MJ

Almost there.

Revisado: 02-05-25

What I liked:
1.Narration by both male and females without a man doing a female voice ever. (lord, I hate that)
2.Unique plot. Definitely not what I was expecting which was refreshing.
3. Characters that had a lot of potential.
4. Character growth and facets. like Clara being very free with her language despite being a a spark maiden. And Jasina owning her sexuality

What fell flat for me:
1. the secondary character narration. that weird dude voice, I cannot with.
2. the sheer length of time spent on the Spark maiden and extraction part. way too long.
3. conversely, the speed with which we learn an insane amount of information in Sparktopia.
I kept looking at the time left wondering how we would see any satisfying resolution in what remained.
4. the lack of clarity about wtf was even going on. for the amount of time spent in Tau of the Spark maidens. the time spent in sparktopia was ridiculously short. It wasn't until the epilog that we get told what the structure of the world is. that felt really lazy and rushed.
5. the speed of the sex scene with Clara and Tyse. there was so much to Finn's numerous "trysts" (overused word in the book) and then we get like a 10 second description for Clara and Tyse finally getting it on. disappointing for sure.
6. The abrupt end. I know it's leading to a second book but still, too abrupt for my liking.

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Excellent!

Revisado: 01-30-25

Finally a romance with excellent writing AND spice PLUS Superb narration.
Truly high level writing. This is not your typical churned out repetitive romance. This is a romantic story by a Writer.
Some of the less enthusiastic reviews seem to be from folks looking for less skill and more trope/typical spice.
The Duke Undone reads like a classic novel that also has spice. From the command of language and imagery to the intangible of conveying the tension between two people and within a character's own mind, Ms. Lowell proves to be an expert.
I enjoyed all of this novel. It was only made better by the narrator. A narrator who is a master of voices and accents.
she also understood the material and expressed the nuances of the material perfectly.

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Really satisfying

Revisado: 09-05-24

The writing is quite good. So often enemies to lovers books overuse the misunderstandings and lack of communication device to keep the drama high. This book does not. the way the characters behave is pretty consistent with a believable growth arc. The female MC sees through BS at the time it makes sense for her to. she calls things out when her arc brings her to a resolution of her past. there isn't this annoying miscommunication or non communication that's only purpose is drama.
the only time something didn't make sense was early on the female MC allowing the male MC to call her a nickname that I'd have thought she wouldn't. Spicy was decent. well written. good tension.

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Disappointed

Revisado: 04-15-24

I started this to fill the void awaiting the next season of Bridgerton.
I loved Anthony and Kate's season so figured this would fit the bill.
Nope.
Kate starts off strong and mouthy and a good foil to Anthony's arrogance. However, she rapidly and sadly unravels into a meek, needy, lovesick puppy.
While Anthony, instead of meeting his match, just forces his way into her bed. Multiple times he forces his own desires on her and ignores her refusals and requests.
I'm sure the author wanted him to come off dominant and sexy but frankly, he just comes off selfish, mean, and agressive.
Yes, mean. he never once considers Kate's feelings unless they directly impact what he wants. He's a dick. full stop. And she turns from the 1 person who tells him where to shove it into a weepy waif letting him order her around.
Maybe it gets better but I stopped after their wedding night. The rewrite for Netflix was much to be preferred.

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okay to pass the time

Revisado: 08-16-23

This is the kind of book to listen to while you're doing things and can't pay too much attention. Overall the story is okay. Predictable but not too contrived (for a supernatural story). The thing that made me stop listening was the performance of the reader. Every line is delivered like an aside or like some wannabe crime noir actor. The guys especially all sound like creeps trying to get into someone's pants. Some things can be read straight. The affect of reading these characters without the affect would have made them actually likeable. "Come on, Holly" comes out every time like a frat boy predator trying to coerce someone who isn't interested. Holly comes off as exhausted and aloof. Inflection makes a huge difference in the storytelling.

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okay to pass the time

Revisado: 08-16-23

This is the kind of book to listen to while you're doing things and can't pay too much attention. Overall the story is okay. Predictable but not too contrived (for a supernatural story). The thing that made me stop listening was the performance of the reader. Every line is delivered like an aside or like some wannabe crime noir actor. The guys especially all sound like creeps trying to get into someone's pants. Some things can be read straight. The affect of reading these characters without the affect would have made them actually likeable. "Come on, Holly" comes out every time like a frat boy predator trying to coerce someone who isn't interested. Holly comes off as exhausted and aloof. Inflection makes a huge difference in the storytelling.

