Possession

Avenues Ink Series, Book 1

By: A.M. Johnson

Narrated by: Tracy Marks, Aaron Shedlock

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Paige Simon was the only girl Declan ever loved. The only one capable of silencing his voices, the only person to ever have faith in who he was, until the day her faith turned to doubt and destroyed everything they'd made together.

Declan O' Connell was the only person Paige could be herself with. The only one she could rely on, until the day she was forced to make a choice that would condemn them both.

They've had years apart, and second chances don't belong to the damned. But when you come face to face with your savior, it's almost impossible to walk away. In order to move beyond the sins of their past, and forever silence the demons in his head, they'll have to risk it all. But with love, there are real reasons to be afraid, and sometimes your salvation is your damnation.

©2017 Amanda Johson (P)2017 Amanda Johnson

Performance ruined it for me

First I have to say that I listen to about 3 books a week, and this one is the first that I felt compelled to actually write a review on. And it all boils down to one thing...Tracy Marks narration. She reads in a choppy, over dramatic way that is distracting and took away from the story. The cadence of her speech is strange and unnatural; it doesn't flow properly. I remember thinking the same thing when I listened to another book she narrated, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Maybe because Aaron's narration is very good, it highlighted how off Tracy's sounded. The story was good, but I definitely had a hard time finishing it, which is why I only gave it 3 stars. I'm not getting Book 2 in this series if she's narrating. Sorry, Tracy.

Female Narrator is...

I don’t think the female narrator should be doing this sort of job. She literally reads like she is at a nighttime reading of poetry. It’s obnoxious and extremely distracting to the story being read. She does not have emotion, it just sounds like a horrible poetry reading. I do NOT recommend this female narrator.

Everything else was good, but she ruined it for me and I just found myself irritated at the way she would read everything.

Not a fan of the narration

I enjoyed all three books of this series. It is wonderfully written. The female narrator’s voice was to monotone in book # 1. I couldn’t grasp Paige’s personality or the feeling of the story when she read. I’m finding the more books I listen to the more I understand how that is a crucial part to the audio books.

Voices Within

Aaron Shedlock performance was absolutely heartbreaking, his tormented internal voices allowed you as a listener to get a small insight into this mental illness.
I felt every aspect of his struggle and sorrow, as sad and painful Declan’s and Paige’s history was I wish everyone had someone to love like them as Paige loved Declan.

My Two Pennies

4 beautifully inked stars! My heart breaks for both Declan and Paige and what they endured earlier in their lives. This is a great second chance romance that I just couldn’t put down. The storyline is not one you come across often and it felt so damn real that I was hooked from the beginning. We’re given wave after wave of honest hit you straight in the gut honestly that is just so relatable and if you haven’t personally experienced a situation as so you feel as though you are now. You’re right by their side living it with them. I am without a doubt going to be grabbing Avenues Ink book 2 for sure.

THE FEMALE NARRATOR IS A H-O-R-R-O-R

This female narrator should not be doing this job. She has messed up so many books for me!! I am sorry to say it this way, but she is just not good. Her choppy, clippy, say six words then stop sound like an old fashioned telegram being read or an SOS signal... I love you very much( really fast), then she stops and says 5 or 6 more words then stops again and this continues throughout the whole book AND every book she narrates. Now Imma have to read it just to understand it. I am supposed to be reviewing this book, but if the author wanted that to happen she have NEVER allowed this woman to narrate her hard work.. I am sorry she has messed one too many books for me!!!

Real, raw, and completely mesmerizing! Top of 2017

Possession was raw, poignant and breathtaking. I was pretty much captivated from the very first chapter and moved by the struggle these flawed characters endured. I loved the poetry of A M Johnson's storytelling. She expertly weaved a unique, and hauntingly beautiful tale of second chances, and unconditional love. She tackled very sensitive subject matter with honesty and empathy. I felt everything right along with Paige and Declan. They were so real, raw and perfectly imperfect; the way they saw in each other what no one else could. They made each other stronger and helped each other fly. I also loved Declan's supportive, and protective brothers, and how essential they were in each others lives.

Aaron Shedlock and Tracy Marks were quite simply mesmerizing in this audiobook! But Aaron is, by far, outstanding in his narration. The way he managed to capture every single emotion and bring it to life flawlessly is nothing short of extraordinary. He surpasses simple narration and vocally embodied Declan and his all his demons. Tracy Marks for her part was the perfect compliment to Mr. Shedlock and did A. M. Johnson's words justice and then some. I found myself completely drawn into their performance and I truly didn't want it to end.

Amazing story

I started this series backwards, since I started with book 3 and I knew that I had to go back and read the other brothers books. Declan and Paige's story is a second chance at love and these two deserved it. Their past broke my heart and what happened to them was devastating. AM Johnson does such an amazing job of telling the story in vivid color. I could actually see the colors she painted with her words and they were amazing. Declan and Paige didn't have an easy time, but their happily ever after is well deserved.

The story telling is amazing and the narrators added so much to the story. They brought these characters to life. Great read!

A heartrending story

There were two things I loved most about this story: the tale of true love getting another chance at forever and the power of love for family. Both are complicated and for Declan, these two aspects of his life are intertwined. He doesn't pretend that he isn't feeling anything negative towards Paige when they meet again, and I loved that! It was honest and real and highlighted just how deep his wounds still were. But Declan was never a jackass, nor did he purposely try to hurt Paige simply to get back at her for what happened nine years ago. My heart broke, not just for him but also for Paige and his family, as his mental illness was addressed and tackled head-on and aggressively.

A.M. Johnson clearly knows how to weave a heartrending tale, and while I went into this audiobook having already read the ebook, listening to the narration of Tracy Marks and Aaron Shedlock allowed to experience Declan and Paige's story in a whole new light. I was thoroughly impressed with Shedlock's narrating ability, providing subtle but marked changed when he would give voice to the three O'Connell brothers. It took a while for me to get used to Marks's narration, which started off as stilted, but the more the story went on, the more she really became Paige. The story gets five-plus stars and the performance four stars, so I'm averaging this out to 4.5 stars. ♥

emotionally amazing!

Possession was the first book i have listened to/read from this author. WOW! It was heartbreakingly beautiful. I didn't expect to become so emotionally involved in it. There were so many aspects that I felt like I could connect with. Declan and Paige are incredible. They have both dealt with so much. It was just amazing.

Aaron Shedlock and Tracy Marks wonderful with narration. they were able to bring the story to life. I felt like i was not only listening, but I felt like I was there.

I would give this book more than 5 stars if i could.