Dragon Bound

Audiobook Review

By: Thea Harrison

Narrated by: Sophie Eastlake

Published by: Tantor Audio, July 2011

Burning

The Elder Races- Book 1
12hrs and 59 mins

 

Sample

                                  

Half human and half Wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the Wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their Dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful---and passionate---of the Elder Races.
As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they've ignited in one another.

My Thoughts

This book had one of the biggest hypes of 2011, so I approached it with very high expectations, and these are my thoughts after reading and listening to this book.

This is a fantastic introduction to the Elder Races Series.  It's very unusual  starting a new series with a bang, but there is no other way I can describe this exciting, burning, sexy and completely original paranormal world.

Thea Harrison has done an incredible job creating this unique world, and this sweet, incredibly hot, hot romance. When you first start  to read/listen to this book, you might think “oh well...this is good, but I’m not impressed yet”, as you continue to read, and become more familiar with the setting and the characters, you can’t help but to become very taken by the sensibility and the vulnerability of the heroine, Pea Giovanni, a half breed with a very big secret about her identity, and one she strongly guards for her own safety. I loved her character; her personality had had the right mixture that made her believable, convincing and a very likeable, her sense of humor brought an amusing side that soften  the story.

As the head of one of the most powerful and biggest corporations in the world, and one of the most ancient beings of the Elder Races, Dragos,  is not in the habit of forgiving anyone who dares to take or steal anything that belongs to him, until he meets Pia Giovanni, the intriguing little creature that dared to steal a penny from his lair.

What would a paranormal romance book be, without our perfect alpha, impossibly masculine, sexy, dangerous, menacing, and stubborn hero? A boring one, that’s for sure.
 Dragos, a dragon shape shifter, is an over the top possessive male with a very protective way about everything that he considers his property and fortunately or, unfortunately, depending on your point of view, he considers Pia  his most precious property.
Driven by a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness, Dragos has become completely enamored with this little thief, now, is  Pia’s job  to show this brute (lovable brute) that there’s a new Girly girl in town.

The love story between the protagonists was timed perfectly; I love when the main couple gets to know each other in a real, sensible way before they get hot and heavy. To me, is all about developing the romance, and that was certainly  and skillfully done is this book, their chemistry was erotic (yes, the sex scenes are explicit) explosive, full of passion and at times humorous.

This story is romantic without lacking action and suspense, introducing a world where paranormal creatures are not just widespread, they are also known about by humans and exist among them.  Just about every paranormal creature you can think of is in existence in this novel, but the focus of the book is on the wyr, which are a different form of shape shifters. These beings have the ability to shift into a real or mythological animal, and most often take a human form to be able to blend in.

Ms. Harrison beautifully laid the groundwork for the development of future stories with the creation of very interesting, exciting and likable secondary characters. 

4.64 stars based on 25 ratings on audible.com
4.43  stars  rating details  ·  1,069 ratings  ·  413 reviews on Goodreads

Narration

I have to start by mentioning what I love about Sophie Eastlake’s narration of this book, and that is the perfect and right on target interpretation of Pia; I loved the way she was brought to life, I undoubtedly got her sweetness, vulnerability, strength, as well as her sharp sense of humor.  Sophie Eastlake expertly performed this character with the all the dimensions she was written in. I love  it when I like the character even more after I've listened to the audiobook, and that’s most definitely the case here. The interpretation of Dragos was very adequate and believable, same with the rest of the male characters. The sensuality was conveyed in one the most natural and erotic ways.
The one complaint I have, is the performance of some of the dialogue, I didn’t like the valley girl tone of some of the characters, the empty-headed tone was a little out of character for one the strongest females, and one destined to become a queen.  I felt the interpretation of this character was not true to the story, I found it hard to believe that a powerful, dangerous man is going to have her as one of his closest allies, and in the circle of powerful friends, this is just a minor complaint, and it mostly comes from having read the book before I listened to it, and of course I had a pretty strong idea in my head of what the characters should sound like. Having said that, I truly think this was a very good performance. In the end, what counts is how much I enjoyed the book, which I most definitely did; I certainly recommend this audiobook, especially to those that have not yet read it. This is a great paranormal romance with great characters, and the hottest romance thus far of 2011.

The Author

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Reading/Listening order

Coming 8/9/11

Coming 10/4/11

Deeper Than Midnight

Audiobook Review

By: Lara Adrian

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Published by: Tantor Audio, June 2011

Hot

Midnight Breeds Series- Book 9
11hrs and 24 mins

Sample

At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well--the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free.

Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos's most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he's hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he'll go to end Drago's reign of evil--even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne's tender heart.

 My Thoughts

Deeper than Midnight is the 9^th entry in the Midnight Breeds Series. In this installment, we get the story of Hunter, the mysterious, super strong and all around killing machine.

 Let me start by saying, the action, the plot turns and the drama was excellently written.  Lara Adrian is splendidly growing as a writer. This story is tight and cohesive, just the kind that takes you for a ride and doesn’t let you doubt for a moment about the world, the characters and the story you're reading/listening, she has managed to keep this series inventive, and create new plot lines that keep the reader captivated.

This book felt a lot more like Urban fantasy than a Paranormal Romance. I can honestly say I liked this book so much more for the plot, action and drama than I did for the romance element, the chemistry between Hunter and Corinne wasn’t one of the best, although their story was very emotionally charge and their background of victimization by the evil Dragos (when are they going to catch this guy?) made their story warm, and heartfelt. Ms. Adrian skillfully weaves all the characters together, and I love reading/listening about the advancements in their lives.  The set up for Chase’s book was fantastic and one that promises a great book to come. Deeper than Midnight’s ending left me anxious and  very much looking forward to the next book.

 I absolutely recommend this audio book to the series followers, but not so much if you have not read or listened the previous book. This great series! You will not be disappointed, and you most certainly will enjoy it, not to mention hours of entertainment you will gain if you are properly introduced to this world, its great characters and romances, so do yourself a favor and start with the first book, Midnight Kiss.

4.50 stars based on 52 ratings
4.25  ·  rating details  ·  999 ratings 

Narration

Hillary Huber does a terrific job with the narration of this book (books). Her timing and delivery are perfect, bringing the right emotions to the reading. She manages to pull an excellent array of voices and accents for all the different characters. The alpha males voices are exceptionally well performed, and her sultry and Smokey voice is a pleasure to listen to. All in all, an excellent performance.

The Author

Lara Adrian

Voices behind the books

Hillary Huber

Other books in The Midnight Breeds Series and reading/listening order

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Heaven Texas

Audiobook Review

By: Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Published by: Books on Tape

Hot

Chicago Stars Series, Book 2

11hrs and 22 min

Sample

Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to drag the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star -- and no plans to cooperate with a prim and bossy Ohio wallflower whom he can't get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hell-raising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat. 

But nothing's more dangerous than a wildcat with an angel's heart in a town too small for a bad boy to hide. And all hell breaks loose when two unforgettable people discover love, laughter, passion -- and a match that can only be made in Heaven. 

My thoughts

This audiobook has special place in my heart, and it’s not because it’s a literary winner, or an epic story, but because it is, 11 hours or pure entertainment and a fantastic introduction to the Contemporary Romance genre.

 When I first read/listened to this book I was completely ignorant of the existence of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Anna Fields, but as soon as I finished, I immediately went on a frantic search for more novels from this author and narrator, to my surprise, and let me add, a very pleasant one, I found out that this was the second entry in a series titled, Chicago Stars.

  This entire series revolves around an American football team; each novel gives you the story of the team’s biggest personalities.

In this book, we get the story of Bobby Tom, an accomplished, all star record holder wide receiver, and an all around Texas Cowboy, who recently retired due to an injury, and as you can imagine, this guy is spoiled, arrogant and used to getting what he wants.

Bobby Tom has accepted a movie deal with the condition that the movie is to be filmed in a small town in Texas. He’s hoping this will bring new business and alleviate the tough economic times his home town is going through.

The movie production company, afraid that they’re dealing with a spoiled and a temperamental ex jock, sends Gracie Snow to chaperone, and to make sure Bobby makes it to Texas on scheduled to start filming.

Anxious for a major life change, ex retirement home director and presently Hollywood studio production assistant, plain and geeky Gracie Snow is struggling to gain a grip in the industry, so when her boss gives her the job of catching up with the retired Chicago Stars wide receiver Bobby Tom to drag his backside to Heaven, Texas, she eagerly takes on the job and welcomes the opportunity to prove herself.

When these two unlikely characters get together, we get treated to, incredibly entertaining humor and a very sweet romance. This is a terrific romantic comedy and a fantastic fairytale of modern times (is set in the mid 90’s). These novels are masterfully written by an exceptionally talented author of this genre and one that knows what women want in a romance novel, and she definitely delivers, not only with this novel, but with every addition to this series.

