Meg

What the hell did I just listen to?

Reviewed: 10-16-19

So, this is gonna get spoiler-y. You've been warned.

I only made it through a little over half of this audio before rage quitting. Why, you ask? It's not that the narrator was atrocious; Emily Lawrence does a fairly good job with her characterisations.
No, no. It was the absolute ridiculousness of the main female character's reaction to things. Haley was the epitome of Too Stupid to Live(TM). Keep in mind, I always give a bit of leeway to reverse harem novels, because they're usually a bit over the top and ridiculous. This starts out intriguing, with the mystery of the dad and why they've been in hiding, etc. After that's all revealed and Haley finds out the big secret, she ends up separated from her father but miraculously rescued by these two strange (but lyke omg uber cute) guys. She tries to escape ONCE. But after a new uber cute guy comes and finds her in the woods, she's like "yea, I don't really have a chance on my own currently anyway, it makes more sense to just go back with them." Uh... what? She goes back and starts getting chummy with these three dudes, bashfully drooling over them half the time.

Okay, fine, I can get past the first delusion. But then when they tell her they have to relocate and she should go with them, she declines. They act like it's all cool, but then DRUG and KIDNAP HER. But it's like all done in a really chill, non-creepy manner, and it's for her own safety anyway. *eye roll* Now... maybe—MAYBE (but doubtful)—I could have gotten past this if she had flown off the handle at one of them at her situation, or they had acted at all apologetic or regretful. But no. No that's not what happens. TSTL Haley is a bit mad, and sort of yells at one of the guys, but as she's yelling she thinks to herself, "I know I sound overly outraged right now." Uh... WHAT?! How does one sound "overly outraged" upon discovering they've been mother-effin DRUGGED AND KIDNAPPED? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! There is no limit to the outrage in this situation! Freaking blow up parliament like it's the 5th of November! It's acceptable, you were drugged and kidnapped. And this whole time while she's semi-railing at this dude, she's thinking about how he's cute or whatthef*kall. No. No ma'am. I can take a lot. I've read some weird stuff. But this is my damned LIMIT.

Tl;dr ...this book contains a TSTL naive heroine who pines over creepy-calm (but totally cute and mysterious, omg) "for your own good" kidnappers.

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4 people found this helpful

So cute!

Reviewed: 03-28-19

I absolutely adored this story. I would have never given it the time of day usually, but I noticed it in the March originals freebie listing. It was the only story that struck my eye. I thought, "Well it's free, might as well!" I'm SO GLAD I did! As I don't tend to peruse the children's book section, I would have never come across it otherwise. I would have happily bought this book if I had realised how amazing it would be.
Maeve Merrit is an incredibly loveable character. She's troublesome and curious, but also very loyal and forward-thinking. She gets into so much mischief and makes many mistakes (what 13 year old girl doesn't?), but always owns up to them. It was a delight to be in her head and hear her point of view throughout the story. Julie Berry did a wonderful job with creating her. The storyline was excellent, as well. It was easy to fall into it, and I found myself many times scoffing at things the adults in the story would say, or feeling indignant for Maeve and her friends' plights.

What made this story even better was the performance by Jayne Entwistle. Her character voices were easy to distinguish, and all had their own unique personalities. I was immediately swept up in her portrayals, and felt every emotion she depicted. I will definitely be looking up more books under her narration.

The short of it: get this book! It is a feel-good, fun read.

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Love it

Reviewed: 12-22-16

I've listened and re-listened to this book so many times. I'm so glad that I happened by it on the Audible site ages ago. It is definitely one of my favourites.
The story is fabulous. It has the beginnings of romance, action-packed scenes, and a whole pile of quippy, quick-witted humour. I laugh out loud while listening through the whole thing. Island is such a loveable character, and is wonderfully awkward. The interactions between her and March are hilarious and cute.
I also cannot get enough of Amy McFadden as a narrator. She has quick become one of the narrators I look for specifically, as I love her style. She does a good job with accents, and it is easy to tell her different characters from one another.
I highly suggest this book. Worth every credit or dollar spent on it!

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All the feels

Reviewed: 11-14-15

I cannot say enough good things about this series. It is tragic. It is dark. It is terrifying. It is beautiful. I obsessively listened to Captive in the Dark and Seduced in the Dark one right after the other, devouring them in a couple of days.

The relationship between Caleb and Livvie is heartbreaking and touching all at once. CJ Roberts did an amazing job with this series; the story was well written and didn't shy away from the terror of the situation, making it more appealing than it was.

Emily Durante was a perfect narrator. Her depiction of different characters was well developed, and the emotion she put into this story (so many varied emotions to play) could not have been better performed. I found myself feeling exactly as the characters felt, picturing everything so vividly as I listened.

Do yourself a favor. Do not pass this series up.

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The performance was good

Reviewed: 10-21-15

Paranormal romances are always a hit or miss kind of deal. This...this was a miss. Eric Dove did a wonderful job on his performance. He captured different voices and portrayed emotions well. But even his performance couldn't make up for the storyline.
I think this story used the word "preternatural" well over a hundred times. I started to roll my eyes whenever it was used, wishing another adjective - any other adjective - would be in its place.
The story also progressed at an unrealistic speed. You don't really get to know the characters at all. There's so much background that is just glossed over. The characters accept their fates without much struggle or question. This book probably could have been better, if the author had flushed out more detail and made the world more complete.
I found the pet names used throughout annoying. Everyone was "baby," "angel," or "my love," suggesting an intimacy that was never fully built out. And frankly, I didn't care for the author's take on vampires. The idea of a blood destiny was cool, but the speed required for it all to work out was lame. If babies weren't in the mix, that may have been easier to swallow.

Overall... I wouldn't suggest this book.

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5 people found this helpful