D.G.

Excellent narration, mediocre story

Revisado: 05-15-21

Romance writers (or audiobook producers) out there - I'd like to see Chloe Cannon narrating more romance. She's great!! She had really distinctive voices (both male and female) and good English accents. The voice for Quinn was perfect - both super saccharine and dorky. She would even do the snorts.

The story itself didn't do it for me. Quinn was extremely insecure, gullible, naive and so sensitive that she would burst into tears every time somebody would say something mean. The kind of girl who likes to complain that men don't like her because she's fat and does nothing about it. She's also the type of woman who people want to protect or hate her guts on sight. Even when guys are clearly into her she never notices and she's like "he's so nice!" She's an art major and we NEVER even learn what she's good at...painting? drawing? sculpture? - the only creative thing she does is paint her nails in funky ways. It also drove me BUNKERS that every time Cooke said some British slang, she would have to ask what it was. "Telly? What's that?" I felt like screaming at her...haven't you seen Black Mirror? Killing Eve? Downton Abbey?

Cooke wasn't that much better, except that he was extremely built and hot. Why was this rich, hot, successful athlete in love with this chick? It would have helped if we would have had more than 2 chapters from his POV. Why did the author even bother? Also, he was too possessive - growling at every single man that looked her way. (And even with his behavior, Quinn STILL didn't know he was into her.) It also bothered me that he called her "love" so many times!! Note to the author: You didn't have to remind us in every single sentence that he was British.

This book is not recommended but I'll totally look for more narrations by Chloe Cannon.

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Doesn't make much sense

Revisado: 09-04-20

I know this was alien smut with some BDSM so I know what I was getting into, but I didn't like that nothing here made much sense:

1. You have the technology to tele-transport somebody light years away to different planets but you cannot protect them from an assassin?
2. If this is freaking program, why wouldn't you have a system for mates to learn a bit about each other and their cultures before they meet so the culture shock is not as severe? You know, having a a pamphlet like "what to expect in your new planet" so both are not surprised when their alien mates don't behave like the people they're used to?
3. This was set in the future! Why are standards of beauty still the same as today? And why is a doctor -which you assume has seen all sorts of people and has had extensive education - doesn't even think that different cultures have different tastes? Why would she assume that the aliens find the same traits attractive as men on Earth?
4. The world wasn't that interesting. He spent most of his time in meetings!! That would have been ok if this was set in the corporate world but in space??
5. Even though there was a lot of sex, it wasn't that imaginative. The guy relied on funky vibrators to get her 95% of the way there and then just stuck it in.
6. Are medical examinations a kink? Because they seem to be prominent in this series (reading by the descriptions of the rest of the books.) I guess I can say I learned something new!!
7. Narration was sub-par. She always called him "Master!" (exclamation sign included.)

Unlikely to continue the series, given that all the books seem very similar to this one (but with menage.)

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Totally recommend it!

Revisado: 06-02-19

The mystery was top notch - I had just a vague a idea of what's going on - and didn't figure out the villains and their motives until they were unmasked. The romance was scorching - one of those where the leads have had the hots for each other for years - and there was an incredible chemistry between them. They knew each other really well and were a very well matched couple, who gave as good as they got. My only complaint is that once they got together, the romance became really secondary - in fact, Scott, became somewhat secondary - we barely saw him dealing with his own issues (namely his family) again. Oh, and how many times can somebody get knocked in the head without having head trauma?

The narration by Ericksen was ok. Her male voices were really sub-par, which is a shame because Scott seemed too hot for words. This would have been scorching with a good male narrator.

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What a preposterous plot!

Revisado: 07-02-17

I love the "waitress meets rich man" premise so that - plus the fact that this audio is available on Kindle Unlimited - were the reasons for me to pick it up. The plot wasn't really good though. It totally made sense for him to keep his millions to himself until he knew that she loved him for who he was but there was no reason whatsoever for the elaborate lies!

The narrator was just average. Ok male voices but not very distinct. If the hero hadn't had an accent, it would have been difficult to distinguish him from the other male characters.

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What a disagreeable heroine!

Revisado: 02-05-17

"Captives of the Night" had one of the most disagreeable heroines I've had the misfortune to find in romance. I was at the brink of not finishing it many times but the mystery and the hero kept me reading on.

Leila's husband has been murdered. Given that that her husband was a cruel and vicious character with a tendency for blackmailing, this wasn't a surprise. At the beginning, she's suspected of the crime, given that her and her husband haven't gotten along in years and in fact, everybody knows they don't even sleep together. The Comte d'Esmond, an admirer of Leila's and secret government agent, is tasked with finding out the murderer.

The mystery was the interesting part even if the murderer came out of left field. Even though the evil husband could have been killed by anybody under the sun, they conveniently focus on 5 people from their circle because "their instincts told them to" and don't seem to investigate anybody else.

As I mentioned, I wasn't fond of Leila. Her character didn't make sense whatsoever, a supposedly strong and sophisticated woman with a very provincial view of sex. She loves calling herself a "whore" because she likes sex and browbeats herself for being attracted to Esmond. This would have made sense if she was very religious or sheltered but she's an artist living in Paris with access to all sorts of people and living with a very licentious husband. You would think she would put two and two together! She also has this very childish temper - she loves to destroy things - and thinks she knows better than everybody. I wanted to slap her silly.

I really liked Esmond's redemption and having a main character that wasn't European for a change. It made for an interesting read.

This is one of those "series" that was cobbled up together for who knows what reasons because books 1 & 2 are very related but 3 & 4 aren't. In fact, you can start with #3 (which is the most loved book by this author) with the confidence of knowing that you don't have to read this book or the one preceding it because they have nothing to do whatsoever with it.

