Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons

By: Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by: Frances Fuller

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

When Rose reports for Fenton County jury duty she figures she's lucky to get out of a morning working at the DMV. Instead, despite a disastrous encounter with the new assistant district attorney, Mason Deveraux, she's picked as a juror on a murder case. As the trial progresses, she realizes an ominous vision she had in the men's restroom proves the defendant is innocent. And there's not a cotton picking thing she can do about it.

Or is there?

As if things weren't bad enough, Rose's older sister Violet is going through a mid-life crisis. Violet insists that Rose stop seeing her sexy new boyfriend, Arkansas state detective Joe Simmons, and date other men. Rose is done letting people boss her around, but she can't commit to Joe either. Still, Rose isn't about to let the best thing in her life slip away.

©2012 Denise Swank (P)2014 Denise Swank

Good for the genre

This second book in the Rose Gardner series is good for the niche into which it falls in the "cosy" genre (plucky small town heroine investigates in her own and gets herself into hilarious trouble). This type of book often seems too "precious," but the author rides the line well. The narrator's twang no longer grates as it did with the first book, but I was distracted by mistakes, such as one time when she said "detective" when "defendant" was clearly meant, and mispronunciations ("incarcenation" instead of "incarceration").

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Meh, Leaves Something to Be Desired

This wasn't nearly as interesting or engaging as the first book. The narrator speaks at about a quarter of the speed and mispronounces a ton of words, if not uses the wrong ones altogether. The story seems a bit forced. I'm not sure I'll continue the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

CUTE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

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

Yes. It's a light and frothy romantic suspense that doesn't require too much concentration. It's enjoyable and entertaining.

What other book might you compare Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons to and why?

Most Janet Evanovich books.

Which character – as performed by Frances Fuller – was your favorite?

Rose - she's a lovable airhead.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, it was enjoyable not heart-wrenching.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing Series

This is a fast paced series. No luls or struggling to get through.
As a matter of fact, it's very hard to make yourself take a break from listening or reading.
This is a highly addictive series with good strong characters, laugh out loud situations, crying out loud moments and edge of your seat drama unfolding time and time again.
I love Rose...she's funny and fun, maddening and goofy, brave and reckless, innocent and inventive and just plain interesting.
wonderful narration too!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Meaningless Apologies

Her stories are very entertaining, however, naiveté will only last for so long b4 her behavior jus comes across as a plot mechanism to get her in trouble in order 2b rescued. Knowingly causing loved ones 2 worry, then a useless apology after the act is dishonest & manipulative.

I'd still recommend the series and will read the 3rd bk but I really hope the author plans on having Rose use common sense when deliberating her future actions.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Good and humorous

I like this book but often would loose the glue to keep reading due to it being a touch boring but otherwise I enjoyed it. The narration was great and the characters lovely.

Good story, terrible narration

The story itself is enjoyable if you can get past the narration- the speaker has a slight speech impediment and mispronounces so many words it's distracting. I also had to increase my listening speed because it was so slow I almost gave up listening.

And the Malapropisms Continue...

I found I liked this story slightly more than the last one. Rose came across fractionally less overreactive.

The narrator's notable mispronunciations persist. Truly, I begin to wonder if she might suffer from some sort of aphasia. 'Conscious' was used in place of 'conscience', 'tagged' used for 'tugged', and 'exasperated' for 'exacerbated'. In other instances, syllables were alternately added to, or subtracted from, words. Then, there was also this interesting slip of the tongue: 'his furrow browed'.

exemp-luh-rary (exemplary)
govern-ship (governorship)
tagged (tugged)
contracted (contradicted)
mella-duss (melodious)
in-car-sin-ay-shun (incarceration)
deviled (delved)
alla mater (alma mater)
salter (saunter)
hall-tee (haughty)
trajectatory (trajectory)
per-if-ee-ul (peripheral)
spon-tin-oo-it-ee (spontaneity)

Entertaining story

I enjoyed the story. The narration is a bit stilted, the cadence is off with over long pauses between some words.

Always love Rose and her "adventures"

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

Oh yes. Read the book before now doing audible. I feel like I am sitting down with Rose over coffee and she is telling me all that is going on and how she feels about it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rose...I love the way she is taking the brokeness of her life and using it to bless others...and even herself!

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

Yes... It is the same...she does Rose and the women very well, but the men sound flat and the wrong cadence in their voice and rhythm.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Rose... changing the world in Fenton County!

Any additional comments?

Love her meeting with Mason...later you find out what he thinks vs what Rose thinks he thinks...so you have to keep reading the series!

Love love love

I'm loving these books. I'm secretly hoping for a change in the next one though. I love Rose but have my heart set elsewhere for her... let's see what happens ...