PJ Reads

Unexpectedly Engaging

Revisado: 02-11-20

The story has twists and turns from the beginning right to the very end.

There is very little repetitive angst despite the ages of the characters and the setting of the book.

You will need to suspend disbelief here and there, but it didn't get in the way of the story or my enjoyment of it.

Occasionally I did find myself pulled out of the story when the voice given to some of the male characters did not match their ages, but not nearly enough to get in the way of my enjoyment.

PJ Reads

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Not as good as the first

Revisado: 07-01-18

I would not have put this book on my wishlist if the first book weren't better than this one. Overall, it's an ok listen, but not great.

I rarely binge listen to a series, this being no exception. With the volume of books in between, something early in the story needs to remind me of the previous book(s). I didn't get that in this book and had to get into this one without benefit of the previous one. I never really got invested in the story. It was ok, but nothing more.

The narration was very good, however.

I will probably listen to the next one. but it will need to be better than this one to keep me from abandoning the series.

PJ Reads

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I hardly know where to start ...

Revisado: 03-13-17

How could the performance have been better?

Several of the narrators had a twangy sound to their voices. I am not sure if it was poor quality recording and production or if that is how they sound. One of the narrators was so over the top in some of the scenes I could hardly listen. The stories are not that great so an
audible production of this book required top notch narrators. That was not delivered.

Narrators can make or break an audio book. They can make a good story difficult to read and they can make an average or even poor book kind of fun to listen to. Neither of those happened here.

Any additional comments?

This is a compilation of a bunch of short stories and/or novellas.

It's too bad that the stories weren't better. I love the genre and Cynthia has a unique take on it. I also enjoy good short fiction, but short fiction requires more skill and attention to plot and characters than full length novels. In good short fiction every word and every scene have complex meaning. The reader has to follow the story intensely to catch the hidden nuances. That is what I am looking for in shorter fiction. This did not deliver.

I really, really wanted to skip one of the stories, but since I was planning to write a review, I muddled through it. It was really, really slow and boring. With over 1800 audiobook reads under my belt, I can count on one hand the number I did not finish. That speaks to how bad this story was.

As short, erotic stories that include shifters, the set is okay. There is plenty of sex, but the scenes are not great. Again, just okay.

So a quick story by story note:

-- Addicted to the Billionaire Dragon
--Narrator is awful. I was eventually able to overcome her voice and listen to the story, but it was a lot of work.
--Story was strange. I understand the need to suspend belief in this genre, however, I couldn't swallow this one. The main female character was just too accommodating in the story. Also, the complete lack of support for the explanation for the dragons was disappointing. There is no culture building and no character building. Plenty of sex, but even that was poorly done.

Billionaire Bear
--Narration was Okay. A Maine accent comes through here and there which doesn't really fit in, but it was okay.
--Story was Okay. Not great, just okay. This one is actually a story. Not great short fiction, but interesting enough to read. Again, there's plenty of sex if you want it.

Dragon King
--Narration was Okay.
--Story is okay. It requires more suspense of belief than I am comfortable with. As an erotic short with dragons, however, it's fine.

Gorilla Passion
-- Not sure what happened here, but I don't remember this story and could not find it as I went back through the book. Sorry.

Shifter Underworld
--Narration is not too bad on this one. The voice for the lead male is a bit emasculating.
--Story is okay. Not a story I would generally be interested in, but, for what it is, it's okay.

Dirty for the Lions
--Narration is okay. The voice is just a bit irritating, but it got better the longer I listened.
--Story is weird, kind of like the first one. Not my thing, but it was okay. Structurally, the story is not bad, but it's missing key elements. Again, more of an erotic story than a story.

Thanks,
PJ

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Excellent second book in a series, get it!

Revisado: 03-10-17

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a great book with complex characters and plots.

There is a nice mix of modern and dystopian values and sentiments. I would like to believe that America's core values would still exit 2000 years from now. The story of the resistance is based on that assumption and those values fighting against tyranny with it's tyrants.

The plot to turn America into a Dictatorship with the population little more than puppets is very complex. There are schemes within schemes. This is balanced with the opposition trying to make headway with the population who is primarily outside of the fight and with the people working for the government who are good guys and want to do the right thing, even when it means questioning the system they work for.

Alicia's creativity when it comes to how bad the bad guys can be is scary. I was surprised more than once by some of the tactics. Of course, the good guys have some interesting tactics as well.

The characters continue to become more complex in this book. We get to know more about the major characters as well as getting to know more about a number of the secondary characters. There are some happy endings and some not so happy endings in this story. Given the setting, that is expected.

This is an excellent second book in a series. Every bit as action packed and complex as the first. I strongly recommend it. Worth the credit.

What about Marissa Clay’s performance did you like?

Marissa does a good job of helping the listener to keep track of who is speaking and what their emotions are. She also kept me in the story throughout. Her narration and the story flowed well together. I really enjoyed listening to the story.

Thanks Alicia for the opportunity to read this story!

PJ

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What Do You Expect Out of Demons?

Revisado: 03-04-17

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Micah's sister, Tracy, and her relationship with Micah and Jack. The information helped me understand Micah, Jack and their motivations better.

What does Henry McNulty bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Henry does a great job of bringing out the emotion in the story. Given the emotional nature of it, this is really helpful. It allowed me to catch more of the nuances in the story. He also helps the story to flow which allows the listener to just let the story roll through them. I really enjoyed the narration of this story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, and I did. Thanks Elise and Henry.

Any additional comments?

The Seal picks up right where The Guardians left off.

This is a very good story. It is a bit typical of the second book in a series - filling in a lot of missing information, learning more about the characters, and setting the scene for future stories. It does have action and progress is made toward the initial goals of the overall story.

It also introduces a completely new element that will have a major effect on the fulfillment of those goals. It is not just a filler story, but it has filler elements. The very end of the book also introduces yet another obstacle to be overcome.

I didn't feel like the story was one whole, complete story. That, combined with the new cliffhanger, keeps the story from being 5 stars.

The characters become more complete during this story. We get to learn a lot more about them and about their motivations. We also get to learn more about the things the demons will do to beat them. Being demons, you can imagine.

Watch for new information about Addison's step father, it's kind of funny in a macabre way.

I really enjoyed this story. If you read The Guardians, you should also read The Seal.

Thanks Elise for the opportunity to read The Seal.

PJ

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The Right Woman Can ...

Revisado: 03-04-17

Would you consider the audio edition of Savage Alien to be better than the print version?

Yes. The two narrators were great. They kept the story moving along and brought the characters to life. I listened to the whole story in one sitting, which is only possible when the narration is good.

What did you like best about this story?

When Michelle finally realizes that her movie star boyfriend doesn't really care about her. She wanted to believe that she had the ideal life, but she was obviously the only one working on the relationship. When she is finally ready to accept this, it's a great moment.

Any additional comments?

This is a good alien/human romance with most of the story taking place on Earth.

As in several other TerraMates stories, dreams expose the alien lover. When they really meet, it is difficult for her to believe that it is real. It also leaves her with a dilemma; what to do about meeting a person from their dream whom she has imagined a relationship with?

There is not a lot of world building required in this story as almost all of it takes place on Earth. There is, however, cultural information on the aliens. We learn what we need to know to understand the story and the motivations of the aliens. There are both good and bad actions and motivations by the aliens as there are by the humans adding to the depth of the story and the characters.

Michelle is a strong character. Her growth and ability to adapt as the story progresses leads to the actions required of her near the end of the story.

This is book 12 in the series. It isn't often that you can read the 12th book in a series without being at least somewhat bored with the series. Lisa has done a great job of keeping the series fresh. Each story has different set ups, different motives for using TerraMates, and different settings. Each story is a new adventure which keeps the series from getting old.

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Thanks Lisa for the opportunity to listen to Savage Alien.

PJ

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Need to Get Me One of Them Wolves

Revisado: 02-21-17

Any additional comments?

Very good shifter romance.

I'm a huge Laurann Dohner fan, fair warning, this review may be biased by that.

This was a different type of storyline for Laurann. It was a more standard story than she normally writes, but it was still a great story. This is a true shifter book, it contains the type of characters and situations I expect in this genre. There are some differences from standard shifter behavior, rules, and interactions with humans. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It caught my attention and kept it throughout.

The narration by Jessee Foudray was very good. It started out somewhat slow, but that got better quickly. I noticed that this was produced by a different company. Her books are usually produced by Audible. That may have had something to do with the slow reading. Overall, Jessee's voice worked well with the story. I stayed interested through the book and never had to work to listen.

The primary characters in the book have some depth. Near the end of the book, we learn new information about Brandi that was not hinted at prior to that time indicating that we will see more of her in the coming books. In addition to the two main characters, we get peeks at the Alphas' personalities. I expect, based on prior reading of Laurann's books, that we will learn a lot more about the pack and it's members as the series progresses.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Worth a credit or purchase.

Thanks
PJ

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Who's Good, Who's Evil, and Who Decides?

Revisado: 02-20-17

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did listen to this book in one sitting. The dual narration helped make that possible. Both narrators were very good and the narration complimented the story rather than getting in the way of it. I was taken out of the story a couple of times early on by a male voice done by Aundrea, but that was just a couple of times. Most of the book just flowed.

Any additional comments?

This is an interesting take on Angels. I really enjoyed it.

There are some unexpected species in the book and a different take on the rules and the way things work. This is not your traditional Judeo Christian spirituality and rules. Kris' take on them and the specific characters in the story kept me interested. We learn about each of them throughout the book, learning enough to understand what is happening in the story and a bit more.

The main characters are complex. They have real feelings, drives, and concerns. Overcoming obstacles they are presented with and limitations placed upon them helps them to grow and become more complex throughout the story. The growth of Laney and her ability to cope with her destiny make her a great character.

Kris does a good job of putting action, dialog and flashbacks together to keep the story moving. The change from one to the other is smooth. I was not pulled out of the story as it moved between them and enjoyed the way the story was put together.

There is still a lot to learn about this world and the characters in it. I have questions that I want answered. Even with the questions I still have, this is a complete story. It has a natural ending. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Again, this is a very good book and I recommend you read it if you like this type of paranormal story. It's worth the credit.

Thanks Kris for the opportunity to read this story.

PJ

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What Makes Life Worth Living?

Revisado: 02-19-17

What does Aundrea Mitchell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Andrea kept the story flowing. If I had been reading, I believe that I would have had to put the book down in places to give my brain time to catch up with the story. The narration allowed the story to just flow. I actually listened to the book in one sitting and found myself a bit disappointed when it ended.

Any additional comments?

This is a good Teen/YA book, although I would not recommend it for younger teens unless they are reading it with an adult and talking about some of the topics covered in the book. There are a lot of controversial topics introduced.

The story itself is written in the style of an autobiography told through a 'diary.' The main character, Antoinette, is extremely well defined and complex. Her experiences, reactions, and motivations are presented in a compelling manner. This is not done in a dry way, but through the actual events in her life with just enough commentary to understand the event and it's effect on her life. We see her grow in both age and maturity through the book.

The story kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I was never sure exactly where the story was going, but it was always interesting.

This is a very good story, worth a credit. It is not my usual genre, but I still found myself interested in the story and compelled to find out how it ended.

I am happy to have been given the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks
PJ

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Auctions, Hot Bounty Hunters, and Giant Spiders

Revisado: 02-19-17

Which scene was your favorite?

The discovery at the end of the book was my favorite part. It was a nice touch leading in to the final revelation. I don't want to spoil your fun, but it was quite the discovery.

Any additional comments?

Another interesting story with TerraMates taking liberties with the rules, again.

I found this to be an enjoyable story. It was a nice mix of the main and sub plots. The main villain is more than a bit cliché. I enjoyed the way things were played with the main villain, not the usual suspect. I thought I had figured out what was going to happen early on, but Lisa did a great job of misleading me and making me second guess myself throughout the story.

I LOVED the pet, it was great. The opening scene where it was introduced was excellent. If we all had pets like that our lives would be much easier. Although, a loveable spider? I loved the character, but I would have had a difficult time getting used to it.

I enjoyed the slow but steady growth of the heroine. She was completely naïve at the beginning of the story. She learns the hard way that there are bad guys everywhere. Although she is still quite trusting and somewhat naïve at the end of the story, she makes big strides.

Samantha's narration fit well with the story. There were times when I noticed the narration during the book which took me out of the story a little bit, but for the most part the narration was good. I never wondered which character was speaking and her voice was easy to listen to.

Overall, this is a very good story. I recommend this book, it's a very good addition to the series. Worth the credit.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this story Lisa.

PJ

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