A Bookworm

4 1/2 stars

Revisado: 02-24-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I received this audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

My personal introduction to the world of Regency Romantic fiction came when I was a bored, homesick twelve year old in my grandmother's house, where I stayed on weekdays because it was much closer to my school than my parents' home. To the delight of my bookworm-ly heart, tucked in a corner near my room I found a treasure trove of old, slender romance novellas by authors like Barbara Cartland, various half-forgotten authors who used to publish Harlequin Historical Romances, and my personal favorite, Georgette Heyer. This book is particularly nostalgic because it reminds me of those cherished days, when I gleefully devoured such light-hearted fare and got to meet interesting and oftentimes ridiculous characters, most of whom had more manners than common sense, living in a world long past and very far away, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit, I wasn't quite expecting to be more than mildly entertained, having mostly left off reading Regency romances in favor of vastly different genres by the time I left Uni. However, as it was written by an author whose other works I enjoy, as well as read by a very talented narrator, I was more than willing to give this book a chance. Indeed, I found that this well-presented, delightful little novella, featuring a potential 'unfortunate mesalliance' between a very proper English gentleman and a very not-proper American girl intent on a marriage of convenience, the opinions of his snooty and very unhappy relatives, the travails of the mismatched pair's long-suffering admirers, and the ensuing inevitable comedic clash between two completely different cultures had much more than met my expectations from the introductory scene up 'til the nicely satisfying ending, and I would gladly recommend it to people who occasionally enjoy short, light, sweet, fluffy Regency romances of the non-bodice-ripping type.

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***

Revisado: 12-19-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

John Pickett is frustratingly obtuse in this novella as he stumbles about cluelessly when, after hitting his head, he finds himself somehow in an an alternate reality where he doesn't exist. After stubbornly indulging in Denial regarding his peculiar, unfortunate and unlikely circumstances for far too long, John pointlessly chooses to muddle about playing idiot-in-shining-armor instead of trying to figure out how to somehow return to his original, mostly happy life. Needless to say, I found this one a tad disappointing, though mercifully short. Still, if one loves John Pickett and likes Christmas-adjacent themes a la 'It's a Wonderful Life', it's not absolutely terrible. I'm giving this 3 stars - I've read far worse but I've also read better. I must confess, though, that I much prefer the usual clever, mystery-solving John Pickett to the hopelessly addled prat I met in this book.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. 

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*****

Revisado: 12-04-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Some months after the events of the first book, Julia, the Dowager Lady Fieldhurst finds herself bored with the confining life of an aristocratic widow and as yet unable to resign herself to the dreary, black crepe-draped existence that proper society has in store for her. After accepting an invitation to a country party, she finds herself in the vicinity of another puzzling death - an event that inspires her to summon our intrepid young hero, John Pickett, from Bow Street to help her investigate the matter. Unable to take his mind off her, he promptly rushes to her side, posing as her footman in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.

I found this book thoroughly entertaining, from its likeable protagonists and their budding mutual attraction despite the gulf their respective social classes places between them, through the intriguing whodunit plot, the comedy of manners and finally, the quaint setting. The narrator too, brings the story to life skillfully, and the result was that I spent several hours happily immersed in the world of John Pickett and his Lady Julia. If you like detective stories with a dash of the historical, a bit of humor and a sprinkling of romance, I think you'll like this story.

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****

Revisado: 12-04-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

John Pickett and his beloved Lady Julia return for more adventures in this latest entry in the series. This time, even as John attempts to find a safer profession than that of Bow Street Runner for the sake of his new wife and unborn child, he happens upon a child in deep trouble - a child who turns out to be his own previously unknown half-brother. The thrilling story follows John as with increasing desperation, he strives to free his unexpected little brother from the clutches of an ambitious, sociopathic criminal. I found this book enjoyable, though I did find the main antagonist rather lacking as a supposed criminal mastermind feared by all and sundry. John is rather more melodramatic than usual, but given what he goes through, physically and emotionally, I don't really hold it against him. Overall, though, despite these minor issues, it's a very entertaining read. So, in general, I could say that Sheri Cobb South doesn't disappoint me in this latest addition to the John Pickett series and I find myself very much looking forward to reading the next one.

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⭐⭐⭐

Revisado: 03-05-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is yet another largely disappointing clone of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, complete with gods, ghosts, magic, necromancy and the ubiquitous tough, skeptical, female police detective. It's rather predictable, but not unreadable. However, nothing really stands out as unique and nothing makes me want to read any more of the series.

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DNF

Revisado: 02-29-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I liked this book - the first few chapters were well written, with fascinating characters - well enough until the introduction of Mallory Dimante, and then my interest fizzled out completely. Pointless, annoying side characters tend to turn me off audiobooks because it's harder to skip the parts where they appear, so this book goes on the DNF pile.

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DNF

Revisado: 02-24-20

As a Harry Dresden fan, I really wanted to like this, and the narrator was pretty good. However, though the premise of the series intrigued me, and though I could perhaps tolerate the overweening arrogance, the annoying tendency to talk down to the audience and even the misogyny of the main character, I found the villain too cartoonishly evil and the damsel (Ashley), a little too irritating. Put together with the paper-thin plot, I only lasted halfway through the first book. I might give this another read one day, but for now, it's on my DNF pile.

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*****

Revisado: 02-21-20

This is a wonderful collection of classic mummy tales, a must-read for lovers of the genre - I quite enjoyed listening to it.

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⭐⭐⭐

Revisado: 01-15-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I love Pride and Prejudice and have devoured a goodly number of its many variations. That said, I might have appreciated this book much more had it not been tagged as a P&P variation - I enjoy reading both mysteries and historical fiction, but Darcy and Wickham were pretty out of character (in my opinion, anyway) from chapter 1 and because of this perception, I found it difficult to immerse myself more completely in what might have otherwise been a good story.

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🌟🌟🌟🌟

Revisado: 01-09-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I've been following the John Pickett Mysteries ever since discovering 'In Milady's Chamber' here on Audible and have found this latest addition, 'Into Thin Eire', to be quite entertaining and a worthy addition to the series. Enjoyable as it is though, there isn't much mystery to be had, however, as there doesn't seem to have been any doubt as to the identity or motives of the villain, and the kidnapping/revenge plot is perhaps a little too simple for a book in this genre - hence the 4 star rating instead of a perfect five. Still, this was a pleasure to read and I look forward to hearing more of the Picketts in the future.

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