Tag Archives: audiobook

Double the alpha title

Book Review of Double the Alpha, by Amira Rain

Doubel the Alpha audio coverI came across an Audible code for Double the Alpha, by Amira Rain at some point earlier this year. It’s narrated by Meghan Kelly and I listened to it as I did housework today.

She knew she could handle one alpha, but could she handle TWO?”

In an apocalyptic future, Ellie Miller realized that the only way to keep her people safe was to do a deal with the nearby wolf pack.

In exchange for protection, she would offer them the only thing she could offer…

Herself.

And that was something that the alpha Eric McCormick would gladly accept.

However, when Ellie arrived at the pack she found there was a twist. Eric had joined forces with another alpha named Ryan.

Now Ellie must be mated to both of them or the deal was off….

SPOILERS!!!!

This failed on so many levels, but the biggest one is as a romance. The next is as a menage, then as an attempt at erotica, and also as an attempt at not-zombie-but-might-as-well-be-zombie apocalyptic fiction and fantasy.

Let’s start with the romance and menage aspects since they are entwined. [I’ll warn you again, SPOILERS.] You CANNOT introduce the reader to two mates, spend 3/4 of a book building this relationship up and then suddenly have the female decide she doesn’t actually love both men and one man conveniently turns out to be a treacherous betrayer (all within some shockingly short amount of time). It WILL leave the reader feeling disconnected and dissatisfied at the end. I hadn’t been given the chance to truly engage with and come to have any feelings about the couple. NONE. Which meant the ending hit the ground with a giant splat. What’s more, if that’s the way an author wants to play it, they shouldn’t put “menage romance” on the cover because that’s not what it is when all is said and done

Further, the sex scenes were stale and pitiful. The sex was spoken about as if it was sooo transgressive and kinky, but literally, the female felt “filthy” and kinky because she liked being called a “naughty girl” and having sex on her knees. There isn’t anything wrong with relatively vanilla sex in a book, but to have the narrator talk about it like it’s something else always jars me. It’s like a nun trying to titillate. It just clashes and they don’t have any real grasp of how little they know. (Or I should say the stereotype of a nun, because in real life they may all be porn addicts for all I know.)

Then there were the not-zombies and fantasy aspects of the book. The not-zombies were literally just window dressings, there but of no real importance. The same can be said for the wolf aspect. The men could have been alpha-like soldiers and the book would have read exactly the same. What’s more, the author gave the main character a superpower and then left her home baking cupcakes, never giving it purpose.

Actually, as much as I complain about the sex scenes or ridiculous plot drift that resulted in the menage being reduced to a couple, my biggest irritant about the book was how the “males” were always being spoken about as active in protection, and work, and decisions, etc and the “females” were never truly included as anything but after-thoughts—pretty little baubles to be left at home while the men-folk were out being important.

Lastly, the author needs to do a search of her manuscript for repeat words, “community” and the phrase “or something” especially. Every character says “or something” constantly. If it was one character I’d call it a character quirk, but as it’s all of them it’s just noticeable and annoying repetition in the writing.

All in all, I’m awful glad to not be listening to this anymore.

Her Shifter King title

Book Review: Her Shifter King, by Bailey Dark

her shifter king audible coverI picked up an Audible code for a copy of Her Shifter King, by Bailey Dark, somewhere along the way. It’s narrated by Sommer Hines.

A past she can’t remember. A secret he must keep hidden. A passion they never saw coming.

Ten years ago.

That was the last time I knew peace, family, sanity.

But after they came for me – everything changed.

Now, I live my life as an outcast, hiding among the shadows of each new city. Every move I make is a risk, and I’m fully aware that I’m only one wrong turn away from certain death.

When I find myself trapped between an enormous wolf and the monstrous shaded creatures that have been hunting me for the last decade, it seems my time is up.

Except, it isn’t.

My beastly savior shifts into a not-so-mortal man. He claims to be King Alpha of the Blueblood pack in Detroit, and he has a deal for me: Marry him and become his mate, and he’ll offer me more freedom and protection than I could ever have on my own.

Sounds too good to be true, which usually means it is, but I’m in no position to refuse this overbearing, dominant, ridiculously handsome warrior.

So, I make a choice.

On the surface I’ll play his game and be his wife. But behind the scenes, I’ll use his resources to find out the truth behind who I am and what he really wants from me before he can get it.

I guess this was ok. Listening to it got me through a tedious day of stripping wallpaper (and the narration by Summer Hines was fine). But nothing about it stood out as exceptional in any real way. None of the characters were particularly well fleshed out, though I did like several of them. The world felt half-hazard and pieced together, though it had interesting elements. The plot was paper-thin, but not uninteresting. Unfortunately, it does end without anything being concluded. Some might call that a cliff-hanger, I call it just half a plot. But that’s semantics. All in all a true “Meh” read if ever I saw one, neither horrible nor excellent. I might continue the series if I came across the next book for free, but I wouldn’t spend money on it; if that tells you anything.

the order of the dragon

Review of The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose

I received an Audible code for a copy of  The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose & Rhiannon Jayne. It was narrated by Michelle Jones.

Description from Goodreads:
“What if all the stories you heard about the infamous monster name Dracula were all lies? What if there was another side to the story that no one even knew of, a side where he was not a monster but in fact a savior? What if he was a vampire who had a soul? What if the monster had a heart and yearned to be loved? The story am about to tell, is the real story of Vlad Tepes and how he came to be this infamous so-called monster called “Dracula”, that everyone most feared. And I promise once am finish with this story, you will view him in a whole new light with a whole new respect and love. ” ~ Mina Murray ~

How far would you go to find a cure for an illness that could take your life at any moment that was incurable?

Would you sell your soul to the very Devil himself to prolong your precious life?

And at what cost are you willing to pay for such a priceless gift?

A secret society of the very wealthy and powerful of London, England who are terminally ill and would do just about ANYTHING for a cure for their illness. Including selling their soul to the very Devil himself, Dracula.

This is a version of the classic horror tale of Dracula but with a different twist. Retold with a different perspective on mortality and immortality.

What path are you willing to take when it comes to your mortality and soul? The right path or the wrong path. And would the choice ultimately be worth it in the end.

Review:
Bad, just really really BAD!

Please, authors, if you want to write in modern vernacular just go ahead and write in modern times. It DOES NOT WORK to write modern dialogue and narration in the 1800s! And even if that wasn’t true, the writing here is just sloppy. There are a ton of repeat words. Things like the word coffin being used three times in the same paragraph. The sex scenes are so cringe-worthy I fast-forwarded through them. And the plot is super inconsistent. There’s a twist at the end that just doesn’t work; it so contradicts everything up to that point. The audiobook narration isn’t all that great either, though it does improve as the book goes along. If I hadn’t been listening to it in order to get through folding a GIANT pile of laundry I’d have DNFed this for sure.