Kendra A.

Needs a trigger warning

Revisado: 11-29-24

I like this series so far; the worldbuilding is good, the stories are interesting, and Ward & Mason are very likeable MCs. However, as another commenter mentioned, there’s an extremely graphic on-page sexual assault in this one, and it comes out of absolutely nowhere. It has nothing to do with the overall plot of the book, there’s no need for it to drive the story, and the consequences for it are very minor compared to how traumatic it was to read. Honestly, it just felt like a way to further harm that character because the author has a hurt/comfort kink.

I haven’t read the rest of the series yet, so I’m not sure if you need to know the plot of this one to read the others (or if they’re even worth reading), but if you have any doubts at all about reading this particular book, SKIP IT.

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Okay characters, zero plot

Revisado: 05-29-23

Michael Dean’s narration for this series is always good, but as far as the plot goes, this is easily the weakest book in the entire Chosen One universe. Absolutely nothing happens in the overall series story, and very, very little in the lives of the two incredibly minor side characters who center this particular book.

Roan has almost no personality (particularly since he’s absent for half of the book; don’t worry, though, you’ll barely notice he’s gone). Zachary may as well be gone, too; he’s a pale copy of bits and pieces from other characters’ personalities. Oh, and then there’s his deranged “best friend,” who is on page for a single shopping trip, then pops in to commit armed assault for *absolutely no reason,* then completely disappears, never to be heard from again.

As far as I can tell, the only reason this book even exists is to (sort of? VERY weakly?) introduce Ollie’s love interest for the next book, but it’s done so incredibly lamely that I really wish I’d just waited & skipped to the next book.

If you’re at all on the fence, maybe give this one a pass.

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Meh.

Revisado: 03-06-20

This was a decent story, but Ira, the main character, comes across as kind of a jerk. He’s very self-involved, and everything is about him and his pain, with little regard for anyone else. He also tends to go off in fits of temper and say things that are, frankly, inexcusable (example: Colton’s former girlfriend approaches them with her three teenage daughters in tow and starts being awful; in retaliation, he tells the girls that their mom “couldn’t keep her legs together” in school, and “had more jocks in her than the gym.” Yes, she’s a terrible person, but saying that to three minor CHILDREN was Not Okay). I couldn’t get past that, so I couldn’t finish it; I’m not sure if he grows as a person by the end or not.

The narration was solid, and I actually liked what we saw of Colton, but overall, this was just “meh.”

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Too stupid to live

Revisado: 08-22-19

I normally love Morgan Brice/Gail Z. Martin, but I despise books with characters who are too stupid to live, and unfortunately, this is one of them.

When a character knows for certain that they’re in mortal danger, but then willfully leaves their brain at the door FOR NO REASON, I stop caring about them at all, and start cheering for the villain. This is especially true when another character that I love is working his butt off and risking his own life multiple times trying to keep the ungrateful moron alive, and yet Idiotface is actively suspicious of him, while being RIDICULOUSLY trusting towards the guy who wants to use him as a human sacrifice.

Add in Kale Williams’ generally good reading but incredibly awkward sex scenes, and I couldn’t finish this one.

Give this series a pass, and try the Badlands series instead!

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"Wait, what?"

Revisado: 09-15-18

So, guy A has a crush on his coworker, guy B. Guy B is married to a woman, but guy A decides, after two really short conversations, two super brief sexual encounters, and seeing guy B have a single conversation with another dude (with whom he’s also cheating on his wife), that he’s madly in love with guy B, but that since guy B is obviously not as into it as he is(?), he should pack up and move from Florida to California(!), without ever speaking to guy B about anything (::eye roll::).

In CA, he meets a new guy, guy C, who invites him to move in after a single date(?!?). A goes home to pack up his stuff, and B drops by to say hey. He tells A that he left his wife (suuuure you did, buddy), but suddenly guy A thinks B is whiny and self-centered for some reason? So he tells him to buzz off and then moves in with C, who is now his perfect love (or whatever, I don’t even know).

If this happened in real life, I’d assume that all three of them had some kind of psychosis, and/or had been lobotomized. Since it’s fiction, it’s just poor writing; not only is there no emotional or sexual resonance to any of these “relationships,” there’s no coherent reason for anything any of them do. Okay, yeah, it’s erotica, so you can’t expect too much, but this was all just one giant WTF? from start to finish; not sexy, just confusing.

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"Awesome book, terrible narrator"

Revisado: 07-07-18

I adore this series, so I was really excited to see they were coming out in audio. The first one had some bad reviews, but I liked book two a little bit better, anyway, so I thought I'd start here (there are loose connections between the books, but you don't really have to read them in order).

I...I can't even. Percy's voice sounds like Cal's should (Percy's the twink-y king of sarcasm and snark, not a Dudley Do-right wannabe), his cousin Frank's voice sounds like a cross between a mustache-twirling villain and one of the nerds from Saved By The Bell, and Cal...oh, my goodness, I had to turn it off after Cal's second or third line. WHY would you make him sound like a stuffy, vaguely British old man??!???! I mean, a New Zealand accent would have made some sense (for everybody, not just Cal), but this? Just...no. He's supposed to be a down-to-Earth graduate student/heartthrob, not a pretentious 55-year-old history teacher.

I'm not returning it because I want the author to have the sale (she's one of my favorites), but if you're at all unsure about getting the audio versions of these books, consider picking up the ebooks, instead. They're fabulous, hold up well to re-reading, and are by turns funny and sweet and intense and satisfying.

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Cowboys and Demons

Revisado: 06-05-18

Glad to see more of this series coming out in audio format! If the idea of a gunslinger with dual pistols firing alchemical bullets appeals to you, you’re probably going to like this one.

Jackson’s a likeable main character, and the supporting cast are mostly interesting, too. I adore Meghan Derr’s books, and this one and Midnight are probably my two favorites in this particular series (I like Chris & Sable a lot as characters, but their books, the first two in the series, were just a little too disjointed).

Michael Stellman’s always a good, solid narrator, but with this one I had a little trouble telling who was speaking whenever it wasn’t Jackson. This isn’t a problem I’ve had with any of his other narrations, so I think maybe he was having some difficulty telling who was supposed to be saying each line (which is a minor issue I’ve seen in some of Megan Derr’s other earlier books). With that said, he still does good work, there were just a handful of, “Wait, what?” moments.

Definitely worth a credit!

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Good book, HORRIBLE secondary character

Revisado: 01-01-18

Loved the basic story and the main characters, but Dylan (one of the MC’s “friends” - and I use the term extremely loosely) was one of my least favorite characters in all of fiction. It got to the point where every word that came out of his mouth completely infuriated me; if anyone EVER acted that way towards me in my own home, they’d find themselves on the curb waiting for a cab, and never allowed in again. Or possibly nursing a black eye and bruised groin, and maybe a stab wound or two, after he pressures and manipulates someone he thinks is recovering from a nervous breakdown into having sex with him. Oh, and he’s a total drug pusher, just to make sure he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He’s such a completely selfish tool that I almost couldn’t finish the book because of him.

So, yeah; 75% of this one is great and sweet and wonderful, but that last 25% made me want to kill things.

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