Paisley

Another masterpiece of storytelling by KJ Charles

Revisado: 10-14-19

There are very few titles I buy without reading the reviews and certainly fewer that I pre-order, KJ Charles is the exception and so far I have never been let down by her work. This type of story is not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who enjoy a regency feel with an M/M romance it doesn't get better than this!

Another reason this audio story is amazing is because of the narration. Cornell Collins is FABULOUS. He does characters' voices with such a dramatic flair, I am always captivated by his performances. He does women's voice well, does each character with unique expressions and I never have to think about whom is speaking.

A final note--if you have not read or listened to her other books set in a similar time period (not the Magpie ones) like Society of Gentlemen and Sins of the City series I would start with those first. They are not dependent upon one another to know or enjoy the stories but reading or (even better) listening to those stories first makes this one feel much richer and familiar,

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esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Hilarious story but confusing voices distracted me

Revisado: 07-11-19

So first off let me say that How to be a Normal Person by TJ Klune might be my favorite story of all time. I loved it in audio and listen to it repeatedly. I also love and adore the story Tell Me it's Real by TJ Klune and it's another go-to fave for both reading and audio. This is why I struggled with the audio version of this story. The narrator who did Tell Me it's Real is the one for this book (Michael Lesley) and when he does the voices for the characters they sound JUST LIKE the ones from Tell Me it's Real. So when Gustavo speaks he sounds like Vince Taylor from TMIR. Serge sounds just like the waiter Santiago from TMIR, and the regular reading narration voice sounds an awful lot like Sandy from TMIR. My brain did not like that at all. I think it's a shame that the narrator for How to Be a Normal Person did not do this audiobook--it would have been quite a bit better.

Michael Lesley is a good narrator but he doesn't do a great job of making the character voices distinctive enough in this reading. There were multiple times I was confused about who was speaking as the voices did not have enough distinction. For example, when Xander and Josiah had conversations the two voices were too close to be distinguished from one another. That made me stop listening to the story and start thinking to myself, "who just said that?" In my opinion that's not good narration. I also thought that the voices that were unique sounded like other characters I have heard him do in other stories and that was also distracting.

So overall, loved the story. Loved getting a chance to catch up with beloved characters from other stories. Did not like the choice of narrators for this one.

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Another captivating installment in Hexworld

Revisado: 11-05-17

Once again Jordan has crafted a wonderful and entertaining world with Hexslayer. I was immersed and submerged, and nearly drowned in the rich details and exciting plot twists.

The narration is excellent. There are a lot of characters and dialogue but I only found myself questioning who was speaking once or twice. That’s really good in my opinion. It’s too often I struggle with keeping characters straight when a narrator’s reading dialogue.

I did not give this story 5 stars, which is unusual for me when it comes to Jordan's books. I felt that there was not enough romance between the two main characters. I am not talking sex, I am talking about love or emotional connection. In the other Hexworld stories I found the two men to be deeply bonded and connected, and there wasn't that dynamic present in this one.

After pondering why I felt this way I think it was because of the ending. I won't divulge any spoilers, but I didn't receive the usual satisfaction I get at the ending of a romance novel. It ended too quickly after a major incident (well really a month had passed by) but that made it even less romantic. The end felt like almost an afterthought, or tacked on to give some small closure rather than the thought processes that led the characters to their final actions. I would have enjoyed a bit more insight into the feelings and thoughts that led to the final few paragraphs. Other than that it was awesome (as I expect in her stories) Jordan is a masterful storyteller--I am looking forward to seeing the Hexworld saga continue!

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Enjoyable, but not awesome

Revisado: 04-27-16

Any additional comments?

I mostly love Josh L's audiobooks. She has a way of building love through everyday drama, as well as through the art of mystery and suspense. This is a contemporary romance - no crime drama or mystery involved here. Just an everyday type of drama that regular people deal with in the real world.

The narration is professional and entertaining. I had a bit of an issue with the plot holes. There were a few things that bugged me, and I felt like I wanted to argue with the story at times. I am not going to go into details because I would spoil things with too many specifics.

And here's a weird thing - I felt like Wes should have been the name for Conner's character, and Con should have been the name for Wes's character - I kept getting them mixed up. Thankfully the narrator was good enough to do the voices differently and consistently. Their names just didn't fit who they were. So weird to say, I know.

I also thought that Wes's character could have been developed more. Because he was kind of a dick to Con, and his motivations may have been solid, but the reader didn't see that really.

I am glad I listened to it and for the most part I was well entertained.

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An exciting blend of fantasy and romance!

Revisado: 03-03-16

If you could sum up Keys in three words, what would they be?

Unique, sexy and fun

Who was your favorite character and why?

The story is told from Octavius’ point of view, and I found him to be a very likable character. His love interest, Thorne, is a sexy sidekick. They are an established couple as the story begins, so this allowed the plot to focus on other issues. I think that worked well because there is a lot to understand about the City of Keys and it’s happenings. Oss and Thorne are a great match, but since it is a first person narrative there were times I wondered what was going on in Thorne’s head.

