Vyper

By: Kiernan Kelly

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Vyper is a dashing pirate whose name strikes fear in the hearts of blackguards and civilians alike. A fortuitous message in a bottle leads Vyper to the island of Jamaica, but soon entangles him in a web of lies, deceit, and double-crosses, and introduces him to the man who may plunder Vyper's heart and destroy his world.

Byron Caldwell is a handsome, titled British landowner, whose holdings include a thriving plantation on the island of Jamaica. The only shadow on his otherwise brilliant future is his shrew of a sister, Elizabeth. It's his intention to marry her off as soon as possible, if only he can find someone willing to take her off his hands.

Elizabeth wants one thing and one thing only, the key to the Caldwell fortune, and she'll stop at nothing to get it, including arranging the kidnapping and eventual death of her brother by hiring the most ferocious pirate she can find.

The events spurred by a seemingly innocuous message found in a bottle washed ashore on a tiny island in the Caribbean soon set Vyper's life on its ear and may ultimately bring about his demise.

©2016 Kiernan Kelly (P)2016 Kiernan Kelly

It's an amazing piece of writing.

Let me start off by saying Joel Leslie was the most perfect narrator for the audio verson. Vyper kinda sounded like Jack Sparrow and that made me happy. The next thing, damn I never wanted a character to ge their come uppance like I did with Elizabeth. She is a physcopath. Or is it a sociopath? Which ever, chick is crazy. Kinda bummed she survived. Oh, but Byron and his pirate... That was an amazing story and pretty darned hot too! Is it wrong of me to pretend that the new Lord Byron, with his repressed background grows up to be the infamous Lord Byron? Because this is how i see this story. It's an amazing piece of writing that has me daring to imagine all kinds of possible futures for the characters.

Sexy, Saucy Swashbuckling Fun

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

Very highly. I thought it was a great yarn, beautifully narrated. The pirate genre led to a great number of colorful accents and salty characters... and the two heroes were totally engaging and the sister was a really wonderful antagonist.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought the world building was excellent. I thought Vyper was such a sexy character ... and his first mate Toby was adorable. I really hope he gets his own book. I think the plot was really strong - and the sex is woven into it in a great way.

Which character – as performed by Joel Leslie – was your favorite?

I loved Vyper, dry, witty and totally sexy. The delivery is brilliant. I also loved his Toby. The narrator's delivery of the sister was also really impressive.

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

One of my favorite m/m stories that i've read. It was my first pirate romance and I thought it was so much fun.

Any additional comments?

loved it

A great sexy pirate story!

Joel Leslie has been one of my favorite voice artists for quite awhile and he didn’t disappoint with this one. I also love all of the Kiernan Kelly books I’ve read. This story went in a different direction than what I thought it was going to and props go to the author for keeping me guessing and surprising me more than once.

Smexy Pirate Times

This was my first foray into the mm pirate trope and I must say I have mixed emotions about it. On one hand I was absolutely appalled at the treatment and attitude towards slaves in Port Royal, Jamaica. Although I’m sure historically accurate, that was hard to stomach. It made it hard to like any of the MCs. This book is well written with complex MCs that are neither totally good nor totally evil. Keep that in the back of your mind as you listen. It is primarily told from Vyper, Byron, Elizabeth and Toby’s POV, but some minor characters also get a POV at times. The story requires a little suspension of disbelief to enjoy as there is an element of insta lust. I was pleasantly surprised by how my attitude about Elizabeth changed over the course of the story. Like many of the people of that time, I found myself judging her more harshly than I judged Vyper; who if truth be told was just as ruthless as Elizabeth. But he could hide behind be a pirate to justify his behavior and she could not. All in all a really enjoyable listen.

Joel Leslie once again does a masterful performance. He is really one of the most talented narrators out there. His timing and characterizations are spot on and really brings this story to life. I definitely would not have enjoyed it as much if I had read it

Sweet but could have been better

There was nothing wrong with this story. I enjoyed the characters and the plot, and it was definitely low angst and ended with HEAs for all. It could have been a really incredible read if there had been more plot development to allow for the relationship between Byron and Vyper to develop over time, with more UST and pining. Also, the resolution for Elizabeth is lacking in accountability. There could have been a more balanced plot path for allowing her the HEA she gets. There was nothing unbelievable about the story, it just lacked fleshing out. It’s still completely enjoyable to listen to.

