Pretty good. But audiobook narrator Therese Plummer is not good with male voices.
Characters and plot were formulaic - been done before, but it kept myPretty good. But audiobook narrator Therese Plummer is not good with male voices.
Characters and plot were formulaic - been done before, but it kept my interest.
This is book 2 in the Donovan Legacy series. Each book can be read as a stand alone. The characters in book 1 have minor roles in book 2.
Mel is a former cop, now a private detective. Her friend Rose’s baby was stolen. Rose heard about Sebastian - a psychic who helped the FBI and cops with cases. Rose arranged to meet with Sebastian and asked Mel to go with her. Mel doesn’t believe in psychics. Mel thinks Sebastian will try to take money from Rose. Mel and Sebastian end up working together on the case. Eventually Mel is convinced of Sebastian’s abilities.
The plot involves finding bad guys who steal babies. It was pretty good. I liked the clues and getting close. The relationship development was pretty good. It’s romance, so the ending is happy.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Therese Plummer was very good with general story telling and women’s voices. But she was not good with Nash. She made him sound dorky. The emotional tone she used did not fit that of a sexy man.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: at least one sex scene. Setting: Around 1991 California and Ireland. Book copyright: 1992. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
Not enough plot. Too much descriptions, ponderings, and feelings. It dragged. Narrator is not good with male voices.
The main plot was Nash a movie wriNot enough plot. Too much descriptions, ponderings, and feelings. It dragged. Narrator is not good with male voices.
The main plot was Nash a movie writer/director thought Morgana was a charlatan witch. He wanted to write a movie about witches. So he interviewed her to learn more about them. She was a real witch and told him truths. He liked what she told him but he thought they were tricks - not the real thing. Meanwhile they are sexually drawn to each other.
I listened to more than half the book and then skipped to the end. I couldn’t make myself listen to more. The sequel “Entranced” was better.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Therese Plummer was very good with general story telling and women’s voices. But she was not good with Nash. She made him sound weird and like a 12-year-old-kid. The emotional tone she used did not fit that of a sexy man.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: at least one sex scene. Setting: Around 1991 California and Ireland. Book copyright: 1992. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
1st story was not good. 2nd story was better. Narrator is not good with male voices.
2 stars for CAPTIVATED.
Not enough plot. Too much descriptions, pon1st story was not good. 2nd story was better. Narrator is not good with male voices.
2 stars for CAPTIVATED.
Not enough plot. Too much descriptions, ponderings, and feelings. It dragged.
The main plot was Nash a movie writer/director thought Morgana was a charlatan witch. He wanted to write a movie about witches. So he interviewed her to learn more about them. She was a real witch and told him truths. He liked what she told him but he thought they were tricks - not the real thing. Meanwhile they are sexually drawn to each other.
I listened to more than half the book and then skipped to the end. I couldn’t make myself listen to more. The sequel “Entranced” was better.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Therese Plummer was very good with general story telling and women’s voices. But she was not good with Nash. She made him sound weird and like a 12-year-old-kid. The emotional tone she used did not fit that of a sexy man.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: at least one sex scene. Setting: Around 1991 California and Ireland. Book copyright: 1992. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.
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3 stars for ENTRANCED.
Pretty good. Characters and plot were formulaic - been done before, but it kept my interest.
This is book 2 in the Donovan Legacy series. Each book can be read as a stand alone. The characters in book 1 have minor roles in book 2.
Mel is a former cop, now a private detective. Her friend Rose’s baby was stolen. Rose heard about Sebastian - a psychic who helped the FBI and cops with cases. Rose arranged to meet with Sebastian and asked Mel to go with her. Mel doesn’t believe in psychics. Mel thinks Sebastian will try to take money from Rose. Mel and Sebastian end up working together on the case. Eventually Mel is convinced of Sebastian’s abilities.
The plot involves finding bad guys who steal babies. It was pretty good. I liked the clues and getting close. The relationship development was pretty good. It’s romance, so the ending is happy.
