Shadowswept

Funny and hot

Revisado: 02-13-20

This book was a blast! I especially got a kick out of the author poking fun at the billionaire romance trope. The heroine's reactions to his penthouse were hilarious. In no way was this a realistic story, but neither are most romance novels. This one is just more obvious about it. When it did go for realism, it was to play up the ridiculousness of things like romance heroes always being well endowed. The heroine was constantly sore because he was so large. This got to be more tedious than amusing after a while, so it kind of had the opposite effect of showing why romance writers ignore realism in favor of perfect fantasy sex. The heroine was also a little too much at times with her unreasonable attitude and behavior. She was sometimes more annoying than funny. I still got a lot of laughs out of this story though. And the sexy times were hot! It's not easy to pull off comedy and sexual heat in the same book, but this author did it. Great narration too, especially with the comedic delivery and making the heroine's foul language sound humorous.

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All the feels!

Revisado: 02-03-20

This story evoked every emotion. I laughed, cried, and swooned. This is a love story after my own heart with both the hero and heroine displaying a love of words. She loves books, and he loves poetry, and I loved it all so much! This author really has a mastery of words, right down to how she uses them in speech to fit the personality of her characters. Both her inner monologues and the dialogues are phenomenal. The narrator also did a great job with her delivery and of matching her voices to the personalities of the characters, and her male voices are hot! She has the ability to pitch her voice low and sexy. Of course, she used that one for Drew, since he is the hero. Considering how many men she had to voice, she did an impressive job making them all sound different.

I loved the love story, but I also enjoyed how Ashley reconnected with her brothers. It really pulled at my heartstrings and made me smile. Her relationship with her mother was beautiful, and that was the part of the story that made me cry. I did love how that lady outwitted her awful husband. I liked how everything came together as the story progressed. Nothing felt forced or contrived. Ashley's family and friends got in her business, but the people you're closest to often do that. She did speak up, though, when she'd had enough. I appreciated the realism in one passage in particular when her friendships started to get strained. Even the best of friends become irritated with each other sometimes, but the ones that last find a way to get back on track. People are not perfect, and neither are relationships.

This brings me to the romance. I have to give the author credit for making it happen believably under such circumstances. Part of that involved giving the heroine the right hero. Drew's connection to her family helped a lot in this scenario. It paved the way for her to trust him. The pacing was also perfect. If it had happened too fast, it would have had no foundation. Of course, there was still a perfectly understandable element of escapism and seeking comfort from grief, but the conversations they had added something deeper. Drew's philosophy wasn't just thrown in as an attempt to give him depth. It made sense in the context of his backstory. The last chapter from his point of view absolutely blew me away. It really felt like a glimpse into the raw, unfiltered thoughts of an artistic, complicated man. Excellent writing!

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Quirky fun

Revisado: 01-06-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This was not the typical enemies to lovers story. To be honest, I wasn't sure about it at first, because I tend to like a lot of animosity between the hero and heroine before they get together. In this one, it was more that they found each other annoying. The story made up for that with humor, and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I initially expected to. The characters grew on me like people do in real life. I really liked Mark's mom, and I loved her character arc. This was a quirky, fun story with some laugh out loud moments, some sexy moments, and some sweet moments. The narrators fit the personalities of the characters and did a good job narrating.

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Twisted but compelling

Revisado: 11-25-19

I discovered something about myself while reading this story. I have no desire to give up my independence to a man, not even if he gives me hot sex and a life of leisure on a beautiful island. I chafed at that the entire time I was listening to this story. Edward is still a fascinating character, but I felt resentment toward him. I couldn't stop listening though as the story unwound and revealed more about these compelling characters. The narration was great as always, and Shane East did a fantastic job voicing Edward, especially in the big reveal chapter about what happened to Celia when she was a child. He was superb in conveying all the emotions and with voicing Celia in that highly emotional scene. The author also wrote that perfectly.

It was a breakthrough and hugely impactful. Then the author put in a scene that wound me right back up with so much dread and disgust that I couldn't warm up to Edward at all after that. Traumatizing someone doesn't help them get over past trauma, regardless if there is a better outcome than before. It would set that person back in their recovery. That is why you have to go to school to become a psychiatrist. Amateurs don't know what they are doing. I just really hated this scene, but it didn't put me off reading the next book. I need to know how the story ends, and I also like a good revenge plot.

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Sexy and intriguing

Revisado: 11-16-19

Elena Wolfe does a fabulous narration and gives Edward one hell of a sexy British accent! I was hooked from the moment he was introduced. He is such an intriguing character, and everything I learned about him made me want to find out more. He is so aloof and controlled, and the headstrong Celia is the perfect woman to antagonize him and get a reaction out of him. I really enjoyed their push and pull. I'm very glad that I don't have to wait for the next book after the doozy of a cliffhanger. Great story so far!

