Marcheta

This copy contains the 22 minutes at the end of the audio that were missing from the May 2010 release of this audio. The narrator does a fine job with the stuttering heroine. Thanks, audible!

I realize the rape in the plot may be off-putting for some (best stay away from syfy and fantasy then), but this is one of the best romances I've read. The plot is engrossing, the characters are interesting, and the setting during the reign of crazy Ivan puts the whole thing in perspective. Ivan must have been channeling the Roman Emperor Caligula, but as a history major I know that this story couldn't begin to evoke the horror of having such as ghoul as your absolute ruler. I had never read or listened to a book by Fern Michaels before, and I'll definitely give her other books a look based on this one.

I really liked all three books so far in this series. The story lines were engaging, and I loved the humor. I am looking forward to the fourth/final book, "Dangerous in Diamonds," coming in 2011. What's not to love about Castleford, who only stays sober on Tuesdays so he can attend to his estate business.

I really enjoyed this book and was thrilled to learn that it will be a series on HBO in 2011. Sean Bean is in the cast as Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell.

I loved this book. There are quite a few characters from and references to The First Law trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings), so I'd recommend listening to those first. It took me a while to switch gears from the trilogy to Duke Orso's world, but once I got into it, I was hooked. There are lots of jaw-dropping twists and I love Abercrombie's writing style. Michael Page does a fine job of narrating, especially the voice of that rascal Cosca, who also appeared in The First Law trilogy. I look forward to Abercrombie's next book, The Heroes, scheduled for early 2011.

I have lugged this audio on my iPod to doctor's appointments and tracked the story as it unfolds with the book copy. I can't get the story or the characters out of my head, and I'm sorry to see it end. I thought the resolution was realistic and I appreciated not having a fairy tale ending. Steven Pacey is awesome! I'm now looking for other books on audible that he has narrated. He's a perfect match for Abercrombie. So I've now discovered a new author in Abercrombie and a great narrator in Steven Pacey.

I'm now on to Abercrombie's "Best Served Cold" and was relieved to find one of the characters from the First Law series continues on in it. I wish Steven Pacey had also narrated Best Served Cold; Michael Page has a hard act to follow.

Joe Abercrombie is now on my list of writers to watch and Steven Pacey is superb. I've recommended this trilogy to friends, and the audio version is a must. Thanks to audible readers who mentioned Joe Abercrombie in their comments on other books or I would never have stumbled across this great trilogy.

I tried this audiobook because of the reviews and the sample clip, and it exceeded my expectations. I especially liked the narrator, Steven Pacey - his Glokta voice reminded me of Boris Karloff with a lisp - whose narration is simply superb! I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the other two in the series and am now listening to the second book. I am also buying the hard copy so I can see the spelling of people and places. I really appreciate the audible reader feedback and the sample clips. This series was well worth the money and the listening time!

There are many books by Sandra Brown that I like, but this isn't one of them. I wasn't able to connect with the story or the characters. Having just reread her excellent Chill Factor, this book was definitely at the other end of the spectrum. The narrator was fine; he just couldn't salvage the stale storyline.

I agree that the narrator wasn't the best, but I was still engaged with the characters and the storyline, so I can overlook the narration. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it in spite of the less than stellar narration.