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR: Therese Plummer was very good with general story telling and women’s voices. But she was not good with Nash. She made him sound dorky. The emotional tone she used did not fit that of a sexy man.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Swearing language: none that I recall. Sexual content: at least one sex scene. Setting: Around 1991 California and Ireland. Book copyright: 1992. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
Nice relationship development, but I skimmed some parts.
GOOD PARTS: I liked the character development and their interaction. The scenes with Kurt and aNice relationship development, but I skimmed some parts.
GOOD PARTS: I liked the character development and their interaction. The scenes with Kurt and another man who visited Lilith were very entertaining. Lilith’s magic spells were fun. The ending was good.
WEAK PARTS: The author spent too much time teaching us about tarot cards. For example: Lilith would walk into a room and see a card face up. The author would spend a paragraph giving a textbook definition of what that card meant. Then Lilith would ponder it’s meaning and what she should do next. I found that dull. I skimmed those parts. I also skimmed the part where Lilith tells Mitch about their past. It had already been told, so I think the author should have shortened or summarized the retelling.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 309 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Setting: mostly 1999 Toronto, Canada, with a short beginning in 1420 Italy. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
3 ½ stars. Several parts were cute and fun. It’s light entertainment.
This is a contemporary romance using Roman and Norse gods. I’m hesitant to read t3 ½ stars. Several parts were cute and fun. It’s light entertainment.
This is a contemporary romance using Roman and Norse gods. I’m hesitant to read twists on fairy tales and was reluctant to read this, but I was pleasantly surprised. About a fourth of the way into it I’m thinking “I’m liking this. It’s entertaining.” The last half was more into relationship problems and was less entertaining. On balance it’s above average. There is a lot of erotic explicit sex. Half is male-male sex including rear door activity. The other half is male-female sex, some with two men and one woman.
The least interesting part for me was Dillon being mad at Mercury which seemed like most of the book. And there was the big misunderstanding which again had Dillon angry at Mercury. My favorite part was the Vesta, Thor, Loki story. Thor and Loki were so different. Thor the caveman type, Loki the quick and cunning mischief maker. They didn’t want sex with each other but they wanted her so much that they put up with each other for group sex. She was conflicted. She liked them both.
A third relationship occurs between goddess Theta and vampire Peleus. It was good but too brief, I wanted more development.
STORY BRIEF: A mixture of gods and human political leaders are having a conference on a cruise ship. The god Mercury is organizing and administrating. He is secretly gay. The human Dillon (openly gay) is assigned to be his assistant. Jupiter doesn’t know Mercury is gay arranged a marriage between Mercury and Vesta the virgin goddess. They have never met. Mercury wants to avoid her. She wants to lose her virginity. The Norse gods Thor and Loki intensely desire Vesta and seduce her. She’s attracted to them as well.
DATA: Narrative mode: 3rd person. Kindle count story length: 3,339 (432 KB). Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 14. Setting: current day California and Mexico. Copyright: 2011. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance, male-male....more
The story was ok with a nice ending, but it could have gone longer.
Story Brief: Maggie Andrews works for her father's company. Liam also works there. The story was ok with a nice ending, but it could have gone longer.
Story Brief: Maggie Andrews works for her father's company. Liam also works there. Maggie and Liam travel to Ireland for business. They visit an antiques shop. Maggie is drawn to a piece of tapestry which Liam buys. The hotels are full and they are forced to share a hotel room.
Reviewer's Opinion: I wanted to know what would happen to Liam, the company, how the ring design related to the tapestry, and Liam's heritage. On the other hand, I don't know if I really needed to know anymore. Maggie wasn't my favorite character, possibly due to her false aloofness, but it was understandable.
Data: Story length: 93 pages. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Length of sex scenes: 2 to 11 pages. Total number of sex scene pages: 23. Setting: current day Ireland. Copyright: 2004. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.
This story is also published in the anthology Irish Enchantment.
Weak plot development. Mostly about everyday activities and conversations among people on the island.
STORY BRIEF: Long ago, a curse was put on FalgannoWeak plot development. Mostly about everyday activities and conversations among people on the island.
