Cara's Twelve

By: Chantel Seabrook

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Raised in the backwater province of Crowthorne, Cara finds her fate bound to a system she despises and a goddess she no longer believes in. When it becomes clear that the heir to the Elbian throne has found disfavor in the eyes of the goddess, Cara is ordained by blood to take her cousin's place as heir apparent.

One man from each of the 12 provinces are chosen by the royal council to pledge their lives and swords as champions and consorts of the future queen. From these men, Cara must choose the future king of Elbia. Before she is able to take her place on the throne, Cara and her 12 must visit each province and perform a sacred ceremony, one that will make Cara question everything she thought was real.

Cara soon realizes that not all of the men who swore to protect her are what they seem, and that there are those who would use her as a tool to gain power.

Cara's Twelve is a refreshingly different, romantic fantasy story of fair maidens and fearless warriors in a medieval land.

©2015 Creativia (P)2016 Susan Hammond

Loved!

Where does Cara's Twelve rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably #1, it was such a great story.

What other book might you compare Cara's Twelve to and why?

None that I've read.

What about Anne Flosnik’s performance did you like?

The narrator did a great job with the different accents. The only issue I had was with the way the narrator spoke; it was like she was whispering the majority of the time, except when Cara spoke. I don't know if that's her normal voice or whatever but it took me a while to get used to.

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

Probably when Cara decided to let ....(no clue how to spell the guys name)...the one that kept distancing himself from her, the father of her child, go. That was really surprising.

Any additional comments?

If the author plans on doing a book 2, I would definitely be interested in reading/listening to it.

Hope This is a New Fantasy Series!

Where does Cara's Twelve rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to thousands of hours of Audiobooks, I very much enjoyed this one.

What other book might you compare Cara's Twelve to and why?

I think this genre is Fantasy/Romance? I would compare it to maybe the Game of Thrones or Eragon series in that it seems to be happening in a time long ago, but a date is not given. There was no magic really, or dragons, but it just has that mystical feel to it.

Which scene was your favorite?

There wasn't one scene that stands out, as there are many scenarios going on throughout the story. It's more of a book where the author describes and you imagine.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Come Join the Fantasy!

Any additional comments?

Anne Flosnik did a great job with the narration. I sometimes have a difficult time understanding British narrators, but not this time. Her voice was clear and her pacing was perfect. She was the absolute best choice narrator to tell Cara's story! I am hoping this series continues.I was gifted this audiobook for an honest review.

It's there a second book?

This audiobook was given to me by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

With that said, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I finished it in two days. I thought that in the beginning it was going to get a little tedious. She had to visit every providence and commit herself to that consort and his people to become queen. There are 12 consorts so you think about it.

But there is an uprising and lots of conflict. It took me quite awhile to remember who was who because there are quite a few characters. About 1/4 of the way in it gets easier. I would read the second book if there is one.

About the narrator: Anne has quite a breathy voice. Her voice grew on me towards the 4/5 chapter. She does do excellent voices. She even changes her voice slightly for the main character. So you can tell the difference when the main character starts speaking. I loved that!! Anne's acting is well done in this. I will look for more of her work.

A nonstop sensual adventure

Where does Cara's Twelve rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say it ranks in the high middle level for all books, but as far as fantasy romance books it ranks in my top 20 of all time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cara's Twelve?

Cara's first time, the rituals, and the revolving door of both her consorts and her emotional dealings. She is truly a young girl trying to find her place while put in an odd situation.

Which character – as performed by Anne Flosnik – was your favorite?

Cara and Finn was amazing, she played both very well and actually did an excellent job giving voice to ALL the characters, and making them all unique in a way which I am sure was not easy as there was a large amount of characters almost all at once.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The end way very bitter sweet. I was both happy and sad with who she ends up with, but I was conflicted because they both were meant to be with her. I was disappointed she made a choice of letting go of the one, because I was still clinging to the hope there would be a way for him to remain in the picture and in a way he does but not how I would have expected.

Any additional comments?

This book has a lot of aspects to it that made it great. The romance and intrigue, the action and romance. It does have a fair amount of steam but it is not of the monogamous variety so be forewarned there. It also has a lot of examples of the struggle between women and men as in sexism, the struggle between emotional heart strings and the bonds of friendship as well. It addresses a lot of conflict of loyalty and when it is deserving or not as well as trust. The main irritating thing was there were a lot of mis understandings that could have been avoided had the characters communicated better instead of being emotionally closed off or afraid to approach subjects. This book was given for free from audiobook boom for my unbiased review.

A very powerful story about justice and treason

Any additional comments?

