AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Dangerous Highlander (Dark Sword #1)

Dangerous Highlander (Dark Sword #1), by Donna Grant
Publish Date: December 29, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: audiobook, purchased
Genre: adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) He is magnificently strong—and dangerously seductive. One of the fiercest of his clan, Lucan MacLeod is a legend among warriors, inspiring fear in man and woman alike. For three hundred years, he has locked himself away from the world, hiding the vengeful god imprisoned in his soul. But then, a young lass caught in a raging storm awakens his deepest impulses...and darkest desires.

Cara doesn't believe the rumors about the MacLeod castle—until the majestic Highland warrior appears like a fiery vision in the storm, pulling her into his powerful arms, and into his world of magic and Druids. An epic war between good and evil is brewing. And Lucan must battle his all-consuming attraction for Cara--or surrender to the flames of a reckless, impossible love that threatens to destroy them both...

Swashbuckling Scots with a paranormal flair set in medieval times - there was no way I wasn't going to love Dangerous Highlander. And I did love it - particularly when read in Antony Ferguson's sexy British accent. I've been meaning to read this series and its spin-offs for a long time now. Having been published more than seven years ago, Dangerous Highlander has been around for awhile. But, now that I've finally got book one under my belt, I feel like I can't read the rest of them fast enough. 

In Dangerous Highlander, we get a lot of backstory. It's to be expected - this is the first book in a paranormal series with good druids and bad druids and gods and beasts and warriors. The reader needs to learn about how we came to be where we are now, who the good guys are and what they're fighting for. There were times in the beginning when the info dump threatened to be a bit too much, but once the story got going and we got to know the characters, I really got into it. 

There's a lot going on in Dangerous Highlander, but the story centers around the romance between Cara, a sweet, orphaned would-be nun and Lucan MacLeod, a tortured, 300-year-old Scottish warrior who has an ancient god living inside him. There are obvious barriers to them being together - Lucan's skin turns black from time to time and Cara is harboring powers she doesn't understand yet. Plus, there's a nasty druid out there trying to capture Lucan and his two brothers, and she's pretty darn determined. 

Dangerous Highlander has a lot of awesome stuff going for it. It is super swoony and sexy. Lucan is one hot, sexy Scot, and the connection he has with Cara is intense and immediate. He is the alpha male, even though he's the middle brother. He's incredibly protective of his brothers and of the woman he falls in love with. He's everything I love in a hero. 

There's also some awesomely cool mythology at play. The backstory of how the three MacLeod brothers got an ancient god locked inside of them and how that god gives them powers is interesting. I liked watching Cara start to discover her powers. And the other warriors with the different gods inside them was clever. 

We learn a lot about Lucan's brothers Quinn and Fallon and the differences between them. They all have handled their situation very differently, and I can tell that that will affect their future happiness. And, of course that will drive me forward into the next book. 

I listened to the audio version of Dangerous Highlander, and I really loved it. Antony Ferguson is a British narrator who does a fantastic Scottish accent. I really loved his performance and hope he does the other books in this series. Because I will assuredly be listening to them. 

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: King of Wall Street

King of Wall Street, by Louise Bay
Publish Date: August 24, 2016
Publisher: self-published
Format: audiobooks, purchased
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(Synopsis) I keep my two worlds separate. 

At work, I’m King of Wall Street. The heaviest hitters in Manhattan come to me to make money. They do whatever I say because I’m always right. I’m shrewd. Exacting. Some say ruthless.

At home, I’m a single dad trying to keep his fourteen year old daughter a kid for as long as possible. If my daughter does what I say, somewhere there’s a snowball surviving in hell. And nothing I say is ever right.

When Harper Jayne starts as a junior researcher at my firm, the barriers between my worlds begin to dissolve. She’s the most infuriating woman I’ve ever worked with.
I don’t like the way she bends over the photocopier—it makes my mouth water.
I hate the way she’s so eager to do a good job—it makes my dick twitch.

And I can’t stand the way she wears her hair up exposing her long neck. It makes me want to strip her naked, bend her over my desk and trail my tongue all over her body.
If my two worlds are going to collide, Harper Jayne will have to learn that I don't just rule the boardroom. I’m in charge of the bedroom, too.

The boss/employee trope never gets old for me. It's one of my favorites, not just because of the office shenanigans that inevitably happen, but because of the forbidden aspect of the relationship. It's always fun to see how they get by the rules that prevent them from being together. 

King of Wall Street is a perfect example of all the things I love about this trope. Max King is CEO of his company and the king of his castle. He rules at work, and at home, he's the boss of his 14-year-old daughter. So, the out-of-control feeling he gets when he sees Harper Jayne around the office is unnerving. 