If you are not new to this genre, I almost sure to find SEP among your favorite authors, and revisiting this book on audio it’s only going to reinforce your positive feelings for these novels, I for one, having read  and later listened to these installments, I  recommend the audio version as the ultimate format for enjoyment.

 4.37 Stars based on 478 ratings on audible.com

Narration

Once in a while you come across a combination of Author and Narrator that are just magically perfect.
Anna Fields also known as Kate Fleming, is flawless and wonderful. The narration of these novels is among the best I’ve experienced in audio. She brings these characters to life with the perfect humor and sarcastic tone demanded by the exceptional writing style of Mrs. Phillips. I love the way she delivers the overall feeling of the book (books).
Bobby Tom is spoiled, arrogant, and an “I’m all that! and a bag of chips “kind guy, but deep inside he’s full of insecurities and doubts. Being a big star is not easy; people seem to always want something from you. All of the characteristics of his personality are clearly conveyed, and the slow Texas twang just adds more credibility to his character.
Gracie Jo’s authoritarian manner is brought to life in the most humorous way imaginable. I loved Gracie when I first read the book, but I adored her after listening to the audio, again Mrs. Fields really knows this character, (as well as all the characters in this series) she unquestionably stayed true to the script, and I’m calling that, because these novels are not read, they are phenomenally performed.
I have read and listen to just about every book written and narrated by this talented team; I love just about all of them.
I was very sad when I read the article describing the horrible tragedy that took the life of this incredibly talented narrator. I’m so glad I got a chance to discover her work, and enjoyed hours of entertainment created by this excellent duo in the audiobook industry.

Anna Fields - Kate Fleming … … You are sorely missed!

The Author

  Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Voices behind the books

Anna Fields/Kate Fleming

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Shameless

Audiobook Review

By: Anne Stuart

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Published by: Tantor Audio, June 2011

Hot

The House of Rohan, Book 4

11hrs and 19 mins

Sample (Warning! Strong language)

A long string of tragic loves haunts Viscount Benedick Francis Alistair Rohan. Cool and cynical, he's weary of life's fickle games and wants a prim and proper wife he can ignore while indulging his sensual appetites.

Lady Melisande Carstairs is nothing less than a tornado storming into Benedick's measured life. Possessed of boundless energy and the soul of a reformer, Melisande always conquers, whether it's saving the souls of soiled doves or seducing the man she's inconveniently fallen for. When she informs Benedick that his brother's newly revived Heavenly Host has graduated from simple carnal debauchery to sadistic violence, he's compelled to investigate, undercover. Under those covers, however, is Melisande herself, playing a dangerous game in the name of justice.

My thoughts

Shameless is the latest released in the House of Rohan Series, and I sincerely hope is not the last, as the 4^th edition, this book doesn’t disappoint. I absolutely enjoyed this audiobook.

The story of Benedict and Melisande was wonderful; the chemistry between them was sizzling, and their antagonistic moments just added more flavor to their relationship.

Melisande is a great heroine; she’s a strong and a confident woman, and even though she’s not your typical, pure and innocent protagonist, she’s still very naive when it comes to male companionship, she could be a little insecure at times, but this just makes her character come across real and authentic.

 Forced by her circumstances into marriage at a young age, Melisande learned to feel affection for her husband, a man 50 years her senior, but never experienced the passion that can exist between a man and a woman.

 When her husband dies, Melisande is only 30 years old, and to her surprise a very wealthy widow.   With an altruistic nature, she has dedicated her life to rescuing prostitutes with the goal of teaching them a more dignifying way of life.

Benedict, on the other hand, is a cynic and a rake, or at least pretending to be one, after having lost two wives in childbirth, he is intended on getting married with the sole purpose of producing an heir, and under no circumstances desires to have any feelings for his new wife, this way he would be free to engage in a life of debauchery.

 When he starts to develop feelings for Melisande, he tries very hard to push her away, sometimes in a not very nice way, at times making you wish you could slap him silly, and make him come to his senses, I guess all this is part of experiencing a book when the author does a good job at making you care for the characters.

This book had a different feeling than the previous books in the series. It seems the infamous Heavenly Host has taken a turn for the very dark an ugly. 

