Cristina Hatfield

My headline says it all. In this audiobook you'll find supernatural creatures, Molly Harper's humor, fun storytelling, interesting characters, madcap moments and Amanda Ronconi's flawless narration.

It's not deep or profound but its a great way to spend a commute.

I like the varying viewpoints throughout the book. The world building was extensive but not in an info dump kind of way.

Its not without flaws but it was an enjoyable listen and I'm eager (although not rabid) for the next installment as it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Ok, zombie Romeo and survivor Juliet kind of story. I expected to be kind of cheesy and I had low expectations for this book.

I did not expect to be in awe of the words, the flow... It was like music or wind. This was not the next War and Peace or anything but I absolutely loved it.

I loved R and his eloquent inner monologues.

“Are my words ever actually audible, or do they just echo in my head while people stare at me, waiting? I want to change my punctuation. I long for the exclamation marks, but I'm drowning in ellipses.” - R

If you're on the fence, I'd say go ahead and give it a try.

It's not without its flaws but overall it was certainly worth a credit.

Laugh out loud funny at several points and it prompted me to put several of his other books on my TBR list.

If you know what a Redshirt is, then you'll probably enjoy this book.
If you're a fan of Wil Wheaton, then you'll probably enjoy this book.

If you know that you are likely to be distracted to the point of RageQuit by the overuse of a word, then I wouldn't recommend this. The only nitpicky negative critique I have about this book is that is a dialogue heavy book and the word "said" is used to the point of annoyance.

Regardless of that, it is a fun book and I enjoyed it.

I was just going to buy this in paperback but then I listened to the sample on the audible website. Less than half a second later, I put the audio version in my cart because it's narrated by Gideon Emery.

Proper review later, once I've listened to it. I'm just a bit verklempt at the moment.

Review:
It should've been awesome. Like H.P. Lovecraft mixed with The Office. It was kinda amusing at times but only mildly interesting, and at parts it was downright dull. I honestly think I would've abandoned it before I was even halfway through if it wasn't for the fact that I was listening to it on audio.

Not that it was bad, but I was definitely underwhelmed.

I tried reading this book when I got it from the library but I just put it down and did not pick it up again until it was time to return it.

However, I needed to read it for a challenge on Goodreads so I got the audible version to listen to during my commute.

Not that this was a bad story by any means but for me, the narrator seriously made all the difference in the world. Our main character, and his family, were severely flawed but the portrayal in the audio version made him likeable and human. It made me root for (and feel for) him. So much so, that at one point I really wanted to beat up a fictional character on his behalf.

Contrary to what my headline states, I did actually enjoy this. It's a paranormal romance and as such, it follows the formula all too well. Unless this is your first foray into the land of PnR, you know basic storyline.

"Loner/surly supernatural creature meets plain jane and they fall madly in love. Snarky humor, angst, bad guys to defeat, personal issues to overcome, and of course a happily ever after (or at least a happily for now)."

However, that doesn't mean that it is a bad formula. It's all in the execution, not the skeleton. Damsel (mostly) wasn't in distress and she does some rescuing of her own. The good guy vampires are unbelievably hot alpha-males but all organic and eco-conscious. That's not a bad thing for me but, I'm a bit of a hippie so its all in your perception. I did like our heroine although she's not in my top ten favorites or anything.

It was good enough though that I bought the second and the third in the series although not so good that I've read them yet.

First of all, I love this author. Secondly, I liked (but did not love) this short story. I was intrigued by it but I believe that I would've enjoyed it a lot more if it had been extended into a full length book. It has potential and I'll keep my fingers crossed that the plot bunny that inspired this will make another trip to her consciousness.

This story started out slowly. It didn't lag but it almost leisurely built the world around my mind. I was distracted by the descriptions and varying viewpoints and then suddenly I realized that I was quite trapped by the story and characters within.

This is a dark and gritty world (not as much as some I've read but still...) and there are mutations, human and monsters alike, lurking throughout. I loved the dimensions of the characters and it was overall an excellent read (or listen, as the case may be).

If you're familiar with the Ichidian universe then you know that our heroes are tortured. This is especially true for Darling Cruel. He's tortured in his past as well as his present and it just breaks my heart.

If you're famliar with Kenyon, then you can figure out how it ends for our hero. Still, getting there was heart wrenching.