OYENTE

Tom

  • 87
  • opiniones
  • 146
  • votos útiles
  • 229
  • calificaciones

I really enjoy this series but.....

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
1 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-16-24

I could not finish this book as an audio book (I'm reading the rest). I firmly believe in giving the reader and the story a good chance when a start a book. The tale began a little odd to my mind as Joey's anger and resentment seemed way over the top after the last book ("The Last Second Chance" in which Joey starred in). I mean at the dinner at the very beginning of the book, Joey's calling the entire Pierce extended family assholes, including Phoebe, Summer & Gia. I am guessing something will crop up to explain such volatility later on but WOW. The same goes for the reader. Ms Winters just doesn't click for me. Her voices seem off, the infliction doesn't usually fit and there are times the tone of the character seems just plain wrong. I tried, I really did. I made it through Chapter 6 (around 3 hours into an 11 hour book) which I believe could be termed a "fair chance."

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A massive contradiction

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-24-24

I had a hard time getting into this book (the audiobook). First, I almost always really enjoy Ms. Ashley's work and this one had all the fun and excitement of the Rock Chicks and those adjacent series (Dream Man/Dream Team/Colorado and so on). As much as I found the narration grating at first until I got "in the groove," I think Ms. Bloom actually did a spectacular job. The issue was the primary women characters, mostly late 20s, early 30s, were written so they talked like they were between 16 and 20!! Jargon I thought had moved on ("totes," "word," and such) were used liberally plus done in the rapid fire speech of teenage girls. AND girls who think they are just quite daring as well as hilarious and everything they say is uproariously funny. Ms. Bloom captured that perfectly down to the inflection and tone of such people (the book may have been 4-5 hours longer if Ms. Bloom had gotten the rapid fire delivery down so well). I don't understand why Ms. Ashley felt she needed the characters to speak like that because it seemed to lower their maturity level as well as their credibility.

ON THE OTHER HAND, the narrative was so riveting that it was worth the effort to press on over that initial hump where the reader becomes acclimated (fluent?) with the speech patterns and everything takes off for the thrill of a great ride! This book is well worth a peek and I am looking forward for the next volumes!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fun with twists

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-23-24

It is hard to imagine how difficult the lives of both MCs are. But I thourghly enjoyed the story. There are parts that are so funny, I cued them up to play for non-audiobook fans (okay, I'm selfish, I was hoping my "victims" might give Audible a chance), for example when Emma & Justin pick up Christine and Leigh. I almost always enjoy Ms. Jimenez's work to the point I often get the audiobook as well as a print version so I can jump right into favorite parts of the narrative or just get into the Jimenez universe for a little while. This book deserves a peek!!!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Love Guild Codex - This Audiobook not so much

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 09-02-23

I picked up this book because I really enjoyed "Three Mages and a Margarita" (book 1 of the "Spellbound" series). The author of this whole universe, Annette Marie, recommends this book be the second book read as it takes place around the same time. Great, I'm all for it. Sign me up!

I didn't get more than a couple of chapters in when I felt forced to give up. The main character and the narrator (NOT the reader, Mr. Toma) of this tale is just overflowing with being a wise ass with "snarky" comebacks and quick "wit." It is WAY too much, even if the MC was a 12 year old boy. I always try to give audiobooks a good chance in case I don't "click" with the reader right away (be it voice timbre, pace or tone, I usually settle in) or I need to get used to the author's cadence (listening to audiobooks is like reading Shakespeare in high school. It can be a real struggle until about halfway through the first act then one breezes through, barely noticing the iambic pentameter). I just couldn't get there with this one. Not only the wiseassedness, but Kit comes off as if he believes he is VERY bright, very funny and the goddess's gift to the world. One can only wince and cringe so often while walking or driving without dire consequences so listening to the book became problematic. I will physically read (with eyeballs) Kit's tale where I can just bleep over the annoying parts.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A decent continuation of Book 1

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-23-23

My review of Book 1 of this duology carries over to this volume quite well. I have all the same comments and complaints. Mathilda is immature and a bit annoying (not as bad as Book 1 but I suspect that's because I got into the groove and slid right by much of the problematic stuff) and Ms. Jones is absolutely brilliant as she reads. Again, as it is simply the second half of a LARGE book, the narrative holds my interest enough that I actually didn't mind pressing on. Just as was true of the first volume, this book is not a favorite but I enjoyed it well enough and I am not at all sorry I delved into this series.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Disappointing, but I can't say I'm sorry

Total
2 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-23-23

A good number of other reviewers, both here and on Goodreads, have it correct. Annoying but worth it. Ms. Jones did a FABULOUS job as she got the characters down pat, even though it must have been annoying for her as well! Mathilda, the main character and the narrator, is a young woman in her mid twenties that hasn't matured past 14 or 15. On top of that (and here's where Susannah Jones was absolutely brilliant) she's one of those women who thinks they are uproariously funny while being light and breezy with their delivery. Too many "gaks" and "ughs" for an adult in the midst of building a life and saving the world. The book should come with a warning about the reader getting eye strain from excessive eyerolling.

