T. STEWART

Decent series that gets better as it goes...

Revisado: 03-23-22

This series is pretty good. It starts out sort of slow story-wise but begins to pick up with Ethan's return and the gradual introduction of more and more types of sups (pronounced like super... these narrators are driving me crazy saying suhp, whomever is responsible for that--I bite my thumb at thee, sir). I think the biggest problem with the first books is just that Selena is a boring villain. Once the author moves on from her, things get going.

Merit's character starts out as a bit of a Mary Sue... immediately awesome at everything for no apparent reason (a bookworm ballerina socialite who can weild a katana like a master within two weeks after being turned...not joking). Keep in mind in this book, Merit has only been a vampire for roughly 6 months, and she's already an unstoppable powerhouse, and more than one centuries old master defers to her wisdom (along with everyone else), just because.

She does do a lot of training, so at least that makes her OP-ness more palatable as time goes on. If you can look past that, the plots do get more interesting around book 5. This is my 2nd listen-through of the complete series. Listening to them back to back, I do have an appreciation for the author's growth as a writer as we go along.

By the way, I looove Mallory's character arc. Her journey from temptation to mega-contrition to reformed bestie are a real highlight in these books for me. Her story, while a lot of it happened "off-screen", hit me right in the feels. Her insta-love with Catcher doesn't do much for me, but I'm a big Mallory fan. (definitely not a Mary Sue lol)

There are some weird phrases here and there that take me out of the story, like Ethan saying "I don't think I'm possible of infuriating." (or something very close to that) That's just an editorial problem, but it bugs me. lol I THINK capable was what she meant. Anyway... stuff like that. This author loves to use $50 words. If you write like an intellectual, little pickies like those stick out more.

As far as the narrators, the other one (Cynthia?) made the first book unbearable. She drove me crazy with her tones and pronunciations. But she DID get better as time went on. I like Sophie's performance better, except the way she delivers Ethan's lines. Yeah, his character is kinda uptight, but I believe he's meant to have more personality and life than either narrator gave him.

I have small issues here and there, but overall the series as a whole is a pretty good listen, especially after book 4.

If you like paranormal romance/adventure stories like these, I can't recommend Dannika Dark enough. She is an outstanding author with a variety of supernatural beings, probably a few unique and cool ones you've never heard of. All her characters begin to feel like family. She's my #1 favorite in the genre. Happy reading!

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I really, REALLY wanted to love it, but...

Revisado: 08-27-19

I debated strongly about whether or not to even do a review for this one because, as Thumper would say, “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” I decided to sit on my thoughts for at least a week and let them marinate to see if I still felt the same. Let me stress first and foremost that I am a fan of Dianne’s and I wouldn’t want to slight any of her work based on a kneejerk, emotional reaction to something that didn’t go the way I’d hoped. However, a week later my feelings haven’t changed, so here are my takeaways, for what they’re worth…

Like everyone else, I’d been counting down to release day. I have read all of the IG series, including The Gifted Ones series. I’ve enjoyed each and every one immensely. Normally, there is a rich, believable love story woven seamlessly into the continuing plot line of the series, and the couples have never failed to drench the pages with scorching, undeniable chemistry. It had never failed, until now.

Was there a high expectation for Seth’s book, being that he is their leader and probably the most tortured soul of them all? Yes. But I’ve thought about it a lot, and I just don’t think that’s the reason it fizzled for me. It was pivotal that the romance in this story outshine them all, even if only a little, but it didn’t even come close for me.

The first part of the book was spent making Seth into a grandfatherly figure. This is a man who has spent millennia as a warrior and suddenly he’s shopping for toddler clothing and going on playdates with children in the park. While it was endearing, to a point, his behavior for most of the book was completely and totally out of character for him. I found myself repeating over and over throughout the book’s entirety “That’s not Seth.” There were some situations (mainly the action sequences) where Seth seemed like his normal self, but for the majority of the book he was a completely different character—and not in that it’s-just-a-different-side-of-him kind of way…he was a totally different person.

As if that weren’t bad enough, the romance between Seth and Leah was nonexistent. There was no romance between them. No sweet tenderness. He felt tingles. She felt tingles. They grinded on one another a lot. He lusted. She lusted. Then BAM…true love???

The only thing that seemed to pull them together was that she could accept his supernatural abilities without freaking out. Everything was 'sooo cool'. Which was another thing that annoyed me. Her character was pretty ridiculous. She is a 46 year old woman (which the book continually reminds you of over and over, even though you may be trying to forget because that felt weird, too…I’m 42 and it still bothered me) who behaves like a 19 year old with no filter on her big blabbermouth. I mean seriously, some of the things she said (while mildly amusing) were downright stupid. I mean, really...who talks like that? It felt like the romance was sacrificed for humor OFTEN.

