Lia

I bought this book because of the reviews however, I was very disappointed with the story. I rarely DNF but I just could not go on with this book. But others loved the book it was just not my type of book.

Mary Morgan has really good story ideas but poor actual writing skills. Throughout each of her books the words "roar, roaring, bellowing and shouting" are used so many times that they have no power within the story and become only redundant. I dreaded reading those words and lost sight of the stories. The protagonists also kept relentlessly pounding their fists and throwing things including many, many cups filled with whatever they were drinking. Did these wonderful characters have such disregard for the folks that cooked and cleaned for them that they continue to create additional chores for them without regard? These works need to be cleaned up and provide nuances that are clearly not in her skill set. Too bad. They could have been so much better.

Paul Woodson was just ok with the delivery of the story. I had trouble with the working which charter was which meaning i had to back track a lot and that was annoying.

Galbraith seems to be developing a pattern for the post Harry Potter books. It's great that Cormoran Strike continues to be the protagonist, as he is both a "character" and unique among private eyes. Robin Ellacot, as Cormoran's assistant, also adds significantly to the character development which for me is the heart of any novel, even mysteries. In fact, the Cormoran-Robin relationship is for me the best part of the book, and seems both plausible and complex.

Beyond the detective-sidekick relationship, Galbraith relies on three common ploys often displayed by detective novelists: (1) The reader is presented all at once with a complete nest of suspects. Nothing wrong with that. Some authors drag out the presentation of prospective bad guys, but the early introduction of the whole lot gives the reader plenty of time and pleasure to analyze each character for possible motive and opportunity. (2) The detective has an "Aha!" moment, based more on intuition than fact, but then doesn't reveal it to the reader or even to his close associates, let alone the police. (3) The detective, needless to say, proves more insightful than the police. All three of these factors are staples of the Agatha Christie oeuvre. I cut my mystery-reading teeth on 30 or 40 of Agatha's books, but eventually tired of the basic themes. Miss Marple was delightful, and I always sided with her as she sipped tea and outwitted the police, but that formula did become a bit shopworn after the first few dozen novels. Also, Agatha's protagonists invariably withheld information till the last minute, then revealed all in a stunning burst of logic and unprecedented detection. In those ways, then, Galbraith seems to be following in the footsteps of Agatha.

Both the London scene and the preponderance of book-publishing characters contributed to my enjoyment of this book. I look forward to spending many more hours with Cormoran Strike, and hope the author will promote Robin to an even more prominent place in detection.

Robert Glenister was outstanding with the delivery of the story

Lylah James brings us a very intriguing, enthralling, exciting, gripping story that centers around Alessio and Ayla. Each with their own part to play in the criminal underworld. From warring mafia families - He's the leader of the Russians, her father is the leader of the Italians. In her attempt to escape the Hell that had become her life, she inadvertently finds solace within Alessio's home. Her lies keep her alive, but they gnaw at her conscious the closer she gets with her "boss." Her past, her fear, her will to live all become tested when she begins to open herself up, and fall in love with the Brava lord. He's drawn to her, her vulnerability, and even her walls. He wants to crash them all down and get her into his bed. Lines start to blur when he realizes just how much he wants her to stay there.
This was a good book. It was well written, and had me on the edge of my seat. This being a dark romance, you expect some uncomfortable situations. And that's where I struggled with my rating on this book. Story-line, characters, everything - It could have been a 5 star listen.

What is with so many characters names starting with Alessio, Alberto, Alfredo, Ayla, Artur, Angel too much already. Also, I found myself disappointed. Her happiness is tainted a LOT by her past. I understand it, completely. I just felt myself longing for more. And it actually is the reason why I'm so eager to read book 2.

Tia Rider Sorensen was good with the delivery of the story

Jordan Sandor is an ex-spy basically. Worked for the CIA and made a lot of enemies while doing so. One of his few friends was Dan Peters who knew all about Jordan's past but liked him any. Theirs was a mutual respect and it led to Jordan agreeing to see a man Dan had come across who had a story to tell to someone who would know what the information was worth. But before they could meet up with the
guy, they met up with some folks they could have done without. Especially Dan who is fatally injured when they stop assist a downed officer.
The guy had a sister who can't keep herself out of trouble and who doesn't want out of whatever happened to him. She attaches herself to Jordan with the intent of "helping". She travels with him to Paris, Italy and points ocean-ward until Jordan gets a call from another old friend who tells him something he really didn't need to hear:
A fast-moving great listen which is the beginning of the Jordan Sandor group of tales. They don't pull any punches, sometimes you don't know if you like the hero and sometimes you know you don't.
Christopher Lane was outstanding with the delivery of the story.

Random Acts" had me from the very beginning. It's a fast-paced story of how social media is manipulated to ensnare users in dangerous situations they simply weren't looking for. The cautionary tale shines a light on the dangers of oversharing, terrorism, and getting too close to online-only friends you've never actually seen or met. I really enjoyed how Horton created sympathy in the reader for even the worst people in the story, the most unsympathetic of characters. His attention to individual feelings and the cause & effect relationship between feelings and events in the story adds a human element to this thriller that thoroughly develops the characters and send the story over the top.
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Excellent book with a lot of reality, scary as it could really happen to any of us. Highly recommend!

Kevin Pierce was outstanding with the delivery of the story

I was given the Secret Chord in return for an honest and unbiased review. I thought I should start with the first book.The first book in the series was OK for me but this book I really enjoyed.

