Tag Archive for: 4 Stars

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The Duke And I

The Duke And ITitle: The Duke and I
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgerton #1
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Format: Audio
Pages: 438
Length: 12h 9m
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor
Reason Read: Just Because
Spice Rating: 3 / 5
Rating:

Also in this series: The Viscount Who Loved Me, An Offer from a Gentleman
My Thoughts

I’m glad I decided to read THE DUKE AND I because it was such a fun, steamy historical fiction romance. Despite taking place during the time of one’s reputation being the most important thing, there are plenty of swoon-worthy moments. I really loved Daphne and her courage to help Simon, the Duke of Hastings, overcome his past trauma by showing him that love is more powerful and healing than anger and resentment. I loved the instant connection and attraction between Daphne and Simon. I especially loved the sexual tension between the two of them.

The edition I read had a second epilogue, which was fun but way too long and a bit overkill. I loved being able to see Daphne and Simon happy together with their grown children, but I rolled my eyes a couple of times at the sap.

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Bringing Down The Duke

Bringing Down The DukeTitle: Bringing Down the Duke
Author: Evie Dunmore
Series: League of Extraordinary Women #1
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Format: Audio
Pages: 356
Length: 12h 20m
Narrator: Elizabeth Jasicki
Reason Read: Just Because
Spice Rating: 3 / 5
Rating:

My Thoughts

BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE was such a fun, steamy historical fiction romance. I really loved the setting of Victorian era England, just at the beginning of the suffragette movement and the admission of women to Oxford. I thought it gave the romance and characters, especially Annabelle and Sebastian, some depth. Not only did I love the theme of women’s rights and equality, I also loved the themes of friendship, finding one’s own way, and duty to one’s country vs. being on the right side of history.

I really loved Annabelle and her willingness to speak her mind even though it was looked down on at that time. I loved the instant connection and attraction between her and Sebastian, the Duke of Montgomery. I especially loved the sexual tension between the two of them.

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When I’m Dead

When I’m DeadTitle: When I'm Dead
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #3
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 308
Length: 10h 37m
Narrator: Xe Sands, Andrew Eiden, Caitlyn Kelly, Gary Tiedemann
Reason Read: Book of the Month
Rating:

Also in this series: Hello, Transcriber, The Widowmaker
My Thoughts

WHEN I’M DEAD is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s thought-provoking and deals with subjects like bullying, suicide, and parent / child relationships. I thought the story was captivating, emotional, and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s prose. It’s so descriptive and beautiful. (Although, if I heard “shadow of a doubt” one more time, I might have screamed.) I really liked that the story’s told from multiple POVs. I loved the different look into what was going on and I thought each POV was unique and made the story better.

I really liked the characters, especially Rowan and Axel. Their anxiety and fear was so palpable. Reading from each of their POVs was thrilling because of need to find their daughter, Chloe, and their self-doubt in wondering whether they were good parents and really knew their daughter. There was so much more emotion in this story than the previous two books, which kept me reading and thinking about the story when I wasn’t.

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The Widowmaker

The WidowmakerTitle: The Widowmaker
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #2
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 293
Length: 10h 39m
Narrator: Xe Sands, Adam Verner
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:

Also in this series: Hello, Transcriber, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

THE WIDOWMAKER is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s very thought-provoking and deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, abuse, and sexual assault. I thought the story was captivating and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose. I also enjoyed that the story’s told in a dual POV. It took me a few chapters to understand what was happening. When I wasn’t listening to the audiobook, I was thinking about the characters and their lives.

I liked both of the main characters. I also liked the narrators for the audiobook. They both did a great job bringing Morgan and Investigator Hudson to life. I thought some of the secondary characters were a bit flat and could’ve been fleshed out more. I liked the little Easter eggs pointing to HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when Hudson was interacting with and talking about Sgt. Kole.

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Hello, Transcriber

Hello, TranscriberTitle: Hello, Transcriber
Author: Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #1
Genre: Romance, Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 296
Length: 9h 1m
Narrator: Angela Dawe
Reason Read: Just Because
Spice Rating: 2.5 / 5
Rating:

Also in this series: The Widowmaker, When I'm Dead
My Thoughts

HELLO, TRANSCRIBER was a captivating romantic thriller. Thanks to Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose, I zipped right through it as it hooked me right from the beginning and has left me thinking about the characters and their relationships. It’s more than a thriller with romantic fluff. It’s also a thought-provoking story that deals with hard subjects like spousal abuse, depression and suicidal ideation, homo- and transphobia, and drug use in minors.

I could see the big twist at the end. Knowing about the twist didn’t ruin the suspense or story for me, though, because I still wanted to know how everything would play out. I’m disappointed that Hazel and Nik didn’t stay together in the end. I feel like it could’ve worked out without damaging the overall feeling of the story.