Exceeding Expectations

The Charlie Series, Book 1

By: Lisa April Smith

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Palm Beach, 1961. Socialite, irresistible rascal, and devoted father Jack Morgan stages his suicide to shield his beloved daughters from scandal and disgrace. His daughter, Charlotte (Charlie), is an overindulged 23-year-old girl struggling to cope with the loss of her beloved father, her sister's resulting mental breakdown, and the discovery that she's now penniless. Fortunately Raul, an admiring young attorney, offers assistance to the traumatized young woman.

As terrified as she is about paying for her sister's costly treatment and her own daily survival, Charlie soon realizes that she must learn what drove her father to kill himself. With Raul's much-needed ego bolstering, she pursues a career that makes practical use of her lanky, five-foot-eleven frame. Despite roadblocks and emotional upheavals, she embarks on an ocean-spanning journey that leads to a family she doesn't know, distressing truths about her father, crimes great and small, and a diabolical villain.

©2011 Lisa April Smith (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great story

Great story but would have preferred the story continue a little bit more to reunited the family.

Robotic narrating

It is almost as if an automated voice were narrating the story. Just terrible. I do not recommend.

Good Writing but I couldn't stand the family

3 Stars for me!

My rating range of this story... 2 - 4 Stars
If significant, why? The h and her mother and father are not very likeable. The sister seemed to be to only good part of the family.

Main Character Ratings...
H = 8/10
h = 3/10

Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 8/10
If below 5/10,why?

Was cheating involved? Yes and No (h) - they were technically broken up because the h is a selfish and unreasonable person.
Any major triggers to be aware of? No

If Comedy... Type? n/a
Genuinely Funny
Cringe Inducing
Just No!

Angst Level? Moderate
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
3 Stars for me!

Internal Monolog? Moderate
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop

Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 40%
How much of the story? 5%
Anything beyond M/F? No
If yes, explained

Heat Rating... 4/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

The back story... Read the blurb as it is complicated.

The Romance... None that I could see in either relationship. The mom/dad relationship felt like a business relationship and the H/h was driven by the H and constantly rebuffed by the h.

The drama explosion... There really wasn't one.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? n/a
Was it OTT? No
Separation involved? n/a
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Left for book 2.

Final Notes... The h's dad was a piece of work and his daughter absorbed as much as she could. The h's mom was cold and had zero care or interest in her children. The H was a good and caring person who helped the h even as she was treating him horribly. She forced him to drive in a dangerous snow storm instead of staying safely at a home they were visiting.

The ending itself is quite brutal as it details what happened to the mother. Even after all she went through, she was still completely selfish in her thoughts and refused to see her part in the loss of her husband and daughters.

The 3 Stars are due to excellent writing and world building (in this case, two worlds).

HEA or HFN? Who knows

Absolutely Awesome! History comes alive!

Whoa! Written like a classic. Superlative writing with wonderfully developed characters and multiple lives woven throughout decades and continents. This story has EVERYTHING! Romance, mystery, intrigue, humor and the most amazingly accurate depiction and retelling of history over multiple generations! A truly magnificent book told by a talented narrator.

HIGHLY Recommend!

Really enjoyed it.

It is a great story over all. I am going to start #2 in series now!

The Series You've Been Looking For!

This is the kind of story telling I enjoy....a multi-generational saga that spans decades and continents. Somehow all my favorite elements are incorporated: romance, mystery, a bit of history, travel, lovely descriptions of houses, adventure, and art. There is some sex, but not too much, and some social commentary, but not enough that it gets annoying. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting.

The writing is very good and the narration is above par. Small criticisms are that the dialogue does not always sound natural, and the pacing of the narration in the first two books speeds up and slows down (this was not present in the 3rd book). Although both the narration and the writing improve greatly by book three, the first two books are my favorite. Hopefully there will be one more book to finish up the story.

This trilogy is an exceptional find (I would even say it is a "hidden gem"), and an even better deal if you have the romance package. It makes for a nice change from regency romances and is much better than most contemporary romances.

I loved this book, could not stop listening to it,

I loved this book, could not stop listening to it. Enjoyed the many twists and turns to the story. Can't wait to read book 2.

Captivating and Smart

I had a hard time putting this down. It was captivating and had smart characters.

Amazing! So excited for book 2!

I would definitely recommend this book. I enjoyed the personal stories from different eras tying everything and everyone together. Never a boring moment and definitely need that book 2 ASAP!

GREAT STORY.

THE EVOLVING STORY OF THE CHARACTER CHARLIE IS WONDERFUL. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHERE BOOK 2 AND 3 TAKES HER AND ALL HER FAMILY. MS SMITH THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL READ.