Ruth

This second Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes mystery was satisfying in every way. As Mary reaches adulthood and comes into her fortune, she must also decide whether she wants to remain a solitary scholar or enter into a partnership that she never expected. She and Holmes must find out who is at the root of several mysterious deaths of wealthy young women who belong to a women's advocacy and religious group. Several things happen in this story which leave Mary reeling: Is there romance in her future? Did she witness a miracle? Will she survive long enough to find out who wants her and her new friends dead? I stayed on the edge of my seat until the very end. The narrator, Jenny Sterlin, did a great job with both male and female voices. I hope you enjoy this tale as much as I did.

This book drove me nuts! I didn't like it very much at all. I've enjoyed the rest of the series although it does have plot holes and inconsistencies. This one was murder to get through. First, I HATE the f-word. There is a new character who uses it all the time. She isn't too major in the book but she will be a continuing character and I just bought the rest of the series on the last sale. I'm VERY disappointed in Michelle Sagara.

Second, this story is about as convoluted a telling as could possibly be. I explained to my husband in about 5 to 10 minutes what the plot is for this book. It took 14 hours to do it. I think the editor died and didn't look at it at all. It could have been at least 6 hours shorter and not lost much. She does a whole lot of agonizing over her bad past. It is a past you haven't heard of before, but not good.

I actually read 8 books while I was trying to slog my way through this one. I would listen until I got too disgusted with either the language or the story and then read something else. The only reason I continued is because I have bought the rest of the series. I suppose if I hate the rest of them as much as this one I'll return them all. UGH!!

Third, there were some really stupid inconsistencies that drove me nuts. She would NOT know what to do.... Woe is me.... Then she would be told what to do or she would suddenly know what to do and it would still be a half an hour before she either remembered she knew or acted on what she was supposed to do. Or she would be told what to do and then still get out of that situation and act like she hadn't a clue as to what to do. This more than even the other two drove me insane!!!!

To sum it up this is now at the bottom of all the books I've purchased on Audible. Go read Tiger's Curse if you like romantic fantasy. It is PG rated at worst and has a wonderful adventurous fantasy with lots of romance and NO really bad language. Maybe this series just can't be compared to that one. I loved it and am really starting to detest this one.

I realize this book isn't perfect. There may be some loopholes in logic, but this is fantasy so roll with it. When I read Twilight, I felt it was an embarrassment. The characters were stupid. I felt I could maybe write better than that, but I couldn't write this. The reason I compare this to Twilight is that it has a love triangle in it, but at least there are reasons for the dilemma. Plot reasons and magic reasons, reasons of destiny. This book is smartly written. The poetry is awesome. The literary allusions are great and explained or explanatory. I enjoyed the characters, the magic, the settings and the romantic dialogue. Best of all it is clean! In all 4 books there is nothing bad and I think only 1 swear word in the whole series! I'm not saying I loved everything the main character did, but it all works out in a great way. So when you want to strangle Kelsey, just remember the story isn't over yet. She does vacillate from heroic and creative thinking to a little self-centered and stupid, but the story and fantasy are still great. I love great fantasy adventures and this is awesome! I devoured all 4 of these books and then started the series over and listened again. My family teased me about all the dreamy looks I gave them. It was so worth it. I'm so glad she kept it clean! Hurray! I hope she can keep writing. I'll keep reading. I loved the way she wove all the world mythologies together. Pure fun. Some of the best books I've read in a while! I loved the narrator. I suppose you could listen to it faster, but I wouldn't. It's like chocolate. Just sit back and savor.... Happy listening!

I really enjoyed this book. I'm worried about the main character and how many powerful people have an interest in her abilities. She seems to be able to do a lot with her untrained powers. I just hope that she quits fighting it and tries to learn. It seems silly to find out you have a natural talent for something and then decide you don't want to have anything to do with it. I took a point off from the story for that. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book and anticipate the next book. So far a story line without smut. I'm hoping that does not change. Hooray for Michelle Sagara! Too many authors just rely on smut for appeal and ignore the story line. Already have the next 2 on my wish list.

I know that the author of this book tells at the end why she wrote this book. She hopes that we will be warned about the forms of paganism to guard against them in our lives. I read the first 3 books in this series readily and happily. This book I just could not enjoy. Yes, God's people win in the end. Yes, the ending could be called inspirational, maybe. It is exciting, but three fourths of this book is of a new "priest" trying to explain to Manasseh that his father's faith has held him back and that it conspired to withhold power and privilege from him. More than once I threw my ipod away from me and just blurted out BLASPHEMY!!! I got so I wouldn't even listen to that counselor's talk anymore. It was dreadful. I did finish the whole book, but YUCK! I did not appreciate wading through the blasphemy. Perhaps it was instructive? It certainly made me have a visceral reaction. It was perfectly nauseating! The ending was interesting, but overall, I finished it yesterday and still haven't gotten the yucky "taste" out of my brain.

