Anonymous

Ridiculous Cliffhanger.

Reviewed: 12-07-24

Well written, great narration, engaging story and characters, but a REALLY obnoxious cliffhanger. I tolerate cliffhangers well enough when I know there is a next book coming or there's a point to the ponder... but they usually have a natural break off point. This book feels like you were watching Star Wars and got to the start of the great battle and someone popped up on the screen and said "the end, maybe some of them will die, maybe some things blow up, somebody will likely win... who knows?" SO disappointing. And, at the time of this review, the author has said he has no plans to write a 3rd book. I'm actually mad I wasted my time. Yes, I can contemplate and make various endings in my head, but I want the "real" ending. If I wanted to make up my own tales I wouldn't be paying for them.
I likely won't read anything by this author again.

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Gross Lead Characters

Reviewed: 03-31-24

So, I kept 2 stars because the story is interesting and was developed and executed well. The love scenes are adult, hot and well written. But... the male lead LIKES killing people, is the reader is supposed to be OK with that? Root for him? It's not that he does what he has to do, but that he gets a sense of power and some internal delight not only from killing people, but from doing it in a way that's torturous. He prefers to burn people, sometimes dousing them so he can burn them a few times before they die. The female lead knows he kills people, but seems to think it's just the way he is and that's not enough to block her attraction to him. She doesn't have much empathy for his victims either. She's portrayed as some stealth avenger with a mission, but her actions are those of a dim-witted teen who is easily manipulated. And again, the reader is supposed to root for this couple and hope they prevail? I just found the lead characters to be gross, and it felt to me like some of the violence was thrown in just to be shocking or for people who like violence, because it didn't add to the story much. (And this is coming from someone who can tolerate violence in a book, I mean, the world has violence... but it wasn't like a story where the tortured person overcomes, or where they add the violence is in there to show how vile the bad guy/gal is... it was more like written for the entertainment and shock value of torture. Yuck. Reminded me of click bait.)

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Captivating story.

Reviewed: 12-10-23

This one took me by surprise in a good way. I was looking for a quick listen in the romance category. I don’t usually listen to paranormal, but sometimes. This is my first time listening to a audiobook by this author. When I started listening and realized it was AI narration, I almost turned it off… but I’m glad I didn’t.
The premise is simple… you’ve got a woman recovering from a bad relationship that goes on vacation, gets into trouble in bad weather, and so the hot guy rescues her. He happens to be a bear shifter. He is trying to avoid people, so he’s not too happy at being her champion. Romance ensues. Simple, but complicated… because it’s not really safe for either of them.

The writing was put together in a way that pulled me in. The characters came alive, and I was really hoping they’d be OK/figure it out. The descriptions of landscapes, animals and scenes were vivid and all worked well. The romance was captivating and steamy, but the heat didn’t come until the right time. Thanks TS Joyce for taking me on an exciting, feel-good mental journey.

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Generally good

Reviewed: 08-24-23

This audiobook was decent, with good narration.

I could only give it 3 stars because I personally found it boring. I almost returned it; however, there really wasn't anything really "wrong" with it. The narration was good, the romance was paced well. I generally like the "marriage of convivence" trope, which is why I spent a credit on this, These types of stories generally have a pattern of character development, angst, love, overcoming obstacles and then the happily ever after. That said, what makes them OK vs fantastic is the way the personalities are developed, how they relate to each other, any humor or other emotion woven in, and what unique situations/problems they encounter. What this book was lacking (for me) was story development and originality/creativity of the characters.... they seemed pretty generic and at times the hero's behavior just didn't make sense. (Is he an up-front, daring guy who holds nothing back and is not embarrassed about who he is [how his character is originally presented}, or one who hides his "family secrets?") He kept going back and forth. The heroine was very banal as well, and didn't hold to her original description much either.

All that said, writing novels is hard to do so I give my props to the author and I didn't return. I think others may (and it appears they have) rate this higher than I, it just didn't have enough spice or intrigue for my liking.