Melisande is forced to ask Benedict for his help to investigate some young girls disappearances, believed to be linked to the new and cruel practices of the Heavenly Host (a secret society, created by aristocrats to indulge in carnal pleasures) . Reluctantly, Benedict agrees to help her, fearing his younger brother’s involvement, who has come back from the war with psychological and physical scars, and is now an opium addict. I hope we get his story in the next book, I know this is supposed to be the last entry in the series, but in this book, we get strong hints that there is more to come.

If you have read or listened to the previous books, you will welcome the added tension, mystery and suspense in this novel. I know I did.

 Normally I would recommend reading the series in order, but I believed this book could most definitely be enjoyed on its own.  There are some reappearances from characters from other books, but this in no way will leave you missing any details of what’s going on, if anything, it will make you curios to find out more about them.

Even tho the sexuality typical of Mrs. Stuart books it’s toned down a great deal in this novel, (still and adult listen/read) you still enjoyed her superb writing style, full of witty and incredibly entreating dialogue as well as her brilliant ability to create splendid characters. 

4.40  stars based on 5 ratings on audible.com

4.07  ·  rating details  ·  56 ratings  ·  30 reviews on Goodreads

Narration

At this point in this series, I couldn’t imagine a different narrator for these novels. Susan Ericksen is categorically perfect. She performs these books with incredible confidence. Her knowledge of the characters and the world she’s conveying comes across without a shadow of a doubt. Mrs. Ericksen has the uncanny ability to transport you in an almost magical way, to the world and characters she’s describing, a few minutes of listening it’s all it takes to be taking away, and then is just you, lost and completely submerged in the story.

Her talent for performing theses character in the most authentic way, is never more clear than with the narration of these novels, this is my third listen in the House of Rohan series, and I been left with a clear image  and hours of enjoyment from all the different character's personalities and  their stories.

Once again, this is terrific performance by Susan Ericksen.

Other reviews on this series 

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Jacob

Audiobook Review

By: Jacquelyn Frank

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Published by: Tantor Audio, 06/27/11

Hot

The Nightwalkers Series,  Book 1

11hrs and 3 mins

Sample

Since time began, there have been Nightwalkers -- the races of the night who live in the shadows of the moonlight. Love with humans is absolutely forbidden, and one man makes certain to uphold this ancient law: Jacob, the Enforcer ...

For 700 Years, He Has Resisted Temptation. But Not Tonight...
Jacob knows the excuses his people give when the madness overtakes them and they fall prey to their lust for humans. He s heard every one and still brought the trespassers to justice. Immune to forbidden desires, uncontrollable hungers, or the curse of the moon, his control is total -- until the moment he sees Isabella on a shadowy New York City street. Saving her life wasn't t in his plans. Nor were the overwhelming feelings she arouses in him. But the moment he holds her in his arms and feels the soft explosion of her body against his, everything changes. Their attraction is undeniable, volatile, and completely against the law. Suddenly everything Jacob has ever believed is inflamed by the heat of desire...


Bring on the night.

My Thoughts

The audio version of this book was released on June 27, 2011. The next book “Gideon” will be released on July 17, 2011.
As the Enforcer of his race, it’s Jacob job to hunt and punish those who violate the law, (prohibits demos from interbreeding with humans), he has steadily kept alert through the centuries to keep his race in check, particularly during the time of the year-Beltane and Sambaing where the full moon brings out more primitive urges of his race.
In a night when he’s out in a routine hunt, he comes across the first human girl who will lure and tempt him for the first time in all of his 600 + years of life.
Jacob finds himself uncontrollably and intensely fascinated with Isabella, and this goes completely against his beliefs and position of authority, as he is the very one in charge of guarding his race against this kind of behavior.
At first glimpse, Isabella is just a plain city girl from the Bronx, a librarian who lives with her sister and her cat. Oh! But she’s far from ordinary, as we later discover.
This is an engrossing alternate world where Demons exist alongside humans. The Demons world is set in a very interesting, detailed and complex way, with a very intricate structure.
Mrs. Frank takes her time to introduce and developed different characters that will be getting their own books in time. I appreciated how the secondary and the main characters are connected and how they interrelate with one another.
The chemistry between Jacob and Isabella was sizzling, sexy and steamy, just what you expect from this genre.
At first I wasn’t sure I would like this book, I felt the beginning was a little slow, but I’m glad I kept reading, (I’ve read the five books in this series), this world became fascinating, suspenseful, sexy, and I adored the characters. By the end, I found myself completely invested in this world and its characters and very anxious to get to the next book.