The Secret Chord is an enchanting ride with the Irish violinist/farmer/spy Conor McBride who turns up in Vermont and meets his match in artist/innkeeper Kate Fitzpatrick. I was immersed in the action from the start of the novel; Ms. Guare keeps you guessing where the plot will lead. Some characters met in Deceptive Cadence return and interesting new ones are introduced. Ms. Guare has a wonderful ear for dialogue and description and I would be remiss if I didn't mention her fine use of her native "green mountain" state as this novel's main setting. Beware, though—events will lead across the globe to culminate in some hair-raising plot twists!

Wayne Farrell was once again outstanding with the delivery of the story.

Private investigator Roland Ford, ex-cop and ex-Marine, is haunted by both his wife’s tragic death, and his experiences in Fallujah. Ford is hired to find Clay Hickman, ex Air Force, who had recently escaped from his ultra-expensive, super-secure residential care facility, Arcadia. Although this seems at first to be a straightforward job, it becomes ever more complicated when Ford unearths secret after secret about Hickman, as well as about Arcadia and the people who run it.

Ford tells the story in his own voice, and we experience all his fears, his ghosts, and his questions. We see his flaws; we see his fabric of life hanging in the balance, and we are on his side. We observe the other characters through his filter. Ford offers us factual descriptions, but emotional opinions and observations. While he thinks that everyone has a morsel of goodness somewhere, we are not so sure. Ford uses all his senses to pull us into the story.
“Maybe it was the slamming of the Dutch door.
Or the wind in the grapes, or the way the tire swing turned on its rope.”

“Shade goes well with a warm day, a cold beer, and a stack of almost-overdue bills…
I paused to look out at the pond and the rolling hills beyond.”

“The Room of White Fire” is a difficult story to listen to at times because of the challenging social content. Parker creates a haunting scenario that readers may have read about in newspapers or heard about on TV but may not want to admit might be true. As we listen to the details about Ford’s struggle, about Hickman’s struggle, we must also wonder who among us is struggling with the same problems. This is a book we must all should listen to

The good news is that while this story has a definite end, Roland Ford’s story does not. I think Ford will find his way into another Parker story in the future, and I for one cannot wait.

Will Damron was outstanding with the delivery of the story

Since this book had so many awards, I started it with a lot of hope. It was a little disappointing after all of the awards, as I figured it was just an average book. Nothing great, nothing very bad. Just an average book.
Way too many long rambles around Ireland, India, and London. Lots of mysterious goings on that just get dull. I gave up trying to follow the story about 1/2 through, and just skimmed the rest. Vague Russians, oafish Americans, drugs, a saintly Indian woman. Wow, lots of imagination in need of harnessing and an editor who can figure out a narrative through all of the segments. But this book was just okay for me.

Wayne Farrell was outstanding with the delivery of the story and made book more enjoyable

Fun, quick read that kept my interest and had me rooting for Nathan to evade the folks who were trying to capture him. He was such a sweet kid, and I liked his interactions with Denise, the radio host. What I didn't like was the abrupt ending. I went to the author's website and read the alternate ending, but wasn't crazy about that one either. I also wish there was more detail about the destruction of the career of that idiot politician, Petrelli.
I would have given this 5 stars as it had all the elements that I look forward to in a great escape/on the run type novel. But the ending was surprisingly abrupt. I felt there should have been some sort of epilogue or at least a few words regarding the other characters that played important roles in the story.

George Guidall was outstanding with the delivery of the story

This is my first Zombie book and probably my last.
The first half of the book was pretty good and very funny in places. But the second half of the book made me want to walk into book and slap some sense into Heather and those spoiled ungrateful children they picked up especially the youngest Anya. If it were my child throwing those temper tantrums and putting the whole group at risk. You should have bought muzzle and a spanking she would never forget.Then the book just got monotonous and very repetitive.

Rachel Hine was good with the delivery of the story

I usually love psychological thrillers, and Robotham's SAY YOU'RE SORRY was not a disappointment. Even though I didn't read Robotham's earlier novels in which the main character, Joe O'Laughlin, is introduced and developed, I was still able to like and relate to his character, although I wasn't as attached to him as I wish I'd been. I also thought that his psychologist work was probably a little far-fetched.

One thing that I really liked about this book was that I honestly had NO clue who the kidnapper was going to be. Usually I'm fairly decent at seeing things like that coming, but I was truly surprised when it was finally revealed. Although I liked not being able to figure it out, I think that the author could've done a better job with the kidnapper's character. The main reason I was so surprised was that he was such a minor character in the novel. Maybe it's just me, but I was almost like, "Wait, who is this again?" I think that the author could've fleshed out his character a tiny bit more without being so obvious as to give him away.

Along those same lines, after you figure out who it is, the author does little to resolve the lingering questions. There is an explanation as to why he kidnapped the girls, but I wish that it had gone into a little bit more detail. It just seemed a tiny bit far-fetched. There is also an event (which I won't give away) that occurs at the beginning of the book that has no resolution. We find out about who was responsible for this event, but don't ever learn why or how it happened.

The rest of the novel was pretty good, though. Piper's chapters were really creepy and I found myself having a hard time reading this book alone in the dark, particularly as it got closer to the end. I thought that the character development between the minor characters in the book — specifically the parents of Piper and Tash and their "friends" from the town — was interesting and very well done. We learned a lot about each of them, which made pinpointing who the kidnapper was going to be even harder.

Ultimately, it was a good, thrilling book. I am looking forward to the next book.

Sean Barrett was outstanding with the delivery of the story