STORY BRIEF: Long ago, a curse was put on Falgannon Isle. (1) No females would be born to the females of the island and (2) the males of the island would not find love until the Lady of the Isle mated with an Irish man with black hair and green eyes. The curse even applies to men and women who leave the island. BA (BarbaraAnne) is the current Lady of the Isle. She is a descendant of Maeve (the woman who was cursed). She inherited wealth created by her grandfather Sean. She uses her wealth to improve the lives of the men on the island. Recently she set up a matchmaking website inviting single women to come to the island. She pays their expenses to come meet potential husbands. Desmond is of Irish descent and has black hair and green eyes. He comes to the island with plans to build a resort. He also has other motives which could hurt BA. He and BA are lustfully drawn to each other.
REVIEWER’S OPINION: The plot was weak. It seemed most of the story consisted of everyday activities and conversations among the people living on the island. The author used a lot of cute names and references to celebrities and movies which is fine, but I would have preferred more interesting actions, motivations and events. I lost interest and wanted it to be over. I found myself skimming some parts in the middle of the book. The main plot about Desmond’s business plan which could hurt BA was not developed. And at the end, details about what happened with the business issues were never explained. I wanted the details. The sex scenes were ok but could have used a little more emotional draw.
The best parts of the story (which surprised me) were BA’s actions after she learned about Desmond’s plans.
DATA: Story length: 341 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 8. Total number of sex scene pages: 18. Setting: current day Falgannon Isle, off the coast of Scotland and Ireland. Copyright; 2006. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
Parts of the story were entertaining, but on balance I can’t recommend it.
REVIEWER'S OPINION: I loved the secondary story between Cecilia and Silas, whParts of the story were entertaining, but on balance I can’t recommend it.
REVIEWER'S OPINION: I loved the secondary story between Cecilia and Silas, which was a very small part of the book, but I did not care for the main story between Audrey and Nathaniel. There was too much pondering within the minds of characters. At times, Audrey was too rude and smart-alecky for me. The plot concerning how Nathaniel was losing his soul and how it was resolved was a little odd but ok. Unfortunately, the other parts of the story were not as entertaining or interesting as I would have liked. I found one scene boring (pages 173 to 181). This is where Audrey has a conversation with Leo, a policeman who was Sean's partner (her dead husband.) They discuss her relationship with Sean. Leo says that Sean would have wanted her to move on with her life, but Audrey doesn't believe it.
Another problem bothered me a lot, which follows. Instead of using the names Silas and Nathaniel, the author used the following: "the great great however many greats grandson," "your great great et cetera grandfather," "great great blah blah blah grandson," "great great whatever grandfather," and "great great God knows how many greats grandfather." These and similar terms were used far too frequently. I wished the author had just figured out how many greats it was once, and then used that specific number once or twice. After that the author should have used names or the specific label. I was annoyed with the frequency of these vague terms.
STORY BRIEF: Audrey's husband died three years ago. She still considers herself married for life and plans never to be with anyone else. She moves into an old home previously owned by Silas Summerfield who died in 1932. His ghost communicates with Audrey and asks her to help his great something grandson Nathaniel. Silas says that Nathaniel will lose his soul if he forms a business partnership with Edward Dryden. Audrey visits Nathaniel and tries to help. At first Nathaniel doesn't believe her, and he signs a contract with Edward. At that moment he begins to feel cold. He later sees Audrey and shakes her hand. Touching her is the only thing that reduces the cold that has been haunting him. The story continues with what to do about the contract with Edward, Nathaniel's disappearing soul and the relationship between Nathaniel and Audrey.
DATA: Story length: 280 pages. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 10. Setting: current day Louisville, Kentucky. Copyright: 2008. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance....more
**spoiler alert** Average romance, nothing special. Gorgeous rich guy falls in love-at-first-sight with a haunted mansion and a reluctant woman.
REVIEW**spoiler alert** Average romance, nothing special. Gorgeous rich guy falls in love-at-first-sight with a haunted mansion and a reluctant woman.
