Sheiglagh

A Dark Rom-Com with lots of LOL Moments

Revisado: 08-24-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The third book in JA Huss’s “Sacred Trinity” series, “The Comfort in the Brave” is a dark rom-com with a lot of laugh-out-loud funny moments. This sounds like an oxymoron and having read JA Huss for years it’s not surprising. Julie has never ceased to amaze me in every book she writes. And this one did not disappoint.

“The Comfort in the Brave” takes Clover Bradley, a native of Disciple who was mentioned in “The Rumble and the Glory” (book 1) and we met in “The Echo on the Water” (book 2). Clover unexpectedly had to go home only to find that her empty childhood home was housing a squatter!

And to add injury to insult, Riggs, the unwanted guest promptly kidnapped her on her own home! Still, the hits keep on coming to Clover as she found herself attracted to Riggs. Stockholm Syndrome, anyone?

The premise of enemies-to-lovers is not new. But this is JA Huss who always add an unexpected element. And this time, it’s the banter between Clover and Riggs. Half of the book, it was just the two main characters. Hence, the on-going dialogue reminded me of a stage play so much so that I started imagining a stage set. The audio book was done duet style, thus adding to the stage play vibe. If JA Huss decides to be a playwright, she can easily just make some fine tuning in “The Comfort in the Brave” and voila, she has a stage play!

Voice actors Samantha Summers and Robin Blake are new to me. Respectively, their interpretation of Clover and Riggs made the two characters come alive. Again, as I already mentioned, the banter between them feels so authentic. Summers and Blake’s voiceover were just perfect.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fashionista JA Huss

Revisado: 07-28-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

For “The Echo on The Water,” the second book in her “Sacred Trinity” series, JA Huss’s inner fashionista was front and center as she dressed up Amon and Rosie in 19th century and early 20th century fashion interspersed with retro 70s and 80s style.

Set in the Appalachia of West Virginia, in three fictional towns of Disciple, Bishop and Revenant, “The Echo on the Water” is a fictional discourse of a small swatch of Americana. The Revival, which is staged as a period drama wherein the crew, players and even the attendees have to wear a costume is more of a scripted Broadway show and not a religious experience. The “fun” take on The Revival does not hide the fact that all the residents/ citizens of Disciple gets an income from it the moment they are born. Rather, it explains why everyone in town willingly participate in it, making it a part of their everyday life.

Thru the eyes of Amon and Rosie, the story / history of the towns and The Revival are shared. As their love story/ romance progresses, we fall in love with them - their own persona and The Revival persona. It’s almost as if JA Huss is telling us two stories. For her fans like me, it’s not surprising. It is something which we always expect - a twist, a different perspective and a kaleidoscope of characters.

For Amon and Rosie’s romance, it’s a story of second chances. A teenage Mom, Rosie reinvented herself to raise her child Cross who is now 12 years old. She was never shunned in their small town but Rosie was also scared to give her heart to anyone after being shattered when she was 15. Amon was the town’s bad boy who joined the Marines to get away but has come back home to start afresh after being dishonorably discharged. Their togetherness was unexpected but made a lot of sense.

As a longtime reader of JA Huss’s works, “The Echo on the Water” is arguably my favorite. Being a fashion writer, I know that Julie had to do a lot of research to “dress up” Amon and Rosie. To borrow from 2 famous movie reviewers, I give JA Huss two thumbs up and lots of respect. She can give fashionistas a run for their money.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

There is Always Another Secret

Revisado: 06-28-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

For her new series, “The Rumble and the Glory,” JA Huss takes her readers to three small West Virginia towns that time forgot. The population, albeit very small, lives in the 21st century but they deliberately leave the town to be a mix of colonial Williamsburg with a throwback 1960s and 1920s revival vibe all thrown into one.

The characters in the story are characters themselves. There’s Lowyn McBride, a college dropout turned entrepreneur who owns a very successful vintage store. There is Collin Creed, a former soldier who was dishonorably discharged and currently owns a security company. They were high school sweethearts but broke up when Creed joined the military. That was 12 years ago. Now that he is back in Disciple, WV, a second-chance romance is brewing.