I have received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.The reign of Elbia, composed by twelve provinces, is reigned by a despotic queen, who oppresses her people with very high taxes. Cara lives in one of the poorest provinces, and she does not see eye to eye with the queen nor believes in the goddess Annul. One day she receives communication that her cousin Maeve, princes and heiress to the throne, has been found barren and therefore rejected as future queen; and so the crown will fall then upon Cara, being her the next in the dynastic lineage. She will have twelve consorts, one from each province, and they all together will have to travel to the twelve provinces on a tour that will last for two years, performing in each place a traditional rite which will change Cara's vision of things. From these twelve consorts, Cara will have to chose the future king of Elbia, but some are not what they seem, and treason will appear before she realizes.Before starting this review, let me tell you that I am very picky about epic fantasy. There is The Lord of the Rings and many books that copy or try to aspire to the same level but fail. This is not one of these books. Cara's Twelve is a powerful story where the roles seem to be inverted compared to other epic fantasy books. We have a courageous heroin surrounded by twelve men. She starts the book as a strong but innocent girl and evolves into a powerful woman, with clear ideas and a strong character, whose main mission will be to bring justice back to Elbia. Some of the men will try to force her to submit to them but she will not let them. The story caught me from the start and it kept my attention all the way. At first I had a bit of trouble with the twelve consorts, so I recommend here to write down their names just for future reference. Despite the high number, Seabrook does a wonderful job describing them and giving each one a distinctive personality. Some will matter more than others off course, and in the end Cara's decision will be a hard one, and let me tell you, that I suffered about it. I have mixed feelings about what she decided, but it was the best according to the information she had at the moment.I usually avoid romantic novels, and romance is often used just to please a certain subset of readers, in which I am not included. In this case though I think it is just something adding depth to the story. Seabrook knows how to write characters, feelings and romance! And this comes from somebody who usually does not enjoy romance in a book!There are several explicit sex scenes in the book. I was not bothered by them and I think they help to understand the changes in Cara's life. I just wanted to warn about this since some people could be sensitive to it.I ignore if the eBook or the physical edition include a map, but I think it would have been a nice addition. It is not really essential but who does not like maps? Especially if the characters spend the whole book traveling.Anne Flosnik narration was exquisite. She transported me to the reign of Elbia and impersonated each one of the characters. It is clear that she had some issues making all the twelve consorts voices different but it is completely understandable. For the rest, she transmitted the characters emotions in a very powerful way. I will definitely want to listen to more books narrated by Flosnik.This book as been a nice discovery. As I have said, sometimes I avoid epic fantasy because it usually does not live up to the classics, but this one really deserves to be on the list of the best epic fantasy books.

Great writing!

What did you love best about Cara's Twelve?

This is a fantasy, but it is not over-the-top at all. It was also more adult than some fantasy books, with graphic sex and violence. I would not recommend this for YA.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cara's Twelve?

I loved the medieval setting.

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

Anne Flosnik did a decent job narrating, though she speaks and pronounces words a bit differently.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The best ever I have ever listened Seriously

Omg I loved it Could not put down not not moral highland Scottish romance I cried I hoped I laughed and I wanted do ,ugh more The ending made me hope then cry I so wanted a different ending Love this book Going right now in hopes their is a sequel Ps I thought I would hate because heroine had sex with different men but it was the customs And no worries heroine did not hav sex with all 12 she was worthy of being queen Omg Just grear

Very Unique Fantasy

The story was very unique and different than anything I have previously listened to. It was interesting and kept my attention.

I was not too sure how this story was going to hold my attention but there are quite a few twists and exciting moments and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

If you only like monogamous fantasy romances, this is NOT the book for you. Cara starts right off with 12 consorts! She has 2 years to travel to each of their hometowns and commit herself to their people and chosen consort. After her tour, she will be crowned the queen of the 12 provinces.

All 12 men chosen by the provinces swear loyalty to her and are supposed to be her protectors and consorts but not everything is as it seems. Not all men plan on keeping their vows...

While on tour, an uprising starts and her life and the life of her consorts hangs in the balance. There is a traitor trying to overthrow the current council and change the way things are done.

The narrator did an awesome job bringing the story to life. The story did not turn out how I expected it and I'm hoping for a book 2! There were several misunderstandings and decisions were made by Cara that really surprised me. I'm looking forward to a continuation of this tale!

**This audiobook was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion**

Cara's Gonna Need Maury!

Cara is destine to be queen, if she can survive! Lucky for her she has 12 champions who have sworn allegiance to her, but not all of those sworn to protect, have her best interest at heart. This is a medieval fantasy, if you're expecting a romance forget it! I didn't find Cara a sympathetic character at all, while she rightfully expects fealty from her champions, she's pretty free with her own fidelity, bedding whomever she chooses and sometimes out of spite!

Cara flits mainly between Finn, the all around good guy who is completely devoted to her and Tahdaon, the moody, angry warrior who reluctantly pledges to protect the very reign that has destroyed his family.

Admirably, Cara goes out of way to aid and protect the men, who are sworn to protect her, but a few sharp words spoken in the aftermath of battle and she falls apart.

Beware! There is violence and blood galore, but the writing is very good. What takes this audiobook over the top, in my opinion, is the narration by Anne Flosnik, there are so many characters to keep straight in this epic story and you never lose track of who is speaking, all because of the subtle nuances in tone that Anne employs.

Yes, I recommend this story, flawed characters and all, just don't expect to feel warm and fuzzy when it's all said and done!

This audiobook was gifted to me exchange for an unbiased review!

Awful

Firstly, I have never said an audio book is awful but this one is just that. The story is ridiculous and the reader sounds like she is whispering. I can’t finish is it and I am three hours into it so I feel I have it more than enough of a chance. I wish I had those three hours back.