Stacy

Annoying and Unbelievable Characters

Reviewed: 07-24-24

I was really hoping for a clever and enjoyable mystery series, but the first book, the Quiche of Death, was weak, at best, and the second, The Vicious Vet, was boring and annoying at the same time. The primary problem for me is that the characters are wholly ridiculous, but not in a madcap, isn't-it-fun-to-be-with-them sort of way. Agatha Raisin is at turns offensively brutal and so silly, gullible, and insecure that it is impossible to fathom that she ever ran a successful PR business. And she and her "love interest" James are essentially criminals -- both guilty of breaking and entering, and he is guilty of aggravated assault -- for no better reason than they are bored and take it upon themselves to investigate a death that may or may not have been a murder. I read until the end to find out "who done it," but these are not characters that I want to spend any more time with, so I will not be reading any other books in the series.

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Disappointing

Reviewed: 08-05-20

I wanted to like this story, and I tried, but it was all I could do to get through it. The plot was entirely predictable, which is not unusual in a romance novel, so that alone didn't turn me off. The setting and supporting characters were reasonably well drawn. However, the two main characters made me want to scream. They are described as being reasonably smart business people, but the twists and drama all seemed to hinge on them making stupid choices and acting in ways that seemed designed for them to get in their own way. And the forces that keep them apart? We're supposed to believe that their intimacy is delayed for days because Maverick gets too tired and needs a good night's rest -- twice? I felt like the authors decided to draw out a four or five hour story to fill close to nine hours, so they added in a good deal of pointless filler and delay. I also was not a fan of the female narrator, Loretta Rawlins, as she seemed rushed and not very invested in her own character. Eric Michael Summerer, though, was excellent, as usual, and listening to his voice got me through to the end.

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Howling Good Fun!!

Reviewed: 11-04-19

I have missed Chet and Bernie so much these past few years! Mostly Chet. No, mostly Bernie. What was I saying again, I lost track. Did it have something to do with a Slim Jim? I just love being in Chet's head and seeing the human world from his wise and exuberant perspective. After leaving Bernie on death's door in 2015, I checked regularly to see if another book was coming out or if -- perish the thought!-- the series would end. There was no news for so long that I gave up and stopped checking. Then I discovered that Heart of Barkness had actually been out for three months without my knowing. What a delightful surprise! The book was as good as any of the others in the series. It kept me alternately laughing out loud and tearing up. And of course, Jim Frangione is just about the best narrator out there. He brings both a depth and liveliness to the story that adds very much to the experience. As Chet would tell us, it's important to stop for the treats that come our way. Give yourself a treat and give this book a listen.

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5 people found this helpful

Dull and Not Believable

Reviewed: 06-29-19

I really wanted to like this book, as it was an interesting setup starting a long series. I hoped to get immersed in this world. But the characters just weren’t believable. The main characters and most supporting characters were incredibly good and perfect, and the only one that wasn’t wholly good was wholly vile. They weren’t nuanced at all, and the actions they took weren’t credible. Also, there was no conflict — or more accurately, the only real conflict in the book was over after the first quarter — so hours of listening (despite two good narrators who did their best with the two-dimensional characters) was deadly dull. It just isn’t interesting to read scene after scene about too-good-to-be-true characters being perfect and blissfully happy.

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Very far from Foster’s usual quality

Reviewed: 06-14-19

I’ve listened to many Lori Foster books— loved most and at least liked the rest, until this one. The characters are two dimensional and not very likable, and it doesn’t seem credible that they would tolerate each other, much less fall in love. The disappointing quality of the book wasn’t helped by the truly dreadful narration, which was stilted and annoying. Give this one a pass, even if you’re a diehard Foster fan.

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Not much good here.

Reviewed: 03-09-19

If all you are looking for is a fair amount of raunchy sex, you might like this trio of books, but if you are hoping for likable characters, a credible story line, or writing that goes beyond sex and trite platitudes, you should pass. I lost track of the number of times my reaction was “you’ve got to be kidding me” at a plot point, internal thoughts, or conversation. There are plenty of books out there with hot sex and decent writing— don’t waste your time here. The female narrator was also disappointing— a grating voice, lack of inflection, and not at all the twenty-something voice of the characters she was portraying.

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Disappointed

Reviewed: 03-02-19

Although the book had some good moments and I liked the narrators, overall I was annoyed and disappointed. The main character, Violet, was judgmental and snarky, repeatedly, and other than a tiny bit of wit and humor, I couldn’t find much to like about her. Violet had only internal ridicule and contempt for people who weren’t particularly attractive or stylish, most especially for two guys who wanted to date her and Alex’s mother. Violet can’t understand why Alex’s mother doesn’t immediately think she’s the best thing ever, yet her own internal monologue about the other woman ridicules her name, her looks, and everything else. I probably wouldn’t like someone who met me with such contempt, either. Alex’s persistence in getting Violet (and then getting her back) made little sense to me. I had hoped that I’d found a new series, but I won’t read past this book.

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2 people found this helpful

I Love, Love, Love Rowdy

Reviewed: 10-10-18

Lori Foster always delivers a good read, but Getting Rowdy is one of my absolute favorites. The way Avery and Rowdy interact is delightful, and the story is a wonderful blend of sweetness and suspense.

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Narration great but book falls short

Reviewed: 10-10-18

I found Poppy to be so immature and wishy-washy that I could barely stick with the book. Zach really is too good to be true, the way he puts up with all her nonsense and keeps coming back for more. I don’t fault a romance for being a bit unrealistic sometimes, but this one had elements that were way beyond beyond belief. And seriously, we’re supposed to believe that Poppy can pay for graduate school and support herself and her son on one part time job?

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Quite Disappointing

Reviewed: 10-08-18

Like many other reviewers, I absolutely loved the books narrated by the remarkable Katherine Kellgren, and I went into this book knowing that it would likely be less enjoyable, but I was much more disappointed than I had hoped to be.

I thought the narrator did a serviceable job with most of the characters, but the voice of Georgie herself was often shrill, whiny and unpleasant. Georgie did a fair bit of whining in the other books (although she did even more here), but in Kellgren’s voice it came off as good-natured or whimsical commentary. In the voice Blackborow gives to Georgie, the many “woe is me” passages are close to intolerably whiny.

But my biggest problem was the book rather than the narration. (Spoilers follow). I am used to Georgie being humble and compassionate. This Georgie, not so much. In past books, Mrs Huggins was depicted with kindness and good humor, despite her “low class” ways, but in this book she’s suddenly a scheming harpy that Georgie can barely tolerate seeing and feels no compassion for when dead. Two people Georgie supposedly cares about lose loved ones in this book, and Georgie knows of the deaths before they do. Yet when she sees each of them, she deals with her own concerns first and then, as a sort of afterthought, remembers to mention the death.

And I didn’t think much of the characters introduced here. The other books plunk Georgie down in a whole new set of colorful and intriguing people that are fascinating to learn about and watch. Here, the only new people we’ve got are a bunch of absurdly incompetent servants/criminals that bring out all the least likable parts of Georgie’s personality and aren’t particularly interesting as characters themselves.

I kept going to the end because I’ve waited through a dozen books to see Georgie and Darcy get married, and I wasn’t about to miss it. I’m glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the end of the book.

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