Deb A.

Overly melodramatic narration - Strong female lead

Revisado: 10-05-21

I enjoyed the story, but the narration... I felt like I was being constantly yelled at, to the point of occasionally wiping my face to clear the imagined spittle.

Iris is a strong, independent lead character with a job to complete, but she needs to clean her own house better.

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Spellbinding story

Revisado: 09-27-21

The story begins in 1884 with Sara Smythe. Following an encounter with the Theodore Camden family in a posh London hotel, she is offered a job in New York city as the head housekeeper for a brand new residence called The Dakota - which caters to the wealthy. Upon arrival at the Dakota, she finds out she is not going to be in charge of the housekeeping staff...but The Dakota as a whole! She struggles with the staff, demands of the residents, and the attentions of Theodore (Theo) Camden himself.

Every chapter or three, the story goes to the story of Bailey Camden - told in 1985. Bailey is the great grand-daughter of Christopher Camden - ward of the Camden family. Bailey has just completed rehab, and the former party-girl finds herself homeless, jobless, and penniless. Raised like the 'poor cousin' of the descendants of Theodore Camden, the interior designer finds herself living in the family quarters in The Dakota where she is overseeing the modernization of the furnishings at the behest of Melinda Camden - great-granddaughter of Theodore Camden. Melinda offers her a place to stay and a way to get back on her feet by making a name for herself, and she'll pay Bailey for the work once she comes into her inheritance from the Camden trust - which she will have access to in just a few months upon her 30th birthday.

I greatly appreciated the parallels of the struggle both women endure - albeit 100 years apart.

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Enjoyable story - annoying narration

Revisado: 09-10-21

The narrator does a pretty good job, but she tends to life her voice just before every pause/end of sentence. Reminds me of Allison Hannigan's character in American Pie - "This one time, at band camp..." Gave me a headache.

With that said, It was a wonderful, cozy mystery. I liked the characters and the story itself.

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A sweet escape from real-life

Revisado: 01-26-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The book contains two novellas - first the story of Dyana Jackson and her chance to follow her own dream (for the first time in her life) after a video of her singing at her brothers wedding gets into the hands of a play director (musical theater). She has always supported the dreams of her husband and family, and now that it's her turn, her home life becomes strained. I loved how the play in which Dyana has the lead contains parallels between the plot and Dyana's life.

The second story had a weaker plot, but I still enjoyed the story. Layla has recently completed her freshman year of college and her family has moved to another part of the country. She goes with so she is not alone, but she struggles in the new school. She has obtained a scholarship for gymnastics, but there isn't a place for her on the team - though the coach of team asks her to send a tape and he'll consider her for the following year. Knowing she needs to practice, she tries out for and joins the cheerleading squat - where she can utilize her skills. Unfortunately, the other members are far from accepting. Fortunately, the quarterback of the football team has taken a keen interest in her, and their relationship blooms throughout the story.

Both stories were very sweet, though not without trials to get through. For me, they made for a great escape from the real world for a time.

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The 'what if' thoughts on this are...staggering!

Revisado: 09-21-20

A great ride! I was hooked from the beginning and it was hard to put down. I tend to 'put the book down' and think about what is going on - or just happened - to analyze my feelings about it and just think 'what if?'. Or, in this case, pause. With this one, the implications are quite frankly disturbing and staggering. I had to keep listening; I had to know more!

The only 'negative' I really had was regarding the narration. It was often difficult to keep the characters straight, and I found myself rewinding often to clarify who was in the scene.

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Author and narrator try too hard

Revisado: 09-24-19

The mystery is a good one, but the story would be better if the author didn't try quite so hard to be funny/snarky. I liked the mystery though! Might even continue with the series - though not the audiobooks if it's the same narrator.

Then there is the narrator...UGH! She often shouts into the microphone causing issues with the audio. it's extremely distracting. Other times, the reading is all-but monotonous.

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Listen at 1.5x or faster to handle the narration

Revisado: 06-04-19

The marration is horribly monotone in most places, and overly dramatic in others. There is no editing to the audio - there are many places where the narrator starts, messes up, then backs up a bit and reads again. These should have been edited out.