Without getting spoiler-y, the way she took control when in situations with the other IGs was pushy at best. She just jumped in and took over like she was entitled to do so several times (before she knew any of them on any sort of real level), and Seth just let her say or do whatever she wanted…without saying one word…and everybody was just fine with it. Peachy keen. Really? This is Seth we’re talking about, right? He barely knew her!!

There were parts about her character I liked and parts I hated. That’s fine. All characters should have flaws. But the problem is, there was far more for me to hate than to like, unfortunately. Yes, she was quirky and could make him laugh, but she was also annoying and highhanded. She felt so immature to me at times, it was almost like she was two different people. Was she the mantronly aunt type or the wild hedonistic type, because I seriously got whiplash trying to figure out who she was. While a person can certainly be a little of both, this felt more like a split-personality. :-/

Her personality didn’t mesh with his at all and I felt zero chemistry between the two. That’s my biggest complaint about the book. This love story wasn’t realized nearly as well as all the others have been. The emotions were rushed and the heroine didn’t feel like “the one.” The criteria that supposedly made Seth fall for her could’ve been found in a million other women.

And what was all that stuff involving Roland, which wound up playing no part in the book whatsoever?

All that said, the other facets of the book were on par with Dianne’s other work. That’s why I’m giving it 3 stars. The action was well-structured and interesting. Lots of ongoing plot details were finally explained, thankfully (even though it was odd that Seth dropped the truth-bomb on the IGs despite thousands of years of keeping it quiet to avoid bloodshed…hmmmm….). All the major players made satisfying appearances. I have no complaints on those fronts.

I didn’t hate the book, but as someone who has waited for Seth’s LOVE story since the beginning, it was a huge disappointment for me. I do take comfort in the fact that it wasn’t a reincarnation story, which I hate and had been hoping Dianne would avoid. But, it definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for.

I listened to the audiobook, and actually stopped in the middle of chapter 4 to call a friend (who is also invested in the series and was reading as well) to rant. She was having the same issues I was, and had trouble even getting into it. *sigh*

There is usually so much heart in these stories, and it just wasn’t there for me in this one, which hurts a lot because Seth’s was the one I was looking forward to the most. I will probably listen to the next one in hopes it will be better, but I’m not going to anxiously count down days or bother with a preorder again. I’m so let down. And if the series is headed in the direction it seems to be headed in (ala cliffhanger) I’ll lose interest fast. I prefer fantasy over sci-fi. Hopefully it doesn’t go that way.

So, overall, solid storytelling but the romance fell flat. :(

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My first Emma Chase book and I LOVED IT!

Revisado: 07-14-19

First of all, kudos to the narrators for an absolutely stellar performance. I listen to audiobooks constantly, and let me tell you they did an amazing job. The acting was fantastic. As for the story itself, I can't praise this book enough. This was my first book by Emma Chase and I can firmly say I'm a new fan. I've read hundreds of books and I know a good writer when I have the good fortune to stumble across one. Chase is a good author! This story was simply a romantic gem. I laughed a lot. I cried a little (I can count the times an author has literally brought me to tears on ONE hand...this one did). It was simple but beautiful. Naughty but oh so romantic. The balance of sexy stuff and romance was perfect for me, and the storytelling was rich enough to give you a real bond with the characters and their love story. After finishing the book I had that fuzzy feeling that you get after a great romantic movie. I will definitely be looking into Ms. Chase's other work. 100% worth the credit!! Highly recommend.

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Pretty good story, annoying narrator.

Revisado: 11-07-18

The story and characters weren't bad at all. I can imagine I would've given it a full 5 stars if it had been narrated by someone else. Ms. Kline tends to draw sentences out too slowly and puts on a tone like she's vying for a phone sex operator award. She's trying way too hard to sound sex-kitteny. And then there was the way she did the heroine's voice... I'm not sure why she went that direction, but she read the heroine like a nasal Betty Boop. I found it super annoying and it completely stripped my ability to suspend disbelief and get into the author's world. Overall it was a good book, but the narration was not so great for me.

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Not as good as the previous two...

Revisado: 08-07-18

This girl seemed downright dumb to me. She got mad at him over the most ridiculous things. She would let her bodyguard touch all over her and prance around naked in front of him, then get all indignant when she felt Luc didn't show her enough respect or accused her of sleeping with other people. And pretty much everything she did left me rolling my eyes throughout the story.