REVIEWER’S OPINION (WITH MILD SPOILERS): I purchased this book because it had been made into a TV movie. I was disappointed. I was expecting more. I’ve liked some of her other books much better. Another reviewer stated “The rebirth and reincarnation of characters was just too far out in left field for me.” That didn’t bother me, reincarnation stories can be good. My problem was the modern day characters were not interesting. Declan sees a run down mansion. He falls in love with it, buys it and begins to restore it even though he is aware of ghosts’ activities. Declan sees Lena and immediately falls in love with her and tells her so repeatedly throughout the rest of the book. Lena doesn’t want to fall in love and tries to keep her heart safe from Declan. Lena’s grandmother and mother were interesting side characters, but most of the book was watching Declan spend his money and energies on the house and Lena. It didn’t do much for me. Although, at the end of the book we learn some interesting twists and connections with ghosts from 100 years earlier.
STORY BRIEF (excerpted from Publishers Weekly review): Declan is a Harvard-educated Boston lawyer from a wealthy family. On the eve of his wedding, Declan leaves Boston, the law and his fiance, buys a dilapidated New Orleans mansion (Manet Hall) and embarks on a mission to restore it with his own sweat, blood and money. But Manet Hall comes with a dark history, and restoring it means uncovering its past, which includes rape, murder and betrayal. He often hears a baby crying and voices, particularly that of Abigail Manet, the baby's mother, who lived in the hall 100 years earlier.
DATA: Story length: 338 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4 (includes a rape scene). Total number of sex scene pages: 11. Setting New Orleans area 1899, 1900 and 2002. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.
OTHER BOOKS: For a listing of my reviews of other Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books, see my 4.5 star review of "Angels Fall" posted on 6-30-08....more
3.5 stars, 3 stars and 1 star for three stories of erotic fantasy romance.
I'm annoyed with the picture on the front cover not matching the stories. Th3.5 stars, 3 stars and 1 star for three stories of erotic fantasy romance.
I'm annoyed with the picture on the front cover not matching the stories. The cover woman has long blond hair. The three female characters in the stories have brown, brown and auburn hair.
3.5 stars for KISSING STONE by Tielle St. Clare.
Story Brief: Kit is so afraid of public speaking that she can't be a teacher in front of a class of students. Instead, she works as a tutor. Jax is one of her best friends. She has secretly lusted after him for six months and believes he only wants to be her friend. An antiques store owner convinces Kit to buy a small stone which he claims is from the famous Blarney Stone in Ireland. He says that kissing the stone will give Kit the "gift of gab, persuasive eloquence." When she first kisses the stone, she becomes openly lustful and seductive with Jax. She can't control the words coming out of her mouth.
Reviewer's Opinion: I loved the way the stone loosened Kit's tongue. There were some funny lines. I found it a sweet story. I liked it but not enough to go to 4 stars.
Data: Story length: 94 pages. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 3. Length of sex scenes: 11.5 to 16 pages. Total number of sex scene pages: 42. Setting: current day university town near New York City. Copyright: 2004. Genre: erotic contemporary fantasy romance.
3 stars for STITCHES IN TIME by Diana Hunter.
Story Brief: Maggie Andrews works for her father's company. Liam also works there. Maggie and Liam travel to Ireland for business. They visit an antiques shop. Maggie is drawn to a piece of tapestry which Liam buys. The hotels are full and they are forced to share a hotel room.
Reviewer's Opinion: The story was ok with a nice ending, but it could have gone longer. I wanted to know what would happen to Liam, the company, how the ring design related to the tapestry, and Liam's heritage. On the other hand, I don't know if I really needed to know anymore. Maggie wasn't my favorite character, possibly due to her false aloofness, but it was understandable.
Data: Story length: 93 pages. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 4. Length of sex scenes: 2 to 11 pages. Total number of sex scene pages: 23. Setting: current day Ireland. Copyright: 2004. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.
Other Books: For a list of my reviews of other Diana Hunter books, see my 5 star review of "Table for Four" posted 12/13/08.
1 star for HARPIST BIZARRE by Sahara Kelly.
Story Brief: Aidan was imprisoned in a cavern for over 100 years. Fay is a concert pianist from Boston, on vacation visiting Ireland. While in Ireland she begins having dreams of Aidan. She sees a harp in an antiques store. She is drawn to it and buys it. Somehow this harp is linked to Aidan.