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1 person found this helpful

Mixed review - Entertaining, but also gross & long

Reviewed: 06-30-23

I have mixed feelings about this book. Below I have listed what I liked and did not, as well as a general plot/theme.

General Plot: The story follows the heroine, Skye O’Malley, from teen years well into her womanhood. Over this time she visits a lot of distant shores (mostly by ship) and has many different adventures and romances. The story is fiction, yet woven around historical facts of the time. Themes include arranged marriage, affairs, “soul mate” matches, the Royal Court of England (and it’s dirty politics), pirates, slavery, brothels, historical culture (including the roles of men and women at the time), and Irish family/political structures. It’s definitely adult content, with lots of love making and also some violence and other adult themes, such as illness and death.

What I liked: The story takes you through many years of the Heroine’s life, with several compelling twists and turns. It has interesting historical facts thrown in. The heroine is a strong woman in a time that didn’t allow women with much power or opportunity – but she makes it. I liked the narration.

What I didn’t like: Throughout the book there are men who act abhorrently, but then because they decide they like Skye the reader is supposed to like them, even root for them. For example... there’s a guy who abuses his wife horribly, has no remorse or regret for doing so, and mistreats/abandons his female children; yet, after he falls in love with Skye, it's like none of that matters as she's just OK with that. Gross. Readers should be aware that the book contains sexual abuse, including rape. Unfortunately, this happens in real life too, so the negative effects as well as the triumph of survivors are important topics that can be appropriate in books. However, I feel this author unnecessarily includes too many of these scenes, and the way they are written just feels gross. (As an example, victims are often described as frustrated about the unwelcome pleasure they feel while being abused.)

Neutral, but good to know/consider: The book is very long, (almost 22 hours), so quite a listening commitment. I generally don’t have enough patience for super-long audiobooks, which often feel overly drawn out to me. However, I will give the author/narrator writing props here; although I started to get bored at a few points, most of it kept me interested. I think it’s because it spans so much of this woman’s life and she has so many adventures that it feels like multiple books. I must admit that the last few hours were actually my favorite. However, I think most authors would have put this work out as three of four separate books. The next book in the series is even longer, and I just can't make the mental commitment.

Enjoy!

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Cute... but SO slow

Reviewed: 05-27-23

I mostly liked the writing style, and thought the narrator was good. However, the story pace moved way too slow for me. I like traditional romance plots with a twist, and this has that. It's a "fake relationship, set up for a specific reason, that turns into romance" plot. This isn't really a spoiler, it's spelled out pretty quickly. There are some unique elements, which makes the story interesting. And I did lol a few times, which I always appreciate. The problem with the story is the agonizing amount of time it takes to work through the couple's fears of admitting to themselves and each other what is really going on. I like that although you can predict the end, you can't necessarily predict how they will get there, it keeps it interesting... but I found myself skipping forward because the story just didn't have enough mystery or nuisance to hold the listener/reader for over 10 hours.

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Great plot - but too much whining and delay

Reviewed: 04-05-23

What I did really like: I love a historical romance. I've listened to so many... the plot lines are often very similar. This storyline was unique to the period and I liked that. No spoilers, so I'll just say that the heroine is going against her family and society in a way that is atypical. She's in a bad spot, trying to protect herself and those she loves, and in steps our hero. He's a unique hero as well. Some aspects are familiar... like the nice brogue and bod, a war hero with some scars... but some are unique as well, he's a bit disabled, cranky, not wealthy, a dry sense of humor. I think he's smarter than most old-world heroes are made out to be in these books... not so two dimensional as the men are often written.

Adult content - This book has adult content. Not much. You'll be quite a bit through the book before the heroine and hero come together physically. There are a few 3rd base scenes leading up. There is a lot of romance in the book but not very much adult content. Trigger warning - there is sexual violence discussed in the book, but no worries, the hero is not the bad guy. It's also not discussed graphically. I actually wish the author had either left it out or made a bigger deal of it. Why? Because sexual assault is horrific and has a large impact on the victim, and if you're going to relay a survivor story it should give weight to the event.

