Ms M

It was ok

Revisado: 12-05-23

I don’t get the hype? This was good but not amazing. It was ok to listen to while doing stuff around the house but didn’t hold my attention / I wasn’t riveted. Maybe it’s because I didn’t find the main character engaging.

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A little preachy for me

Revisado: 11-26-23

This was enjoyable for the first half but. The book started to take a turn with about 3 hours left and started to feel a little too churchy/preachy for me. I totally get it’s a Christmas book set in a historical time period but the emphasis on faith and belief took me out of the Regency holiday romance fantasy. No shade to the author or subject matter just very much not for me.

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Didn’t exactly meet the description

Revisado: 05-23-23

Based on the description I was expecting a hot listen but this fell short. It was too plot-centric and it felt like the narrator phoned in the smexy stuff.
Will I re-listen to it? Mmm, I may give it a second chance at some point but no guarantee.

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Good narration, average story

Revisado: 05-21-23

Story was fine, familiar set-up, low angst, fair warning on mentions of domestic abuse.
Overall just felt a little lackluster - I didn’t really feel the connection between the two MCs and never really got caught up in the story.
Will I re-listen to it? Probably not.

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I'm reading, then watching

Revisado: 07-12-15

WARNING! This is not a plot summary review. This is a book v. show review/ discussion ONLY. If you want a plot summary, Google should have plenty! ;-)

I've heard far too much about the awesomeness of GoT the series (both book series and TV show), so have finally decided to bear down and do this thing before I hear any more spoilers about the show!

Thing is, I watched the first season of the show before I started the books. I can now tell you the show appears to be a VERY faithful adaptation of the book. So much so that I actually got bored with the book a few times because I already knew what was going to happen. And Martin is very Tokienesque in that the man likes his details (which can slow it down as well). So, if you are already invested in the show, it may be hard to go back and read the entire series. Especially when you consider each book is a 30+ hour listen. However, having read the first book, I already feel like I understand the characters WAYYYY more than the TV show would give me the chance to, and in some ways, even though there is a lot between now and the latest book to change them, I probably still know the characters better than people only watching the show, because I'm getting so much backstory and personal motivation through the book. So, if you are in the market for going hard on Westeros, for sure read the books!

Now, the rub. I hear the show is caught up with the books, and as of next season, the books and the show will diverge in places (I hear in only minor ways, but given Martin's penchant for leaving nothing sacred, I wouldn't be surprised if they are completely different).

So, it kind of seems that unless you're in a similar situation to myself and haven't really gotten too far into either, you almost have to pick a side for your own sanity. But if you're in the same boat I am, follow me and do both!!! But if you do, I strongly recommend reading a book, then watching its corresponding season. Otherwise the book may be too slow and daunting.

As for whether I liked it, my level of commitment to both forms of the story should be a good clue that I loved it, and I am obsessed. Officially!

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Fun light reading, but the start of a series?

Revisado: 06-24-15

I decided to read this when I was in a wishy-washy mood and was surprised to find myself enjoying the story. This is meant to be the first installment of a post-Russian-revolution detective series featuring Pekkala, a man who used to work directly for the Romanovs, but because of obvious, now kind of has to work for Stalin et al.
Re: plot - I totally love the Romanov mystery, which is why I bought this book in the first place. The possibility of survivors makes for good storytelling. With the book taking place years after the revolution, I liked that this was a cold case story, with a little modern forensics mixed in. But, since I only bought it for the Romanov story, and have little interest in Communist-era detective stories on whole, I doubt I'll pick up the next installment.
Re: narrator - Paul Michael (it's the same guy who did the last two Dan Brown books) does good euro accents, and I enjoy his style of narrating, so it's entirely possible part of me liked this because I kept expecting Robert Langdon to pop into a scene. In all honesty, I may have liked the book more for this reason. (Insert shoulder shrug)
Overall, a good choice if you're not looking for anything too heavy, or too long. :-)

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So maybe I love it, what of it?

Revisado: 09-16-14

Wowza! Didn't expect to love this as much as I do! I saw the movie when I was in high school and thought it was cool and clever and all, but now having heard the novel, I have such a better appreciation for 1) what a good book-to-film adaptation the movie is and 2) what a great writer Dashiell Hammett was. I'd seen the movie long enough ago that, although I remembered the basics, I forgot the intricacies of the plot. After listening to the book, I went back and watched the movie again. That was when I realized the above. Because I'd only seen the movie, I wrongly assumed they had taken liberties as most movies do. I was super surprised that the movie pulls a TON of dialogue directly from the book and nails the casting on all the characters. Super cool. So I guess I'm really recommending reading the book, then watching the movie. The book is a bargain and the movie isn't expensive to rent. 10 hours of entertainment for cheap. What's not to like?!

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Better AND worse than Part One

Revisado: 03-20-14

I'm really at a crossroads about this book. I think Sevastyan is a hot character, as is the chemistry between Nat and him, BUT. I am OVER this format. If anything, this second part of The Professional is making me question Ms. Cole a bit. Would all of her books be this frustrating (not just in the good "Next time on..." way) if published in installments? Although we finally got some deliciously delicious sex, that was the only good part. The rest was b.s. drama between the two, without any of the anticipation and build up from Part One, and by necessity no HEA we're going to get from Part Three. Or should I say, the HEA we'd better get!

