Anonymous

Midlife shouldn't be this complicated…

Reviewed: 02-23-24

I'm honestly not sure where to start… The story… The main character… Narrator… The other characters… There is just so much.

The narrator – Maria McCann – did pretty good job considering all of the different accents she had to deal with. For the most part the women sounded like women & the men sounded like men & the different characters sounded different enough to help you identify them by the voice she used for each.

The main character – Whose name I cannot remember off the top of my head (this does not bode well) is a woman about to hit her expiration date by turning 45. This seemed a bit too on the nose for me but… To each their own. Her main worry is that she's about to turn 45 & every woman in her family has died in their 45th year… Though none of them have died in the same way, so my question is why. This is literally one of the first things we learn about the MC, so once we finally find out why, I kept expecting a solution. There was no solution. She has the key but she needs somebody strong enough to turn it? Not only does she not know what that means, she doesn't seem to be trying to figure it out anymore! I understand that her whole life has changed, because now she has magic, and has had the block on her magic removed, but the clock is still ticking down on her life now that she is 45 & though she's been scared of this her whole life, now, just because she has magic, she's willing to let the chips fall where they may???

The story – there is way too much going on & the explanation of those things is somewhat lacking. I couldn't sink into the story because my understanding of what was going on was constantly in question. It was a great premise, but I'm not certain that the author actually pulled it off. I doubt I will be continuing with the series.

The other characters – there is definitely an interesting makes of supernatural characters & human characters… But it is very confusing & a bit too outside my ability to suspend reality. This is on because I typically like quirky characters and things that push my ability to suspend reality… Unfortunately this author did not ever get me to a place where I could sink down into the story and except all that came.

I don't know exactly where she went wrong… But I did finish this book and I wanted to, even if I was slightly disappointed in the way it ended. Another adventure is forthcoming undoubtedly, but I won't be joining them on it.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Too Women's Lib for me…

Reviewed: 02-23-24

The internal dialogue of the MC is so focused on the writer's "agenda" in showing how poorly treated women were in this time, that she detracts from the story she's trying to tell. She doesn't just weave it into the story, she beats you over the head with it, and puts the MC into situations that a woman of that age and time would never have even conceived to put herself into. She also emphasizes the lack in most of the men in the story, making them all out to be bad guys when most of them were just products of their time. I'm not saying the way women were treated in the past was right, but I am saying that if you want to write a political treatise about women's rights and such, you should not do it in the form of a fictional book. I honestly thought it would be a fun read… But I got to the 6 hours and 42 minute left mark, and I just couldn't go on…

You will notice that I got well over the halfway mark before I finally threw the towel in and decided that this book was not worth any more of my time. That's because for the most part I enjoyed the story & even the interaction between the two sisters and their friends. I think the problem is that the author asked me to step so far outside of the possibility of this scenario happening, that I just couldn't suspend reality anymore & with all of the women are downtrodden in a time frame when they actually were and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it at this point except know that we've moved forward, so I don't need to have it pointed out to me over and over and over again, that I couldn't even go one more minute.

I may come back and finish this at a later date. Once I have forgotten why I stopped where I did… Or perhaps just because not knowing what happens next may actually draw me back in (though I doubt this one will happen). If I do finish reading it I will update my review. Right now… I'm just sad that I wasted nine hours of my life on it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Brought to mind Fifty Shades, minus the whips…

Reviewed: 02-21-24

I bought the first book in this series hoping I would like it enough to continue… Unfortunately I didn't… It was funny, and evoked emotion in me on a couple of occasions… But I just didn't feel the chemistry between the two main characters. Which is weird I know, but I just didn't feel it. Not sure why, considering the level of sizzle in this book, but my heart remains untouched… My being does not feel compelled to continue & I'm bummed about both.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

To raunchy for my taste…

Reviewed: 12-01-23

I need everyone to understand that I love K.F. Breene books. I have either read or own most of her series. This was one of the few that I hadn't read yet. When I discovered it was on sale I bought the series, without even reading the blurb to see what it was about. That is how much faith I have in her books and their ability to entertain me.

