Consequences

Consequences, Book 1

By: Aleatha Romig

Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger

Length: 20 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Anthony Rawlings had a plan - to teach Claire Nichols to behave. Claire Nichols had a plan - to survive! In an unfamiliar bedroom within a luxurious mansion, Claire Nichols wakes to memories of a brutal abduction. All of her recollections have one common denominator, the man she just met - Anthony Rawlings. Unbeknownst to Claire, Anthony has had her in his sights for a long time. Every action has consequences - and his actions resulted in their chance meeting. Facing incomprehensible circumstances, Claire must learn to survive as she comes to terms with her new reality - every aspect of her livelihood is now dependent upon the tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed tycoon. Anthony may appear to the world as a prosperous, benevolent, kind businessman, but in reality Claire learns he is also a menacing, controlling captor with very strict rules: Do as you're told, public failure is not an option, and don't divulge private information. Failure to follow these rules, and more, is met with serious consequences.

In an effort to earn her freedom, Claire learns her lessons well, and before long, she unknowingly captivates her captor. Anthony/Tony reluctantly becomes enthralled with Claire's beauty, resilience, and determination. Their interaction instigates strong emotions - including fear, anger, love, and lust - as their journey flows into uncharted waters of intrigue and passion.

From the opening criminal abduction, through the twists and turns, to the unlikely romantic thrills, the suspense climaxes as Aleatha Romig utilizes vivid detail, allowing this novel to unfold like a movie. Can you put the pieces of the puzzle together? Claire Nichols abduction wasn't a random act - did she learn her lessons well enough? Will these unlikely lovers remain true - or will she learn the truth before it's too late?

Listen to a FREE 3-Chapter Sampler of Consequences.

©2011 Aleatha Romig (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

✫✫ 3.5 Stars ✫✫

Well on my second time listening to this one I found it VERY long! Maybe too long since it seemed to drag a lot. The ending was the best part of course because of the twists the story took. I never went on to book 2 before because of the length and the slow story but this time I plan to try to finish the series.

The narration is partially what made this book hard for me since she just didn't fit the characters imho. She isn't a bad narrator, just has a voice for specific character types.

Worse than disturbing--THIS IS A BORE!

Maybe the author thought that dragging this story out for hours on end was somehow interesting. I tried to keep listening (even on double-speed) to get to the "shocking" ending. The premise is intriguing, but hour after hour of "I hate him... He smells nice... blah blah blah." I just don't have the endurance to keep listening. I'll never know what the amazing ending is about, because after 5 hours, I'm done. I hope I can get my money back....

Chilling

I wasn't sure about buying this audiobook, but I'm glad I did. There is so much more to this story than abusive sex - the dynamics of control and survivable are well written. The story made me think of people I have known or worked with whose spouses were virtual prisoners.

I bought the Kindle version because I love the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. There is also a reading companion, "BEHIND HIS EYES – CONSEQUENCES," by Aleatha Romig, "recommended to be read after completing all of the CONSEQUENCES SERIES: Consequences, Truth, and Convicted. It is not a standalone book and should not be read as such." There are upcoming releases of Behind His Eyes for "Truth" and "Convicted."

And the narrator was great. I couldn't stop listening. This book isn't for everyone, so you may want to check out the other review comments (on audible and amazon) and listen to the sample.

Non-erotic horror story without a real ending

Slightly spoiler-y review here.

So it appears that all novels these days are trilogies that expect you to read all the way to the end of the third book before you feel any sense of closure. This book is not romantic, nor is it sexy, it's a horrific account of a woman who falls in love with a kidnapping racist. I understand the idea of Stockholm Syndrome, but how does one get there? This woman wakes up battered in a fancy room, held captive, visited and raped by a sick multimillionaire and barely attempts to get away. I lost all respect for the story when the maid simply went along with it like everything was fine and kept telling the victim how awesome the guy was.