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Too Juvenile and lazy

Revisado: 06-16-22

So, here's a situation of a good story concept but poor execution. It just seems like she got lazy. Repetitive descriptors, restating unnecessary inner thoughts. And details that don't make sense.
example: a librarian who reads a ton of fantasy would absolutely know what a grimoire is. She'd have a way better understanding of magical comcepts simply from her fiction reading. Her persistent innocence about every damn thing is completely unrealistic and not believable.
Nitpicks: Is the author suddenly a 13 year old? her "kitty"???? she could have used any number of words but her descriptions of sexual encounters came off as massively Juvenile.
Also, the narrator was not to my liking. adding emphasis on odd words and using inflections that made no sense. And pronounced words a bit off. serious pet peeve : "dinnit" instead of "didn't"
But, the thing that made me shut off the book was this line after She and Sinclair had sex: "Who knew that lovemaking could be so frantic and pleasurable" REALLY?? Who knew? woman read a ton of romance and fantasy and she didn't know lovemaking would be pleasurable? please. and who says that?
It just all came off as massively lazy and childish. like a tween with no experience of sex wrote it.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Decent Finale - final Nitpick/Critique

Revisado: 06-09-22

So, I liked these characters. I appreciated their dynamic and chemistry that went farther than the (tired) true mate all-powerful bond. The twists of the other interlopers were good.
Nitpicks and SPOILERS- Too much near death. we get it. she almost died..like 100 times and yet was saved. at no point was this a real fear because there is always a healer. and by the 3rd time, it was old. The only real tension was the final battle and Dominic's injury.
Okay, I've read far too many books like this, enough erotica and even written some stories myself to know that there are more words than "c-ock", "p-ssy", and "d-ck" to describe body parts. And there are a thousand ways to paint. picture of a sex scene. But every single one is the same. The same descriptors and tone. When she did try to get creative we were rewarded with the most awful "he came so hard he thought the head would blow off his d-ck" ...Really? way to kill the mood. And a ton of sex isn't the same as great sex. The heat just doesn't feel like it's there because it's the same as all the prior couples, just a different font. Try something new. It's like her incessant use of the word "fisted". Please, just say gripped... just one time!! It's just feels lazy to be honest.
I definitely feel like the series has run it's course.

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Ehhh WARNING -Spoilers and adult content

Revisado: 05-25-22

So after having read the rest of the Mercury and Phoenix pack books on my own, I decided to listen to this one. Most sex scenes are decent and occur enough. The storyline is typical of the series if not a little far fetched. Almost a jump the shark kind of plot. That all doesn't matter a whole hell of a lot when we all really want the tension, chemistry and passion. Suzanne Wright is a better story creator than most shifter/fantasy romance writers.
My main issue I have with this story is the effectively forced sex between Trick and Frankie. There were repeatedly moments where he demands what he wants. Forced himself into her mouth and told her that he was going to take her anally even though she says clearly "no". The last sex scene he literally tells her he can take her any time he wants because that was his right and then again goes against her clear "no" and takes her EVERY way he wants. It gets a bit unnerving to keep seeing the label of dominance being used to excuse what is, in all truth, rape, But he says "love you baby" after and so it's all okay. For a dominant female, it seems strange that she just accepts these moments and never calls him out or seems upset that he completely ignores her wishes.
Here's where I'm going to nitpick. Things that got to me probably by 1/4 way into the book. Why in the world does the author keep using the word "fisted" to indicate gripped? All the damn time. It's a bit much. Also, the narrator uses the most deadpan voices for Trick and Frankie most of the time. They sound either stoned or apathetic. It's supposed to sound smokey and sultry but it doesn't quite work, Every word spoken like through a clenched jaw, Trick just comes off like a seething ball of anger all the time, even in "tender" moments. Frankie seems unaffected by most things until big moments. Honestly, the only way these two seemed compatible was that they were metaphysically true mates. Nothing else past the discussion of art really connects them. Also there was an odd cadence to the narration. Words randomly getting said slowly and enunciated for affect that just made no sense. Definitely not the best of the series.

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Love this author!!

Revisado: 11-04-21

I read a few of Joyce's series years ago and loved them. I have been struggling through terrible books by other authors and returning, unfinished, as many as I bought. I finally came back to Joyce. What a relief. So good to be back in a story that has likeable characters, a storyline that makes sense and GOOD WRITING!!!! Oh how I have missed a writer who can actually write well. If you can't stand lazy and immature writing, anything by TS Joyce will meet your standards. I didn't appreciate it as much as I do after having suffered through crappy writing elsewhere.
The narrator does a very good job on this. I'll be buying the rest of this series, no question.

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