Kelly

I haven't read a lot of Stephen King, mainly because I connect him with horror and that's not my genre of choice. However, in broadening my horizons this year, I decided to dive into this collection of short stories and was pleasantly surprised. The stories felt more spooky than scary. They kept my attention throughout. His writing is so captivating. It may even have tempted me to try another of his books. If you like well written, intriguing stories, this is definitely a collection to try.

The narration was fantastic.

I had a hard time rating this book. It was really interesting and captivating. It held my attention but until the last 20% or so it didn't feel like a thriller. I feel like a good 15-20% could have been removed to quicken the pace. That being said, that's in no way about the book but the classification of thriller. I felt everything that happened was important, both in the story and in educating readers. I liked the build up and how everything tied together in the end. That last 20% had me gasping and turning sitting on the edge of my seat.
Some of the scenes in this book may be hard for some people to read/ listen to but they are important to the story and the impact they have on the reader/ listener.

The narration was great. Performed by Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng. They both brought something unique and realistic to the performance. The production was great with no issues to note.

This review is going to be on the short side. So much happens that I feel you really need to experience all this goodness and all these twists and turns for yourself.

Normally at the beginning of a review, I do a small summary of the book, that is really hard to do with American Queen so much happens that it would be a disservice to try and sum it up in a couple of sentences. So, here's what I have to say, if you haven't read or listened to AQ yet, don't delay. It's a beautiful story of how one forbidden kiss can change a person's life. Sit back, grab an alcoholic beverage, some chocolate, and a pack of Kleenex and enjoy the wild ride... and make sure you have American Prince and American King ready to go!

This book will have you in a state of awe. The writing is captivating. It'll make you think things you've never thought. The sex is off the charts hot, absolutely steaming, melting your earphones scorching hot. You're not going to want to listen in a public place. This book tells the wonderful story of three people who fall in love. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat screaming WHY? And quickly downloading the next book, if you don't have it already.... don't give me that ‘I don't do cliffhangers' business, it's a trilogy, it's a given that you're going to get a cliffhanger. With that being said, WTAF? That ending! Holy S**t! I need to know what happens next. I don't know why it took me so long to dive into this book, but I'm hooked in the worse way possible. I'm in a total book hangover. Thankfully book 2, American Prince is already available on audio.
Ash, Greer, and Embry are the perfect combination, I adored them together. Ash is more dominant and the BDSM scenes were extremely well done. Embry is sweet and endearing. Greer is fantastic, I felt for her because she put a lot into her relationship with her cousin Abilene and she was just a bitch to her. I have a bad feeling about how things are going to play out about that.

Stephanie Rose performed this book beautifully. I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy the audiobook, a new narrator to me and a slew of voices but each one was unique and distinct. I look forward to listening to more from her. The production had no issues at all.
Side-note: If you don't believe in the love is love statement, this isn't the book for you. If you believe that a heart is only big enough to love one person at a time, this is not the book for you.

Never Have I Ever had so many things I wanted to say and yet, the words are just stuck. How many times can I say the word awesome in a review? I mean, I wouldn't be wrong, because this book is awesome, but I need to be a little more articulate than that. So, here goes...ramblings by Kelly LOL.

Once again, Lauren Blakely hits it out of the park. With Never Have I Ever, Lauren brings depth to her classic rom-com style. Don't worry, I'm not talking Unbreak My Heart type depth, sheesh, I'm still not over that. But Zach is a single father and the way he navigates that gives the story an extra depth that it wouldn't have had without it. A vulnerability. It made him likeable. Sweet. I might have developed a crush...oh well, in my defence, he's the sweetest dad ever, how could I not? But my crush wasn't limited to just him though, I'm an equal opportunities crusher and Piper got the crush treatment too. I just loved how they were together. The chemistry was palpable from the get-go and it never let up. The back and forth with the jibes was hilarious, I'm a huge fan of banter and I thought theirs was some of the best I've listened to recently. Once they finally gave in to their desire, holy mackerel! it was explosive. And did somebody say they wanted steam? Because, I swear, my windows started to condense with the heat level. Zach has a dirty mouth (Thank you, Goddess Lauren). This book is sexy and sweet and swoony. Yes, all the Ss again. But, it's also super funny and has some emotional moments, some of the scenes with the kids were killer—this emotional girl just couldn't handle it. But it just gave the book that much more of a heck yeah from me. Lucy is the sweetest ten-year-old and I dare you not to tear up with a particular scene with her. And Henry is a cutie seven-year-old that you just want to hug all day every day. The way Piper was with them was the icing on the cake, and once again proved that biology doesn't make a family, love does.

