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Sue 🎧

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Enjoyed it

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-23-24

Delightful story - just the right amount of holiday magic, action and adventure.
A perfect performance by Joel Leslie bringing the story to life.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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1 person found this helpful

enjoyed it

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-02-24

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, interesting plot
Characters are well written, the plot lines are interesting and the world building comprehensive. There's a bit of a tie-in with characters from Reincarnated as the Frog Prince, but it's not necessary to be familiar with the story before listening to this one.

This type of M/M isn't my usual "go to" as I prefer my protagonist's older and the language feels targeted to a young adult audience, but as a long-time fan of the Twisted Fairytales series I was happy to give it a chance. Although parts of the story are on the darker side and some parts are a bit "wordy", overall Henry's Secret is an entertaining and enjoyable listen and a good opportunity for this author to further stretch her M/M wings.

I enjoyed the two stages of Henry's story - First phase of Henry's story: we are introduced to Henry in boyhood as Prince in the Royal court, learning who he is and trying to meet the expectations of his father. Next phase is sixteen years later and Henry has found a new family with a group of adventurers called CurseBreakers. This book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger which is a good enticement for the next book.

Narrator comment: LaMont Ridgell is a new narrator for me, I feel like it took him a little while to find the "groove" of Henry's character ... and the "narrator voice" felt a little inconsistent (like he couldn't decide on "proper" or "casual" voices). Overall though he did a great job of bringing Henry's Secret to life, he has a diverse range of character voices, good timing, inflections and intonations and I look forward to further instalments from him.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

âš  I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook at my request - it has in no way influenced my review.

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Enjoyed it

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-06-24

Interesting premise, well written characters, entertaining plot. - I'd be interested in additional adventures if this were a series.
Greg Tremblay is a master storyteller and has bought the story to life.
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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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hmm.....not at all what I was expecting

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-19-24

📖 Story comment: honestly, i'm a little confused.
I've been mulling over a review for a couple of days, and it sort of all feels just a bit of a non-event. For me, the Hansel and Gretel vibe was more symbolic than actual plot (but I'm not familiar with the original Grimm fable only the modern re-telling, so that's on me). With a book from this author, I normally feel a connection between the main characters, emotionally connect and become absorbed in the story .... and I'm sorry, but I didn't really get any of that with this one.

Overall I did enjoy the story in itself, a long time fan of this author, it wasn't as "dark" as I was expecting, I don't know if it's because it was short, spanned quite a few years (which I did enjoy watching Johnny living a normal life) and felt like the MC's were apart more than they were together .. it just lacked that usual Fielding "magic" I've come to expect.

What i'd call an easy pace, not "insta-love" as it takes years for the hard won HEA. Not what I call "dark and gritty", but it's not light and fluffy either - definitely high on angst. Johnny has a great group of friends as supporting characters which I enjoyed - there wasn't really enough of Zimri for me to connect with him.

🎧 Narrator comment: Joel Leslie is one of my favorite narrators and as always he gives a stellar performance. I had no problem distinguishing characters and the rhythm, inflections and intonations all worked to bring the book to life.

📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 4
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention [3â­?]
• 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list • 8 kept me up past bed-time • 9 recommended to family/friends • 10 own it in multiple formats • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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1 person found this helpful

enjoyed it - solid 4.5 stars

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-04-24

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, low-angst plot.
I haven't read any of the other Single Dads of Gaynor Beach books, but there are a bunch of interesting characters and businesses mentioned and it piqued my interest - had me looking to see "who has a book" before i'd even finished this one.

I really like a found family and slow burn. The struggles Oscar and Hugh experienced felt real, genuine and made sense to where they were in their story. I liked that Oscar wasn't instantly confident being a new dad and that Hugh didn't just believe the Social Worker's opinion of Oscar, but wanted evidence for himself - it made the two characters feel grounded and real.

🎧 Narrator comment: Michael Ferraiuolo is a master story teller - I ran the full gamut of emotions with his performance of Hugh. He suits the characters, has good timing, inflections and intonations, there is no doubting the connection between the two MC's and he brings life and emotion to every scene. � �

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 8
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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enjoyed it

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-27-24

📖 Story comment: likeable characters, slow-burn romance, interesting twist on the original story.
Characters are well written, bit of a slow start, but once it got going the pace was good. Not particularly "spooky", but easily entertaining. What I call an "easy listen" - uncomplicated, easy-going plot that's good to listen to while doing something else without losing track of the story.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoyed Kevin Earlywine's performance. He suits the characters giving them each their own voice and personality, has good timing, inflections and intonations and brings the story to life.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 5
Note to self: the disembodied head during the intimate scenes was a little "weird" for me.
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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enjoyed it

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-26-24

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, entertaining story.
I enjoyed both Alby and Percy's characters, they're both charming and likeable guys.
Great "visuals" that really enhanced the feel of the mountains and loved the misfit family of characters to enhance the story.
🎧 Narration comment: Glen Lloyd's narration really suits this story. I had no problem distinguishing characters, his rhythm, tone and inflections have done a great job bringing The Men from Echo Creek to life

📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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07/2024 Valor and Doyle: overall series review

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-09-24

Did each book keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes
Was it worth investing in the 7 books and 70+ hours: yes
Would I listen to it again: at this stage i'm not sure

📖 Series comment: Overall each book has a good pace, the characters are likeable, the underlying cases are interesting and tie in well with the relationship growth as the series progresses.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable and consistent performance and he bought the series to life

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📌 Where does the series fall on my personal scale? 5
Note to self: First listen was the full series: all 7 books back to back.
Quaid's constant insecurities through the first half of the series grated on my nerves and by Book 7, I wasn't in the right head-space for his neuroticism and I just wanted it over - not even Aslan's calming demeanour of a personality was enough to balance it out.

• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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07/2024 Valor and Doyle: overall series review

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-09-24

Did each book keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes
Was it worth investing in the 7 books and 70+ hours: yes
Would I listen to it again: at this stage i'm not sure

📖 Series comment: Overall each book has a good pace, the characters are likeable, the underlying cases are interesting and tie in well with the relationship growth as the series progresses.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable and consistent performance and he bought the series to life

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📌 Where does the series fall on my personal scale? 5
Note to self: First listen was the full series: all 7 books back to back.
Quaid's constant insecurities through the first half of the series grated on my nerves and by Book 7, I wasn't in the right head-space for his neuroticism and I just wanted it over - not even Aslan's calming demeanour of a personality was enough to balance it out.

• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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07/2024 Valor and Doyle: overall series review

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-08-24

Did each book keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes
Was it worth investing in the 7 books and 70+ hours: yes
Would I listen to it again: at this stage i'm not sure

📖 Series comment: Overall each book has a good pace, the characters are likeable, the underlying cases are interesting and tie in well with the relationship growth as the series progresses.

🎧 Narrator comment: I enjoy Nick Russo as a narrator, he suits the characters, has good cadence, inflections and intonations and it's easy to distinguish the characters from each other. Overall an enjoyable and consistent performance and he bought the series to life

------
📌 Where does the series fall on my personal scale? 5
Note to self: First listen was the full series: all 7 books back to back.
Quaid's constant insecurities through the first half of the series grated on my nerves and by Book 7, I wasn't in the right head-space for his neuroticism and I just wanted it over - not even Aslan's calming demeanour of a personality was enough to balance it out.

• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough [3â­?] • 5 enjoyed it [4â­?] • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4â­?] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4â­?] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5â­?] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75â­?] • 10 own it in all formats [5â­?] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5â­?]

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