Robbie

I read through all of Kenyon's Dark Hunter novels with a fervor that bordered obsession (yes, my screen saver is Acheron, and my mouse pointer is Artemis' bow, so what?). Then I read the first of Kenyon's Belador Code books and was disappointed in a big way. So I started this book with a lump in my throat. I so badly wanted a decent Kenyon fix, and I wasn't willing to wait until the next Dark Hunter novel comes out.

Kenyon has a thing for tortured heroes. Often they experience childhood trauma of the worst possible sorts, leaving them crass and sometimes mean-spirited, but still with a core of goodness, of honor. The point behind them, I believe, is that even when life throws these guys the worst life has to offer, their spirit is so strong that their basic decency survives. Nykerian, the hero of Born of Night, is that sort of hero.

Kiara is a princess in pretty much every sense of the word. The world Kenyon builds is a rough one, and Kiara's life hasn't been completely trauma free, but for the most part she has been protected and pampered by her powerful father. Her character isn't always likeable, but you can see the discoveries she makes about herself and about others. She is a judgmental girl when she meets her hero, but she becomes a more understanding woman as the book progresses. It's easy to feel harshly about her, but she is a product of her upbringing, and her growth as a person is necessary to the story line. All in all, I thought she was the perfect foil for Nykyrian.

This book is a romance set in a sci fi world. I wouldn't recommend it for pure sci fi fans, nor would I recommend it for someone wanting a "sweet romance". This book is about a man who has been handed the worst life has to offer and survives the best way he can, and a woman who allows herself to love him. The sex isn't crass but it is explicit.

I thought the narrator did a fine job, building tension in the right places, adding appropriate inflection and doing believable character voices.

I've been reading this series in order (and it helps, I'm sure). This book was the best of the lot so far. The author creates a fantastic hero for this book. Aiden is tortured and a bit clueless and entirely male. The tension between hero and heroine hit that perfect note and I really bought the attraction.

The reader, Lola Holiday, had a pleasant voice and I could find little fault with her work. Yes, I admit I've heard better, but I've also heard far worse. I barely noticed she was there, to be honest, and for me, that's the sign of a good narrator.

This book is the 10th in Maggie Shayne's Wing's of the Night series. Audible, unfortunately, doesn't even list the series, but it is indeed part of a series. Audible only has books 7 and books 10 through 16 and books 1 and 2 of the followup series, Children of Twilight.

I mention the series element because there are a lot of characters in this book from previous books. In fact, the heroes and heroines from almost all the previous books are in this book at some point. This fact can get overwhelming for the listener who isn't familiar with the series. I, however, have read this series in print (as well as listened to book 7 on audio) up to this point, so I was familiar with the back story and the characters from previous novels. So while I suppose this book could stand alone, I don't think it would be nearly so go. The heroine, in particular, featured largely in previous books. She's very unique in the vampire world Shayne has created, so honestly, I can only hope that the rest of the series gets added to audible at some point.

Amber Lily is a unique young woman. She's the first child ever born to two vampires, and as such, she is hunted by their arch nemesis and fiercely protected by her vampire aquaintences. She isn't a vampire, but she does have special abilities that are similar. She can walk in the sun, and she doesn't need blood to survive, and is in constant danger from a villain named Frank Stiles, who hunts her ceaselessly.

Edge (short for Edger...hows that for making a boring name cool?) was a street thug. He was turned vampire and then left by his sire to fend for himself. The very same Frank Stiles murdered his young friends, and he's out for revenge. Knowing Stiles will be hunting for Amber Lily, he decides to find her first and be there when Stiles catches up so he can have his revenge.

They meet, and things take off from there. The love story between the two is rocky, but it worked for me. If you are following the series, much more about the nature of Amber Lily and the changes happening in the vampire world is revealed, and that is really the books strength.

Consequently, I loved this book, since I've read the previous stories in the series, and would highly recommend it to those who love vampire tales. However, as a starting point, this book probably isn't your best bed. I'd suggest reading the first few books with your eyes (or waiting for them to come out on audible), before buying this one.

There is also a bonus hour or so, a prequel to a later book in the series, and I was very surprised and pleased to find it tagged onto the end of this recording. For me: win/win!