Reviewer's Opinion: The plot was ok during most of the story, but I hated what the author used to force the couple apart toward the end. It wasn't reasonable. It didn't make sense. I felt like the author wanted to have Fay grieving and heartbroken and couldn't think of a better way to do it. Yes, there was a happy ending, but getting them together again was part of this mechanism that didn't work for me. On other points, a couple of times I wanted it to be over. I was also bored reading the longest sex scene.
Data: Story length: 118 pages. Swearing and sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 5. Length of sex scenes: 0.6 to 17.6 pages. Total number of sex scene pages: 33. Setting: current day Ireland. Copyright: 2004. Genre: erotic fantasy romance.
Other Books: For a list of my reviews of other Sahara Kelly books, see my 4 star review of "Lady Jaided's Virile Vampires" posted 9/11/08....more
3.5 stars for one story. 3, 2 and 2 stars for the other three stories.
This book contains four stories. They are similar in that guy meets girl. Guy is3.5 stars for one story. 3, 2 and 2 stars for the other three stories.
This book contains four stories. They are similar in that guy meets girl. Guy is gorgeous confirmed bachelor, but when he meets her, he is immediately smitten and desires only her. He wants to protect her and take care of her. She is fragile, wounded or weak in some way. He patiently woos her and brings her out of it. By the end, they get together and he wants to have children with her. As Amazon reviewer Susy Notwen recently commented to me "(some) novels are meant to be like ice cream sundaes; sweet, somewhat filling with a little too much whipped cream --- but whoever disses too much whipped cream? --- We all need a little excess in our lives." So, if a reader is in the mood for a Susy-style ice cream sundae, this book should do it. Thank you Susy, I loved your thoughts.
Unfortunately, I've been spoiled with a lot of great writing (as I define it), so I look for that. I'm not looking for ice cream. Therefore, my ratings may be a lower than some readers like.
3.5 stars for TANGLED IMAGES. Nice characters. Nice plot. I enjoyed it even though it was predictable. Mack met Jessica in college two years ago. He has always desired her, but she snubbed him. She was attracted to him, but felt she was not desireable, and she felt he had too many other girlfriends. When they meet two years later, Mack learns she is divorced with a teenage daughter. He wins her over and loves her daughter as well.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: Thomasville, Kentucky. Copyright: 2000. Genre: contemporary romance.
3 stars for TANGLED SHEETS. Nice, sweet, pleasant story. Sophie is shy. She comes into Cole's bar every day after work. For seven months, Cole and Sophie have been attracted to each other but neither one says or does anything about it. Sophie tells Cole, her identical twin sister Shelly will be visiting. Shelly does not exist. Sophie dresses up as a sultry Shelly, and attempts to seduce Cole for one night of lust. My main problem was that I couldn't believe someone like Cole wouldn't ask Shelly out sometime during those seven months.
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: current day Thomasville, Kentucky. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary romance.
2 stars for TANGLED DREAMS. It was ok, but I don't recommend it. A couple hid some jewels in a house before they died. Now as ghosts, they want their heir, Allison, to have a passionate love with someone in order to find the jewels. She has desired Chase for a long time but he was never interested. The ghosts ignite his interest by causing him to read Allison's thoughts. Allison was too much of a shrinking-violet-type wimp for me. When Chase asked questions, she would mumble and mutter and not be direct. In one case, he said a harmful intruder was in the house. She denied it by saying it was probably a prankster, but she was wrong. The plot did not interest me.
Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: current day Thomasville, Kentucky. Copyright: 1999. Genre: contemporary fantasy romance.
2 stars for WILD. Tamara was an orphan and was taken in by gypsy relatives whom she currently supports. Tamara runs a gypsy-style fortune telling store. She reads palms, makes astrology charts and intuits the future. Zane owns a computer store next door. Someone is breaking into her shop doing damage. Zane asks his cousin Joe to help protect her and uncover the problem. At times, there was too much pondering in the minds of Zane and Tamara. At times, I wanted it to be over.
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: five. Setting: current day Thomasville, Kentucky. Copyright: 2002. Genre: contemporary romance....more
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