Nancy

If Harlequin did paranormal in the '80's, this would have been it. I think I was expecting more nail-biting drama, but overall I was adequately satisfied with this fully fleshed out, somewhat lighthearted tale. Maybe lighthearted isn't the right word. There was conflict and suspense after all, it just never really gripped me in a way that had me emotionally invested. I'd give it a weak 4 stars or perhaps a strong 3 stars, just slightly better than average. I was concerned about the narration because I read one review that said all the characters sounded like surfers from Southern California even though the characters reside in New York. Born and raised near the beach in Southern California, I did not think I could handle that for 16 hours--had enough of that, thank you very much. But, seriously, they did not sound like So Cal surfers, except for maybe the character Tricks. To me, a lot of the characters sounded more like bored socialites. Maybe not from New York, but definitely not surfers from So Cal either. (I mean, seriously, I would like, you know, totally know.) The narrator did an average job. There was not enough distinction between characters to warrant any more than an average rating for narration. She didn't necessarily detract from the story, but she certainly didn't add. I might listen to another in the series. I just need to reset my expectation level.

A light weight, easy listen that ultimately left me unsatisfied. Going in I understood this was the beginning of a series. I listen to a lot of those. I get that you're left with teasers so you'll want to continue with the series. Usually, however, many of the initial mysteries or conflicts from the beginning of the book are somewhat resolved with new issues cropping up near the end so that you'll be enticed to continue the next book. This one didn't really resolve those early questions and didn't really introduce new mysteries near the end either. Consequently, it feels a little incomplete, and I feel a little ripped off. I'm admittedly curious about some of those unresolved issues, but not enough to get strung along lackadaisically. It starts to feel a little soap opera-ish when books do that. As for the narrator, she was fine. She did a solid, middle-of-the-road job. I wouldn't mind listening to her again. The bottom line: If you're looking for a series that will keep you occupied for a long time but won't be too mentally absorbing, this book promises a series that will definitely fit the bill. If you want high drama and a definite conclusion, keep moving.

I've listened to 1-5 in this series. This first book was my least favorite. The good news is that it only gets better from here, and this first one was an enjoyable listen. Overall, this author really knows how to deliver a well-paced, action-packed romantic adventure. The problem is I didn't particularly like either character in the beginning. He's a bit of an un-evolved caveman. She's a bit of a wuss. I wasn't fond of the dominant/submissive tone of their relationship. Fortunately, I hung in there. As the characters develop further, he loses some of his caveman act as he works out his inner strife, and she discovers her backbone. Some people might be too turned off to hang in there long enough to witness the shift. If you're not into seductive "rape" scenes but do like romantic action adventures, you could easily skip to book 2 and not miss much. Don't give up on this author too early. She does deliver good entertainment. Robert Petkoff, the narrator, is generally ah-may-zing, but the falsetto that he chose for this heroine was a little grating. I'll forgive him as he does everything else so well.

Kresley Cole delivers what I'm looking for when I want to read/listen to a romantic paranormal adventure story. Action, adventure, drama and comedy are delivered in just the right dose. This is not a light weight, fluffy romantic comedy. Fully suspense packed, I found it difficult to turn off. I just had to know what happened next. If you've listened to books 1-4, you know what you're getting. More of the same -- and that's a good thing! The narrator, as usual, does an amazing job. His range is truly impressive. I'd buy a book just because he's the narrator, he's that good. If you've read and enjoyed Jeanine Frost or Dianne Duvall, you'll most likely enjoy Kresley Cole, especially if you favor the action-adventure component. So, why only 4 stars? I get a little tired of the relationship back & forth, two steps forward, three steps back, over and over. A small criticism overall.

What a sorry surprise. Reminded me of a two-bit crime novel purchased off the clearance shelf at the local five & dime--sometime back in the '70s, no less. The vernacular evoked memories of afros, boom boxes and bell bottoms. The narrator added to that strange '70s effect with his oddly monotone yet overly dramatic delivery. Also, he would make these quick little inhalations before just about every sentence. After a while I became obsessive-compulsively distracted by the sound. The plot had all the right components, even the pacing was okay--just okay. It's just that the foul smelling fluff and filler stuffed around a basically solid idea resulted in, well, a stinker. I did finish it, otherwise it would have earned 2 stars, but it was a near thing. Definitely listen to the preview before you purchase. Also, make sure you're into the words, ya dig, brotha?