And by "marriage made in heaven", I'm not talking about anything that happens in the story, I'm talking about the audio marriage between Robyn Carr and Therese Plummer. Sometimes, they get it so right, and this is one of those times. I like Therese Plummer no matter what she reads, but I will always associate her with Robyn Carr's books, because when she reads them, it's as close to a perfect audio experience as it gets.

I approached this book as a dedicated Virgin River fan. I have listened to every single Virgin River book on Audible, and I get sucked right in to each and every one. While some were, admittedly, better than others, I can't think of a single one I didn't like. The town of Grace Valley is mentioned often in the VR books, as were some of the characters, and I was looking forward to visiting there myself.

That's what you do in a Robyn Carr book. You visit the places. You meet the people. You become invested in their lives. Her books are extremely character driven. In Deep in the Valley, you meet many of the Grace Valley residents, for better or worse, warts and all. They are a eclectic bunch of small town characters, and that is what Carr does best.

For those who've read the VR series, as I have, she keeps to her style of flashing back and forth between characters and sub plots. As usual, she sucks you right into the goings on and takes you along for the ride. This story's main character is Dr. June Hudson. As the book begins, she is welcoming Dr. Stone to town. He seems a good family man and the perfect fit for Grace Valley's medical needs, but is he? Then there's the mountain family led by a PTSD suffering father and hideously scarred mother, the town's drunken wife beater and his battered family, the lascivious Presbyterian minister and his jealous wife, the Native American sheriff, the old "no nonsense" judge, June's aging father and her eccentric novelist aunt, her chain smoking nurse and her goth receptionist. The list of characters is a mile long. I've only brushed the surface here.

Oh, and then there's the hero. A bit of an afterthought really. Which is why I rated this book 4 stars instead of 5. In a ten and a half hour book, I'd be surprised if an hour of it had anything to do with the central romance. Perhaps, as a trilogy, Carr decided to focus on building the setting and getting us all acquainted with the characters in this book. Still, this book was billed as a romance, and there's a certain expectation of that based on the VR books, but this book is barely a romance. While it didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book itself, I felt almost cheated in hindsight. I can't complain much, since I loved the book, but I couldn't quite rate it a 5 star either.

One other minor problem was the huge (and I mean huge) number of characters. I would advise readers to grab a notebook and jot down names and relevant information from the start, because otherwise, the book can become very confusing. I've read other reviews on Goodreads from people who read it in print who felt the same. The sheer number of different characters gets a bit overwhelming rather quickly, and you start trying to sort out who is who.

Would I recommend this book? You bet I would. My small criticisms aside, it's a wonderful novel. Find a time to listen when you're not likely to be disturbed, because you won't ever want to hit the pause button.

I was so very happy that this release came as a novella and a book as the next installments in the Shadowdweller series. So often we are forced to buy a separate anthology just to hear one novella in a series we are following, and that irks me. In Pleasure, we are given a novella first (appx 3 hours long) and then a book.

In the novella: Sagan, a penance priest for the Shadowdwellers disappeared after an altercation with the evil villianess Acadian in the last book in this series, Rapture. He was presumed dead, but on the way to whatever torture Acadian had planned for him, he's rescued by Valera, a human magic user. Magic users are usually the arch enemy of all the Nightwalker races, including the Shadowdwellers. This novella is short, and I will admit the deep affection did seem a trifle rushed, but overall, I bought it.

In the longer story (at over 8 hours, I'd call it a book in itself), the queen Malaya and her bodyguard Guin are the focus. We've had hints of this relationship going beyond the professional, at least on Guin's side, in the previous books. This was a well told and action packed love story. Again, the villain Acadian is still at large and up to her old tricks. Guin and Malaya are torn between their feelings and their duties. I found it a satisfying and well told love story, with plenty twists and turn on the way to their happily ever after. Acadian if finally revealed, and at least a part of the story arc is tied up.

Kirsten Potter did a great job with the narration. Well worth my credit!

First, a comment for readers of this series. I have checked with Christine Warren's website, and the correct reading order of the "Others" series is not exactly like they have it on Audible. Christine had her books published out of order, sometimes with different publishers, and it wound up being a bit of a hassle to get the chronology sorted out. According to the author, the correct order is as follows:
1) One Bite With a Stranger
2) Big Bad Wolf
3) Prince Charming Doesn't Live Here
4) Black Magic Woman
5) Not Your Ordinary Fairy Tale
6) On the Prowl
7) Drive Me Wild
8) Hungry Like a Wolf (rewrite of Fur Play, not on audible, expected release June 25, 2013)
9) Wolf at the Door
10) She's No Faerie Princess
11) The Demon You Know
12) Howl at the Moon
13) Walk on the Wild Side
14) You're So Vein
15) Born to Be Wild

For non readers of the series, my only suggestion is that you read it! It's great!

Now to get to this book, On the Prowl. I think it resonated so much with me because the heroine, Saskia, a tiger shifter, was a bit of a different sort to the "classic" paranormal heroine. She was raised very "old school", to be the keeper of home and hearth for a powerful husband, and was reasonably content in that roll. She consents to an arranged marriage with Nicolas, another tiger shifter from the old and powerful Praeda family whom she had met only once as a girl. This story begins with their marriage.

Of course, Saskia has a few second thoughts on exactly what her role is once faced with the reality of her marriage and the insensitive, if not downright callous treatment from her new groom. With the help of a few of our old friends, heroines from previous books, Saskia decides that a balance must be found that both she and Nicolas can both live with.

While trying to find some harmony and perhaps even love in their marriage, the newlyweds are also struggling to figure out who is plotting to frame Nicolas for an attempted murder.

Saskia proves that women don't have to be tough to be strong, and I really enjoyed her as a character. Nicolas, of course, was all strong and male and alpha. Watching how she maneuvers him towards their HEA was quite entertaining.

I have been reading the Warriors of Poseidon series since the first book came out on Audible, and it's been a bit of a rocky ride. While I enjoyed the concept and the stories overall, I wasn't always so thrilled with the narration. Imagine my glee when I discovered they had changed narrators for this final installment and that one of my very favorite narrators, Xe Sands, was reading it. It made, for me, all the difference in the world. I think if she had read the series from the beginning, it would have changed this from a series I "liked" to a series that I "loved". She absolutely nailed it in my opinion.

In this book we Finally (yes, Finally with a capital F) get Alaric and Quinn's story. These two met in the very first book and boy did the sparks fly. They run into each other at least once a book for the next 6 books, leaving us wondering what would come of their seemingly doomed affection for each other. Now I know, but if you want to find out, you'll have to read the book! They were, from the beginning, such a mismatched couple that it was almost humorous. I was so happy to see that they were finally going to get their story told.

I was also happy that this book actually tied up all the loose ends of the Warriors of Poseidon series. I love a good series, and some I don't mind going on more or less indefinitely, but this particular series had an "end point" that you could see coming from the beginning, and it would have just been wrong to have carried it on and on without resolution. Alyssa Day does exactly the right thing by making this the last book in this series and ending this story line arc. I couldn't be more pleased and would recommend this series to any PNR fan.

This is not a hardcore werewolf book in any way. You won't get a lot of tense "what will happen next?" moments out of this book. It's a book you can relax into. It's very light on drama. The "villein" is a spoiled brat who can barely be classified as an adult, and consequently lacks that "edge" that most bad guys in books have. The sex scenes are pretty tame compared to most paranormal romances I've read, but they are still fairly explicit. Just perhaps not quite as much detail.

I thought it was a sweetly told love story with no high drama or tension. The perfect read if you want to stay vaguely interested without getting too excited. Really, I read a lot of intense stuff, so it was like a sunny day on the beach rather than a thrilling day at the amusement park.

Somehow, I had gotten the impression that this book was going to be humorous. Perhaps it was the light-hearted cover art. It didn't, however, particularly tickle my funny bone, but in hindsight, I don't think it was meant to. That was just my impression, and that impression was erroneous.

Abby Craden did a spectacular job with the narration. I could not find one single thing wrong with her performance. In fact, I barely thought about the narration during the entire book, which is, in it's own way, the sign of a brilliant narrator.

So if you like paranormal romance and you're looking for something to take the edge off, but don't want to commit too much emotional energy into your next listen, this book would be the book for you.

This book was fantastic, even though it was short compared to many of my reads. Even with the abbreviated length, it still had fantastic character development and a juicy, edge of your seat story line. I was seriously impressed. The first book in the series was pretty good, but this one did exceed it, pushing close to perfection when it comes to what I like in a paranormal romance.

