Matched

A Galactic Battle Series, Book 1

De: L.H. Whitlock

Narrado por: Anna Crowe

Golan is pillaging the galaxy, harvesting planets for their Synthnic, and destroying entire civilizations. The Renegade, a loose-knit band of thieves, warriors, and refugees, are the only force standing in his way.

Lily is a commander in the Renegade and leads a small team that focuses on relocating civilizations before their planets are destroyed. During an ambush Lily comes face to face with Ulrick, one of Golan's strongest generals, and a fire ignites inside her that threatens to consume her.

Ulrick has lived his life trying to redeem himself; to ensure that his sacrifices were not for nothing. He has grown tired of the fear he sees in people's eyes, and of the destruction, but the time has come when he will finally make his move.

Ulrick had long ago given up on the idea that his match existed, until one day the stagnant markings on his arm begin to churn.

While ancient Hilian rituals demand that the two are meant to be together, time and war have dirtied what may have once been a whirlwind romance.

©2016 Lyndsay Bailey (P)2016 Lyndsay Bailey

Interesting story which I did enjoy

I was given this book in return for my honest unbiased opinion. I enjoyed everything about this book. It was a different type of story and I can appreciate that. The narration was ok.

Enjoyed this first Galactic Battle Book

I received this audiobook free for an honest review. This is the first book I have listened to by L. H. Whitlock and the first book written by Lyndsay. She did an excellent job. You couldn't tell this was her first book. And she selfpublished it. What a great imagination. She did a great job with the flow of the book, creating and developing the characters and a very compelling story. I couldn't stop listening. Love it and look forward to many more creations. She chose a very good narrator for her work.

Really good, not what I was expecting.

I had a hard time getting into the narrators voice at first but by the 5th chapter I was caught up in the story. Well done story!!! “I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Mixed Feelings

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really liked the concept of this novel. And for the most part, it was executed well. I just felt that it was lacking something. There were a couple of things I needed clarification on, such as Brock and Lily. From the pool scene, I thought they were friends with benefits, but it never seemed to be mentioned again? That being said, I actually really liked Ulrick. He was such a well developed character.

Strong Sci-Fi story with great characters.

Would you consider the audio edition of Matched to be better than the print version?

I always prefer listening to reading when given the opportunity. This book was no exception.

The narration was a bit slow at the beginning when I was not yet into the story. Once I was into the story, I no longer noticed the speed of the narration. I did experiment with speeding the narration up to 1.1 or 1.15 with positive results but I did not need to keep it sped up and listened to the book at the standard narration speed.

The narration did not detract from my experience of the story. Late in the book, however, when the romance itself was getting somewhat repetitive and making me have to focus at times to stay in the story, the narration did not make it easier for me to stay with the story either. A really good narration can sometimes overcome such flaws in the story making them invisible to the reader.

All said and done, it was a good narration once you get through the first bit and get into the story. If you find it continues to be a bit slow, you may need to do what the producer should have done and speed the narration up a bit. I love that I can do that with Audible.

What did you like best about this story?

The variety of different aliens and cultures along with the various factions of good guys and bad guys as presented by the author. Each faction contains a number of different attitudes, motivations, and species. These differences are used in the story as it progresses and help to build a more comprehensive understanding of the universe the story takes place in.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this is a good book with strong characters, unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of action. I enjoyed it.

The story itself is well fleshed out. The world building and character building are done throughout the story. You are given enough information to understand the story and empathize with the characters. By the end of the story, you have a very good feeling for all of the major characters and factions, except two. One of those is left out by design.

The other, Golan, could have benefitted from a bit more backstory as his actions and motivations may have been better understood by the reader if they were. As it is, he becomes more of a generic villain. This is fine in the context of the story, but I was left feeling that there was something more to his motivation than the information we were given.

I really enjoyed learning how the various factions in the story are interdependent. Each revelation added to my interest in the story. This interdependence also leads to the conclusion of the story.

I was surprised by some of the actions at the end of the story. I did not see them coming. I feel like I should not have been surprised now that I know what happened, but I did not see it. I am hopeful that my questions will be answered in future books.

Overall, this was a good book with a strong story and narration. I recommend the book. Its worth a credit, or purchase if on sale.

Thanks Lyndsay for the opportunity to read this story.

PJ