Six of Hearts

By: L.H. Cosway

Narrated by: Donna Kelly

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines. I show you a table and make you believe it's a chair. Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive. But most of all, I put on a good show.

The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn't. Bear with me. It's all a part of the plan. Revenge is what I want. I want it for me, and I want it for her. I want it for all six of us.

She doesn't remember me, but she's the reason for everything. She'll be my prize at the end of all this - if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I'll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can't see what's happening while you're so focused on looking. I'll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight. You'll never see me coming until it's too late.

I've only got one heart, and after I've pulled off my grand deception, I'll hand it right to her. So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You're in for one hell of a ride.

©2014 L.H. Cosway (P)2015 Penny Reid

3.5 stars!

What did you love best about Six of Hearts?

I love that Jay and Matilda shared a house for a brief time while Jay set the final things in motion for his revenge plan. I loved how tempted they were by each other's presence.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Six of Hearts?

Jay proving he was better than Jessica at a certain sexual skill was very memorable. ;)

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Donna Kelly?

Perhaps British narrator Edita Brychta instead, although I have no idea if Edita would be proficient with either an Irish accent (for the majority of characters) or Irish-American accent (for Jay). I just didn’t care for Donna Kelly’s narrating style overall. Her accent for Jason and her sometimes halting delivery were hard to like. She wasn’t awful, but I’d definitely think twice about one-clicking another audiobook narrated by her.

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

No, that's a rare thing for me though and has no real reflection on the story. Since I wasn't a big fan of Donna Kelly's narrating style, it was better to listen in daily chunks as I normally do.

Any additional comments?

•*¨*•What I liked about the lead characters:•*¨*•

★Matilda★ – I related to her awkward online dating results to the nth degree.

★Jay★ – I hated, hated that he smoked cancer sticks, eww! But I liked how cool his illusionist skills were and how he got his revenge on those stupid, greedy and evil people who caused his family’s death.

•*¨*•What I liked about the supporting characters:•*¨*•

★Matilda's dad★ - His honesty as a solicitor was refreshing, and I loved his reaction when Matilda finally told him she and Jay were dating, ha!

★Jessica★ – Jay’s assistant and friend. OMG! She was so frank at times. The 'who’s better at cunnilingus' scene was to die for, so very funny!

★Michelle★ – Matilda’s buddy. I liked that she had no qualms about her bisexuality and that Jay sussed out her attraction to Jessica immediately, ha!

•*¨*•
‘This feels too good to last.’ ~Matilda
★
But last it does thanks to Jay well executed revenge plan. Bravo, sir! I’ll just pretend Jay give up his cancer sticks sooner than later so he and Matilda have their fictional HEA for years and years.

Great book with lots of twists and turns

Deeply interesting characters. mystery adventure romance action. This book is a must read! You will get pulled into this story and be hooked until the last words

Intriguing read!

Very well written. Engaging romance that is so much more. Such a good story. Highly recommend!

An intriguing story

The enigma of Jay Fields sucked me into this story. I love how the plot slowly unraveled, built up to a big reveal. The magic and chemistry laced into each page will make the reader smile, swoon, and laugh at the witty banter. Cosway has a gift of painting a picture that will forever remain with the reader.

The narrator wasn't as accurate with her American accent for Jay as I would have preferred.

Very bad narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I believe the narrator ruined this story for me. I should have been laughing instead I felt annoyed with the voice and the background noises she made. There was very little voice difference in the characters. I understand that may be difficult, but then narration of a book may not be your suitable profession. I hate to sound cruel, but this story should have been delightful for me.

Would you recommend Six of Hearts to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book, just not the audio.

Would you be willing to try another one of Donna Kelly’s performances?

I've added Donna Kelly to list of one other narrator that I will not listen to again.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

A better narrator.

Magical twist of a love story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Matilda. I loved being inside her head. She was quirky and funny, and most importantly she felt very real.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Hmm. The narrator left some things to be desired. She was great as Matilda and affected an Irish accent well. However, I don't think the voice of Jay was done well. It wasn't masculine enough nor was his American/Bostonian accent present. At one point in the story, a male Australian character was introduced and that accent attempt was atrocious! Narrator aside, the sound editing was not up to par. Ambient noises like paper rustling, knocks, and chatter were present distractions.

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

Definitely. This book was very enjoyable with its mystery and Jay's immense bag of tricks. Cosway's story was quite unique in the romance genre. Bravo to her for creating something new.

Any additional comments?

My only criticism of this story is that I wish Cosway had held back a little more information from the reader. Jay wove an intricate plot for revenge which should have had more of the "prestige" and grand reveal fitting of a master illusionist. I wish I had been shocked in the end and I wasn't.

With that said, the characters in this book were believable and fun. The romance between Jay and Matilda was sweet but still ripe with hot, sexual tension. I hope that the other books in the hearts series are available on Audible soon.

YESSSSS!!! Another GREAT Author!!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES! This is a real story! I have been in a funk, totally sick of romance novels because so many are vapid and ridiculous! BUT THIS ONE!!! It gives me the feels AND is a real story!!! I LOVE THIS AUTHOR!!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Six of Hearts?

I'm haven't finished the book yet - but so far - just any moment between Jay and Matilda :)

Have you listened to any of Donna Kelly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I LOVE her narration. I saw heaps of complaints before getting this book, but I have no idea what they're talking about. The narration is awesome. I'm Australian though, so maybe that's why - I'm not too finicky about American accents - but even so - I can't see the problem everyone is pointing to - the narrator is great :)

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

YES - no sleep tonight!!!

Any additional comments?

I love finding great new authors!!! GET MORE BOOKS ON AUDIBLE COSWAY!!!!! (I found you via Penny Reid - and am soooo thankful!!!)

Great story, awful narration

I don’t like to talk bad about people doing their job, but this narrator came very close to ruining this book!! Her style and intonation were extremely hard to listen to, her lack of voices for different characters, and truly horrible accents made this book a 1 star. Different narration would make it a 5!

Great book

I loved the book but was having trouble wanting to finish it due to the reader, she put inflection in the strangest places and in the first half seemed to read with the same enthusiasm and monotone one would read a manual or informative pamphlet. Additionally, I could hear pages rustling as she turned them. The performance was disappointing.

Loved this story! Hated the narration.

I loved this story. I love the hero. He's such a noble guy. He plays mysteriously, but truly, he's genius with a heart of gold. I love how he engages "Watson" aka Matilda, and how irresistible he is. I also love Matilda. She's funny and quirky and genuine. I adore the story.

I HATED the narrator. It was hard to tell when she was speaking for the characters and which character she was speaking for. Her American accent for Jason made him sound like he was costly speaking as a looney toons "wiiise guuy". And when he was whispering softly, the narrator was talking LOUDLY. Blek! It was hard to focus on the story and not how annoying the narration was. Maybe read this one with your eyeballs. It's a good story.