Casia P. Courtier

Great Information

Revisado: 12-06-19

I am an author and am ready to kick my writing into full gear. The premise of this self help book was exactly what I needed. The book is short, easy to follow, and gave a great blueprint on how to enhance your writing. Some of the things I already knew, but the process of recording my progress was new to me. I love that there are ways to get it done that are free and easy to use. I'm definitely going to be trying this out and listen to the book again for a refresher.

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A Nautical Adventure Worthy Taking

Revisado: 06-19-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I received an Audible code for an honest review via Audiobook Boom for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review.
I didn't know I wanted to read Nautical books until I read this one (okay, there is another one but I feel this one follows the nautical theme more). Our main character, Nile, is a strong and stubborn young woman. Despite her royal blood, she is not a stranger to hardwork and proving you belong in a high stress environment. I truly felt a sort of kinship with her. I could see myself making similar decisions in her case and though she would make mistakes, she would try her best to fix them with what she had.
There is a romantic subplot but the bulk of the story is her trying to prove herself once again but with an assumed identity and new hardship. The amount of learning she goes through is enough to see that she will grow as a character, but true to any first book, she is nowhere near she will be in the end of it all. That isn't to say she doesn't change in book one, she does, but it is a small change and more of an eye opening realization that the life she lived before, though difficult, is not the way it is for every ship or person.
Since this is a fantasy, there is a magical element to the book that is described like an illness. Each "gifted" person can attract a specific element and that attraction can cause a physical ailment as a side effect. I loved seeing the cultural differences between one country to another when it comes to the Gifted as well as other life related things. It makes the world large and rich. Something the author and reader could revisit in a different series.
In all, I very much enjoyed this book and plan to read the rest of the series. I am invested in Nile and the crew. Each one has a personality of a person you would see in every day life. Ms. Lidell has done a great job.
Final Rating: 4/5

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A Small Town I Might Visit

Revisado: 06-07-19

I received an Audible code for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review.

Small Town Terrors is a collection of horror stories all centered around a small town in Florida and its residents. If you think the news stories about Floridians are scary, wait until you read or listen to this book.

There were some short stories that didn't resonate with me and I felt were used often, but Alderman started and ended the book on a strong note. He left the mythos open for something more and I wouldn't mind seeing a more expanded universe of the small town he crafted in this collection of short stories. 

There were two in particular that really stood out for me. One about a family who are having money and food troubles and the other is about a girl during Halloween night. With the first story, I'm not sure how it fits with the small town. It felt like it belonged in a more dystopian like horror book, but I do think it was unique. I would love to see that expanded and made into something more full length or even see more of that strange setting.

The same goes for the Halloween story. It would make for a great book. It had a mythology to it that I wanted to know more of and fits perfectly with the small town Alderman crafted.

This was a good quick horror collection with a bit of something for all types of horror fans. I wouldn't mind seeing more of the small town or even a full-length book based off of one of Alderman's stories (there seemed to be a hint of something like that in the last two stories).

Final Rating: 3/5

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A Fun Steamy Cinderella Story

Revisado: 06-07-19

I received an Audible code via Audiobook Obsession for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review.

If the Shoe Fits is a standalone Cinderella retelling set in the same world as her ME series (a series of reverse harem romances). This book is not a reverse harem. It is a contemporary story about a lady of the gentry falling for a man who turns out to be a prince.

This is actually not my first Greenwood book, but I do like this one more than the other book. It is a well written and quick read with a good cast of characters. Cinderella isn't my favorite fairy tale, but there is something about a retelling that hooks me. This book is a retelling but with a sexy twist.

The narrator was a perfect choice. I could see Sadie, Rita, and Enrique. I also saw Leo, but I didn't hear a difference in accent. That said, his voice was well done and the narrator was able to separate the characters for the listener.

All in all, I do hope Greenwood will write more fairy tale retellings. I love the modern feel and the royalty/gentry side of things. It was a fun read and I do recommend for someone in need for a quick romance with a fairy tale twist.

Final Rating: 4/5

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Action-packed fun

Revisado: 06-01-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I received an Audible code via Audiobook Boom for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review.

I have been hooked on the Enhancer series since book one. It is geeky, packed with action, and fun.  Enhancer 3 begins where the second one ends. Ty and team are unsure about Lilith. They are also given a new set of villains and have a ton of devices to find.

I enjoyed this one about as much as I enjoyed the second, possibly more. The characters are growing and there are twists I wasn't completely expecting. I did not care for Ty's decisions in this book, but I felt it was true with the character and story. I just hope that what he has done doesn't end up messing things up in the end.

The twists are making me wonder just what The Master does have planned. I'm also interested to see how the team grows.

The narrator, Chris Graves, is great. However, there was a moment where it seemed Lilith sounded too much like Dinah or the other way around. It was enough to make a mental note of it, but doesn't take away from the story.  Like the other books previously, there are sex scenes, so take note of that if it bothers you. Honestly, the dynamic of all the characters and their personal lives didn't bother me as much as I might have thought before starting this series. 

I feel Wyatt Kane has written a good group of people who are open with each other for the most part. Except for one individual, but it goes with the story and character development. So, I'm okay with that. All in all, I am definitely going to request book four once it is out.