I have no respect for this woman, no empathy for the character, and simply stuck with it to the end hoping to have something happen. And boy did it happen. My immediate reaction was "Well that's what you get, you idiot." And I shouldn't feel this way, not for a woman who has been through so much, but without anything prompting me to connect with the character, that's what she got. Judgement. And that, writers, is not what you want from your audience.

This book could do with some editing as well. How much did we talk about food or shopping, and how many times were details left out? Reference to a beating? Something happened in a room? What happened? I don't know.. something bad obviously but nothing that makes me care.

I'll be honest. I got the next book just because I hoped something would happen. Surely the guy would get his comeuppance. Without spoiling more, let me just say, if what you have read so far seems unappealing, skip this series and move on. If however your taste lends itself to horror of this kind, by all means, enjoy.

I'm hooked!

What made the experience of listening to Consequences the most enjoyable?

I wasn't sure about this book at first - it took me a while to warm up to the story which is really different.

What does Romy Nordlinger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wasn't sure about the narration at first but I really liked Romy Nordlinger a lot. Her characters were really different with a lot of sensitivity and I liked her voice which is very unique.

Any additional comments?

I will move on to the next book because I feel like I need to know what happens. I was very lost in this strange and brutal world that Romig created and that Nordlinger narrated so well.

A Severe & Horrific Case Of Stockholm Syndrome!!

For every action there is a consequence, thats what Claire learned from her time with Anthony a self made billionaire ... Its starts simple, a guy meets a girl and asks her out, but here this guy is called Anthony, and he is evil and mental... He forces Claire into a sick and mental relationship with him and during that time Claire suffered through severe physical and mental abuse.

Anthony convinced her that she has entered a legal binding agreement to work for him until she pays off her debt to him, from car and bank loans which he paid off, and when the abuse starts she started falling into a severe case of stockholm syndrome.

One thing regarding this book, before i came to its ending, I thought it was too long for nothing, but when i got to its ending, i understood why Aleatha Romig made it this long... Halfway through Consequences you will think "Ahhh, this is whats going to happen in the end" believe me thats not it, its ending was an OHHHHHHHHHHH S%^T moment, I didn't think such thing could happen... am just amazed of its ending.

Lets talk about the therapy part now.. Many reviewers said they can't go to sleep and they need therapy now... I agree, I'm going now to book my appointment.. You have to understand one thing, you will reach a point saying "Whats waw about this?" I did, but when you get to its ending you will understand that every action has a consequence!!!

Narration was really good..

Already got the 2nd book and reading/listening to it right now. Would like to now the consequences of Consequences :D

Captures the Stockholm Syndrome / great narrator

What did you love best about Consequences?

Consequences took me on a wild ride and wouldn't let me go - a dark, dangerous ride. Chilling.

What did you like best about this story?

I like to guess what happens next, and this book kept me in suspense all the way through, it just kept on surprising me - shocking me actually. It really brings home what the Stockholm Syndrome must be like, what it feels like to be caught up in it.

Any additional comments?

I'm so glad I had this narrator for this book - her voice and delivery were dead on target emotionally with what was going on, and this can't have been an easy book to narrate. Excellent.

Disturbing

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I was very appalled and disturbed that the female character was being physically, emotionally and mentally abused by the male lead character, and no comment was made regarding this horrendous crime. If the author was trying to tell how women can fall into patterns of abuse and become so familiar with that lifestyle they seek it out, she did an excellent job. However, with the introduction of the second male character who treated her with dignity and respect yet she goes back to her abuser, that did not seem to be the case. I found it disgusting that the behavior was made to seem okay because they "loved" one another!

Would you ever listen to anything by Aleatha Romig again?

The author seemed more interested in explaining what happened to the male lead during his childhood to "make" him abusive than in showing a female that would get away from the abuse and stand on her own. It seemed more important to justify the abuse than to denounce it.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

As the female narrator spoke in the male voices it was overly dramatized and sounded more like a kid trying to sound like an adult.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The story being told could have been an interesting one but told in one book rather than a series. The drawn-out quality of the narrative was tedious to say the least. Particularly listening to the narrator state a.m. or p.m. after each time of day, which was given often. Afternoon or morning could have been substituted or simply implying the time of day. It was not necessary to say she had breakfast at precisely eight o'clock a.m. Every time. Tedious, tedious, tedious!!

Any additional comments?

I do not recommend these books!

so repetitive

After all the glowing reviews of this story, I was expecting to my mind blown away , instead it was slowly hammered by the same repetitive story line. If I had to hear "consequences" "appearances" "rules" and my favorite "I'm sorry Tony" one more time....

The story is pretty lame, this major dickwad Tony is a controlling a-hole who kidnaps Claire, beats her, showers her with gifts, assaults her, beats her some more, and then somehow she ends up falling in love with him and loses her self respect. No one was willing to help her, she lived in fear of angering him, yet all I heard about was the extravagant travel, luxury clothes, her shining emerald eyes, his brown soft eyes and his angry black eyes blah blah...
The story dragged on and on and the only reason I kept listening against my better judgement was that supposedly something cataclysmic was to happen at the end, and that ending was surprising but not worth the awful story. I ended up hating Tony even more and reminding myself what a lame story this was

Also the narrator had a nauseating voice, she sounded like an old grandma. I will not be getting the sequel

Loved the audiobook even more than reading it!

Where does Consequences rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I already loved this story but the narrator added even more to it cause she made the characters really come alive for me.

What did you like best about this story?

this story is so well written - the twists and the characters. it's very different than anything I've ever read before and very original and a little scary. It's not like a romance novel or a mystery so it's definitely different and not for everyone I guess but for me, it's my fave of the year!

What does Romy Nordlinger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

she has such a beautiful way with describing things sensitively and with just the right amount of character voices/shading. I will definitely check out this narrators stuff in the future.

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

I would if I could of but it's a long one. I did listen to it at the car, at the gym and before I went to sleep and for five days straight I was totally caught up in this world. I want to get back into it so can't wait to start the next.

Haunting

If you're looking for a romance a la 50 Shades, look elsewhere. This is a story about a woman in the grip of Stockholm Syndrome.

The book walks a fine line between magnificent and rubbish. That sounds extreme but really, one can't help losing sympathy for the main character (Claire) for being so utterly stupid and for making such utterly awful decisions. Perhaps only an experienced psychiatrist can comment on the believability and reality of the story.

The fact remains, though, that she had to be extraordinarily strong to cope with the kind of torture she endured. Kidnapped, raped, beaten almost to death, terrorised... She ended up falling in love with him in the face of the abuse. This is where the psychiatrist should weigh in.

The story dragged out a bit too long - as awful as the abuse is, it's tempting to skip some chapters because they'll be more of the same.

Most reviews applaud the narrator. IMO, she's simply not the right voice for this story. The story needed gravitas, not an irritating sing song cheeriness that's entirely inappropriate for the extreme content of this story.

The writing itself is highly variable. Her editor should have spotted the many malapropisms. The author isn't very knowledgeable about using adjectives as verbs, gerands and adverbs.

I don't want to be one of 'those' people, but I also question the wisdom of a book like this. There's so much genuine abuse of women in the world and this, by the plot's passivity, offers no real indictment of Anthony's behaviour.

I'm not sure if I'll read the second book: the summary says that Claire and Anthony will get back together and that turns my stomach. The man should be in a mental institution in a padded cell, isolated and removed from the rest of the planet for as long as he lives.

Many words for empty content

If you remove the erotic scenes from Fifty Shades you are left with a whole lot of nothing. And the product could probably remind you of this.

Well, the idea for the story isn't really that bad, but I got quite bored. I expected at least a grand finale, but I was very disappointed. I never shared the feelings with Claire, which I think is an important part of a book like this. I was hoping to 'fall in love' with Mr. Rawlings like her, but I always found their relationship a bit weird...

I will probably not read the sequels.