In my review of Part One, I made comment that I wished I'd waited to purchase until the entire thing was published (preferably as one volume). This installment only reinforces my earlier opinion. Because it ended on a cliffhanger, part of me wanted to download the next one right away and keep going. But, I was so irritated with Natalie and a little bit Sevastyan, that I still haven't bought Part Three. I probably will sooner than later, but since it feels like I'm having to overpay for a less-than-awesome Kresley Cole story that isn't even narrated by Robert Petkoff....I'm not in a huge rush. Ya know?

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What a surprise!!

Revisado: 03-20-14

I'm now on Book 8 of this series, so I guess it's time to gush about it for a minute!

I was kind of burnt out on PNR when I decided to pick up this audiobook. So glad I did! Although the world Ms. Laurenston creates is not noticeably different than others I've read (maybe the most obvious difference is that shifters seem to be the only paranormal element to the stories?), she totally makes up for the lack with legitimately good writing and character development. And she's got a great narrator to back her up, so that should really seal the deal for anyone who likes a good shifter romance. Total bonus (according to moi)? This first book in the series is actually two shorter stories, introducing you to two couples who have some social ties, but are separated enough that you get two completely different introductions to the Pride series for the price of one. Who doesn't love a good deal?!

I admittedly didn't love the first story about Dez, a full human cop from the Bronx, and Mace, a lion shifter who's carried a torch for her since they were kids. This one didn't get me fully hooked, but I was enjoying the narration and the presentation of the world Ms. Laurenston was giving, and found myself wanting to listen at every available opportunity. Maybe I was just out of it when I listened, because that's the only time it's happened so far!

The second story I enjoyed much more. I really liked Ronnie Lee Reed and Brendan Shaw, and found their story much more enjoyable. I mean, hi, it's love at first sight for Brendan. That's always good for me. Also thought the sex was hotter, for sure. But what made me remember this story more than the other? Perhaps because they're both shifters? Maybe because I love crazy southerners? Or could it be that I'm just a sucker for a man getting into a brawl with his own family over a woman (cuz I'm messed up like that)? Ummm, all of the above!

In general, this series is totally worth the time and credits. All the books contain humor, intrigue, interesting characters and some decently hot sex scenes. (I say decently hot because they don't really get HAWT like a Kresley Cole, ok real talk, like a Robert Petkoff-narrated book, but they still get my pulse going.) I also can't over-emphasize how much I like a well-written book containing characters that don't have to do stupid and completely absurd things to propel the plot. I've thoroughly enjoyed every installment, and have already re-listened to one of the books that particularly grabbed me. If this kind of thing is your bag, you really can't go wrong.

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Didn't match up to the hype - SPOILERS below

Revisado: 01-09-14

I saw a lot of stellar reviews for this book, and I love me a good suspense/ mystery novel, so I was really excited to start this book.

The premise - wife goes missing on the 5th anniversary of her marriage, and it quickly becomes clear there is something amiss. Did the husband do it? What's he hiding? - and format really grabbed me. The book is written both from the first-person perspective of the wife, Amy, starting from the moment she and Nick meet, as well as from the first-person perspective of the husband, Nick, starting from the day Amy goes missing.

I was hooked.....for the first few hours. But maybe I've read/ watched to many of these kinds of tales, because about 1/4 of the way in, I had a very strong (in the end correct) hunch about what was really going on, which made me completely lose interest in the story. In fact, it took about 3 months of periodic listening before I finally decided to just bear down and finish this thing.

Again, the "twist" was a far-gone conclusion. Also, I've watched Luther on BBC (which I LOVE) so Amy just felt like a more annoying and if you can believe it, less sympathetic version of Alice. (Ok confession, once Amy comes clean about setting Nick up for a fall and stops being polite and starts getting real - yes, I just quoted The Real World! - she's actually more interesting than fake Amy, but still wah wah compared to other literary and screen sociopaths.)

I appreciate that the ending is kind of effed up and not an "HEA" (read: Amy doesn't gets what's coming to her) but after having spent 16+(?) hours with these completely un-likeable characters - seriously, there is nothing redeeming about the Dunnes - the least Gillian Flynn could have done was give the reader a satisfactory ending. Instead of, what? Crazy is as crazy does? After all of that BS, the least she could have done was kill, paralyze or seriously maim one or both of this married pair. Is that so much to ask?

So, the big Q is would I recommend it??? Ehhh. Now that I know it's being made into a movie.....maybe just wait for the movie. And if you just love it SO much, then read the book. That way, if you don't like the movie, you've only wasted 2 1/2 hours of time, not 6 times that amount on the book.

p.s. The narrators were easily the best part of this story. In particular, Julia Whalen did a fantastic job - her bomb narration skills were all that kept me going through Amy's sections sometimes!

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