That is the part that I love about this book. Max is obviously used to being in charge and maintaining control. This ultra-alpha male acts completely out of character around Harper. This leads to lots of dirty thoughts and even dirtier acts. And after every one, both he and Harper swear it's the last time. 

Famous last words. They don't want to want each other. Max is Harper's boss. Harper doesn't even particularly like Max since his attraction to her translated into irritation at the office. Add in the fact that Max is trying to keep his life with his daughter separate from his corporate persona, and it all equals a complicated mess for these two. 

Neither of them planned to delve any deeper than their crazy attraction to one another. But, screwing leads to talking, and soon they realize that there's more to each other than a pretty face. The chemistry between Max and Harper was high and the angst and drama was relatively low, all things considered.  

King of Wall Street is narrated by the amazing audiobook duo, Andy Arndt and Sebastian York. If you have never listened to a book narrated by these two, you should go fix that problem now. They are great individually, but when they team up, you just know the book is going to be amazing. 

I'm already looking forward to the next book in this series, Park Avenue Prince. If it's as good as King of Wall Street, I know I'll love it. 

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Ride Steady (Chaos #3)

Ride Steady (Chaos #3), by Kristen Ashley
Publish Date: June 30, 2015
Publisher: Forever Romance
Format: audiobook, purchased
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) The ride of her life . . . 

Once upon a time, Carissa Teodoro believed in happy endings. Money, marriage, motherhood: everything came easy---until she woke up to the ugly truth about her Prince Charming. Now a struggling, single mom and stranded by a flat tire, Carissa's pondering her mistakes when a vaguely familiar knight rides to her rescue on a ton of horsepower.

Climb on and hold tight . . .

In high school, Carson Steele was a bad boy loner who put Carissa on a pedestal where she stayed far beyond his reach. Today, he's the hard-bodied biker known only as Joker, and from the way Carissa's acting, it's clear she's falling fast. While catching her is irresistible, knowing what to do with her is a different story. A good girl like Carissa is the least likely fit with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. Too bad holding back is so damned hard. Now, as Joker's secrets are revealed and an outside threat endangers the club, Joker must decide whether to ride steady with Carissa---or ride away forever . . .

How do I begin to tell you how much I loved this book? Where do you start with something like that? You know, after I finished reading Own the Wind (Chaos #1), I thought there couldn't be anyone more amazing than Shy. Then I read Fire Inside (Chaos #2), and didn't think it could get any better than Hop. But, Joker... seriously. He. Is. The. Best. 

This is a classic story with a modern face. The misunderstood bad boy in school who liked the prom queen, but never got noticed by her finally gets his shot years later when both of them are in a different place in their lives. But, in this case, the bad boy is a bad ass biker and the prom queen has fallen so far from grace that she can't even recognize herself. 

When Carson "Joker" Steele ran into his high school crush, Carissa Teodoro, years after the last time he'd seen her, he was thrown for a loop. Despite the fact that she is now unattached, albeit with an 8-month old baby, Joker is stuck in the belief that she's too good for him, so despite her obvious interest in him, he rebuffs her again and again. 

While I don't think I've ever met a biker I liked more thank Joker, I can honestly say that I've never met an old lady that I liked more than Carissa. This poor woman has been kicked while she was down again and again and again. And yet, she sees something in Joker that she hasn't seen in awhile - honesty, kindness, and someone pure of heart. And she wants that. So badly. So, she goes after it. I was completely on team Carissa. 

Carissa doesn't recognize Joker at first as the boy she knew in high school. Which makes her instant acceptance of him and his brothers and his club and his lifestyle even more special. After she realizes who he is, it was like the final sign that these two were meant to be together all along. Carissa is given multiple chances to question Joker, to turn away from him when things get hard or complicated, and she never once makes the wrong choice. 

From the very beginning, I was captivated by Carissa's and Joker's star crossed lovers story. I couldn't wait for Carissa's horrible ex to get what was coming to him. I ate up the moments when Joker played "daddy" to Carissa's baby son. And the moments between Carissa and Joker were so completely perfect. I loved how Joker always seemed to know what Carissa needed from him, and he gave it to her. And vice versa. 

About the Audio Version

Once again Kate Russell did a phenomenal job narrating Ride Steady. She is the same narrator that did Fire Inside, and she was brilliant in that as well. She voiced Joker and Carissa and all the supporting characters with the best intensity and inflection. I am absolutely loving the audio versions of this series, and can't wait for the next one.