Joni R Skellie

Enjoyable, complex, and great characters.

Reviewed: 09-20-23

Even though I determined who the “bad guy” was early on, I still really enjoyed the book. Fern Michaels creates characters and situations to pull the reader in and care about. It’s impossible to not get fully invested in their lives.

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Pulled me in and wouldn’t let go.

Reviewed: 05-14-23

I thought this would be a quick read, actually. Thankfully, I was incredibly wrong. The characters pulled me in and I empathized with their struggles and triumphs. I have to confess to a few choice words actually spoken out loud as I listened! It looks like I found another author worth following.

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Didn’t make it past Chapter 4.

Reviewed: 04-29-20

I tried. Promise. I caught myself drifting before the end of chapter 2. Perhaps the obsessive compulsive, exacting and irritating male character was supposed to be funny, but I missed the joke. There was no way to identify with the character, therefore, no reason to care.

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Too much sex, not enough story

Reviewed: 08-23-19

Tara’s characters are funny, relatable and charming. Her stories are socially current and appealing. Unfortunately, there are so many graphic sex events that the storyline gets shoved to the side just so the main characters can jump into the pantry for yet another round. I realize that, while it may not fit my preferred reading material, this may be exactly what someone else is looking for and that’s great. I just wish I could enjoy these quirky characters in stories without a XX rating.

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14 people found this helpful

A Lovely Story of Life, Love and Family

Reviewed: 07-13-19

When I purchased One More Summer, Liz Flaherty’s characters pulled me in right away and I felt like a guest at the Elliot house.

The story’s theme is of building a family, whether biological or not, to love and be loved by right back. The reader gets to know and experience the quirky characters’ growth through life’s daily challenges, its most terrible events and its unexpected, wonderful moments of joy. Put on your most comfy robe, pull up a porch swing, grab a glass of wine and enjoy this beautiful story.

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I couldn't get myself to finish it.

Reviewed: 12-16-16

While the story wasn't enthralling, it was okay. I would have finished it except the narrator was driving me nuts. She read as if every sentence ended with an exclamation point! She would do well reading to children, but I was actually a bit offended. And I'm not an overly sensitive person. I'm not one who criticizes, but really felt I had to let others know what they were in for.

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2 people found this helpful

Only one or two

Reviewed: 02-29-16

For a dresden novel it was short; more short stories than novelette. Also Jim Butcher rarely takes such almost vanilla-like care of his characters. Usually it's 'a tough evil world kid and now for the other shoe... monsters exist'. Truthfully I thought this protective scope of the stories was not toward the younger characters in the story but Strength of a River in his Shoulders.
Now after all the criticism, the book is Dresden fast, funny, witty and a joy to listen to (does anyone ever tell James Marsters great job) for everyone. Get the book it's worth it.

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Disappointing

Reviewed: 06-23-15

This read like a high school writing assignment. Characters and plot were flat with no dimension at all. Even the reader sounded bored. I gave two stars because the grammar was correct and it was good enough for me to stay with it until the end.

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Fantastic!

Reviewed: 01-02-13

One of his best! The reader definitely needs to have read the rest of the series to understand all the references to previous adventures, though.

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This Thomas was really "Odd"

Reviewed: 09-10-12

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would only recommend this to someone who was a devoted fan of Odd Thomas. My familiarity with the characters was all that kept me going at times. It took way too long to get to the meat of the story. If I hadn't known the characters and their history, I would have put it down unfinished before I was halfway through the book, simply because I had no idea what was going on and nothing was connecting.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I always appreciate Odd Thomas' continual optimism, even when faced with certain (?) death.

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