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Larra

Lexington, MA, United States | Member Since 2009

5
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 6 reviews
  • 224 ratings
  • 0 titles in library
  • 50 purchased in 2013
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  • Together Tea | [Marjan Kamali]
    Together Tea
    UNABRIDGED

    Together Tea

    • UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 22 mins)
    • By Marjan Kamali
    • Narrated By Negin Farsad
    Overall
    (2)
    Performance
    (2)
    Story
    (2)

    Darya has discovered the perfect gift for her daughter's 25th birthday: an ideal husband. Mina, however, is fed up with her mother's endless matchmaking and grading of Iranian American bachelors. After Darya's last ill-fated attempt to find Mina a husband, mother and daughter embark on a journey to Iran, where the two women gradually begin to understand each other. But after Mina falls for a young man and Darya is tempted by an American musician, will this mother and daughter's appreciation for each other survive?

    Larra says: "Beautiful"
    "Beautiful"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Together Tea in three words, what would they be?

    Beautiful.
    Charming.
    Enlightening.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Together Tea?

    All of the scenes in Iran were so well painted by the author. Though I will never likely see Tehran myself, it was enjoyable to be brought into the country and culture through her words. A much different picture than our media has depicted.


    What does Negin Farsad bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

    Being unfamiliar with Iranian ways of speaking myself, Farsad was able to add that dimension perfectly, creating a fuller story for me. The accents and tones were so beautifully executed.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Marriage Bargain: Marriage to a Billionaire, Book 1 | [Jennifer Probst]
    The Marriage Bargain: Marriage to a Billionaire, Book 1
    UNABRIDGED

    The Marriage Bargain: Marriage to a Billionaire, Book 1

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 14 mins)
    • By Jennifer Probst
    • Narrated By Coleen Marlo
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1045)
    Performance
    (931)
    Story
    (936)

    To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner Alexa Maria McKenzie casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend's older brother - the powerful man who once shattered her heart.

    Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn't believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father's corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister's childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition....

    SandyH says: "Funny, heartbreaking"
    "Ack!! Gag!!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

    Someone who enjoys straightforward sappy romance. I prefer something a bit funnier. It was pretty formulaic with the over the top gorgeous characters, including (obviously) the wealthy playboy, needing to be tamed by the girl with the heart of gold.


    What do you think your next listen will be?

    Something by Jennifer Crusie or I may try Sophie Kinsella


    Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Coleen Marlo?

    Perhaps someone who wasn't quite so breathy and trying to pull off "sultry". I thought I was going to have an asthma attack just listening to it.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Welcome to Temptation | [Jennifer Crusie]
    Welcome to Temptation
    UNABRIDGED

    Welcome to Temptation

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 42 mins)
    • By Jennifer Crusie
    • Narrated By Aasne Vigesaa
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (785)
    Performance
    (347)
    Story
    (354)

    Sophie Dempsey wants to help her sister film a video and then get out of Temptation, Ohio. Mayor Phin Tucker wants to play pool with the police chief and keep things peaceful. But when Sophie and Phin meet, they both get more than they want. Gossip, blackmail, adultery, murder, vehicular abuse of a corpse, and slightly perverse but excellent sex: all hell breaks loose in Temptation.

    Diana says: "Crusie at the top of her game"
    "Oooooooo!!! Yea!!!!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

    Absolutely, I would recommend this book. Campy good fun with entertaining and dynamic characters.


    What other book might you compare Welcome to Temptation to and why?

    Wish I knew....... I'd go read them.


    What about Aasne Vigesaa’s performance did you like?

    The only thing I found disappointing at all is that she hasn't narrated MORE books. It's hard to adjust to a different reader when trying to listen to another Crusie book, because Vigesaa really seemed to capture the comic tone and created the perfect little nuances of the different characters. She pulled off all of male characters without making them sound like a bunch of sappy dopes.


    Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

    I immediately went and found the sequel, FAKING IT, and loved the crap out of that one, too.


    Any additional comments?

