Laura

Andy Weir knocks it out of the park!!!

Revisado: 05-09-21

I am Weir fan. I love the science, the sarcastic humour, and the unique characters he creates. I know that Artemis was not looked on favourably by many (I will politely disagree). However, if you were one of those who loved the Martian but not Artemis then you will love this book.

Weir returns to the type of story that made him famous...a guy alone (mostly) in a space environment. This time around, we meet Grace. He's the cool science teacher at a junior high school. The story begins with him waking up from a coma on a spaceship, and not really being able to remember where he is, who he is, or why he's there. Worse even is that both crew members that were traveling with him are dead and it looks like they've been that way for a while.

As the story goes on, Grace begins to slowly remember his purpose by means of brief flashbacks. Normally, I hate it when authors flip back and forth between past and present. However, the story told this way really built up the suspense. The first chapter immediately pulls you in, and the flashbacks were perfectly placed. They also provided some much needed breaks from Grace just being alone with his thoughts all the time.

Grace makes plenty of mistakes along the way with disastrous consequences just like Watney in The Martian. There's plenty of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. I frequently chuckled along and even shed a few tears. I really loved every character in this book. The tough, sociopathically efficient head of Project Hail Mary was beautifully rendered. Dimitri - the cool Russian Grace wanted to hang out and drink beer or vodka with was just fun to know - I'd love to hang out with him too. Finally, there was Rocky. He was my favourite by far but that is all I will say about him.

Finally, the narration. Ray Porter rocks! The accents, the unique narration challenges presented by this story. He nailed it. (One tiny gripe...the Canadian scientist who had an unhealthy obsession with the Beatles. Just no. We don't sound like that.)

This is a book I will listen to again. I wish every book was this worthy of a credit.

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THRILLING INSTALLMENT, BRUTAL CLIFFHANGER!

Revisado: 01-27-21

It was a long almost 4 year wait for this book, but boy did Ms. Shannon deliver!

The book begins exactly where The Song Rising ended - with Paige and Warden on a cargo ship set for France. Paris itself was almost its own character, and the underqueen wastes little time trying to forge alliances with the local clairvoyant population.

There were a lot of revelations including betrayals that completely took me by surprise. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book. Paige's peril is just non-stop. When you don't think it could possibly get worse, it does.

We all know that this is only the 4th book in a 7 book series, but prepare yourself for the biggest cliffhanger ending yet. I can only hope that we won't have to wait 4 more years for the next book.

As for the narration, I feel it is Ms. Collins' best performance thus far. This book was a challenge with A LOT of French dialog and she did a great job with the pronunciation. Another note about all that French dialog - the author doesn't always translate it to English. If you don't have a decent grasp of the language it may get a bit frustrating.

Overall, the best book in the series thus far. Credit well spent!

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PLEASE MAKE EDGAR STOP TALKING!!!!

Revisado: 12-22-20

I have had this book in my library for months. My first try at listening failed in the middle of Edgar's tea party. I just COULD NOT take anymore of the slurring, spit-filled dialog spoken past Edgar's fangs. I get the reasoning for voicing the character this way, but it is so annoying. It completely detracts from what is a great story. The narrator should have dialed way back on the effect given the much larger blocks of Edgar dialog in book two. Do yourself a favour and read this book instead of listening to it.

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Female narrator deals death blow

Revisado: 04-28-20

I stumbled across L.B. Dunbar one day looking for my next book. As a woman in my forties, I loved listening to romance between couples who have a little more life experience than highschool or college.

With that said, this book was a disappointment. I just could not relate to this heroine constantly touting mother earth, the goddess, the power of three, and her Wiccan faith. It was almost its own character. There was also this "I'm stuck on you" mantra and once uttered aloud it was used over and over again by both characters in dialog AND inner monologues. I never want to hear that phrase again.

There was also a danger element to this book involving a kidnapping plot that I found just ridiculous. Unfortunately, it completely detracted from the poignantly sad and tragic past of the two main characters and their path towards forgiveness and healing.

With all of that said, the biggest problem with this book was with the narration. Let me first say my problem is only with Beth Tucker. Chris Brinkley narrates the chapters told from the hero's POV - a solid 4 star performance. Beth is a completely different story. I imagine she was chosen for her southern twang and mature voice. Her performance is not a performance at all. She reads in a monotone. There is little distinction between characters. Her pace is painfully slow. Honestly, I cheered when the POV switched to Nathan's character. Without Chris' narration, I never would have finished this book.

In the end, this book just wasn't credit worthy. I say that with a heavy heart because I have loved the other books I've listened to by this author and until she began using Ms. Tucker, the narration has always been great.

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esto le resultó útil a 19 personas

Another PG-13 wannabe Hollywood Rom-com

Revisado: 03-25-20

Look - I love Christina Lauren books. I look through Audible's coming soon list and add them to my wishlist months in advance...so far in fact that usually the book cover art hasn't been released.