Lauren is the freaking Queen of audiobook casting. She always finds the perfect voices for her characters and is willing to introduce her listeners to narrators they may not have heard before. She doesn't just stick with the popular ones—not that there is anything wrong with that—she's an advocate for new talent...even if that's a new talent to you. And I love her for it. I cannot wait to see what she has in store next.

I would love...I'm begging, on my hands and knees, (okay, full disclosure, I'm sat on the bed, but it sounded good, right?) for Lauren to write a full story, or at least a novella, for Piper's sister, Paige (if this exists and I've missed it somebody better tell me right freaking now!). It's a topic close to my heart and I was so happy to have that included and be painted in a good light, that I'd love to see it expanded upon. There were several threads that would make great stories...or that are already available to read/ listen to, or that I know are coming. Exciting times for LB fans.

I have listened to many Jason Clarke audiobooks. I adore his narrations and have for several years, yes folks, before we knew what he looked like I was swooning over his voice, what I can say? I have good taste. So, I knew I was going to enjoy his performance, but I was actually surprised at how much I adored this particular performance. He delivered the perfect balance of sweet, caring dad, and top-notch lawyer, with a penchant for winding up his frenemy. The exchanges between Zach and Piper where hilarious, and once they started the move from enemies to friends, and then more, gah! It was everything, Jason performed it all to a T, and the vulnerability Zach had shone through. There were several scenes with the children that were fantastic, and one that gutted me. I know, I know, I'm too emotional. But you try and not be affected when you're an emotional person and the voice actor is killing it with the emotion and kid voices, I can only survive so much. He just nailed it all and it was fantastic. And exactly why he is so sought after.

I've never listened to Amanda Ronconi before, so, I'll admit, I was a little nervous. I'm a picky listener, that is not new information, I like what I like and if I don't like it, well, yeah, that sucks but honesty is always key. I don't always follow the narrator trends. But I have a question. Why the heck has nobody been shouting about this particular narrator? Have they and I missed it? Then why did nobody make me pay attention? She was absolutely bloody brilliant. I need to go and purchase all the books she's worked on— I do own a couple, as it turns out, yay—because I need more of her awesomeness in my ears. Amanda was perfectly cast as Piper, she had the sweet, girl next door, type of vibe, but, could and would stand her ground and pull punches with the best of them, and that shone through beautifully in the performance. The way she switched from each character flawlessly was astounding. I couldn't get enough.

I think this was the first time that Jason and Amanda have teamed up on an audiobook, and I have to say, it needs to happen again, and stat! Their voices blend so well. The change of character PoV wasn't drastic. It felt like an easy transition for the listener. They both can carry a British accent too, which, as we all know, is something of a stumbling block for this Brit, when she listens. I honestly can't say enough about the quality of the performances, if, for no other reason than the amazing narration, you should listen to this audiobook. The production was great too, with no noticeable issues. I also just want to add that the running time of this audiobook is ALL this book. No sneak peeks, no bonuses, it's all the story and I loved that. I loved that I got to spend over 8 hours with these characters and in their world, not to mention enjoying the voice talent of these particular actors.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a graphic novel but reading this book just filled my heart with happiness. I loved Nick and Charlie's friendship and how it progresses. I love how in so few words and graphics so many emotions can be conveyed. Simply beautiful. Cannot wait to do the other in the series.