All that being said, the story was fun. Not great but intriguing enough to press on through all the juvenile asides. I will say that it was not unlike adjusting to a strange accent or manner of speech (similar to reading the first part of the first act of Shakespeare.....once one gets used to the vernacular, one barely notices it) where all the annoying asides, although still present, fade a good bit into the background. KA followers will find this series a departure from her usually quite steamy books and the perspective is a bit more juvenile than usual but I felt it was worth the journey.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Couldn't deal with him much of the time.

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
2 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 01-04-23

This book was a rare disappointment for me with Kristen Ashley. The main male character Tanner Layne seemed to be trying to live up to his namesake (Tamerlane, 14th century Central Asian warlord the likes of Genghis Khan or Attila the Hun). I get that the males of KA's books are over the top macho but Layne took to further to the borders of a*shole. The fact he insisted on calling Rocky "Sweet cheeks" despite her protests and the blatant disrespect of it (why doesn't he just call her "nice c*nt" or the something of that ilk). And the whole ponytail thing was just too much..., he is teaching his daughter GREAT things about men and relationships.

The story itself was Kristen Ashley good enough to hold me through because Rocky and the rest of the cast were great but my experience with KA's other books is the main female is kick-ass to the world, but a really good partner/character in the relationship whereas Rocky, a majorly cool woman, is worn down to doormat levels by Layne within their relationship.

So it is most likely not Mr. Pallino's fault that I didn't care for his reading as the main (and pov) character was so irritating. I did think Mr. Pallino has difficulty with voices because when other males spoke, the narrator would raise the pitch of his voice causing most of the other males to sound like adolescents when Layne was present, otherwise those characters were rough, gravelly hombres.

I am a completion person so I wanted to move through the 'Burg in order and to continue with the flow. As I previously stated, the other characters and the story line are worth the effort, just this book is NOT a fav!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The tale holds this together

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
2 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-06-22

I enjoyed this book. As with most Kristen Ashley books, the characters are great fun. With almost all of her books, I find the males are a bit too macho for me but I LOVE the females. It is so much fun as they forge through life and interact with each other.

I had trouble with the narration of this book. I always give a narrator a good chance (if the story is good) as it sometimes takes me a while to get into the "zone" (not unlike reading Shakespeare; it would always take me forever to get into the language but by the middle of the first act at the latest, I would click and be ripping right along). Ms Thompson seemed a bit flat and monotone to me in the beginning but things perked up nicely eventually. Her cadence was strange though, not all the time, but here and there. She would also pause at the oddest places. We could be in the middle of a scene and there would be a pause; sometimes of some length. Then, during a scene change, a place I would suspect there to be a blank line or two in the print version, she would sail along with nary a breath. I had a good number of "Wait, what?" moments during the course of this book. It may not be Ms. Thompson's fault; it could be the editing process but I will go looking for other works performed by a given narrator who I enjoy in order to find new (to me) authors, but not the case here.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

This one was a bit of a surprise.

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 12-06-22

I think I liked this book the best of the three. The series was very good but I had a hard time getting into it for the first book especially, the second a bit less. This one I hit the ground running but I suspect that the first two was me, not the books themselves.

As other reviewers have stated, the ending felt rushed. This was the surprise as NR tends to craft a wonderful (and fulfilling) story but here the final battle arrived quite abruptly. The pacing was beginning to pick up so when BOOM, final battle starts was not totally unexpected, more disappointing.

One of the best features of NR/JDR books, especially her series, is the development and easy pace of the growth of the characters that are in the "supporting roles." That is what I like the best about NR books and so it was saddening that we didn't get to see Marco's wedding or Derek and Sally come to Ireland/Talamh. I would have LOVED to see them meet everyone.

Ms. Kreinik is spectacular!! She does such a good job with the accents and the individual character voices as well as telling the non-verbal parts in a compelling way. Well DONE

As always, I would urge everyone to give this book/series a try. I doubt you will disappointed!

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I'm shocked!

Total
1 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
2 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 11-14-22

I didn't finish listening to this book but will finish reading it as I can skim when I need to. I liked the narrator because, especially when Anya was talking to her girls, I was sitting at the table with them. I'm not big on highly controlling/extra macho men but it's Kristen Ashley, so I can get through just fine. I have started many of KA's books not caring much for the male lead but the story & the female characters pull me right in so I very much enjoy the book. I'm shocked because by over 50% in, I don't love the females, I'm not having fun, and am essentially waiting for the characters to "wake up" and start having fun & living lives. I doubt I will do the rest of this series because I'm guessing they will be similar (and Nick is SUCH an ahole I can't imagine reading HIS book) and there are other Kristen Ashley series to enjoy.

Se ha producido un error. Vuelve a intentarlo dentro de unos minutos.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_webcro805_stickypopup