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Wonderful teen couple

Revisado: 10-23-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Helena and Daniel are such a wonderful teen couple! Not only are they caring and considerate of each other, but they also extend that consideration to everyone else too. When Helena hears a girl crying on a video, she is very affected by it. She is so bothered by it that she goes digging to find out who it is and what it's about. She is also very concerned about her friend and tries to help her when she suspects she might be pregnant. I was very frustrated with Karen, but her desperation to hide it from her parents was realistic for a girl her age. Most of the characters in this story do act like real teenagers, which is something I really appreciate after reading so many books in which teens act like jaded adults.

This is a good sequel to the first book, and I'm looking forward to listening to the next one.

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Sweet couple

Revisado: 09-30-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This was an interesting mix of a fun teen romance and a high school bully romance. There was the fun cliche of the boy who annoys the heroine because he likes her. The reader knows this, and the fun is in the flirty undertones that the heroine is oblivious to. It builds the anticipation for when they will finally kiss, and it was an exciting one! Daniel would have been my ultimate dream guy when I was a teen. He's smart and cute with a bit of a bad boy edge. I loved all of his interactions with Helena, and this part of the story could have been expanded and stood alone as a cute teen romance.

However, It added in a true bully, which gave it a different, darker mood. This is the part of the story that I wasn't completely satisfied with, or at least not with the resolution to it. How these situations are handled is a troubling problem in many of my favorite YA romances. This one seemed to be taking the right course of action until it suddenly pulled back from seeing it through. The story is not over yet though, so maybe more will be done in the next book. I'm really glad the story is continuing, because I love this couple.

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Wicked good!

Revisado: 07-23-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I know it's a great series when the characters become real to me. I loved them all, including all the side characters. I felt warm fuzzies in my heart for Jerry and got a kick out of "skunk girl." I adored Annie and Tyler, and I want to read their story when they're grown up. Haley and Jax are a great rock romance couple, and the sexy times were wicked hot in this book!

One thing I haven't mentioned yet in my reviews is the beautiful appreciation of music in this story. So many rock star romances focus on the magnetism of the rock god and give little attention to the effect of the songs. They can reach us instantly on an emotional level and influence our moods. I loved that this was important to both Jax and Haley, and that it was given so much consideration in the story.

This conclusion was everything I could have wanted. I liked getting a view into both their lives before they interacted again. They were each interesting even when they were apart, and that shows really good characterization. I'm usually just impatient for more interaction between the hero and heroine, but I enjoyed listening to every word of this story. I liked getting their perspectives on everything they were dealing with in their lives. The excellent narration added to my enjoyment of the characters and the story. Everything was perfectly done to make this a great series. I loved it!

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Awesome heroine!

Revisado: 07-20-19 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I've fallen for fictional rock stars before, but Haley is my favorite heroine in a rock star romance. If you like strong and smart female characters, you're in for a treat. Haley has mettle and determination like I've rarely seen in a romance heroine. She lusts after Jax and falls in love with him, but he doesn't become her entire life. She doesn't lose sight of her goals and what's important to her. I'm usually all about the romance, but I was just as engrossed in the rest of Haley's life as I was in her interactions with Jax. Her life was just as interesting to me as his, and I've never experienced that before in a rock star romance. Her complicated feelings about her father were especially well written, as were his about her. The author did a phenomenal job of making him more sympathetic without really softening him. That's a skill! I also liked the juxtaposition of the two father/daughter relationships in the story. It drove so much of the conflict and drama, and I love that the story doesn't rely on jealousy or the typical misunderstandings for that.

This book also intensified the sexy times between Jax and Haley, and it was worth the wait. Jax can be positively wicked, and it was hot!

Once again, the narrators did an excellent job of voicing these characters. I love Joe Arden, and Savannah Peachwood was great too. Her male voices were perfectly done as well, and she made Jax sound sexy. I'm very excited to hear the final book. These have all ended at a natural break in the story that leaves me feeling satisfied with each one. It's a great series!

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Better than good

Revisado: 07-20-19

I've read quite a few rock star romances, but I've never come across a heroine like Haley in any of them. In a premise like this, the rock star is usually drawn to the regular girl because she doesn't throw herself at him. Those books are fun, but this one goes a lot further in making the heroine unlike anyone Jax has ever met. It doesn't have anything to do with her not fawning over him. Instead, he falls for her because of her personality and intelligence. I could feel the bursts of emotion when she got to him at particular times. It felt so real and true, and I could completely understand why he would fall in love with her.

I listened to the audiobook, and I loved hearing Joe Arden and Savannah Peachwood bring these characters to life. I'm loving this story, and I'm starting on the next book immediately.

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