What I didn't like: (1) The narrator - I've heard her many times before, sometimes her voice works for the characters and other times not so much. As the main character, she's fine. Unfortunately, she makes the grandfather, (who is basically described as a old, hardened, life-worn, Scottish goat), sound like someone's effeminate uncle. (2) The annoying heroine. Time after time she tests the hero, she won't trust him even though he's solid from the go, she makes stupid decisions and also continues to put herself and others in danger. Since she's not written as having a low IQ, these issues don't work in the plot. She's often rude to the hero instead of grateful. She comes across like a twit. (3) There are parts that are painfully drawn out. This 13 hour book should have been edited to 8 or 9 hours. There are some aspects that are presented at an agonizingly slow pace. Also, in a few spots, items that seem important are just glazed over.

It was worth the listen, but not one of my favorites.

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Such a great find!

Reviewed: 09-05-21 Listener received this title free

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but I really loved this book.

It's about a young woman who discovers the world is not what she thought. Some fairy tales (and horror stories) and based in truth. And... she is more than she thought as well. The characters are well thought and interesting, they stay true to their descriptions and are easy to picture. And what a great array!

Romance - yes, lots of it. Some explicit adult scenes, but this a romance book with well-placed passion; those scenes are a small percentage of the content and appropriate to the story. It's not what I would describe as "erotica."

Narration - great! The first thing I notice on any audiobook is the narration. If it's bad, I just stop listening. This narration was good and went well with the story, she held my attention in a good way. I liked the pace and tone of this narrator, and enjoyed listening.

I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review. (Truly, I do not exaggerate stars or omit negatives because I received a review copy - and I rarely give 5 stars.)

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Mountain folk and sci-fi mash-up

Reviewed: 08-17-21

Plot: The main character in this book, Greer, is a young, female doctor. An unfortunate accident leaves her in the hands of a group of... well... human-like creatures. They won’t let her leave. What will she do, assimilate or find a way out?

The setting is Northern California, Mount Shasta. I can tell you that’s a great backdrop; there really are amazing caverns, mysteries and magic around that mountain.

Narration: It’s OK. It sounded a bit robotic, so much so I wasn’t sure if it was a stiff voice or a really good A.I. The tone was pleasant enough though, and it went at a good pace.

Listener’s impression: The plot is unique, it was not predictable – I truly didn’t know what was coming. That said, at times it was a bit too unpredictable; several of the story lines interrupted others and/or fell off suddenly. Listening to the story, it felt like 3 or 4 stories back-to-back. Almost like four series of the X-Files. I liked that show, so that’s not a negative, but it did jump a bit. First it seemed like a wilderness survival and secret society book, then a romance, then an AI/Alien tale, then a few new characters appeared towards the end of the book. Towards the end, the story focus moved to a set up for the new book. It felt like the book couldn’t stay focused; it was not a cliff-hanger, but didn't feel complete. However, the journey was interesting and the story was engaging, so 3 stars.

I thought the book was entertaining and appreciated the character development. I would listen to the author and/or narrator again.

I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review.

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Romance + Selkies

Reviewed: 06-13-21 Listener received this title free

What it's about: The lead character is a young woman with a hard life. Her dad's a bitter drunk, her mom is not in the picture and her brother has already moved on. The story is dark, but with love and hope as well. When she's at the end of her rope, she meets a man who becomes the only person in her life showing support. The romance blooms in that relationship. There is also a fantasy element in the story that involves selkies (a specific type of fae - seal people).

This story is pretty dark. There's a bad guy who is really horrible... he wants to own the female lead through forced marriage, and he is nasty and violent. As the story progresses, it continues to be a mixture of dark and the light. Truly reminiscent of fables of old. The story kept me engaged. The narration is good, the narrator has a nice pace and inflection. Although it is (or sounds like) a lower-cost production, it still works; for me, it was akin to going to a film festival and finding a movie that you really enjoy.

Adult content: This book has adult content and is not for kids/teens. It has descriptive scenes of violence and sex, including rape.

I was given this review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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