Katy

Okay story - okay readers

Reviewed: 09-04-24

This story was okay. I had really high hopes but was constantly confused about the world that was built. So much of it seemed to have not been thought out or described well. I enjoyed the love story, but I didn't like the mmc. He was just ... meh. I also genuinely did not enjoy the performance of the female reader. Her voices were almost comical and cartoonish. It was distracting and I think made me not like certain characters as much.

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Great story, great chemistry, great fun!

Reviewed: 01-28-15

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a little magic and fairy tale. This is not a remaking of Sleeping Beauty, but the main character Aurora is the daughter of Sleeping Beauty and she is Fey blessed. She needs to save her little brother from the evil, and very disturbing, Ogre Queen Ekeeta. She meets Niklaas and he believes that she is her younger brother. The two travel together, arguing and teasing and getting to know each other. It's a good story!

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I really loved the story, honestly, it made me smile so often. And I read reviews from some people who didn't like it and they commented the the development of the world was lacking. And I agree. I would say, most people do not know the original Sleeping Beauty story and this book was based off THAT story. So, I think it would be have been better if she'd included a synopsis of that story or something in order to better set the world they were in. Otherwise, you have questions that you don't get answers to at all. I decided to read a synopsis of the original story and suddenly the whole book made sense. I was never lost after that point (Wikipedia). Aurora and Jour (Jor in this book) are the actual children of Sleeping Beauty.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot, shook my head a lot, teared up some too. It was a charming story and I'd very eagerly read it again. At first I didn't like Julia Whelan's voice for Niklaas but it didn't take more than a couple chapters before I knew it was perfect for his hysterical character.

Any additional comments?

Aurora and Niklaas enjoy a very interesting relationship. As for most of the book, he believes she is a 14 year old boy, he talks to her about things he wouldn't talk to a girl about. He's quite cocky and proud of himself and has had his fair share of girls. He likes to inform "Ror" as he calls Aurora, about what women like and so on. Aurora's reactions are funny, her argumentative nature is funny and the way the two play off each other is wonderful.

I did like the climax of the book as well. It was short and unexpected, but it had me worried and wondering what was going to happen next. I like books where I am surprised by people's actions, rather than expecting them and this book more than delivered!

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6 people found this helpful

Susan Elizabeth Philips delivers again!!!

Reviewed: 01-20-15

If you could sum up Heroes Are My Weakness in three words, what would they be?

Really? Only three words? Mischievous. Deep. Heartfelt.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Annie and her puppets. Scamp, of course, was my favorite. Annie, though scared of Theo at first, is not afraid to be mischievous. She'll make you laugh and gasp with surprise.

What about Erin Bennett’s performance did you like?

Erin Bennett did fantastic work and I really loved the voice she gave the children in the story. And her performance with Scamp - hysterical! She's quite talented.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I both laughed and cried. At first, I'm wondering about this Theo dude. He had this horribly creepy past where he was cruel and untrustworthy and yet, I'm totally intrigued by him, just like Annie. When you find out that he is so much more than his past and his past is so much bigger that what Annie knows, you feel pulled to him. You want to comfort him and help him heal and believe in himself. And you're sad for the terrible losses he's had in his life. While at the same time, Annie and her ventriloquist abilities will make you laugh and groan.

Any additional comments?

Susan Elizabeth Philips is NOT an author I should read right before reading someone who doesn't write with as much depth of character. I LOVE her characters and when I read other books, I can't help but wonder how much better SEP would write them - or if she'd even lower herself to write a character so superficial. Every single one of her books have made me laugh and cry and feel great at the end.

The only issue I have, and it's probably because I've read so many of her books, is that they all seem to end the same way - with the guy needing to chase down the girl and prove his love because she does not believe him. I'm a little tired of that, but not enough to stop reading her.

Bring on your next masterpiece, SEP!

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2 people found this helpful

Cute story - dull reader

Reviewed: 01-20-15

What disappointed you about The Ideal Man?

Okay - I've read this book before, but I tend not to pay attention as well, until I hear it. And so things that did not annoy me at all while reading it - annoyed me to death while listening.

Julie Garwood missed a lot of marks. First of all, Ellie, the main character, looks the Landry's (bad guys - and a married couple who are arms dealers - whaa?) right in the face and notices a lot of details about them, from fake contacts, to a wig, and sun glasses and portliness and all this stuff, but when it comes time to identify them, she cannot. HOWEVER, she is able to identify, from mug shots, several patients she's worked on over the years.

Evan Patterson's (childhood stalker from hell) parents are supposed to be wealthy and powerful and smart enough to get their son out of jail and into private mental institutions, but behaved like they were down on their luck, poverty stricken, mean-spirited, ignorant, chain-smoking morons.

Ellie randomly diagnoses people. She sees a man with a wonky mole and tells him he has cancer. Nevermind she a trauma surgeon and even people trained to look for that kinda thing would still need to make sure. She sees someone across the courtroom and diagnoses him, publicly, with pink eye because, of course, there is no way he could have had an eyelash stuck or a contact go wacky.

The high-powered attorney for the Landry's keeps repeating the same question, like an idiot, and is, "unzipped". Really?

The hired gun is really confident and sure of himself, but spends 4 days hiding in the falls waiting for Ellie and Max to show up because they MIGHT go see the sights? He also gets a text telling him to cancel the hit on Ellie, but decides to ignore it so he can keep half the money...dude, they told you to cancel, they aren't paying you if you do it. And even knowing that he tried to kill her without a contract, they're still giving him a deal and putting him in witness protection.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the relationships in the story. Ellie with her foster parents, Ellie and her real parents, her sisters, and Max with his friends and co-workers. I laughed at the broken air conditioners and the cheap parents who buy bright purple paint because it's on sale. I genuinely wish I could have read her sister Annie's story in it's own book.

For the most part, Julie Garwood's books always make me smile and I love that the guy and the girl are going to get together at the end. Julie Garwood is an author I will ALWAYS read. I've read most of her books a couple of times and even though the girls are always stunningly beautiful and then men are perfectly handsome - that's what I love. Those stories that are romantic and sweet and something to dream about.

Would you be willing to try another one of Christina Traister’s performances?

No. Not at all. BORING. When Ellie tells Max she needs to get a pregnancy test, he answers with the same toneless, bored "okay" as when she he's hearing the story of how she saved a choking man's life when another doctor thought he was having a heart attack. DULL. DULL. When she narrated the men's voices she was lifeless and tired. I think maybe she was picked for it because she does the women's voices with little laughs and inflections, but the men sounded the same and were exceedingly blah. It was actually distracting from the story. I would not have cared to hang out with the Max that Traister created, but rather the one I heard in my head when I was reading it.

Any additional comments?

I LOVE Julie Garwood. I do wish sometimes she'd write with a little more depth and back story, but she still makes me smile and dream. Whenever I close one of her books, I do it with a grin on my face and wonder when the next one is coming.

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1 person found this helpful