Barb O.

Captivatingly dark and twisted imaginary tale

Revisado: 07-11-21

With hints of romance, this historical novel is a macabre, twisted mystery that delves into human darkness, our fascination with oddities, class and gender differences of the time period, and the things people will do to survive. There is nothing cookie cutter or predictable about this book, though there are subtle hints throughout that cast questions about potential treachery that surrounds Cora. While I had my suspicions about what was going to happen throughout the story, plot twists kept me on my feet and thinking. At the end of this book, I felt both satisfied with the ending, yet curiously wanting more, as though saying goodbye to an old friend I wasn't ready to leave behind. As per usual, Saskia Maarleveld did an outstanding job with the performance. This book was definitely worth the credit.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Not sure what the hype was all about

Revisado: 05-07-21

So many other reviewers commented on how much they loved this book and this series. Those who didn't like this particular story felt they had to get much further into the story before things made sense and got good. However, I felt opposite. I was initially intrigued and became progressively more disappointed as more information came to light in the story. I'm not even really sure why the hero and heroine loved each other, once they got caught up on who their present selves were. Throw in hypersexualized plots and subplots with some convoluted world building, and what seemed like it could be an interesting story became a little too deviant for me to continue reading beyond this book. Let's just say, everyone was attracted to everyone because they all shared overlapping origins and it began to be hard to distinguish true love from incestuous love from what was essentially self love.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Something is in the water in this soapy drama

Revisado: 03-16-21

My rating for this book, and in fact, for the books prior to this one as well, is 4 stars, mainly for pure entertainment value, not because these books are great literary works - think soap opera or telenovella type entertainment. Basically, a bunch of teens and early twenty-somethings are all sleeping around (mostly the young men, who are stereotypical manwhores) and we find out that everyone is related to each other in one way or another. Virginal females fall in love with their high-school crushes and once in college, lure the objects of their desire into giving up their man-whoring ways, at least for awhile. Throw in some drama, family intrigue, and secret keeping, mix it in with plotting psychopathic, slutty villainesses, add in both real and fake pregnancies, and then top it all off with marriage proposals that result in all being forgiven, and you have your soapy drama! Did I mention that all this happens before any of our female leads have finished their freshman year of college? And for all the hot mess, you can't help but read on to see what happens because somehow the author has managed to make you fall in love with the characters despite their flaws and poor choices and by providing just the right amount of warm, fuzzy, swoony moments.

As for the narrator, she does a pretty good job. She is good with male voices, makes characters distinct enough to know who is who, and is a good actor. My biggest issue is her speaking speed and the way her female characters sometimes sound like chipmunks. I usually listen to most audiobooks at 1.10 to 1.15 speed. I slowed the speed of these books down to 0.95 and sometimes that is still too fast!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

This is why I love April White!

Revisado: 02-01-21

I am always waiting for new books by April White. She is excellent at creating characters that have insecurities, yet grow into themselves and find ways to take joy and pride in their uniqueness, not to mention badassery. (And the fact that that word occasionally shows up in her books is amazing!) Her pop culture and historical references appeal to me and makes the nerd in me ever so happy. I always end up doing research after reading one of her books because she brings up things that just plain pique my interest and make me need to learn more. I love that she is one of the authors who has teamed up with Penny Reid, another favorite of mine, because I can completely see a world in which we would all be great friends.

This story didn't disappoint. I loved that Anna was a badass tomboy who didn't recognize just how awesome she was and was still a bit awkward in her own skin. That she became friends with Shane and Sparky from the last Cypher Security book seemed perfect and of course, what Knitting in the City fans wouldn't be happy with spot on cameos by Quinn and Dan. We first met Darius in the last Cypher Security book and I loved the fleshing out of his character, the perfect accent of the narrator, and the way he grows and comes through for Anna in the end. I can't wait for the next April White book, hopefully in the Cypher Security series, but also, I would love another book about Ringo from the Immortal Descendants series and Urchin of Means. April and Penny Reid make smart and nerdy heroes into the new sexy!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Thoroughly Enjoyable and Sweet Romance

