Auctioned

Auctioned Series, Book 1

By: Cara Dee

Narrated by: Alex Kydd

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Gray Nolan's biggest problem in life was the torch he carried for his closeted coach. He was just another happy-go-lucky dude, a college student and hockey player, when his ordinary existence was interrupted, and he became a human trafficking statistic.   

He and seven other young men were taken aboard a luxurious yacht, where they were to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Gray was beaten, shattered, and almost defeated by the time his buyer stepped out of the shadows in a swirl of his own cigarette smoke.    

He was Gray's new owner.   

Darius Quinn had vowed never again to find himself in a situation like this. His days as a private military contractor were over. No more missions, no more risks, no more personal attachments. Yet, here he was, after weeks of searching, face-to-face with his broken prize.   

It was time to get the knucklehead back to his family. Quick and easy was Darius's plan. Then everything went sideways.    

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Cara Dee (P)2019 Tantor

Narrator ruins it

If I hadn't read the original book, and therefore knew the events of the book already, I wouldn't have made it past chapter 2. The narrator has an extremely narrow range--not quite monotone, but close. They read the story at a glacial pace. I don't know which POV is used for book 3 (not out yet), but if it's from Gray's POV, I really hope a different narrator is used. (Book 2 is from Darius' POV, and is read by a different narrator.)

loved it

loved how the narrator brought this book to life. cant wait for the next book of this series to be live to listen to

Human Trafficking (!)

Well, I didn’t know what to expect, and I thought that I would stop listening to it at several points (because it is stressful to listen to a story about torture!), but I ultimately stuck with it because I had to know about resilience and survival.

Turn back, dear reader, if you don’t want to know about the horrors of human trafficking. I don’t think I would read another book about this subject — maybe ever. Th me love/relief was all too brief (but hot) but BRIEF.

Can’t take it. Trigger warnings should be heeded. MM romance.

Dark plot, but that Audio, though

I keep tip toeing around the darker themes. Edging closer to these types of plots. Stories of the enslaved and trafficked. Its a sad tale of humanity at its worst. They aren't out of the woods yet. Besides if you have the playback speed at 1.2 it seems not just how the voice actor was told how to perform. The sound operator may have twicked things.

Love

I love everything about this story and am so frustrated that the entire series hasn't been released on Audible! I struggle sitting down to read because of my adhd ... I want to try though with the others because this story is so amazing! but if i could tell some important person that can make it possible id tell them, please please please have them narrated!🤗😘

Dark in a Not Entertaining Way

As many reviewers have noted this is indeed a dark tale, but not the kind of dark you normally find in any sort of romance. In this story it is not the main characters that are dark and gritty it is the antagonists torturing (literally) the main characters. It is not a device to allow the main characters to meet. It is the entire story. The two main characters do get to know each other and are pushed together through horror but there is no real chance for real feelings as they are "performing" under the watchful eye of the vile characters that are physically and/or mentally abusing them.

Being uncomfortable with abuse serving as entertainment I kept waiting for that part of the story to end to get to the part where the characters and I could maybe not feel good but at least better and that doesn't happen. There is no HFN and definitely not an HEA just sort of a slow close to a chapter with portense of bad things to come if you dare to continue the series.

Having said all of that, the story is well written, well paced with defined characters. Blessedly, the story is not weighed down by any inner monologuing and was well edited.

As for the narration, another reviewer's use of the word glacial is spot on. In fact, the speech is so slow I believe it has to be production that slowed it down (maybe for a longer story?) as nobody naturally talks that slow. The narration is more than tolerable if you just speed it up through the app. I listened at 1.15 and found it sounded much more like natural speech and the narrator does have some range in character differentiation. I did not find his narration as bad as other reviewers proclaimed but again that could be because I use the speed up remedy.

New Favorite Series

I admit I was hesitant about this book due to the dark nature of the subject matter. I'm sooooo glad I took the chance. I was hooked within minutes and only became more enthralled as I continued to listen. I can't wait to see the rest of the series on Audible.

a dark but realistic and great story

it was a great story, wasn't sure in the beginning if I was going to like the dark themes or how the writer would handle them, but everything was handled very carefully and still in a realistic way, but also not depressing. there are some explicit dark scenes that can be upsetting for the reader, but I didnt feel like it was written for shock value, it was necessary to tell the complex emotional story of a victim of human trafficking. besides the dark moments, there are also plenty moments with positive emotions

as for the narration, I liked it, I did have to get used to the raspy voice and intonation of the reader in the beginning, but it fits the emotion of the story



for the people that come to the reviews to know if they'd be able to handle the darker themes (maybe small spoilers ahead):


- it's a story about human trafficking, so yes, there is sexual violence in the story, but everything is off screen or non explicit (character comes in afterwards/ remembers a vague flash of the past/ hears someone talking about it etc)
- in replacement of explicit sexual violence to still capture the horrific situations of the characters, there is a bit of physical violence/ torture, again not written in a shock value way, but to make you feel the emotions of the characters
- the romance/sex of the main characters in the story is consential between both parties, there are some grey moments between them, but again mostly off screen and handled very respectfully by the writer
- there are side character deaths
- overall, its a story with a dark plot, but it focuses mostly on the emotional aspect of it and it concludes a relatively satisfying ending (not game of thrones type ending where all the misery was for nothing and leaves the reader depressed)

Horrible narration

Could they not have gotten someone better to narrate?

I was hoping for a charged story but it fell flat. This could have been so much better.

Intense

This book is not for the faint of heart. the subject matter is intense and it deals with the victims emotions....

Angst at its best

I loved Alex Kydd's voice here because since this is a heavy in angst story and the MC, Gray, experiences some heavy bouts of depressive episodes, his voice has that timbre that makes it all the more intense. There were some parts here and there that needed a bit more editing, since I think Alex was trying to give a different tone to a character and the book lost for a few seconds its rhythm but nothing that would throw someone off the story.

As I said this is a very heavy in angst story/series since Cara Dee writes about human trafficking and the scars that leaves to the victims, even after being rescued. The story is told primarily from Gray's POV, since the start is his story. I won't say more because it might spoiler the next 2 books (that I have already read), just know that this isn't a light read and a story that isn't complete yet.

the narration...

horrible narration, not only is it monotone but it's so slow and stilted, theres no good way to say this because the narration ruined the story for me, couldn't even tell scene changes it was one big blur

Loved it - highly recommend

This was an intense read compared to some of the other books I’ve read by this author. It’s definitely dark and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I also love the characters, and can’t wait to see how this story progresses in the next books.

Also the audio performance was top quality- though the narrator really brought the story to life.

Grey

This first book in this series is seen through the eyes of Grey. A young boy, who has been kidnapped on his way home in a small town in Washington. For months he's been held captive in crates and darkness and when the light finally returns, he finds himself on a boat where he and others find themselves being auctioned to the highest bidder. When his buyer tries to tell him he's there to rescue him, he can't find the trust to believe. It's a very cruel and sadistic world he finds himself in and trust that he ever gets away from it is a lost case to him. His buyer, Darius, is an ex marine and knows how to handle Grey, but when Grey doesn't want to escape without the other boys, for Darius a simple in and out becomes a whole different ball game. This is not a sweet story how two strangers fall in love. It tells about the truths and evils of the world wherein sometimes you may find something good and wherein cuddles and security in the arms of another person is the most precious feeling. I had to get used to the narrator, but once I was into the story he became Grey. An excellent story which I can't wait to continue.

Dreadful narrator

I didn’t finish this book. The story was so so as far as I got but the narrator was dire. I just couldn’t continue. He sounded sedated, a drag to his words and sentences!