Joel Leslie is spectacular, as usual. His accents are spot on, his timing and delivery are perfect. He makes you forget that there’s only one actor performing the audiobook.

Definitely worth a listen.

A fun and steamy Historical romance!⚓️🌊

This was such a fun and sexy historical MM pirate romance!

Vyper was extremely swoon worthy, dashing and charismatic.
I adored how Joel Leslie handled his character. It was very commendable.

I loved the setting of the story. The author's writing style as well as her character development was very authentic. Which was a plus for me.

This one gave me Pirates of Caribbean vibes and I adored listening to this one.

Swashbuckling M/M Romance

Would you listen to Vyper again? Why?

Yes. Loved the narration. Vyper was wonderful. Family ties and interactions proved intriguing.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It finished the story but allowed for future stories of Toby and Elizabeth should the author desire to tell them. I liked the way the strings were tied up at the end and the future laid out seemed possible for the remaining characters.

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

Yes. I listened to "The Duke in Denial" and loved it. Joel Leslie provides a diverse range of voices, dialects and accents that work so very well. His voice is excellent to listen to.

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

I hated the aspect of abuse and the fact that it was perpetrated on the young - wanted to smash more than one person mentioned. Also hated the idea of slavery though realize it was commonplace in the time and location of this story.

Any additional comments?

Thoroughly enjoyable read and I thank the narrator for the copy to listen to. It made exercising SO much more enjoyable. My review is my honest response to what I listened to. I would recommend this to those who enjoy and are looking for a M/M historical romance.

Stole my heart, this book did!

Now I want my own pirate adventure! Enjoyed this so much! Great read! thank you

Not what I expected

(I wasn't able to finish the book but these are my thoughts from the first half or more)

The book seemed like it could go somewhere, but the first 4 chapters weren't even from either Vyper or Byron's point-of-view, and that wasn't a good sign for me. I kept listening--thinking it was some sort of long introduction--but even after Vyper and Byron got some "screen time" (so to speak) there were still several chapters from the side characters' point-of-view, sometimes without the main characters even in the scene.

This might not even bother other people, but I go into a story for the main characters, and I only want a few of them. The book was already on the shorter side of what I listen to (at about 6 hours) and every time there was a chapter from either Toby or Elizabeth, I felt like that short amount of time (time I thought I'd get to see Vyper and Byron) was being wasted.

If the point-of-view that tells the story doesn't bother you, and you don't mind 4 different characters telling the story, then this review isn't for you. I hoped this helped some of you out though.

An entertaining and fun story of pirates

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

yes, because I enjoyed listening to the story, it had some nice characters and some fun scenes.

Would you be willing to try another book from Kiernan Kelly? Why or why not?

yes, because, even tough i had some issues with the story, is the first book i read/listen of the author and i can't made up my mind of an author just for one book

What three words best describe Joel Leslie’s performance?

Fun, sweet,

Was Vyper worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

It was a nice book. I wasn’t too much fond on either of the main characters, but there were some interesting moments in the book that made enjoyable.

The story was nice, I wasn’t sure about it in the beginning, I didn’t see the story going anywhere, but near the half it start to become more interesting and I was very intrigued by some events. The pace is steady, it does have some exciting moments and, of course, some fights.

Vyper was an unlikable character, I don’t know why but I just couldn’t care for him. I wasn’t able to connect to any of his feelings, I just didn’t believe him. Byron was a little the same, he was just so plain, so boring, I just didn’t like him at all, and I didn’t care either for their relationship.

Toby, on the other hand, was a very nice character, he was very sweet but I wished he would be a little more developed. Elizabeth was also a great character. She was the one who generate all sort of emotions in me. She was so histrionic that it was so fun to know about her, I laugh so much of all of her plots. She seemed so spoiled at first and it was very nice to see that there was so much more behind that.

I liked the narration, I felt it made the story a little more interesting for me. I loved the voice that was given to Toby, I felt like it add something to the, already there, sweetness of the character.