This writing duo hooked me with their beautiful series. So much witty banter, such clever plot lines, and of course always some great steamy interludes.

With that said, I have to voice my disappointment with the books that have followed since the end of the wild series.

It began with Roomies. This is the book that is destined for the silver screen and I feel that since then the steamy scenes have been sanitized out of their books so that they fit this ideal of what a Hollywood rom-com should be.

I will continue to listen to Christina Lauren books because at the end of the day, this team tells a great story. The Honey-Don't List is no exception. I just wish they hadn't veered so far away from the books that made them successful.

As for the narration, both narrators were new to me and gave a solid 4 star performance. My only gripe was the slightly tin-y sound present in all of Jon's segments.

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A Magical Journey of Hope and Forgiveness

Revisado: 09-18-17

This is my fourth Emma Scott book. The Butterfly Project was EPIC. Ms. Scott, I'm officially a super fan and I will now automatically buy every book you write without hesitation.

I don't even know where to begin with this review. The characters she writes are so real, such poignant portraits of the good and ugly things that make people uniquely beautiful.

The two main characters are dealing with tremendous pain and regret. The heroine is debilitated by the guilt from not being able to stop the pedophile who kidnapped and killed her younger sister. The hero is barely scraping by in a parole-enforced existence of misery and regret: the consequence of participating in an armed robbery that ended in the worst possible way.

While the back stories of both main characters are violent and tragic, I liked that the author only provided the barest minimum of detail to understand their pain. It seems that there is this trend in our culture to provide gory details...we're becoming desensitized to violence and even though this is fiction, I'd rather not hear about what a pedophile does to the child he kidnapped.

I was captivated from the very first meeting of the two main characters. There was just something there - a spark and instant connection that just couldn't be dismissed. The romance between them began with a friendship - a mutual benefit of each character in desperate need of a second chance. It was a very slow burn, but when it finally happened it was quite steamy.

As for the narration, it was very good. Amy was excellent - she was quite good differentiating male and female voices and imparted believable New York accents for specific characters. As for Guy Locke, I have two gripes. First, the New York accent Amy provided for Beckett disappeared when it was his turn to narrate. Second, his enunciation annoys. I've listened to several other audio books that he has narrated and that problem has been prevalent in all of them. Words like Manhattan come out as Manhat'n, button comes out but'n, swimming is swimmin'. It's kind of a lazy way of speaking by dropping t and g consonant sounds. It grates after a while.

This book ticked all the boxes for me. It was truly a journey. There were moments I smiled and laughed, and there were also several moments that brought me to tears. This book is definitely worth a credit...just keep a box of Kleenex nearby!

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Princess of perpetual peril...

Revisado: 02-13-17

Crown of Lies is my fourth Pepper Winters book. I'm a fan of her writing, but I have had issues with the narration of some of those books. Happily, this time I am a fan. This is dual narration at its best. Kylie Stewart handles the female dialog competently, while Eric Rolon is exceptional at voicing all male characters. Bravo to Eric...this is the first book he's narrated for audible and he was fantastic! His voice was just right for our hero - he really made the listen sexy.

The story itself kept me interested. Enter Elle - a girl groomed to run a department store empire from a young age. She leads a sheltered life of wealth and privilege, and then one night she rebels against her golden shackles. This leads her to a mugging and attempted rape in a dirty back alley somewhere in NYC. Our heroine is rescued by a young homeless man. Fate removes the anonymous good Samaritan, and Elle's exhaustive attempts to find him fail.

Three years after that night, Ms. Winters keeps the intrigue going. There's a father with a heart condition, a persistent unwanted suitor, and a wealthy and mysterious man who seems to know an awful lot about our heroine.

I like Pepper's erotica. She expertly builds sexual tension in her stories, and then releases it in the steamiest ways. Talk about sex on fire! Fair warning however: this story comes to a close with one hell of a cliffhanger, so be prepared for that upset.

Time for the gripe, and I've alluded to it in my headline. Poor, poor Elle. She must be one hell of an irresistible beauty because by the end of this book, she will have been threatened with rape on three separate occasions. Seriously, is she putting off some type of crazy pheromone that brings all the rapists out of the woodwork!?

All things considered, Crown of Lies kept me listening - great writing and narration. Well worth my credit.

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esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Prepare for a long haul with little reward...

Revisado: 02-08-17

The last Alessandra Torre book I read was Moonshot. That was a good book. Love in Lingerie however fell very short of that mark.

This is a typical office romance between a hyper-sexual alpha boss and his attractive subordinate. The heroine will go through two long term relationships both destined for the altar, whilst the hero runs through countless anonymous sexual encounters and one long-term relationship.

Both pine for each other but the other people in their lives, and a flimsy excuse of a non-fraternization work policy keeps the couple firmly in the friend/co-worker zone despite chemistry, mutual desire, and eventually love. There is innuendo, flirting, and some fleeting touches through the book. My problem with this story is how long it took for the couple to finally get together (not until the last hour of the book!).

