nero1279's reviews
351 reviews

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤  Hedly Thomas

This is a must for all those who listened to the podcast series of the same name. All the added extras that didn’t make it into the podcast is right here. You definitely could not read this book any other way than as an audio. 

Now, this is not my typical ear bud nibble, but this one was enjoyed by myself and hubby who was an avid listener to the Teachers Pet and the Teacher Trial podcast series. 

The only thing that was a little grating was the fact that the interviews with this book were not the actually interviewees, but narrators. Some of the voices were a little over the top. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise.  

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent if somewhat grating with some character portrayals. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive. 

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation at most times. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤  Elizabeth Evans

A solid performance.

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise.  

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive. 

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation at most times. 

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️🌶️     😘 

Ok, I am not a Mass fan. Shock and horror! For me there are many other pieces of work out there that surpass. In saying that I have managed to enjoy the Crescent City series. Yes, there is some world cross over between other well know Mass works, but you need not read them to enjoy this series. The 2 main characters are great and the supporting characters all add to the charm of the series. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤  Ramona Master

A solid and enjoyable listen. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise.  

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive. 

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation as most times. 

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️    😘 😘

Ok, as an earbud nibble, this was a solid read. The plot was solid, however a few little gaps that could have been plugged. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤  Walles Hamonde, Kelly Burke

Kelly’s portrayal is great, however I felt that Walles’s voice did not match Rebel’s characterisation. Far too soft and not demanding enough for such a badass. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise.  

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match FMC but did not match the MMC. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for both performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation as most times. 

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️    😘

Filling in the story from Sloane and Zeth story. That being of Sloane’s sister. Book one of this series is a slower burn than anything from the Blood and Rose series. I found that Sophia is portrayed less confidently and lacks the boldness FMC than that of Sloane. This is a little disappointing as Rebel’s character demands a feisty, bold and gutsy female lead. This could change however. 

As for the plot, this story has the potential, but lacks the depth as I found in the Blood a Rose series.  It is a short novella style story that could have been delved further for the reader. Still a pleasant ear bud read. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤 Stephanie Cannon, Jared Zeus. 

Both narrators do a sterling job with the various characters. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on most chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise for female narrator. Some mouth noise for male narrator on some occasions. 

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. There is an annoying clinking sound on some of the narration. Like a bracelet on a coffee cup. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for both performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation.

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️  😘😘

I have been (VERY MUCH SO) pleasantly surprised by this series - no, it’s not a literary masterpiece, but fits the dark romance to a tee. Not a full blown novel, but boy it certainly packs a punch for such short stories. This series features elements of trauma, enemies-to-lovers, interwoven through a dark romance. A fast-paced, adventurous, and mysterious plot, as well as the complex characters and their tumultuous relationships. The FMC is brilliantly constructed for such a book and the MMC is divinely badass. Definitely worth the ear bud time. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤 Stephanie Cannon, Jared Zeus. 

Both narrators do a sterling job with the various characters. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on most chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise for female narrator. Some mouth noise for male narrator on some occasions. 

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. There is an annoying clinking sound on some of the female narration. Like a bracelet on a coffee cup. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for both performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation.

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️  😘😘

I have been (VERY MUCH SO) pleasantly surprised by this series - no, it’s not a literary masterpiece, but fits the dark romance to a tee. Not a full blown novel, but boy it certainly packs a punch for such short stories. This series features elements of trauma, enemies-to-lovers, interwoven through a dark romance. A fast-paced, adventurous, and mysterious plot, as well as the complex characters and their tumultuous relationships. The FMC is brilliantly constructed for such a book and the MMC is divinely badass. Definitely worth the ear bud time. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤 Stephanie Cannon, Jared Zeus. 

Both narrators do a sterling job with the various characters. A good earbud nibble. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear on most chapters

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise for female narrator. Some mouth noise for male narrator on some occasions. 

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. There is an annoying clinking sound on some of the female narration. Like a bracelet on a coffee cup. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for both performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation.

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️  😘

I have been pleasantly surprised by this book - no, it’s not a literary masterpiece, but fits the dark romance. It had plenty of plot that kept the story flowing. I enjoyed both main characters with their ambiguous morals and their twisted connections. The book's themes of trauma, obsession, and the blurring of lines between good and evil resonated. It was fast-paced, and somewhat tense atmosphere. 

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️   production / 5 

🎤  NARRATED BY  🎤 Douglas Berger, Brooke Hayden. 

Same narrators, but due to the reading gap between books, I did not notice. Would make it difficult if you were doing a straight through read. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear 

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. No editing issues. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – attempts to bring to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for both performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation.

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️ 🌶️   😘😘

Book 4 but definitely read as a stand alone. No where near the BDMS of the other 3 books, this book was more plot driven. A rather rushed ending that did not really end the series in anyway. Overall a good ear bud nibble.

🎧AUDIO VERSION🎧   

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ production

🎤 NARRATED BY 🎤 narrated by Laurie West, Christian Black

Lovely story telling. 

ARTICULATION  - clean and clear 

BREATHING – controlled, volume, consistent, project appropriate, low mouth noise

DELIVERY – solid and in the spirit of the text and author’s intent. Timing and pacing is extremely appropriate. Varied and not too predictable. No editing issues. 

EYE BRAIN MOUTH CONTROL – accurate and effortless delivery.

CONSISTENT – high energy, good articulation, breath and pitch control.

ANALYSIS – understands the story arc and characters.

CHARACTERISATION – brings to life. Distinct and consistent in tone, attitude, age, accent. Voices match characters. 

SEPARATION- clear and decisive for all performers.

INVESTMENT – the emotional connection helps with visualisation.

🌶️ spice / 5
😘 romance / 3

📚  STORYLINE 🌶️🌶️  😘😘

I am glad I have listened to this story. It will make an interesting movie as indicated by Passionflix. An interesting storyline, however I found that the 2 MC weren’t explored emotionally enough for me. This lead to a weaker romance arc side of the story. The bonus chapter was simply a cruel twist for the reader. It didn’t end pleasantly for the side character and this put a dampener on the whole story for me. Please be warned that it does contain some major triggers and must be approached cautiously.