Sleeping Beauty

the writing was longwinded - dry and hard to get into. It fell short accross the board. even the reader could not get this one up and running.
I did not retain one thing in the book - it was as if each chapter was a book on its own since it felt totally disconnected from the rest. I could not tell you one thing about any one character! no impact on me whatsoever - except for the annoyance factor as to have listened to it!

This novel was better than most romantic novels in that the heroine was an experienced woman rather than a brainless first timer. I enjoyed a more mature, less predictable read. Their first love encounter reminded me of "Body Heat", sizzling.

This book was really boring and I was only able to get halfway through. The characters are uninteresting and their romance is slow to develop and I found myself just not caring about it. I wish I could get a refund for this purchase.

I disliked this book because there was little or no conversation between the characters. It was more narration than actual conversation. It was boring.
The characters were introspective. The story line was slow moving and unimaginative.

Needed more depth of plot and depth of relationship development. It seemed like nothing happened in the first half of the book.

Too often the author used artificial means to draw out conflicts. Someone in love did not act the way someone in love would act. Example: a bad guy is going to frame James for two crimes. Coco hears this. She and James are in love. When Coco next sees James she does not warn James about the bad guy’s plans. She thinks to herself James is smart he can take care of himself. She tells him nothing! Later things happen, but I couldn’t get over her initial silence.

Another example: Coco was supposed to meet James. She did not show up, so James went to find her. He sees her leaving a man’s home. Instead of asking what she was doing there, he goes through lengthy ponderings and assumes she was seeing the man for sex. He says something insulting to Coco. She replies that she was visiting her aunt who worked there. Why did she visit her aunt instead of meeting James? Apparently the aunt meeting went longer than she planned. That may be reasonable, but I saw it as something contrived for James to worry, be angry, and ponder about.

Later James was supposed to meet Coco, but he didn’t show up. There was no reason he couldn’t have gone to her for a moment to explain the problem.

I did not understand the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale comparison. Coco was a courtesan with many lovers in her past. James is her new love. There is a bit of the older woman, younger man thing, but it’s not significant. She is 37. James is 30. At times she worries that she is too old for him.

NARRATOR:
I plan to avoid any book narrated by Violet Primm. Her voice sounds like an elderly smoker. Not soft enough for Coco the heroine. She would say part of a sentence in a screechy high pitch and another part in a grimy growling low tone. This was for men and women. Her voice was irritating and grating.

Genre: historical romance, older woman younger man

These characters are fascinating and they have a rare chemistry. Really a fun read because of their interaction.

Judith Ivory is incomparable except to Judy Cuervas, her other name. Dance by Cuervas is similar.

I have not paid attention to names, except Patrick Tull, Anna Fields, and Frederick Davidson, but I think Violet Primm was very good and I would definitely listen again to her recordings and pay more attention to names now that I can get more books through Audible. I am not sure, but I think she did The Widow's Kiss which I enjoyed.

I felt anger for the bad way the characters were being treated. I was involved and I loved the older woman, younger man theme.

Odd tale for Judith Ivory and the ending is unbelievable.