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Meh

Revisado: 02-05-17

The Irin Chronicles is one of those series which is almost UFish but not quite. The books are told in the 3rd person but we have the same couple throughout the trilogy. There's a conflict going on but I confess the whole world was too complicated for me to care what was going on. Also, because at the beginning I thought it was PNR, I was disappointed in the level of heat of the love scenes.

Ava has heard voices all her life so obviously she thinks she's crazy. A psychiatrist in Tel Aviv recommends her to one in Istanbul and once she arrives she realizes that some men are following her. The hero is one of these and his enemy - the Gregori - are showing an interest in this woman and he's curious to find out why. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that against all odds, Ava is one of the Irina, the women in his race.

The reason between the separation between the Irin and Irina didn't make sense to me at all. Even though Irin & Irina are both stronger together than separate, once their enemy attacks, they decide to go their separate ways? WTH? Has nobody ever heard of divide and conquer? That's exactly what your enemy wants!

The narrator, Zachary Webber has a really sexy voice but it was too raspy and low at times, which made him sound flat and like he was always whispering. I may give him another chance in something else but for now, I'm not paying full credit for any of his narrations.

The way this ended made me read the next book - in fact, I picked it up right away.

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Saccharine ending

Revisado: 02-05-17

Even with the crazy premise - this is 21st century NY, not 19th century England - I was enjoying this book a lot until the end. I liked the main character, the New York setting and his sense of humor. But that end was soo saccharine! I kept cringing when he told her "the lessons he's learned" (Yikes!) It also seemed amazing that these two didn't realize earlier that they were so into each other.

Sebastian York was perfect as Spencer. His female voices are not great (he has a very deep voice) but he rocked the male main character.

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Too much drama for a thriller!

Revisado: 02-05-17

I'm a big fan of Barry Eisler (both his books AND his narrations) but this really didn't do it for me. There was just...TOO.MUCH...DRAMA!!

That's not why I read thrillers. I want action, excitement, kick-assery on an atomic level. Not family fights, recriminations or whining. All of the characters were so annoying that I wanted to repeatedly kick them in the soft parts.

Alex Treven is a lawyer in Silicon Valley. After one of his clients is murdered and he realizes he's next, he calls his big brother for help. Ben is in the military and in the habit of saving his brother from trouble so even though they are estranged, he goes to help. As soon as he returns, he and his brother started fighting and it pretty much didn't stop until the end. It was tiresome. I understand that one of Mr. Eisler's strengths as a writer is the "damaged MC" and only family can damage a person this much but I can take drama when I'm already invested in the character. As the first book in the series, there was just too much of it.

Something else I didn't like was how Ben kept dropping people so obviously that it could get back to him. I was amazed the police didn't show up at some point and arrest him.

I DID like the ending and I'll probably read the next in the series because it connects with Rain #7. Otherwise, I probably would have skipped it.

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Way to make me tear up in the prologue.

Revisado: 02-05-17

I bought Suspect just because MacLeod Andrews is the narrator. I hadn’t even remembered that I had read a previous book by this author (The Two Minute Rule) so I had no expectations besides the excellent narration. But in the prologue, we see Maggie’s POV (yes, the dog has a POV!) from the time when she lost her handler. And I was hooked.

And in love.

With the dog.

And I’m not even a dog person!

Like Maggie, Scott also lost his partner to violence and 9 months later, the culprits haven’t been apprehended. Scott’s life has changed dramatically since the shooting: he’s in pain, traumatized, and stubbornly refusing to take a medical retirement. It’s not clear why Scott decides to go for the K-9 unit but once he does, his and Maggie’s path intersect.

Slowly, Scott begins to bond with Maggie, even talking to his own shrink to find out how to help with her PTSD. At the same time, Scott gets involved in the investigation about his shooting, now that new detectives are on the case. This was the weak part of the book. After I remembered "The Two Minute Rule", I realized the plots were very similar. Same bad guys, same motive. The way in which Scott found the witness seemed too convoluted (although I understand this was a way to involve Maggie) and how he became a “suspect” was so fishy that you wonder how the Police was taken in. I liked Maggie and Scott so much though that I just went along for the ride.

I loved how the author did Maggie’s POV. Her thoughts are all about pleasing and protecting Scott, who after a time, she considers her Alpha. With Scott, she’s all sweetness but when she’s on the job, she's all business. She’s constantly evaluating threats and totally fierce when Scott is in danger. Her favorite mantra is: “Scott safe. Maggie safe. Pack safe.” She’s so precious! (I told you I’m in love.:)

As usual, MacLeod Andrews rocked the narration. His voices are great, his pacing is just perfect - I speed up most narrators but NEVER him!

Overall, I think any mystery reader will enjoy this book but for animal lovers, it will be a definite treat.

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Not smart at all...

Revisado: 02-05-17

"Neanderthal Seeks Human" wasn't as "smart" as I thought it was going to be. It wasn't insightful or thought-provoking, it was just the run of the mill billionaire meets super hot naive woman. But of course she doesn't really know she's super hot (in fact, she thinks she's ugly even though everybody and her mother tells her she isn't.)

I guess what makes this book "smart" is that Janie is the equivalent of Sheldon Cooper - very smart with no social skills whatsoever. (You could probably even say she has some sort of social disorder.) Like Sheldon, she spouts uninteresting facts at the drop of a hat and has a best friend who takes care of her. The friend even acknowledges this fact at the end when she "passes the baton" to the hero. And probably that was my biggest problem with the book, that I felt that at some level, Janie needed taking care of and that's not the kind of heroines I want in the romance I read.

This book is super long winded and there are parts that defy disbelief - her not figuring out who he was, the reason why he acted as a security guard, etc.

The narration is very good though. Ms. Grace is definite a narrator to watch but the book wasn't that good.

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