Too Perfect

By: Julie Ortolon

Narrated by: Jane Cramer

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Maddy, Christine and Amy are thrilled that their old college suite-mate has written a bestselling book, How to Have the Perfect Life - until they realize she used them as examples of how women let fear screw up their lives. The worst part is…it's sort of true. Together they make a pact: they each have one year to face down their fears - and maybe show Miss Perfect a thing or two!

Book Three: Too Perfect. Defying the terrible sense of direction that's scared her away from traveling, Amy sets sail as a nanny on a Caribbean cruise and promptly gets lost when they stop at the island of St. Barts. Now she's stranded without money, luggage and even a toothbrush. Locals say that Gaspar, owner of the island's crumbling fortress, is a hideously ugly recluse. They call him La Bete, "The Beast." But when Amy applies for a job at the fort, she meets only his charming assistant, Beaufort. In reality, the two are one and the same billionaire Byron Parks, who's desperately seeking privacy and peace.

Amy aches for the miserable man secluded in the fortress tower. Through email exchanges, they share imaginative romantic fantasies. Byron is hopelessly smitten with his sexy storyteller - but will revealing his true identity ruin their happy ending?

©2011 Julie Ortolon (P)2013 Julie Ortolon

Critic reviews

"Ortolon's enjoyable final novel in her Perfect trilogy spins a good, old-fashioned contemporary fairy tale..." ( Publishers Weekly)

loved it

super cute. loved it from start to finish (the whole trilogy). no one is perfect, and I love how real these ladies are and their stories too.

Best series ever

This was a really good read. I loved it. I would recommend this series to everyone. From beginning to end it was one of my favorite books. The author is such a wonderful writer.

Excellent Series

What made the experience of listening to Too Perfect the most enjoyable?

Julie did an excellent job of making her characters real. This is book 3 in the Perfect series - I enjoyed all three books.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Too Perfect?

The dinner meetings they had. I loved the thought of that.

Which character – as performed by Jane Cramer – was your favorite?

Amy was my favorite - he feelings - desires - fears all seemed so real to me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scene on the patio - the thought of that happening is so terrible - but real for some people.

Any additional comments?

The Perfect Trilogy is a excellent set of books for anyone who loves romance. My mission is to read/listen to all of Julie's books! Jane does a excellent job narrating the series

Barely entertaining

What would have made Too Perfect better?

More characters, more mystery, more adventure and no goofy fake accents.

I should have know this is what this was. It was a boring, flat romantic novel, no mystery or adventure as it sounded like, by it's description. I only finished because I don't have anything else to read now. Good thing I got this one on sale. It was a total waste of money. The story was lame and there was absolutely no action except in the bedroom which came off as totally ridiculous.
Basically only two characters, one with a horrible goofy French accent and the other so annoying and naïve it was hard to imagine any of it was real.

Would you ever listen to anything by Julie Ortolon again?

No it's not my thing.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jane Cramer?

Yes, if there weren't any foreign accents or men's voices. She comes off very light and female.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Too Perfect?

It would be easier to say which ones I would keep. The ending was the only bearable part. I would cut out all the bedroom scenes for sure, and make the heroine much smarter. She was too naïve to be believable.

Any additional comments?

Sorry, I couldn't appreciate it more, I tried. Not too perfect story.

ahhhhh......Amy bothers me

Would you listen to Too Perfect again? Why?

Yes

What did you like best about this story?

The romance.

What about Jane Cramer’s performance did you like?

She speaks in a way that makes it easy to play the book out in your brain

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he finally revealed himself to her.

Any additional comments?

Amy pisses me off because she over reacts to the discovery of the truth. Yeah he lied but wasn't she understanding? It bothers me.

Too Perfect

If you could sum up Too Perfect in three words, what would they be?

Fun to read!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sir Guy - he could be who he wanted to really be, and with Amy's help, he became that man.

Have you listened to any of Jane Cramer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First two "Perfect" books.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Towards the end I couldn't stop until I knew if had a happy ending.

Any additional comments?

Best of the three "Perfect" books. Good story, good narration, great characters all around.

Perfect ending to the Trilogy

Last book in the trilogy, I loved these characters from the first book to this one. Amy is very endearing and I Was more than ready for her story. It was not what I expected at all.

As per the trend in the series, Jane had it all wrong about what Amy feared. And yes, once again, her fears stemmed from her family. I really liked seeing her grow and strengthen throughout the book. Glad she picked up that backbone while on vacation.

I was not exactly happy with her low self-esteem, but after considering it, I realized it was important to her growth in the story. This is why I like her much better in the end than the begining.

I am torn on the whole Lance/Guy/Byron thing. He had moments where I liked him but most of the time I found him to be just as she first described him, shallow and jaded. I wanted more growth from his character.

The romance is sweet and steady but the feelings are hard to swallow. Mostly because we were told about the interactions and relationship building rather than seeing it happen. I need to read those dinner chats to be able to see them connecting. I saw more of it in the computer chats and emails. I just could have used more, especially in the end when they had so much to work out.

The steam is like the other books, slightly naughty but just short of erotic detail. An open bedroom door but lighter steam. Yummy in it's own way.

The book is a mixed narrative, going back and forth between the two lead POV. This goes a long way in making you like Byron and understanding Amy's issues. I really liked the whole dynamic they had.

I listened to the audiobooks narrated by Jane Cramer, who is lovely as always. She has a terrific pace that helps move the book along. Her voices are consistent and distinct throughout the read. I love the way she makes Amy come to life and brings new levels to her character. She even has a nice gruffness to Byron's read!

Overall, this has been a lovely series. Each story was entertaining and flowed beautifully. I loved the end, of course the Epilogue would bring us up to date on all the couples!! I did hope they would find Jane to be far from perfect, but alas, that was not to be! This is a delightful trilogy that had heart and humor. I am definitely going to watch for more of Ms Ortolon! She does wonderfully light and feisty romances!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.