This series only gets better and better with each edition. If you are a fan of J.R. Ward, Kresley Cole or Sherrilyn Kenyon, then this book and series are right up your alley, these novels are no more than a guilty indulgence, and place to get lost for a little while, but a delicious indulgence they are.

4.75  stars based on 12 ratings on audible.com
4.05    2,857 ratings  on Goodreads

When I have  previously  read a book before listening to it,  I’m always more critical of the narrator’s interpretation, but I was very satisfied with the performance of Xe Sands with this installment, I was especially impressed with her male voices, they were strong, confident and they most definitely sounded masculine. There’s nothing I dislike more, and  is always a deal breaker for me, when the male characters are not performed according to the authors intent (in a paranormal romance the protagonist should sound: tall, sexy attractive and like they just jumped out of GQ magzine....Lol). Jacob’s voice reflected his personality just the way I had imagined it, she also does a great job with Isabella, I unquestionably got her fustiness, braveness, sense of humor and sweetness.
Mrs. Sands also displayed very distinctive voices for the rest of the characters.
This is not my favorite book in this series, but it definitely moved up a notch after listen to the audio version, I’m convinced the following books are only going to get better; it’s always the case when a narrator finds her or his stride as he/she  becomes more familiar with the world and characters. This was a very good debut for the first book in this series.

The Author

Jacquelyn Frank

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Voices behind the books

Xe Sands

Bitten

Audiobook Review

By: Kelly Armstrong

Narrated by: Aasne Vigesaa

Publish by: Brilliance Audio

Hot

 Women of the Otherworld, Book 1

12hrs and 59mins

Sample

Elena Michaels seems like the typically strong and sexy modern woman, She lives with her architect boyfriend, writes for a popular newspaper, and works out at the gym. She's also a werewolf.
Elena has done all she can to assimilate to the human world, but the man whose bite changed her existence forever, and his legacy, continue to haunt her. Thrown into a desperate war for survival that tests her allegiance to a secret clan of werewolves, Elena must recon with who, and what, she is in this passionate, page-turning novel.

My thoughts

Even thought this is one of the few books that have plenty of reviews and opinions on audible.com, I have decided to share my thoughts with those that don’t either have access to them or have never heard about this wonderful series.

As the first novel in an extraordinary urban fantasy/paranormal romance series, Bitten takes you into an imaginative, suspenseful, sexy and electrifying world of Werewolves; this book is full of emotional conflicts and politics with a very interesting twist in the shape shifter’s society.

Elena has started to come to terms with her hard and abusive childhood and was determined to put her unsavory past behind her, but all comes to an end when she's bitten and becomes the only female werewolf.
 Years later, separated by choice from her pack and trying to live a new life with her human boyfriend she has finally found some sense of stability.

 Living in a city and constantly guarding her true nature from her boyfriend is never easy, but she’s intended on making it work.
When an emergency arrives, she’s summoned by her pack leader and is asked to come back, reluctantly, she goes back to her pack members and Clay, the man with whom she has a love/hate relationship, and the one responsible for her werewolf shifting ability/curse.

Elena is not your typical heroine; it takes a while before you can relate or begin to like her, Elena’s attitude can be irritating at times, but when you get the whole picture you begin to understand why. Kelley Armstrong did a terrific job, creating a very colorful, dangerous, emotional and suspenseful world, as well as incredibly terrific characters. She’s a master storyteller with an immense talent for character development, and ones that will stay with you well after your done reading/listening to this book.

Elena and Clay are now considered an icon couple in the world of paranormal romance, and this is the book to start discovering the reason why.

3.85 stars, based on 623 ratings on audible.com

Narration
 

Wow! Excellent! Aasne Vigesaa is terrific with the” first person” narration of Bitten. She did a masterful job bringing this book and Elena to life. She really fleshed out these characters, giving them the right tone and manner. This was an excellent display of her talent, her Canadian accent works perfectly in this book, the male characters were performed incredibly well, especially Clay and Jeremy (two of my favorite characters in a series) their accents gave them the necessary credibility for maximum enjoyment.  The excellent interpretation of Elena leaves you no doubt of who or what she is, you get the sense of her abruptness, insecurities as well as all her good qualities and traits. This is a great book and series, not to be missed by all Paranormal and Urban Fantasy fans, especially this audio version. Mrs. Vigesaa took this book to a higher level, turning it into an incredibly entertaining listen.

The Author 

Kelly Armstrong

Voices behind the books 

Aasne Vigesaa

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