It might sound like a trope, but it’s not. JA Huss does not do straightforward tropes. There are always so many twists and turns in her story that we question ourselves if we pegged the plot correctly. There are always surprises and for “The Rumble and the Glory,” it’s the secrets that the town holds. Some secrets are bigger than the town itself but there are also small ones that will only affect one or two people if it became known.

This might sound ominous, especially with the book cover. Again, expect to be surprised! Between Lowyn and Creed, whose story is already engaging, the supporting characters – Amon and Rosie, Clover and Bryn, even Mayor Jim Bob add color to the story. The book is unputdownable.

And as always, the audiobook is perfectly cast. JA Huss always knows who the best narrators for her books are, and this time, CJ Mission and Jill Redfield nailed Creed and Lowyn, respectively. Narrated as a duet, the banter between Creed and Lowyn feels so real. Both narrators easily changed voices for the other characters. And best of all, Jill Redfield got the Southern accent down pat. Listening to her brings me to Dixieland.

I’ve been reading JA Huss for some time, and I have always thought that her Rook and Ronin books and The Company are her best world building. I’m happy to say that “The Rumble and the Glory” just exceeded all my expectations. I can’t wait for the next books in the series. I want to know more about the towns of Bishop, Disciple and Revenant. I also want to learn the story of the other characters that were featured prominently in this book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Love it!

Revisado: 02-02-23

Perfect story, perfect narration and narrators, perfect listening. Highly recommended for your reading/listening pleasure.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great romantic thriller

Revisado: 12-13-22

Love it that we were held in suspense till the very end. Great narration but I think it will have been better if it was a duo narration since it’s a duo POV

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Another take on MI6

Revisado: 07-14-20

I downloaded this book because of Sebastian York, and once again I was not disappointed. As always, he did a great job. And kudos to Felicity Munroe.

But most importantly, I discovered Heather Slade, thanks to Sebastian Yok. Heather's lighthearted take on MI6 is actually quite refreshing. I read/listen enough on the high octane spy stories/books. A rom-com and laid back take is just right for me to relax. Don't get me wrong, there was intrigue, just not the Jack Ryan kind. :-)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great story, horrible minor characters

Revisado: 05-14-20

I seldom write bad reviews because I always give A for effort. And Geekerella is really a nice take from the Cinderella story. The reason why I'm giving it a 2 overall is simply because the minor characters are just poorly written and represented. But before I go on, please be warned, SPOILERS ALERT!!! Not on the storyline but the minor characters.

#1 Personal Assistant Gayle
Well... she is supposed to be 25 years old and a PA. In Hollywood terms, she should be on top of her form. But, she is so disorganized and loses Darien's phone??? Really??? How disorganized can she be. Granted Darien does not want her fired. But years on the job should have taught her. Anyway, she could have been written better.

#2 Bodyguard
Really? You can't keep the person you're guarding safe. He could have intervened so many times, but yeah, he allowed Darien to be truly alone without backup. He can give him privacy, but you don't leave him truly alone. That's what good bodyguards do.

#3 Evil Stepsisters
How cliche can you get?

Disclosure - I am a book geek up to today and a science geek growing up. I love sci-fi/fantasy and actually attend cons too. So, this book truly touched me. And I would have given it 5 stars just because I identify with the characters. But, a lame PA and bodyguard just do not cut it for me since I know the real deal. If it was only the evil stepsisters, yes I can forgive that. After all, this book is YA. But to give the impression that PAs and Bodyguards are lame are just unacceptable to me since I know that people who take those jobs take it seriously. There is no way that Gayle and Loni (unsure of spelling since I just listened to the book) would have survived Hollywood or any other job if they are that inept.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Another Perfect short story

Revisado: 12-31-18

Is it a short story or a novella? It’s hard to decide but it is easy to say that it’s definitely another story told perfectly. K. Bromberg does it again. Sebastian York and Andi Arndt are stellar as usual

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Perfect

Revisado: 12-27-18

Just perfect! Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber as narrators are also perfect for the characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Good story, bad narration

Revisado: 12-27-18

Usually I try to avoid saying something bad about the performance but this book is better read than listened to because the narrator just sounded so wooden. She had ONE voice. She never changed her tone or her timbre. So it took away from my enjoyment

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas