Sonnie

Loved this one!

Revisado: 08-30-23

More of this review and others at my Bookstagram: @Whimsically_bookish

If you're looking for a new romance (especially on Audible) let me just give you a gentle shove in the direction of Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. This book has ✨️everything✨️ you could want:

❤️ The most perfect romance hero ever. Jacob could literally be my soulmate (sorry to my husband). Someone who would 100% understand my anxiety and be supportive? Check ✔️. Loves writing letters? Check ✔️. Has a plant room that I would more than likely die for? Check ✔️. Really, he has it all.

❤️ Amazing Audible narration from Zachary Webber and Kyla Garcia. Duel narrators can be a hit or miss, but these guys did a phenomenal job.

❤️ A heroine that you will root for and want to befriend. Briana deserves her HEA and you will be screaming at her to go after it. She's funny and fierce and I really just want to go glitter bombing with her.

I could go on and on, but really all you need to know is to read this one ASAP. I hope your day is filled with all the reading and plants 🌿🥰

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This Review Was Hard To Write

Revisado: 05-09-23

More of this Review and others at my Bookstagram: @whimsically_bookish

I just want to start by saying I absolutely adore Kresley Cole and even though we don't know what made her go on a five year hiatus, I am grateful she came back and finished this amazing series... unlike George RR Martin who will probably take the ending of GOT to his grave.

Anyway, my expectations were HIGH with this book. I had five years of waiting and the entire series was so phenomenal... I think any ending wouldn't have satisfied me because I just never wanted it to end. That being said, as much as it pains me to write this, I didn't love it.

It started with the narration. The Arcana Chronicles has been my go to audible series rec for years because Emma Galvin was just a narrator queen. She made you feel like you were watching a movie. I had these characters in my head because of the voice she gave them. And it disappeared with this last book. Idk what happened. I know they were trying to hurry up and get the audiobook out, so maybe that had something to do with it, but both Aric and Jack's accents were gone. It was so hard to decipher who was talking and confusion abounded. I would have gladly waited longer to have those accents back.

And while I was so happy to get back to these characters this book read like a filler episode for most of it. It was just... off. I couldn't really stay into it for some reason.

What really upset me though was the ending. I won't spoil anything, but it just wasn't for me. And hey, you can't please everybody 🤷‍♀️

Last books are hard, especially when you have a series that was this good. It's hard saying goodbye to characters you love so much and the things you wanted may not be what the author had intended. And that's ok. Regardless, KC is an amazing writer and storyteller and I'm glad she's back. I'm thankful we even got an ending, even if it wasn't for me. I loved the characters and this world, and it definitely left me crying to have to say goodbye. I can't wait to see what else KC has in store for us down the road ❤️

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Official a Julia Whelan Fangirl Now

Revisado: 01-14-23

❤️More of this review and others at my Bookstagram: @Whimsically_bookish ❤️

"Eventually, don’t know when, but eventually? You’re gonna have to stop thinking you’re nothing more than the damaged version of yourself."

Oh my goodness this was such a treat to listen to! I became a Julia Whelan fangirl this year- spending all my audible credits on her performances left and right. So, when I found out she wrote book about an audibook narrator I knew I was in for greatness! This book read like a love letter to romance readers everywhere and I am so grateful for it. And while the romance is top tier (seriously, so so good), what I honestly loved more than anything was the transformation of Swan's character. So heartfelt and just amazingly written. I highly recommend listening to this one on Audible and getting the full JW effect. So worth the credit

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So Disappointing

Revisado: 11-08-22

More of this review and others on my IG account: @Whimsically_Bookish

I'm so disappointed that I had so many issues with this book that I couldn't even finish it. I stopped listening after about two hours. I know it's a popular choice, but this one sadly wasn't for me.

💛 What I Liked:

🐎 The narrator.

🐎 The premise.

🐎 The cover.

💛 What I Didn't Like:

🐎 Our heroine. I just couldn't like her no matter how much I tried. And I really did try.

🐎 The inevitable romance? Just to be clear, I was just starting to get to the part where feelings were springing up, but WHY?! This dude was BRUTAL to her. I'm not on board with their ship and I didn't see how I could forgive him for all the things he did in the beginning.

🐎 What really made me stop listening though was a personal preference. The language Sara uses was over the top and honestly felt forced and cringey. Like me in middle school dropping all the F bombs because I thought I sounded cooler. If you've followed any of my DNF reviews usually this is the main reason why I stop. When it feels like it's just being used for shock value it completely turns me off of the book and takes me out of the story.

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If You Love Emily Henry, You'll Love This One!

Revisado: 11-08-22

More of this review and others at my IG account: @Whimsically_Bookish

If you love books that give off Emily Henry vibes, duel narrators, and a good slow burn this book is for you! I absolutely loved it!

💙 What I Liked:

✍️ This book was written for book lovers. It read like a love letter to all writers and readers. So engaging and beautiful!

✍️ The chemistry and relationship between our characters. It was 🔥🔥🔥

✍️ The slowburn!!!

✍️ The plot. So intriguing and I kept wondering what happened between these two people that was so explosive.

✍️ The narrators. If you love audiobooks do yourself a favor and spend your credit on this one.

💙 What I Didn't Like:

✍️ Honestly, our heroine Kat got on my nerves some. But when the story was finished I did find myself on her side.

✍️ There's a spoiler for my second reason (it's also the reason why I gave it four stars instead of five), so I won't be posting it. You can DM if you want to know. Basically there was a (sort of) trope I didn't care for and some serious lack of common sense on our characters parts.. but it was handled well and I can forgive it.

Overall I would definitely hype this book up and recommend it!

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Loved This Romantic Suspense!

Revisado: 11-08-22

More of this review and others on my IG account: @Whimsically_Bookish

💜 What I Liked 💜

🐎 The suspense. There's quite a few suspicious people in this one, and I was constantly trying to figure out who the real bad guy was!

🐎 Everly. She's a really strong heroine and I loved reading her story.

🐎 The side characters. Honestly, Catherine Cowles knows how to set up a series it seems because I am invested in these characters lives! I need more!

🐎 The romance. Super swoon-worthy and 🔥🔥🔥

🐎 The narrators! Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber nailed these characters and did such an amazing job bringing them to life!

💜 What I Didn't Like 💜

🐎 I really loved this one, but I think because I listened to it instead of reading it, some of Haye's stuff came off a little cheesy. I think him and Calder talked a little more about their feelings than most dudes would in reality... but let's be honest, we're not reading romance for reality 😂

If you're looking for a great romantic thriller, this one is it! I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

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Even Tavia Gilbert Couldn't Save This One

Revisado: 11-08-22

I really wanted to like this one! But from the very start I found myself making excuses for it, hoping it would get better... it sadly, did not.

🎄 What I Didn't Like 🎄

🎅 Our heroine, Bettie. She's written in a way that we are not supposed to like her. She's overly selfish and materialistic. I kept thinking we would start to see some changes and she would grow on me... but I decided to bail after five hours of listening to her whine.

🎅 Hal the Holiday Spirit/ possible romantic interest? This character is written as "innocent" and child like. I kept trying to imagine him as the Doctor in Doctor Who (excited by all the possibilities), but eventually I gave up because he was just more like the 10 year old annoying sibling. Apparently there's some romance in this one, but five hours in and I got nothing.

🎅 The length of this book. Sometimes bigger is not always better. I feel like the author may have pulled this one off better if she would have condensed it. Instead we're drug around Bettie's life at the slowest pace possible.

🎅 The narration, but this is not Tavia Gilbert's fault. I am a huge TG fangirl. I love her voices so much. She does a phenomenal job. But alas, she couldn't save this one. Her voice for Hal fit his character... which unfortunately did it no favors.

🎅 The last straw for me though was... you guessed it, the language. As I've stated in previous reviews this is usually the reason why I give up on a book. When the author inserts swearing for shock value and it just feels forced 🤷‍♀️ Like a middle schooler who's trying to be cool. It's a personal preference, but I hate it.

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Both K. C & Emma Galvin Slay in this book!

Revisado: 05-15-18

First of all if you haven't read this series stop reading this review right now and go read it (or listen to it, because Emma Galvin is QUEEN and slays narrating this). Seriously, this is one of my all time favorite series ever. Kresley Cole does an amazing job with the world building, the character development, the ROMANCE, and the non-stop action.

