J.L.P.

Underwhelmed

Revisado: 03-28-25

I was super excited to listen to this book, I've loved Kat Martin's historical romance books over the years, so I had high hopes for this one. The story was okay, but it was a bit long. There were also way too many character names to keep track of and remember. It definitely made me want to visit Colorado, though, because apparently that's where the beautiful people are. Almost every character introduced in this book we were told was a physically gorgeous person. I liked the voice of the narrator, but there was no emotion in his narration. He was definitely reading and not performing. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read it instead of listened to it, but overall I was very underwhelmed.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 09-27-24

The blurb about the book sounded interesting, so I gave it a try, but it just didn't do it for me. The narrator's voice for the main character was a bit annoying, but I actually liked it for most of the male characters, and especially liked her voice for the secondary character of Lula/Lulu. I think the story had the potential to be a good story, but it felt like more of a summary to me than a well-developed story. My biggest issue with the book was the FMC, I just found her impossible to like. She knowingly helped a drug dealer conceal his stash of drugs from the police and she planned and carried out a major crime against an old man, and there was never anything said about how she would be held responsible/accountable for her actions, especially with what she did to the old man. I get that she helped the police, but I still did not like that she got off without any accountability -- the old man was still the victim of a crime that made him feel vulnerable and unsafe in his home. I am not planning to continue with the series.

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Frustrating

Revisado: 09-24-24

This is the second book in the Callaghan Brothers series. I was initially drawn to the series because I really enjoy the romantic-suspense genre, and I love Aidan Snow narrations. I was disappointed by the first book, mostly because I had a hard time connecting with the female character. I guess I don't see a woman who constantly fights a man and makes dangerous decisions as being "strong." In my book, if you need help and there is someone ready, willing, and able to help you and you instead choose to try to do it on your own, you're just stupid. I was hoping the second book would be better, and I was willing to give it a try because, like I said, I love Aidan Snow as a narrator. I should have listened to the reviews, which I will do for the other books in the series, since they say basically the same thing. Insta-love (which isn't necessarily bad if you have an author who is able to still develop the characters) and FMCs keeping secrets from the MMCs and making decisions that endanger their lives.

Review for this book with SPOILERS:

I will say that the first part of the book was okay. I thought the way they met was cute, I was fine with the insta-love (the MCs had known each other years before, but the MMC did not recognize the FMC, who had been "in love" with the MMC since she first met him). Where the story started to lose me was when you realize that the FMC has a life-threatening medical condition that requires medication and she had not traveled with enough medication to see her safely through extending her time away from home. Now, the book is a few years old, but not so old that having someone overnight the medication was not a possibility. She also did not tell the MMC about her condition because she just wanted to have her time with him and not have him know there was anything "wrong" with her. Again, I hate when characters are too stupid to live (almost literally in this case). Also, who does not travel with more than enough essential medication when you have such a dangerous condition??? We are talking a woman who is late 20s/early 30s, this is not some kid who doesn't understand the dangers they face.

Where the book started to dip below three stars for me was when the FMC's step-sister told her she was pregnant with the MMC's baby and the FMC decides she's just going to step aside and leave town because she doesn't want to stand in the way of him being a father. Head slap! The reason the FMC left town years before was because this same step-sister lied to their parents about the FMC being beaten by her best friend (brother of the MMC), but without any discussion with the MMC she believes her step-sister and walks away. Then the FMC discovers that she is pregnant, but never tells the MMC because she's not sure she will survive the pregnancy. Now, not sure about others, but if I were pregnant and knew my baby-daddy would be a wonderful father and that my life was in danger, I think I would want him to know so that my child would be cared for if something happened to me. I think she said she planned to tell him after the baby was born, but it was actually her good friend who told the MMC once the baby was a few months old. I had a hard time with her keeping the baby from his father. I really could not see the reason for her doing this unless she planned to never tell him about his son.

Finally, the story slipped to a one-star for the last hour-and-a-half or so. I was ready to just quit, but I have a hard time not finishing a book I start, and I don't feel one should leave a review without finishing a book. Anyhoo, once the MMC discovered he had a son he immediately went to the FMC. He really didn't seem angry with her, he just was happy she was okay and that he had a son. He was still very in love with the FMC, but he was afraid being physically close, even just hugging and touching, could put her life in danger, so he pulled away from her physically (he stayed with her, cared for his son, but was not intimate with her). Now, the FMC understood this, but she did nothing to help him through it. She could have taken him with her to her doctor's appointment where she discussed resuming physical intimacy and how it could be done more safely, and instead she just left him out of it and then was too embarrassed to talk with him about it and was hurt when she felt him pull away from her. Most of the rest of the book was the FMC keeping him out of what was going on with her health, with her not taking care of herself because she was so lost without him (her choice to shut him out), and her health deteriorating because she wasn't taking care of herself. I had a hard time feeling sorry for her, and quite honestly I really didn't see what kept the MMC so in love with her.

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Great Start to a Series!

Revisado: 06-17-24

I really enjoyed this book, and I am super excited to read/listen to the other books in the series. I loved the author's character development. I really liked the characters, and I appreciated that they are all flawed in some way, it makes them more real and easier to relate to. I enjoyed the storyline, it gave me the right amount of romance and action, and it did not require that I suspend reality. I also really enjoyed Stephen Borne's narration, I thought he handled the female voices well, he managed to make them sound a bit feminine without being ridiculous and cringe-worthy to listen to. While this book is a stand-alone and does not leave any loose ends for the main characters, I got enough of an introduction to the other HORNETs that I am looking forward to continuing with the series.

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Another Great Installment

Revisado: 02-17-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I discovered this series a few years ago and binged on the first several books, but I now have to wait for the new release each year. One of the things I really like about this series is that the characters can be fun and funny, and still grow and learn. So often I feel authors don't let their characters develop and change, so as a series continues I find the books to be too predictable. In this series, the characters are allowed to change and grow without to stories losing the laugh-out-loud funniness that first drew me in. As others have said, the narration is amazing, which only makes the Audible version worth the wait!

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