Other reviews indicated this book was way more than a young adult book which is why I went for it. While I think it was certainly an entertaining listen, I still felt the young adult vibe. Teenagers tend to like stories about the post-apocalyptic world, and this one certainly delivered. I, not being a teenager, discovered that I'm a little weary of apocalyptic story-lines. Also, as a mom of teenagers I just couldn't get over how self-sufficient these kids were. It kind of made me laugh. A lot 16 year-olds in a real world apocalypse would probably come close to starving just because they couldn't figure out how to use a manual can opener -- just saying! Nevertheless, the paranormal, post-apocalyptic theme is hot, hot, hot right now with teens and this one delivers a better story than most. If you're a young adult and you like these themes, you'll like, no, probably love this book. The pacing of the plot was a little slow initially but picked up big time just before my patience started to thin. It stayed on fire until very close to the end until I thought there was an odd jump forward in time that felt a little, I don't know, incomplete, gimmicky, rushed? A small criticism overall. Finally, the narrators were awesome. Both totally made the characters come to life and made a really good book even better. I don't know that I'll continue with the series, but I'll certainly give it to my daughter whom I know will love it.

After reading the 1st book in the series, I was under-whelmed and hesitant to continue. Reviews were stronger for the second release so I was hopeful the story would pick up. I did not find that to be the case. The characters are well-developed and that is a plus. The over-arching premise is good and that's what ultimately enticed me to continue. I think it's the pace of the plot that's dragging it down. It's slow and predictable. Also, while I usually like a good dose of sex along with my paranormal romance, I found myself just fast forwarding through those scenes in this book. While the promise is there, ultimately the story just doesn't deliver any excitement. I've been on quite a paranormal listening streak lately, and I can think of at least a half dozen other books I'd rather go listen to again rather than continue in this vein. As far as the narration goes, the narrator has a style of delivery that isn't very nuanced. It's very forceful, deliberate and at times unnecessarily dramatic. While she gives each character a distinct voice which I fully appreciated, there's an overall tone of either derision or disgust with maybe a pinch of anger. So many sentences seemed to end in an implied "G*d d*mn it!" Sometimes that's appropriate for the content of the conversation, most of the time, however, I wanted the narrator to dig deeper and find the nuance and subtlety. Overall, not a horrible book, just horribly average. I'm going to pass on the rest of the series.

As the title suggests, this is the beginning of a series. While an incomplete story is expected, I find most authors find a way to give the ending a sense of completion while still enticing the reader to continue with the series. This one lacked a sense of completion. It might as well have had "To Be Continued..." at the end. Also, I usually like a little sex thrown in with a story, but I found these sex scenes tiresome and unexciting. Fortunately, the overall story had just enough interest to it that I think I may buy the next in the series--though with some hesitation. The slightly better reviews for the second release are enticing me. The narrator did a nice job. It kind of cracked me up that she used such a serious voice. Talking about shape shifters and secret government experiments is serious business, people! It didn't take me long to get over that and just to get into the fun of it, and she definitely brought the characters to life. If you've never read/listened to other shape shifter fiction, there are better options for a newbee. If you listen to audible books a whole lot and are exhausting your options, this is not a bad choice.

The publisher's summary is a little misleading. I took it to mean that the angst in the story would revolve around her research goals. Not so. Near the very end of the story there was some tension caused by his dyslexic secret. Mostly it's just a straight forward, unhindered, easy going romance about a boy who likes a girl and a girl who likes him right back. They don't really fight the attraction though there's some mild concern that they are two totally different people. It reminded me of riding the "Lazy River" at Wild Rivers Waterpark on a relaxing summer day. Nice and relaxing but utterly devoid of excitement. The narrator did a good job of giving each character a distinct voice, but I found her choice of accents for the heroine odd. The heroine was raised in New York, so the story goes, but the accent sounded more like a mild caricature of what people think Minnesotans sound like (I know, I know, they don't really have an accent -- it's just a bad rumor). Her O's were slightly rounded and she did that odd thing with the "--er" sounds at the end of words. I kept expecting her to say, "Don't ya know." In a nutshell, it was an average romance. I would have appreciated a little more action or tension. I won't buy another from this author, but I wouldn't discourage someone if they were looking for something light and fluffy.

I just felt like someone hit the slo-mo button on this one. The heroine has this angst about becoming the hero's life partner which is just kind of silly considering all we know about who and what she is and the supposed hormonal pull of this whole life partner thing. I felt like the preoccupation with her angst bogged the story down and prevented it from moving forward in a satisfactory way. I like to listen before I go to sleep, but with this book I just kept falling asleep. I had to listen while doing housework, but I still found my mind wandering off. The narrator was just okay. I am a fan of narrators who bring the characters to life--no extra life delivered here. While this narrator didn't add to the story, she didn't detract either. Based on this listening experience, this will be my first and last Feehan novel. As my tastes usually fall within popular norms, I am a little perplexed what other people found so enjoyable that I obviously just didn't. If I feel like a little vampire action in the future, I'll look up Kresley Cole, Jeanine Frost, or Dianne Duvall whom I've enjoyed in the past.