This story is told from dual POVs, all narrated by Rose Dioro. I find Ms. Dioro's narration just okay. Her speech is a bit too breathy for me, and I didn't like the way she voiced male characters.

I just wish there had been more plot to this book. Some twists, secrets, or a crazy ex in the mix would have helped. In the end, I just found it boring and frustrating. There wasn't enough of a story to sustain the reader until that final hour when the relationship finally came to fruition.

Not worth my credit. It is back to the return bin for this one. I just wish I could get that wasted listening time back.

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A great story with ALL THE FEELS!!!

Revisado: 12-14-16

I stayed up all night listening to this masterpiece of a book. It's nearing the end of 2016, and Ms. Cherry's wonderful new book has made it onto my short list of favourites for the year. What an exquisite story of two childhood friends who fall in love from the start but must surmount unbelievable challenges to find happiness.

There are so many sweet moments in this book. The very start when Brooks and Maggie first meet is just adorable. I found myself chuckling out loud listening to their early letters back and forth - Maggie planning their wedding in the forest and Brooks vehemently insisting she is crazy and that he couldn't marry a girl he hated.

Not far into the book, Maggie experiences a trauma which leaves her housebound and mute. The trials her family goes through in the aftermath of the trauma and Brooks' commitment to being there for this broken girl is so poignant and believable. I loved the secondary characters in this book - especially the mean old bird of a neighbour who never gave up on the damaged girl next door.

You will spend the entire book wishing Maggie could find her voice and tell people what happened to her. You'll hope for the potential catalyst that will finally propel her into the world outside her home.

When I say this book has all the feels, I truly mean it. I laughed and cried. I felt the stabbing pain of jealous betrayal and then the amazing high of loving declaration. There were moments of fear, and finally times to rejoice. I've read all of Brittainy C. Cherry's books, and this one is my favourite by far. Ms. Cherry is an author whose work I will automatically buy every time.

The narration provided by Erin Mallon and Joe Arden is excellent. A five star performance without question. They make a great team and each easily handles the task of convincingly voicing the opposite sex. It would have been perfection had it been more of a duo with Erin handling only the female dialog and Joe reading the male dialog. However, I won't deduct a star from the narration for that reason as few books are recorded in this manner.

My only small gripe with this book came down to sex between the hero and heroine. I love romance books that are heavy on the plot and lightly sprinkled with a few erotic encounters. Silent Waters has plot for days...I just wish the physical relationship was a little more detailed and a bit more steamy. Their first encounter was only beginning and then it was abruptly cut off with a chapter and POV change. It kind of left me feeling cheated - I patiently listened through that angst and sexual tension and when it came time to deliver, I was denied!

Don't even wonder if this story is worth your time and credit. Just buy it, listen, and enjoy!

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The TRIAD of Aurora, Jentry, and Declan

Revisado: 11-02-16

I've been needing another fix of Ms. McAdams' particular flavour of angsty love triangle hell, and she has once again delivered. The story begins with a steamy encounter between the heroine Aurora/Rorie and the mysterious man called "J" who could only promise her one night. Fate is unkind when nearly a year later Rorie (now in a committed relationship with Declan) comes face to face with "J" who is actually Jentry - Declan's brother.

This story feels real. The characters, the situations, the ensuing drama all make up a great story. I particularly liked Aurora's best friend. She was loyal and protective as she should be, but was also a straight-shooter. She disapproved when Aurora and Jentry began to stray together and was vocal about it. I thought that it was a very genuine reaction.

I must also mention Linda (Jentry and Declan's Mom). What a well-written villain! It has been quite some time since I hated a character as much as I hated this family's matriarch. She was so mean, calculating, and condescending towards poor Rorie. You will spend nearly the entire book cursing that woman and wondering if Rorie will ever stand up to her.

As far as comparisons go, this book is very similar to Molly's other book Taking Chances. That book is still my favourite of all her works. I See You has a much clearer HEA. This book won't evoke tearful emotion - and maybe that is a good thing for most readers. I guess I'm a bit greedy in liking to experience the full gambit of emotions in every story.

Now I must drop the negative and I have to harp on it for a bit: the COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY skipping back and forth between the past and the present. Take the prologue. As I mentioned, it begins with the one night stand between Rorie and Jentry. The hook is successful, except you don't get the whole encounter. Instead, the encounter is peppered throughout the novel in broken fragments. Later, there are more jarring skips between present time and three weeks ago, then a week ago, etc. I honestly had to back up the dialog and listen to some parts over again - following the timeline and trying to figure out what events took place just made for confusion. I know many authors use this technique to drive the plot and keep things interesting, but in this case it did more harm than good.

Finally, the narration was very good. Dual POVs courtesy of Em Eldridge and Graham Halstead. Each gave unique voices to the characters and were convincing when reading dialog of the opposite sex.

I automatically buy Molly McAdams' works and I don't do that with many authors. This story was definitely worth my credit. If you like angsty, new adult romances, this book won't disappoint.

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