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The Bookie

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This narrator has to be joking

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-30-25

The narration is so bad. At least for Danae, the FMC. Why? Is there no QAQC for audiobooks? Good grief. Its horrendous..

If tou can get past that, the story itself has plot holes the size of Idaho. And if you manage to get past even that, the romance is incredibly superficial. The relationship is based exclusively from the first moment on s*x. Nothing more. The tension is nonexistent.

So this is a DNF for me

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Difficult to engage with the story

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-29-25

The story was pretry good overall. And maybe I needed to read it in print rather than listen to really engage with it, but it was a struggle. Particularly early on. I missed the part where the author explains the backstory of the villain and hero, who the villain was and why he was after the MMC. I even backed up because I knew I missed something important and it mostly droned by again.

Perhaps it was the writing style, combined with the old-fashioned dialogue, as well as a big splash of the narrator's personal style of conveying dialogue, but so much of this story just floated in one ear and out the other.

The narrator is good, don't get me wrong. His accents are superb. But something in his tone and delivery just became background noise rather than actual words to pay attention to.

Anyway, its not a bad book. Not a bad author or narrator, I don't think. Just a bit difficult to hold my attentiin sadly.

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Such a good series

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-27-25

Keeps your attention from start to finish. I really enjoyed listening to this series. Good books. Good narration (the male narrator was a bit better in this one, or else I just got used to him). Very enjoyable read.

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Not for me

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-27-25

Dnf. The story starts strong but then its all innuendo and predictablity. There is no depth. I am genuinely not sure what the characters are even doing except traveling (where?) together. The mountains? Why? I dunno.

The story goes from random people attacking the FMC to dialogue that has very little going on, usually just talking about s*x.

The FMC is abused by nearly everyone, at least starting out. She is mostly ok, but it bothers me how little she thinks of her own life. Also, how when people she knows well die, she's a bit bothered but then making wisecracks about s*x almost immediately. Not how grief works.

The MMC is not terribly interesting (but he is super hawt, we know that much). And he is possessive, protective and generally snide. Otherwise, I don't know anything about him.

It does look like there will be lots of dom stuff. Its just not interesting anymore. Fifty Shades did no favors for the romance novel industry.

So with that, I'm out.

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Carissa Broadbent is just mean

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-22-25

Poor Tisaanah and Max. Poor Aife and Caduan. Even Nura breaks my heart. They all really went thru the grinder in this one. Even tho I am rereading this series (on Audible for the first time) its still gripping, and emotional, and just plain distressing at times.

But the 2nd book in a trilogy is often like this. The author has to drag their cast into hell before they can possibly grow and change for the better in the finale. It was a tough listen, but exciting all the way thru. Heartwrenching at times, bittersweet other times, and often very acrion packed.

Onward to the finale now. Even returning to this series, I am excited to experience everything Tisaanah and Max must go thru to have a chance at their peaceful garden.

My biggest beef with this series (on Audible) is the male narrator, whom I not-so-affectionately think of as Breathy MacBreatherson. He makes my teeth grind. I listen almost solely thru ear buds and if I didn't already struggle with misophonia, this heavy breathing, whispery man would give me a new complex. I cringe just thinking about it. If the books weren't included on Audible Plus right now, and I didn't already know how good the series is, I might not be able to deal with this guy's reading. The worst part is that his voice is actually nice. I don't know if the recording studio had his mic all wrong or if he is using some weird voice for affect, but... Ugh. The female narrator, as ever, does a phenomenal job. But the dude kinda ruins Maxantarius for me.

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Great series

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-15-25

I read these in ebook format when they were first published. They were good then. Now, because they are temporarily included with my Audible membership, I am reading them again - and I generally never read a fiction book twice. Never as good the second time thru.

But this one is. Its a unique plot and world, highly detailed and engrossing. Better yet, the characters all have immense depth, and its easy to lose yourself in Tissanah and Max's worlds. Easy to suspend disbelief as their minds, hearts and magical powers grow and shift thruout the narrative. The romance feels as real as any true relationship. Its awkward at times, comical, raw, and moving without being grotesque and over-the-top like so many books are these days.

Just FYI: This is a dark series , dealing with hard topics like slavery, cruel death and s.a. Its not an easy read full of magical butterflies and fields of wildflowers... Oh wait, yes it is actually. Just not only butterflies and wildflowers.

My biggest beef with the audio vsn is the male narrator.The female reader does a phenomenal job, but he...well, as other reviewers have noted, is breathy and has a strange cadence and expression.Its incredibly offputting and kind of ruins Max's chracter. The male narrator sounds rather effeminate in the way he reads and Maxantarius is anything but.

Regardless, its still worth reading, especially for mature audiences. As some of the topics covered are not for the faint of heart. Highly recommend, if not this audio edition, the series overall.

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TSTL female lead, but otherwise entertaining

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-08-25

Saber never grew on me. If anything, her increasingly obstinate, unreasonably aggressive and blithely idiotic demeanor thru-out the story only solidified my dislike to flat out disgust. Seriously, she is insufferable as a person, but worse, she is useless as a main character. At least in this book. All she serves to do is to drag others into trouble that they then must save her from. Time and again. The only scene in which she does anything besides 'grip her switchblade', snipe and quip at others, and whine about the situation she got herself into, is when she is fighting a foe armed only with a boxcutter. Anyone with more than a boxcutter? She's all mouth and useless little switchblade. Nothing more.

On the other hand, the druid is ok. Interesting, with a bit of depth at least. The fae, too, are interesting. I am curious where all that is heading (and the next few books are available without spending a credit) so I will read on. But, yeah, if Saber disappeared and a new FMC showed up in the next book it wouldn't bother me at all. In fact, that would be really nice. If this series cost a credit? There is no way I would go on.

Maybe Saber will have a redeeming character arc later? I sure hope so. Her compassion for animals is literally her only redeeming characteristic so far. Lets hope...

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Such a sweet and fun story!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-10-25

This was a nice escapist fantasy romance. Very sweet, clean, and innocent. I loved it. A happily-ever-after little adventure for any age.

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That ending was... Odd

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-07-25

Clearly I nmissed some things somewhere in the book, but I won't spoil it. Just... What on earth was that ending? The big fight was disjointed and somewhat ridiculous. The very end was just blah.

Initially the story waz interesting and easy to follow, but the last few hours felt like a different story or something. The romance was unbelievable. They went from mortal enemies to madly in love, and I have no clue how they got there.

I had planned on going on with the series, till the last hour. Not anymore.

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So so

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-05-25

I couldn't finish. All the tension was gone with an hour and a half left. Everything seemed resolved. Why keep reading? It was just meh.

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