The only good thing is that it made appreciate my access to Holy Writ so that I can not be deceived as easily as someone who had to rely on priests to tell them what is religious fact. I can't say it has no redeeming qualities, but if I had to do it again, I'd skip this book. I think the fifth book is going to be angry and talk about forgiveness. I've bought it and I won't return them, but if I had to counsel someone else, I'd say stick with the first 3 and be done with it.

I won't write a long review since I wrote a long one on the whole series for the first book. This covers Hezekiah's Tunnel and I found it fascinating. Especially to think that something so ancient is still in use today. Amazing. I really enjoyed this book and the ones before and after it. I did find them uplifting and inspirational. I have liked books, two this one, and book three in this series best. Don't think you can go wrong if you are looking for something inspirational to read when you choose this book. I have to admit I'm going to have to go back and read Kings and Chronicles again. I particularly like the bits with the prophet Isaiah in them.

I really enjoyed learning more about King Hezekiah and his era, especially the bits including the prophet Isaiah. I realize that much of this book is fiction, but I know that the major events and scriptures are not. I found it very good and I enjoyed learning more about that time frame. I had a little bit of a hard time with some of the dialogue. There were some passages that were put in merely for the reader as an educational device that sounded stupid to me. In the beginning one of the priests is asked why the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has no image. The priest hems and haws and acts like he has no idea what to say or that the question is entirely new to him. My guess is every Hebrew child knew the answer to that one. I got through that and generally enjoyed the book, as well as the next 2. The next one covers the building of Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Third their defeat of the Assyrian armies. I've read 4 now and can recommend the first three. They cover many historic and Biblically significant events. Although it includes a couple of pagan rituals in the beginning as the reason for Hezekiah's righteousness, it does not dwell on them or promote them. I quite enjoyed these first three. The fourth book is another matter entirely and you'll have to read my review for it to understand why. I took off 1 star because of the stilted dialogue, but found them very good overall. Suzanne Toren does a great job narrating. I've listened to other books by her and enjoy her narration. I think these books are very much of interest to those interested in the Bible and in Biblical history as well as those looking for an inspirational read.

We are big Terry Pratchett Disc World fans and this was a bit different but still Pratchett. I enjoyed the look back at an old London and an alternative view both of Dickens and the Artful Dodger character. My sister especially enjoyed Solomon a Fagan-like character? He is good. I loved Dickens. Fun to see some historical figures in a different light. Love seeing how Dickens might have gotten ideas for lines and characters from those around him. Enjoyable, Humorous,Well worth the time and credit.

Really enjoyed it.

We Love the Rob Inglis version of the Hobbit. I love the songs that he sings. Most are really great. He does a fantastic job. My children and my whole family love this version. Most people won't need a review of the story. This is a great version to listen to on long car trips. Our relatives live in other states so the trips can be VERY long. One of the very best in classic fantasy books. Probably not for children below 8 although my husband read it to our children when they were in about first grade. The only real lead in necessary for The Lord of the Rings which is definitely for older teenage and pre-teen children and above. My husband reads these books almost every year. They are old friends. This audiobook is mine. It is one of the reasons I joined Audible and I'm pleased as punch to own it so it will work easily on listening devices. Now if we could just find our own hobbit hole.....

I avoid romances because of the smut in many of the recent ones and almost turned it off when they said that this book was produced by Harlequin and Audible. Eeek! However, I decided I couldn't judge it before I heard it and so with a little fear and trepidation I started listening. I was quite pleasantly surprised. There is little swearing. The story is good and the world is interesting. I'd love to be able to fly, although I'd settle for magical powers! There is a lot of tension and you aren't sure who the main character can trust. I am happy to say that there is no smut. I don't know what the rest of the books in the series are like, but I liked this one and am ready to listen to the next one in the series. There is a ton we don't know about the capabilities of the main character and much we don't know about the past of other main characters. Any book that has a dragon as one of the top supporting cast is good in my book. I love dragons! Flying people and Cat People add interest into this world as well. Mirrors that act as IM tools and ancient magical runes with portents of OLD magic make the world an interesting place. If you enjoy fantasy adventures this might be a good choice for you.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is by far one of the best works of classical literature I have ever listened to. Audible was the perfect format to enjoy it. It does have a lot of untranslated French and it is quite long. It is not a book for someone who wants light fluffy subject matter or a short read. I think it is the best book about choices, consequences, and foregiveness that I have ever read. The characters are rich and three-dimensional. Sometimes bad characters bring about good, and sometimes the good characters make bad choices, or jump to conclusions which are wrong. I will probably listen to it again and would recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. I am a big fan of the musical, so this was awesome to fill in a lot of the back story. If you enjoyed the musical too, beware! Several things in the book are different, but, in my opinion, not in a bad way. Enjoy!