Final Rating: 4/5

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Grabbing Story and Great Narrator

Revisado: 05-29-19

I received an Audible code from the author for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review

Shades of Fury is the first book in the series. It centers around Taya, a wolf shifter, and her mission to protect not only her pack but also humankind. Right off the bat, I was into this story. You may think this is more romance from the blurb, but I felt it as more an urban fantasy with a romantic element.

The writing is well done. It's engaging and pulls you in. Likewise, the narrator was a great choice. She gave an already well written Taya a voice. Also, she wasn't bad with her male voices. I didn't have any trouble discerning who was who.

As a story, it is fast paced and ends on a cliffhanger. I do want to listen to the second book and I do really like Heather Renee' as an author. I'm going to have to read more.

Final Rating: 4/5 

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Sorry to see it be done

Revisado: 05-21-19

I was trying so hard not to finish this series. I'll be honest. I wasn't ready to leave this world and leave the Raven Boys and Blue behind. But, when I heard about a new series set in this world was coming out, I knew I had to finish so that I could start that one.

I'm both sad and happy to have finished. Sad because it's the end. Happy because it was a good end. The book series itself has a very Southern fiction feel in the way it is written. It is slow paced, but the world itself grabs you and keeps a hold of you until the end. And I wasn't expecting it to end the way it did.

I think a part of me would have liked an epic battle or for the reveal of Glendowyer to be a bit different, but this series isn't about those things. It's about the journey, the adventure, and the group of people you surround yourself when doing it. Despite me wanting a bit of something, I can't say it wasn't written the way it needed to be written. One because the author has that final decision, but two, because I do see how the true ending fits.

And it fits.

For every character, it fits. 

I probably gushed about this series to my best friend for days and I gushed about this specific book for the same amount. The narration is perfect, the writing is perfect, and the story itself is amazing. I love every character. I love the world. I hate to see it finished.

Am I going to get the accompanied trilogy that's coming out? You bet your ass I will be.

Final Rating: 5/5

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Laugh out loud fun. A perfect retelling.

Revisado: 05-21-19

I received an Audible code from the author via Audiobook Obsession for an honest review. What follows is that review. There was no compensation for what is about to be said.

Okay. This is not my first KuroKoneko Kamen genderbent fairytale and it's definitely not going to be my last. This is by far the better of the two I've read and I can't wait for the sequel. I'm not joking around.

There is a fine line when you put in pop culture references into your fiction. On one hand, you can inspire the giggles and nostalgia feels. On the other, you can end up dating your book once it hits a certain age. Theodore Gale in Oz straddles that line like Theodore straddles his horse, Toto.

There were great one-liners, awesome pop references, and I found myself rooting for the main characters. Close to the end of the book, my Bug was getting into the story. He doesn't like me listening to audiobooks in the car, but this kid wasn't leaving the car until I turned it off. Because, and I quote, "I want to hear this."

Note. There are sex scenes. I do not advise listening to those scenes with little ears around and I personally didn't do that.

The writing is well done and pulls the reader in. It is a well-made retelling, following most of the original story, but being its own narrative at the same time. And I have to add that there is definitely a sequel! Which, I'm going to be listening to.

My only complaint is that sometimes the narrator read with an accent and other times not. It did on occasion turn me off of the story, but I was able to jump right back in a few seconds later.

All in all, this is a fun read, the laugh out loud and smile kind.

Final Rating: 4/5

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An interesting paranormal post apocalyptic

Revisado: 05-21-19

I received an Audible Code through a Facebook group called Audiobook Obsession. This was for an honest review and I was not compensated for this review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone.

First, I should state that even though this book is a reverse harem, I wouldn't worry. And by worry, I mean that this is not a steamy sexy romance. This is a paranormal apocalyptic book where we see the future of the world after a cataclysmic event that is only mentioned. The romance just happens to be in the book and it isn't really in your face. It's more like: "a hot group of guys meet a girl and they work together to stop some bad stuff from going down. Oh and by the way, they are mated." 

That isn't to say that the book isn't well written. There were some parts that I was hoping there would be elaboration, but it was a fun read. I know the blurb says that this is the complete story, but I can't help and think that there is more to it than meets the eye. There is a sequel and perhaps we will see more of what is going on.

The world itself is interesting and leads the reader into wondering all the possible outcomes. I personally don't think Rhiannon's story is actually complete, but I do like that there is a continuation of the world. 

As for the narration, the narrator was chosen well and I could feel the main character. The male voices were well done and no one sounded exactly the same. All in all, it is a quick and fun read that I wouldn't mind listening more of.

Final Rating: 3/5 

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I'm definitely asking for the next one

Revisado: 05-21-19

I received an Audible Code via Audiobook Boom for an honest review. What follows is my opinion and mine alone. There was no compensation for this review.

This is the third book in an ongoing paranormal romance series about a young woman named Zora navigating her now crazy life. Everyone seems to be out to get her and she only wants one thing, the safety of her estranged father.

I have listened to the previous books and writing wise, I liked the first one but wasn't impressed with the second. This one, however, is more up to par with the first or slightly better. We get to see the way the demons live and get a larger idea of the world. Events of book one are referenced in a twist I should have seen coming, but didn't. 

The narration is still good and I was pulled into the world. As I stated before, the story itself is better in this one than in the second. It doesn't feel like a long-winded wait fest and I was actually invested in Zora's journey again.  I definitely want to know what happens in the future and cannot imagine how Zora and Rains are going to get out of the situation they are currently in. 

Final Rating: 3/5

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