Like the previous books, I couldn't stop listening to The Dark Calling. While I wouldn't label this book as a "filler" book, it is definitely leading everything to the end and starting to wrap up the story. However, my mind was still blown away at the plot twists and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing. We have different POV again, from Aric, Jack and of course Evie, which really helped expand the story and give the characters some more growth. Also, let me just say I have no idea what #team I'm on. Team Jack? Team Aric? Can I be Team Both? Is that possible?! And... I had some serious tears. Like, really. I was cleaning my kitchen listening to this when I screamed out "NOOOO!!!!!" in anguish and scared the crap out of my toddler (don't worry, she's fine). It did break my heart though (no spoilers). Anyway, I've been waiting on this book FOREVER and it did not disappoint me. I'm just super sad I finished it so quickly and now have to wait for the next one.

As far as the narration goes for the audible version: As I've mentioned above, Emma Galvin slayed it. She has a way of just sucking you right into the story and you completely tune out everything else around you. I'm VERY picky with my audio books. I can't just listen to any narrator and usually have a hard time finding one I love, but Emma Galvin is on POINT, ya'll. She has the best accent for Jack and Aric both. I honestly forget I'm only listening to one person. Definitely can't wait to check out more of her work!

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Even Better Than The First!

Revisado: 10-12-17

More of this review and others at: Whimsically Bookish

WHY has it taken me two years to read this?! Oh... yeah, right, I had a baby in 2015. I missed out on a ton of good books that year. But still! Just to do a simple recap, I reread (listened) to the first book in this series (you can find my original review here) last week and finished this book today and I was not disappointed!

First off, let me just say that Tavia Gilbert is the BEST narrator. Ever. You can argue with me, but you'd be wrong. If you listen to audiobooks like I do, you know that a narrator can either make or a break a book that you listen to. Well, Tavia Gilbert does such a phenomenal job in this series I completely forget that I'm listening to only one person (or that I'm actually listening to anyone at all- most of the time I'm too completely absorbed in the story). Basically, she deserves an Oscar.

Moving on... sometimes I'm afraid to read the second book in a series because I'm usually terrified that there is no way it will be as good as the first one. We all know it happens sometimes. But I'm happy to tell you that Ten Thousand Skies Above You held it's on and was just as amazing (if not more so) than the first novel! I don't know how Claudia Gray does it, but she has created this amazing world that should be too complicated for someone to understand (we're talking a gazillion dimensions here), but at no point was I ever confused as to what was going on or felt lost. She covers everything so smoothly it just keeps you turning the pages (or in my case never hitting stop on my phone).

The world(s) building is amazing, the characters unforgettable... literally everything I want and more in a book this series has and that's why it's made its way to my favorites shelf.

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More Please!!

Revisado: 09-19-17

Any additional comments?

White Trash Zombie has been sitting on my Goodreads shelf since 2011 and I could kick myself for not reading (or in this case, listening) to it sooner! I don't know much about this author, but I can tell you right now that she knows how to build a sincere character. I freaking loved Angel! I get so sick of the same old heroine formulas, and it was so refreshing to read about a foul mouthed, kick ass chick like Angel. Of course, you don't go in thinking that. Angel has given up on bettering her life when we first meet her and it isn't until she's turned into a zombie that things start looking up for her. But once she starts trying, you find yourself wanting her to win.

As for the narrator, Allison McLemore, I don't think anyone could have pulled off Angel's voice better. As an Alabama girl, I get offended when I hear the ridiculous southern accents some people try to come up with. But McLemore pulls of Angels voice perfectly and sucks you right into the story. In fact, my ears binged and I listened to it all in one day. The only issue I really had was that the side characters like Marcus, Ed, etc seemed to have a very slow, monotone voice. I could still distinguish who was saying what (which is super important if you're listening to a book), but they didn't have the same life as Angel's voice did. Regardless, I'm super impressed with the narrating.

Bottom Line: I loved this very original and hilarious cozy paranormal mystery and McLemore's voice! Highly recommend. In fact, once I finished it I immediately started on the second one and I have a feeling I'll just go through the series by the end of this week if my wallet will allow me.

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