The story itself is incredibly far-fetched, but makes for a light read. Definitely no depth to the characters.

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Took me by surprise!

Revisado: 07-21-16

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I liked how the book made me think, not only of different lifestyles, but of Autism. I LOVE books that make me think.

If you’ve listened to books by Riley Murphy before, how does this one compare?

This was my first book by Riley Murphy, but it won't be the last.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the scene with Miss Scott, and the way James handled the situation and the comfort he offered.

Any additional comments?

Michaela (Mickey/Mike) wants James, and she'll do whatever it takes - be the woman he wants - to get him. James works for her father, and when they first meet, she's in her teens still. The story spans a few years, but 'Mike' never looses sight of her goal - despite knowing James is a highly respected Dom. She's determined to be his sub, no matter what.

James looks after Michaela, and invites her to call him whenever she needs help. Over the years, she happily taunts and teases him. James knows Michaela thinks she wants him, but does not want such a vanilla girl subjected to his lifestyle. He prefers she remain an innocent.

Michaela seems fairly childish throughout, but that may be a reflection on my age and upbringing. I was glad of the way James handled their relationship. He could have scared her away, easily, possibly scarring her for life. Fortunately for him, Michaela had done her homework on the lifestyle and was determined to join him.

I've since bought the Kindle version of the book, but not knowing what I was getting myself into, when an ARC of the audiobook was offered up in exchange for an honest review, I apparently jumped head first into the deep end! I've not previously read a book that more than hinted at BDSM, so my first reaction was 'oh crap!' I stuck with it, and I'm very glad I did! Yeah, there was some adult content, but there was more to the story than just sex sex sex. THANK HEAVENS! I like books that actually tell a story, and this one certainly did.

While the genre is not normally my cup of tea, I didn't find it to be over-the-top and off-putting. I was really impressed with the book, and would definitely read another by this author. I really liked the choice of readers for the audiobook, too. Wen and Kai do a great job portraying the characters!

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Sweet story - annoying narration

Revisado: 07-14-16

What made the experience of listening to Ambrosia by the Sea the most enjoyable?

I like the premise of the beach being a place to 'escape' to. It's worked for me! Also, turning the narration up to 1.5x so it was't as annoying.

What did you like best about this story?

I like how Celia was ready to pick up and start over in a new place, sight unseen, to recover from not only the loss of her husband to a tragic accident, but discovering his infidelity at the same time.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I felt the narrator was reading in a way meant to be sexy and sultry, but at the same time sound like a disney princess. It was extremely annoying, and I almost gave up on the book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Found again

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Six will enter, one MIGHT leave

Revisado: 12-30-15

Where does The Haunting rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty good! It was easy to distinguish between characters, and the performance didn't grate on my senses like some do.

Would you be willing to try another book from Nicole Garcia? Why or why not?

Absolutely! While the sex scene in this was very graphic, it was also 'honest'. I've read several where I swear the author is trying to find the most obscure words to make the scene scene feel tender, like there are angles singing, flower petals falling, and just plain glamorize the activity. This scene was actually realistic, in my opinion. It was spontaneous, crude, just plan real. The words exchanged were real. I know some love these scenes to be beautiful, full of similes and pretty adjectives. I always find myself skimming over those scenes, just to get them over with and back to the story.

What three words best describe Lou Schocken’s performance?

Believable, decent, memorable

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Since the faucets have all had their handles removed so the contestants do not have access to water during their stay, I appreciated the resourcefulness of the female protagonist in acquiring water.

Any additional comments?

I did find it difficult to listen to in a quiet setting. When reading the dialog for Kelly, it was almost shrill and I kept having to turn down the volume. However, when Lou Schocken was reading the dialog for Jace and the other males, I had to keep turning the volume up since it was almost whispered, rather gruff and rough. Since I was listening to it late at night, I was sure he was going to wake up my husband - sleeping just in the next room. The female 'voices' were considerably louder. Not just 'higher', but louder.

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