    I started Crusie with these two books. I'll be crushed if it's all downhill from here. I've hated that these books are now a "known" to me, and won't be a fabulous new discovery until the dementia really sets in.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Honor's Splendour | [Julie Garwood]
    Honor's Splendour
    UNABRIDGED

    Honor's Splendour

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 48 mins)
    • By Julie Garwood
    • Narrated By Anne Flosnik
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (577)
    Performance
    (297)
    Story
    (298)

    In the feuding English court, gentle Lady Madelyne suffered the cruel whims of her ruthless brother, Baron Louddon. Then, in vengeance for a bitter crime, Baron Duncan of Wexton—the Wolf—unleashed his warriors against Louddon's domain. Exquisite Madelyne was the prize he catured...but when he gazed upon the proud beauty, he pledged to protect her with his life.

    Karen says: "Good Book, Bad Narrator"
    "ho hum"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you try another book from Julie Garwood and/or Anne Flosnik?

    I've enjoyed other Julie Garwood books. Don't know what happened here.


    What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

    I finished the book two days ago and can't even recall what it was about....... that's how much of an impression it made. I think breakfast had more of a lasting fond impression.


    Did Anne Flosnik do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

    sure. the men were a bit off.


    Could you see Honor's Splendour being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

    i wouldn't watch it, but i'm not a huge tv watcher.


    Any additional comments?

    yawn.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Trapped: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 5 | [Kevin Hearne]
    Trapped: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 5
    UNABRIDGED

    Trapped: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 5

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 2 mins)
    • By Kevin Hearne
    • Narrated By Luke Daniels
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2467)
    Performance
    (2223)
    Story
    (2236)

    After 12 years of secret training, Atticus O’Sullivan is finally ready to bind his apprentice, Granuaile, to the earth and double the number of Druids in the world. But on the eve of the ritual, the world that thought he was dead abruptly discovers that he’s still alive, and they would much rather he return to the grave. Having no other choice, Atticus, his trusted Irish wolfhound, Oberon, and Granuaile travel to the base of Mount Olympus, where the Roman god Bacchus is anxious to take his sworn revenge - but he’ll have to get in line behind an ancient vampire, a band of dark elves, and an old god of mischief.

    Stein says: "An Emerging Anti-Hero - The Dark Druid"
    "Yum! Wait..... what?"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you listen to Trapped again? Why?

    I'll have to listen to Trapped again because I feel like I didn't follow everything terribly well. Hearne delves into so many different myths and religions that I had a hard time keeping it all straight. Perhaps if I had read the book instead of listening, the names wouldn't have gotten so confused for me.


    What was one of the most memorable moments of Trapped?

    The sexual tensions between Atticus and his apprentice has been building so delightfully throughout the IDC books and Hearne (and subsequently Oberon and Daniels) couldn't have handled it better.


    Have you listened to any of Luke Daniels’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    If Luke Daniels read a book on how to watch paint dry, I'm pretty sure I'd still want to listen over and over again.


    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Gabriel's Inferno | [Sylvain Reynard]
    Gabriel's Inferno
    UNABRIDGED

    Gabriel's Inferno

    • UNABRIDGED (20 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By Sylvain Reynard
    • Narrated By John Morgan
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (734)
    Performance
    (652)
    Story
    (660)

    Enigmatic and sexy, Professor Gabriel Emerson is a well-respected Dante specialist by day, but by night he devotes himself to an uninhibited life of pleasure. He uses his notorious good looks and sophisticated charm to gratify his every whim, but is secretly tortured by his dark past and consumed by the profound belief that he is beyond all hope of redemption. When the sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrolls as his graduate student, his attraction and mysterious connection to her not only jeopardizes his career, but sends him on a journey in which his past and his present collide.

    CAROLYN says: "WHAT A PERFECT JOURNEY OF LOVE"
    "Ugh!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What would have made Gabriel's Inferno better?

    This incredibly pompous overinflated piece of scheisse could have been soooo much shorter without missing any of its pretentiousness.


    What could Sylvain Reynard have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

    Shorter, less stupid. The characters all seem to be in need of colonoscopies in order to find their common sense.


    Would you be willing to try another one of John Morgan’s performances?

    If I hear his voice, it will be really hard to not associate it with this travesty. I'm not sure how I feel about his performance. If I picture him rolling his eyes and being embarrassed by the drivel that he was paid to read, then I can try to get over how annoyed I was by his performance and attribute it all to the barfable prose with which he had to work.


    What character would you cut from Gabriel's Inferno?

    I guess cutting out the author would have saved a lot of aggravation.


    Any additional comments?

    I gave it two stars instead of one since I did see the train wreck through to the end. My bad.

    4 of 7 people found this review helpful

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