Go Back cover art
Ruthless Girl cover art
Her Revenge cover art
The Deal cover art
Playing with Fire cover art
Living a Lie cover art
Liars cover art

Summary

Single mother Francesca is struggling to get by when an act of desperation leads to her owing a debt to notorious gangland boss Tony Lambrianu. 

Tony has his own troubles - a change of image from playboy to respectable married man is needed to further his criminal career. He has women falling at his feet but none he wants to make his wife. 

As Francesca is drawn deeper into the dark underworld dealings of Tony and his associates, she has to make alliances of her own to survive. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her small son. 

This is a roller-coaster ride of high stakes, dirty tricks, loyalty and love. Strap in - it’s a hell of a trip!

©2019 Gillian Godden (P)2020 W. F. Howes Ltd

More from the same

What listeners say about Francesca

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

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

So Disappointed!!

I had enjoyed this series until this book. It was reminiscent of Mills and Boon with its flowery melodramatic language. The narrator too was over the top with continual sighs and over acted adaptations of the characters. Tony Lambriano went from being a feared gangster to petulant, spoilt and bored man with an aristocratic drawl.
Sadly very disappointed and glad when it finished

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Mills and Boon meets EastEnders

It felt like a really long-winded, unbelievable Mills and Boon ganster novel, I openly laughed out at times at how bad it was.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Too long but enjoyable enough

This book is double the length of the first books and dragged on because of this. The story could have been told in half the time. The narrator has changed from book to book and Tony’s accent went from being this East End London gangster in book 2 to a posh aristocratic accent in book 3. The story was enjoyable enough but I’ll take a break before listening to the 4th one.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Frustrating characters

I stuck with this though I was tempted to shout at the irritating characters and their dillydallying about and mega self absorption . I also was tempted to shout at the narration a few times- horrid cockney accent and then the narration fell into happy clappy tweeness .
It filled a gap for me as sort of a bland background ramble as I grappled with my cross stitch!!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Great read and follow on of a good story but the narrator made it sound like a nagging

I like the story but the narrator made it sound like Miss Marples day out. The main character Julie moans and moans and is so soppy, you wouldn’t want her as a friend, let alone lover. Tony comes across as weak and pathetic simply by the readers intonation. I had lost the will to live simply by the droaning of her voice. Thank god the remaining series is read by others. If not for the narration a good read with lots of sub plots.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Nauseating portrayal of women

The story was OK, but the female character was portrayed as the classic pathetic female, whilst good old Tony was the hero. Threats to kill and violence were laughed off as nothing - he's just a loveable rougue with an "Italian temper". I felt like it painted women in a really bad light and really minimised the issue of violence against women. That said, it trivialised (sexual) violence in general when her assault was also laughed off and joked about. I understand that this was set a while ago when maybe this sort of thing was more acceptable and women were doormats, but I still felt that it needed much more care in it's portrayal of domestic violence and blame. I was shocked to see the author was female, tbh.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

It took a while…

It took a while to get the gist of the story. There were some gritty interesting bits but the narrators voice did not capture or reflect the characters. The story droned on & in some parts made no sense

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
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another Example of Excellence

Started slow, didn’t think I would get to chapter 3. I’m so pleased I stayed with it as the book was full of exciting small plots. Not madly keen on the reader, took a while, her voice was not right for Francesca.

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
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant 2 way story.

Luckily , I enjoyed the story so stuck with it. However the narration nearly put me off so many times.
The other books go from all Cockny narration to this wining voice dragging all her words out.
Really loved the story , read the 1st 2 so had to carry on & will continue the last 2 remaining books.
Well done Gillian, great author.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

2 hrs in & very confused!!!

when I find a book I like I tend to read them all consecutively, sadly I don't think the writer remembers book two as well as me because alot of details don't match up...Tony calls jake his brother but now he's his friend and how Tony met fran was wrong.
The narrator just does sound right for this book either, I can't even listen anymore her voice just drones on its distracting.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!