SIMARA

I love Nalini Singh's style and I have all the audiobooks available of her PsyChangelling series. I tried this one hoping to see a similar style but I was disappointed. This is a very dark series. Very explicit murder scenes are detailed and it was gross. And let me tell you I'm not easily grossed out (I'm a True Blood fan). The romantic parts although few, were very good but they got lost in torn bodies and lots of blood. And then hearing about evil angels is kind of strange. To top it of the reader's voice can be a little annoying after a while. She screeches! I don't think I'll get the other books of this series. But I do recommend Ms. Singh's Psy Changelling series which is just perfect!

The only reason why I listened to this book through the end is the sense of Deja Vu I got. I had a preemie and she went through the same complications baby Simone went through in this story. This is a very light romance. The story was more about baby Simone and her hospital stay. I actually speed up the narration to 1.5 and 2 in order to get it over with. The narration was unremarkable. The Australian accent was very strong but clear.

I don't recommend this book.

Another great highlander romance by Paula Quinn with a fascinating plot that includes many historical references about the war between Catholics and Protestants. The romance develops slowly and it starts getting hot in the last two hours of listening but it is still pretty intense.

Narration: by now I love Carrington MacDuffie. She makes those sexy highlander sound delicious. And her portrayal of little Edmund was perfect! I'd definitely listen to more books by this author and/or narrator. Highly recommended!

Samantha Young is my new favorite author. I loved On Dublin Street and she actually wrote a second book to top that one! There are so many things I loved about this book: the real life drama, likeable and complex characters and a romance that builds great anticipation and intensity. The narration was very good too. A must listen to anyone who likes contemporary romances.

This is Molly Harper at her best. A super funny paranormal romance that makes you smile, giggle or laugh out loud. And it was free!!! Doesn't get much better than that. I loved the story line, the character and the entertaining way the author tells the story.

Narration: this is the first Molly Harper book that is not narrated by Amanda Ronconi. That is almost a tragedy. But Sophie Eastlake turned out to be very good in this story as well. She does great distinct voices for each character and makes the story funny as it is intended. If it is ever offered individually again you must get it. I highly recommend it.

This book is just as good as the first one. It tells the story about sworn enemies finding each other and healing their hearts with forgiveness and love. I loved Tristan. He was supposed to be a rogue but he was the sweetest sexiest highlander. It was funny, touching and sexy. The relationship and the build up was definitely a seduction. Also, by now I like the narrator better. Some male characters sound drunk and old but not too bothersome. Highly recommended!

I have a special place in my heart for Highlanders. I love that they're gorgeous, strong, brave and loyal. I am beyond happy to find a new highlander series to take me away from reality. This book was very good. I specially liked the fact that it gives you many historical references that make the story more authentic. The romance was beautiful and believable.

Narration: I didn't particularly love the narration by Carrington MacDuffie but I ended up getting used to it. Her female voices are very good but the male characters sound a bit strange. Her Scottish accent isn't great either. But my complaints are minor. The story is good enough that I was ok with the narration and will most definitely listen to the next book in the series.

Once in a while I like to listen to Harlequin desire type romances. I have low expectations for them but I like the fantastic happily ever afters they have. That's what I was expecting with this book. But it's not what I got. It was just ridiculous. At the very beginning I thought it was promising but then within 24 hours the hero and heroine meet, have sex and she knows for sure she is pregnant. Are you serious? She's just sure she's pregnant because she feels different. Did I mention its been only 24 hours from the possible conception. I say possible because the story went downhill from there and I stopped listening before my brain turned to mush.

If you have a feminist bone in you, this book will annoy the heck out of you. This cowboy wants a housewife who's purpose in life is to cook, clean and give him six kids. She doesn't have to worry about money because his purpose in life is to provide for her. That may be great for some but for most modern women who have a college education and have been living in New York (like our heroine) it's just not what life's all about. This book was amateur work and definitely not for me.

Narration: when I was a little girl I had classic fairy tales that included the book and the narration on cassette. I remember the bell that would sound when it was time to turn the page. Well that's what the narration of this book sounded. Arianna Westfield's voice is soothing and would be great for meditation but she put me to sleep with this narration.

I must say I judged this book by the cover. I actually thought that this was a dark erotica story. Well no, it's one of the best and sweetest love stories I've listened to. And what an amazing hero Braden is! It's going to be difficult to find another book with such a perfect man. He was totally smitten and I loved him for that. This story made me smile, laugh, cry and basically made me feel every emotion possible. And not only do you get an amazing main love story, you get a secondary one as well that was equally good and intense.

Narration: This is my first listen by Paula Costello and apparently it's her first narration. Well I could have never guessed that. She's good! Considering she was able to portray american, british and scotish accents so well and at the same time make the story come to life so vividly.. I'd say she's very very good.

I really liked this story and would definitely listen to another book by this author and/or narrator.

Another solid addition to the Virgin River series. I liked how the romance between Katie and Dylan developed. I really liked Katie. She was a mother that put her kids as priority. She showed she had standards, values and wasn't willing to settle for a little attention. As female characters go this has been one of my favorites of the series (behind Mel of course). My issue here was Dylan. His character and the plot points surrounding him where quite implausible. A former child star that has been away from Hollywood for over 10 years and he gets a movie deal just by asking? Are you kidding me? And then he was a famous child star and his grandma is uber rich and yet he is almost broke? His business is failing and yet he goes away to VR for a month? No decent business man does that. And he survived being mauled by a bear with no significant injuries. I don't know. I guess you should just take the story as it is and enjoy the romance without rationalizing it.

Narration: Therese Plummer is just the best. No other narrator makes such distinct voices for each character. Even her characterization of the twins is wonderful. She is the type of narrator that enhances a story by adding life and believable feelings to the story.

Another fun easy going romance by Jill Shalvis. A great beach listen. I really liked Dell and Jade's story. Playful banter and hot romance with a perfect happily ever after. As for the narration Karen White did significantly better with this book than with the first of the series. Very distinct characters and the added emotions of a good narration. All in all it was time and money well spent so I recommend it.