(Spoilerish)
Then there was the whole thing at the end with the custody papers... So he offers to sign sole custody over to her to prove that she was the most important thing to him, even more important than the baby (his words). First off, any halfway decent parent always puts their child first. Period. Enough said. Anything less makes him a selfish parent who puts their love life over their kid (*cough...like her mother did...cough cough*). Second, why is him wanting the baby a bad thing? She started the marriage with the hopes of them falling in love later, knowing that he wanted the baby. So she finds out he wanted the baby and doesn't think he loves her and she flips out? How in the hello does that make any sense whatsoever. He wants the baby, he wants her... You'd think it's a win-win, right? Not for this rocket scientist heroine. :-/ She has to be hit over the head with concrete to accept him.

I was hoping for a better story for Luc because he was such a good guy in the last one. I felt for the tragedy this heroine overcame, but her relationship with him fell flat for me. She was just too stupid (which is weird since she was supposed to be so well educated). And it had absolutely nothing to do with her career choices. She just had HORRIBLE judgement. Hopefully the next one is better. If not, I'll be moving on to another author.

As for the narrator, she's just okay for me. She does a decent job but sometimes sounds super whiney. I've heard worse, but I've also heard a lot better. She doesn't make or break it either way.

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Be warned, detailed abortion...

Revisado: 08-03-18

I'm not opposed to some drama weaved into my romance. Where would a good book be without a little angst, after all? However, this one went above and beyond. I'm pretty sure this book has been grossly miscategorized altogether. Despite the steamy sex scenes, this is not what a rational individual would call an erotic romance.

Several things put me off about this book. I think the author could have done much better by avoiding the abortion storyline completely. It was graphic and unnecessary and felt like a personal statement the author wanted to put in for her own reasons.

The heroine decided to have a QUICKY abortion (even though she could tell her partner was very conflicted about it, she didn't care enough to have any real conversation about it or truly consider his feelings at all) because she didn't want a baby. She referred to children as gross, dirty, grubby, etc. There was even a passage where she told her partner that she used to protest against abortion and his reply was "...and I used to vote with the Conservative party. We all do stupid things when we are young." As if that line itself weren't offensive enough to half of the US population, the doctor who performed the abortion referred to the baby as "the product of conception." I found that disgusting. It's a BABY. A human life. Not a "thing" to be discarded so as not to upset one's carefree lifestyle. The callous way this situation was handled destroyed any liking I had come to feel for the characters in the first book. It turned the "heroine" into a selfish, vapid, immature brat for me. Abortion should not be thought of as a post-coitus form of birth control, and that's pretty much what happened here. It was unsettling and unnecessary to the story. Speaking as someone who had to make a horrible decision to have my second pregnancy terminated due to medical complications, this whole scenario turned my stomach.

Needless to say, I will not be continuing on with this series. Since I feel like I've just read more of a hard left political statement (a ringing endorsement for Planned Parenthood, if you will) than an erotic romance, it's a grievous waste of my time as a reader in search of escapist entertainment. Save your politics for MSNBC. My money will be better spent supporting other authors. To each his own, but this mess was not to my taste AT ALL.

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By far the most romantic of the series...

Revisado: 07-13-18

It was so refreshing to have characters who weren't constantly bickering or slamming one another up against walls. That kind of friction can be good fun too, but it was so nice to get a break from that type of story. This one and Oracle's Moon are my favorites for that very reason. They are both lighter on the over the top, screaming conflicts between the hero and heroine. The heroines in both this one and Oracle's Moon were still feisty, just not the raging lunatics I've read in some stories. (I barely made it through Kinked. I almost quit when she brought up a strap-on. Seriously...too much.) I loved Xavier's character. He put me in the mind of Antonio Banderas, which could never be a bad thing to me.

Anyway... By far the best one in my opinion. My only complaint is that it felt too short. I don't know if that's just because I was enjoying it so much or if it actually was a little shorter. And I was disappointed that the epilogue was dedicated to a character from the next book instead of a peek into their future. I think that's the first in this series to jump to another character in the final chapter. From the sound of things the next one is going to be more face scratching and slamming up against walls. Can't complain too much though since I'm still listening. ;)

Great narrator. Great book. Keep them coming!

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DON'T WASTE YOUR CREDIT

Revisado: 07-08-18

There is so much wrong with this I don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with it ending on a cliffhanger with no true resolution in sight. This book was released in March 2015. Um...where is the ending?! The author is still releasing other books so apparently she completely lost interest in this series, and decided to hell with the reader while she's at it. WTH?!