What about Derrick McClain’s performance did you like?

Derrick McClain does a wonderful job of narrating the story. He is Oss, and his voice adds humor and passion in the right places. He acts out all of the characters in a unique way, and I found myself being able to keep track of who was saying what during the dialogues. There are a lot of characters in the story, so this aspect of the narration was important and well done.

Any additional comments?

Amber Kell created an unusual world in the City of Keys. I love fantasy and all the sub-genres that can go along with fantasy stories. Her creation is a steam punk world and it also has magic. So, it really is a blend of a few of my favorite kinds of fantasy realms. I think that one of the issues that goes along with reading (or listening to) fantasies is that the reader has to understand the world and the unique aspects of the author’s creations in order to feel comfortable and absorb the story without feeling confused. Sometimes I have to read parts of a fantasy book a few times to really get it. Thankfully this wasn’t the case with Keys. It did take me a few chapters to get into the flow of the story, and be able to visualize the world the author constructed. That was probably because it is a unique world with an interesting history, and allowing it all to digest in my brain took some time.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

I Enjoyed it More as it Progressed

Revisado: 09-02-15

Any additional comments?

I started listening to this one a few times and stopped. I just could not get into it. It's narrated in first person and Tyler Stevens sounded so whiny as Curtis. Finally I made it through the first 20 mins and started getting into the story a bit. As I liked Curtis more the nasal whine of Tyler's narration was less nerve grating.I ended up enjoying the story very much overall. I have not read the first two books in this series and now I am intrigued to check them out.

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Loved this one so much!

Revisado: 03-02-15

This audiobook was very entertaining. The narration was perfect (although none of my Aussie pals really sound like this at all) and that's important because it's written in first person.

It's funny and charming and completely adorable.

My first book from this author but certainly not my last!

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One of my fave M/M books - well done in audio

Revisado: 02-24-15

If you could sum up Dance with the Devil in three words, what would they be?

Creative, sexy fun!
I was happily surprised by this audiobook. I loved this story in ebook and sometimes that doesn't transfer well into an audio version. I think that this story does do well in audio because the narration is great, and the world-building details are well written. It's a fantasy/paranormal gay romance. The way it is presented as "case files" for each chapter is a bit odd until you get used to it. The cases are not in order (the timeline moves back and forth so you need to pay attention to what case number it is to understand that fact) at first that bothered me when I read it - but once I figured it out it was awesome. It is imaginative, creative, sexy and filled with magic.

Which character – as performed by Paul Morey – was your favorite?

Chris White - he did the self-deprecating sarcasm well. Unfortunately I have listened to quite a few Paul Morey books and now the characters are starting to sound alike. When he did Sable's character I kept thinking about another book where a character sounded just like him.

Any additional comments?

If you find the timeline confusing just hang in there you will get used to it. I have read this story MANY times and I still love it because the characters are endearing and the creativity is off the charts.

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One of my all-time faves!

Revisado: 11-05-14

Would you consider the audio edition of Tell Me It's Real to be better than the print version?

In some ways, yes. I think that the narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. This is a long book and I never felt bored during the entire story. It's so funny and very heartwarming and sexy - the perfect book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tell Me It's Real?

When Vince and Paul are texting each other while Vince is snooping through Paul's house - the narration of this works really well.

Which scene was your favorite?

Oh, there are so many wonderful and funny scenes in this story but I love when they go out to dinner and the waiter hits on Vince, then Vince discovers Paul's deepest darkest secret, and then Paul's parents wander by and they think that Vince is Paul's dom. So freakin' funny!

Who was the most memorable character of Tell Me It's Real and why?

There are lots of wonderful characters, from the hilariously outrageous Sandy, to the yummy, yummy Vince, to Paul's fantastic parents, but Paul Auster takes the cake! Since the story is told in first person, from his point of view, he is very memorable indeed. One of my favorite characters in M/M Romance ever.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book and a really great audiobook too!

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Better than I expected

Revisado: 10-28-14

Where does All Kinds of Tied Down rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 10% but please see my additional comments about the narration below

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoy the whole "Matter of Time" series and there are characters from MOT in this story. I really liked this story soooooo much better than I did Parting Shot. I was not a huge fan of that story (and I pretty much lurve EVERYTHING that MC writes really) so I had held off on this one.

Which character – as performed by Tristan James – was your favorite?

Ian

Any additional comments?

I have not read this book on my Kindle - only listened to the audio version. That is a bit unusual for me but I am glad I took a chance on this one.I am so glad I finally took a chance and tried it! The characters were great! Typical MC kinda fellas - beautiful, sexy, rugged men who are HOT in the sack. Interesting plot with a slow burn kinda build up, and lots of extra characters making it feel very full. Loved it! Tristan James was the narrator and I like him. My only issue was that I loved him in the Rhys Ford "Sinners" series, and when he was doing Miro's voice and (head voice especially) it sounded so much like Miki in Sinner's Gin that it kinda bugged me. Since this story is told from Miro's POV you really hear a lot of him, and I kept thinking about Miki St. John. Other than that I thought it was excellent.

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