While the narrator did a pretty terrific job with most elements in reading this story, I'm afraid I wasn't all that thrilled with the voice she gave to Graham, our male lead. To say she made him sound gruff is an understatement. Yes, he is a werewolf, but I don't particularly find a voice that sounds more like a cartoon characterization of a dog talking than a sexy shapeshifter. It was definitely on the "too gruff" side of things. Despite that minor distraction, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good paranormal story. While it would be better to read or listen to the first book in the series first, it's not necessary. Most certainly worth a credit!!!

Perhaps it was my expectations that doomed this book for me, but then again, maybe not. First of all, it is billed with a paranormal romance, but what I got from it was self help psychobabble mixed with Chic Lit.

Yes, there is a couple and they do fall in love, but that's really not the point of the book. In fact, it's almost a side story. There's no buildup, no real courtship and very little conflict between the couple, which are the keystones of a romance novel. No, this book is more about a woman on a path to "self discovery", with the love interest performing more as her guru than her lover. It's flavored with a heavy feminist message, and the enlightenment she is given could come straight from a chapter of "The Secret". So it's all about energy and creating your own reality through belief and positive thinking, that sort of thing.

This book also heavily focuses on "The Yellow Brick Road Gang", a group of friends who seem to have little to no purpose until 3/4's of the way through the book. There's lots of the hand holding female "my friends are my true family" bonding stuff throughout the book, in true chic lit fashion. Frankly, this was the best part of the book for me, and I'm not a real fan of chic lit.

There was also some sort of issue with the audio, causing it to skip in places. While this is not the readers fault, but more a fault of the editing, I still deducted points from the narration since there's nowhere to critique the editing. The narrator was fair, but she was inconsistent at times with the voices of the women (and women outnumbered men in this book by about 6 to 1), and that annoyed me. The only person she was consistent with was an African American character, but she gave her a voice that was stereotypical at best. There were also a number of pauses where pauses shouldn't be.

Bottom line; if you are thinking this book is a paranormal romance in the traditional sense, it's not. It's part "enlightenment self help" and part chic lit. If you are in to that sort of thing, maybe you'll love it. I'm not, and I didn't. Having said that, it wasn't terrible either, so I gave the story a fairly decent score.

I'm not as interested in the politics of race relations as I am in the social impacts, but often the two are inseparable in regards to this subject. So I found this book informative and interesting. Ann Coulter is, of course, a Fox News anchor and an obvious Republican, and quite a bit of this book was aimed toward slinging insults at the Democratic party. Fair enough in this case, although she does skip over some of the Republican transgressions in this area. However, I knew this would be the format of the book when I bought it, so I can't complain. Besides, by and large, I do agree with her that the vast majority of harm in the area has been done by left leaning liberals.

Being a media personality herself, Ann does concentrate quite a bit on the media's role in agitating racial "problems" that didn't exist until the media declared it was a problem and whipped up sentiment to that effect. She brings up a plethora of legal cases, weighing the real evidence and court findings against the liberal media's coverage and "community" reaction based on media coverage. Much of this was new information for me, and I enjoyed her insight. She was also surprisingly funny at times, and that was a bonus.

My problem with this book is simply that it will probably not be enjoyed by those with liberal/Democrat political leanings, and they are the very ones who need to be made aware that pandering does no one any good, least of all those who are being pandered to. In that respect, she will be, by and large, preaching to the choir with this book, since most of her readers will be prepared to believe (or already know) her subject matter. She is so antagonistic toward liberal Democrats that I can't see any of them sitting through this book with an open mind.

If the subject of racial demagoguery interests you, and you want to hear the facts from a somewhat less politically motivated writer, I would suggest reading Thomas Sowell's brilliant book "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" which takes the history of the problem back further and goes into more depth. It doesn't concentrate quite so much on media involvement and more on the historical and social aspects leading up to more current events. Mr. Sowell also has the added credibility of being a black man from Harlem and a world renowned economist. Ms Coulter does reference this book a few times, as the material is very similar in nature.

Ann Coulter did a good job of reading her own material, though not perfect, although I think that the few (very few) faults I found in her performance would not have been an issue with better editing.

Overall, a very good book, but if you don't already lean toward conservatism, it probably isn't for you.