That being said… If I had pearls to clutch, I would have been clutching them through most of this book. It is raunchy and irreverent… Unfortunately the humor is also raunchy and irreverent. Well most of it is anyway. These things are negative aspects to me, and even though I knew that this book had a lot of sizzle, I really wasn't expecting this.

The overall story is good. The fact that it is a twisted Beauty & the Beast retelling is what drew me, and since I bought them I will be reading or listening to the rest. However all the good is overshadowed by the dirty demons and the tricks they get up to. I'm hoping that as the series moves on the demons have less influence & I have to endure less of the ickyness that is the demons fault.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Poor Mrs. Willoughby…

Reviewed: 09-23-23

This is the second book in the series and almost as good as the first one. I highly recommend this series and I am looking forward to any future installments. If you are a Jane Austen fan I can just about guarantee that you will love this series.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Mr. Wickham deserved it…

Reviewed: 09-21-23

Since I am a Jane Austen fan through and through, when I saw this as one of the 2 for 1 books available I hastened to purchase it. I knew not whether I would be inportuned or find a treasure I would listen to again and again as I do, "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility", "Emma" and several others. I took the chance and I am here to tell you that this book is a Treasure!

It not only adds to our favorite stories, but it brings many of our much beloved characters together in one place and weaves them all into a story the likes of which few storytellers could create. Very well done Mrs Claudia Gray! I most assuredly applaud you! You are a truly accomplished woman.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A great addition to the Night Huntress Universe

Reviewed: 06-13-23

I love this series, so whenever I figure out there is a new addition to it I always buy it. This can be easily placed in the Universe timeline as happening after the last book in the, "Night Rebel" series. Or if you only read the Night Huntress series then it can be placed in the timeline after the 7th book.

Cat & Denise are a little older and a lot wiser now, not to mention at different places in their lives than they were during their own books, but it was great to get a glimpse into their world as it is now. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm not going to tell you anything about the story, but if you are a fan I guarantee you'll love it! :-)

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

It's how Romeo and Juliet should've ended…

Reviewed: 04-25-23

I got this title free for World Book Day from Kindle & for $1.99 I bought the audiobook to go with it. And I am very happy that I did! I feel like this audio book has so much more depth than the written book probably would have for me if I had just read it. Being a native American English speaker, with very little Espaniol, my eyes would have naturally glossed over the Spanish with little to no understanding, but hearing it spoken and seamlessly translated without it feeling like a translation, really drew me further into the culture that was being portrayed.

I do have to confess that for whatever reason it took me a while to catch on to the fact that this book is a unique take on Romeo & Juliet. The feuding family names eventually gave it away though and I immediately started worrying about the story ending in tragedy. I was invested in the characters at that point, and knew that anyone dying, let alone the two main characters, would devastate me, not to mention ruin the book's overall vibe for me. I am relieved to report that my fears were not realized, and though I'm not going to spoil anything more than I already have for you, I would like to say that I believe the ending that Priscilla Oliveras gave her characters was in my estimation much kinder than Shakespeare was to his iconic Romeo and Juliet. Enjoy!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Definitely lived up to the hype!

Reviewed: 01-05-23

I laughed… Out loud… I cried… Also out loud… It was a very noisy book. And the only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars in every category is because I don't know that I will ever feel a need to reread it. That is usually how I categorize a 5 star experience. But who knows… It was so good, I may be back. Enjoy!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Hilarious laugh out loud fun…

Reviewed: 12-15-22

The heroine of this story is 40 & fabulous, with a ton of snark thrown in! Though unsure what to do or where to go, she finds herself exactly where she needs to be and discovers the life she was always meant to live. I enjoyed it immensely and I thought the narrator didn't excellent job with the different character voices & accents. Enjoy!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!