If you've listened to or read the first three books in this series STOP THERE. The first three are pretty decent. But the characters have all become increasingly obnoxious to each other (and I don't just mean Angel's dance with her darker side). All the sniping just got way too immature and got on my nerves in this one. The level of snark had me rolling my eyes. It was way over the top, to the point of ridiculous. No one really talks to each other and their whole family like that 24/7 with no reprieve. And I'm referring to every single character, not just Chase. Lexi and Angel are totally different than when the series started. I can tell the author has a Supernatural fixation, which is cool, but even Sam and Dean have moments of kind words for others. The heart is what makes it work, not the snark.

A lot of people complained about the narrator sounding too scary or whatever. That didn't bother me as much as his intolerable female voices, which came off as either insipid or whiney. Definitely not a fan of the performance, but I was more turned off by other things.

There was a lot that just came off as ridiculous to me. For instance, we are supposed to believe that they only had sex once (until halfway thru this book), despite them being totally obsessed with one another physically, spending an entire summer together, then moving in together and sleeping in the same bed most nights. Give me a break. Have you ever met an 18 year old? lol COME ON...

I was actually interested and looking forward to Chase's point of view, but after powering through it (the struggle was real!) and the finding out there was NO ENDING, I highly recommend skipping it. Pretend book 3 was the end. You'll thank me for it later.

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Interesting story BUT...(*very mild spoilers*)

Revisado: 05-31-18

The narrator did a good job, although I did find the screechy whisper shouting to be quite annoying. Would have preferred the narrator just shout. Overall, the narration was still good though.

This was a good story, but I did have problems with it. It is painfully obvious to anybody who reads series like this that it was originally written with the intention of the overall character arcs bringing Justus and Silver together romantically. It's all laid out with painstaking clarity, right down to her calling him "home" and "her sun". I was completely enjoying myself and totally invested in the relationship that was slowly building between Justus and Silver. Since I have never had an author do this to me before, I was completely blindsided by the fact that the author does a complete 180 and introduces an entirely new character as a love interest for Silver for all the remaining books (Logan). I haven't been this disappointed in a series since True Blood ended (and that's saying something because I was livid over that one). The author obviously changed her mind about where she wanted to go with the series after completing the first book. But as a reader, you tend to get invested in characters and care about them. A good writer has you falling in love with the hero right along with the heroine. So I don't think it's a stretch to say it's a type of betrayal to have such a flip flop when it comes to the main hero.

It's laid out to you in the story that Justus doesn't trust women because his abilities cause them all to be attracted to him and he can't tell what's real and what's not. Silver is immune to those particular gifts, which makes her basically the only woman he could ever fully trust and love. But we're supposed to forget that, and everything else they go through together, including how strongly she feels for him by the end, and move on to a brand new guy who is not even a Mage. Because of this, Justus is emphatically cheated out of his happy ending...and so is the reader.

Another point in the story that made it obvious she was supposed to be with Justus originally was the conversation about bonding between Mages. This obviously isn't going to happen and became a moot point with the introduction of another hero who is a different species.

Then there is the fact that the author has her jumping around from man to man and lusting after all of them. She shares her powers for the first time in a sexual way with Simon and they have a heated make-out session, a little bit later on she is one zipper away from having sex with Adam. By the end, poor Silver is starting to look like the town bicycle. Or at least that's how if felt to me. Too many men in her life sexually. This isn't a love triangle, it's an octagon!

An author should know where the series is going before they put the first book out there. You can't start a series that falls under the romance category with one hero (main protagonist) then change your mind and introduce a brand new one while back-burnering the old one as if he were something stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Bad form, ma'am.

I am riding the fence on whether or not to bother trying the 2nd book in the series because I'll just be angry on Justus' behalf the entire time. Strongly considering just letting it marinate in my mind with him as her HEA hero, and imagining it ending the way it was originally set up.

Such a shame! It was wonderfully original as far as setting and different paranormal species. But, as evidenced by my ranting review, my disappointment is real.

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Good story but narrators matter.

Revisado: 05-09-18

I am giving this one 4 stars based solely on the author's work. It was well written and a fitting wrap up to Patrick and Elle's love story. It also brought good closure to the ongoing menace of Pyro and Cascadia. I enjoyed the story itself just as much as the previous two.

With all that said, I seriously have to ask who is in charge of assigning narrators to these books? The previous narrator from book 2 was great for the series. This guy, while his voice was very soothing, sounded like he would be more appropriate narrating classical fiction like Tom Sawyer or White Fang, or possibly even suspense thrillers. Who in their right mind decided to assign a romantic novela to this gentleman? I'm trying hard to be nice because he's probably a super nice fella. But his narration was completely incompatible with this genre of writing. It took me completely out of the story and made me laugh out loud more than once at the ridiculousness of it. He sounds like a lovely older gentleman but he doesn't suit this style of writing.

I recommend buying the Kindle version of this book and going with the voices in your imagination. The book itself is worth a read.

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