Revisado: 11-01-20

I really enjoyed this sweet romance. The heroine stands up to her wealthy and manipulative family to strike out on her own, without their money and support. She grows as a person and through that inspires those around her, to be strong and follow their passions. That means coming to terms with her family's expectations, cutting loose her serial cheater of a boyfriend, and developing a strong friendship with her mouth wateringly hot roommate. He is trying to overcome his own childhood issues by having a lot of money, the right job, the right home, and the right social network, all things our heroine has rejected. Nonetheless, between her initial attraction and their growing closeness, she can't help falling for him. She tries to respect the boundaries he's set, that he is not interested in anything more than being roommates and friends, especially since no one in her own life has ever respected her boundaries. Now she just has to figure out what to do about her feelings for him.

I liked this different twist on the roommates to lovers trope. It isn't the most substantial of stories, but is a nice, light read and the characters show good personal growth. The narrator bothered me a little at first, as she's a little bit overly bright and ran with her sentences a bit, but as the book went on, I didn't mind so much. Her male voices aren't terribly male, but were enough of a distinction that it was ok. The narration didn't prevent me from enjoying the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not really for me...

Revisado: 09-05-20

I struggled with this one. The book was mostly about the hero's "monster cock" and the heroine's "beaver" with a side of hockey. I don't mind some profanity in my books, but this one had a lot, plus was pretty vulgar. The book also ended abruptly. The plot was ok, but this one just really wasn't for me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A sweet, hilarious rom-com!

Revisado: 07-04-20

This was not your standard rom-com, as the s th outline felt unique despite some similarities to The Ugly Truth. Endearing characters, snarky, witty humor, and meaningful lessons on learning to accept oneself made this a sweet, laugh out loud romance.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Wanted to claw my eyes out!

Revisado: 03-28-20

I was prepared to like this book, having enjoyed the rest of the series. However, apparently Noah got a personality transplant in this book and I really didn't like him in this installment. Noah was needy and moody and childish. Then there is the fact that every time he referred to Kess as "baby" I wanted to gag and stop listening altogether. I agree with another reviewer that this particular term of endearment seemed anachronistic - primarily living in England and Noah being described as having a Regency era appearance, I could easily see him saying something like "my love" or "dearest", but "baby" seemed both too modern and too forced. I really struggled to get through this book, which had much more internal monologue and less action than the other books. The other characters seemed to be included less to further the storyline line and more as token appearances, rather than being as well woven into the story as in previous novels. I am very reluctant to move on to the next book after reading this, which is disappointing, as I really would like to find out what happens with the Ruth situation (which was barely touched upon in this book).

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Funny, sexy, sweet

Revisado: 03-07-20

This book isn't deep, but it is an enjoyable read (or listen) with lots of laughs, humorous banter, and believable relationship development. The heroine has some weighty things in her past, but the author doesn't delve much into these things, which could have in turn dragged the book down, but instead just touches on those things to give a small amount of insight into our heroine's character.

For those who don't like sex scenes and obscenity, this book isn't for you. However, if these things don't bother you, the sex scenes were an appropriate amount of steamy for me and the language was just part of the humor. Interestingly, after listening to this book and hearing some words and slang that were very British (Asking "shall I?", using the word "wanker", referring to "taking a piss" ie, pulling one's leg) coming from the mouths of these American characters, I looked up the author's background, only not to be surprised when I discovered she is from the UK. I got over it, but it did pull away slightly from the authenticity of the writing.

As for the narrators, I usually love both Amanda Ronconi and Alexander Cendese. I was very happy with Amanda's portrayals, but felt like aside from the hero, Alexander's portrayals were over the top and often stereotypical, such as big booming announcer guy agent, old lady grandma and grandpa voices, etc. And while I don't recall his female voices bothering me before, they were pretty obnoxious in this book. These issues didn't keep me from listening, but did grate on me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Twisty dark but compelling story with HEA

Revisado: 03-05-20

I delayed reading this story for quite some time but am glad I ultimately gave in. This story was compelling and gripped me from page one. All the characters were perfectly imperfect and despite being betrayed by everyone in her life, the heroine made the best of the twists and turns of her life.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña