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Blood to Dust
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A great story with fantastic voice acting.
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A good story spoilt by certain proclivities!!!
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They say your first kiss should be earned. Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
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God-awful pathetic woman
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LOVED IT!! soo gripping!
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They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it's true. The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover. Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn't leaving until he takes me with him.
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The book is amazing
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They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me...now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it. I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life. She’s about to shell out some serious tears.
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A great story with fantastic voice acting.
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A good story spoilt by certain proclivities!!!
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They say your first kiss should be earned. Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.
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God-awful pathetic woman
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Sparrow
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LOVED IT!! soo gripping!
- By Sawyer on 22-01-18
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Vicious
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They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it's true. The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover. Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn't leaving until he takes me with him.
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Ruckus
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They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right. No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking. He is my forbidden, shiny apple. The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth. He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend. One thing you should know before you judge me: I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first. Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance. Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. Hopefully, he isn't too late.
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The book is amazing
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Scandalous
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They call him The Mute for a reason. Hard, cold, and calculated, he rarely speaks. When he does, it's with disdain. When he does, his words aren't meant for me. When he does, my stomach flips and my world tilts on its axis. He is 33. I am 18. He's a single dad and my father's business partner. I'm just a kid to him and his enemy's daughter. He's emotionally unavailable. And I am...feeling. Feeling things I shouldn't feel for him. Trent Rexroth is going to break my heart. The writing isn't just on the wall, it's inked on my soul.
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Amazing
- By laura on 24-06-19
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Midnight Blue
- By: L.J. Shen
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It should have been easy. I needed the money. He needed a babysitter to keep him from snorting himself to death. I was cherry-picked especially for him. Responsible. Optimistic. Warm. Innocent. The worst part is that I should have known better. Alex Winslow. British rock star. Serial heartbreaker. Casanova with whiskey eyes. “Don’t get near the devil in a leather jacket. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.” Guess what? I didn’t listen. I signed the contract. World tour. Three months. Four Continents. 100 shows. My name is Indigo Bellamy, and I sold my soul to a tattooed god.
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Just wonderful!!!
- By Garden girl on 05-06-18
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Bane
- By: L. J. Shen
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Bane: Naked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief, and a fraud. Last I heard, he was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living. Which is why I’m more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all - looking humbled. Thing is, I’m on a boycott. Literally - cut boys from my life. Permanently. Problem is, Bane is not a boy, he is all man, and I’m falling, crashing, drowning in his sweet, perfect lies.
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loved it
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In the Unlikely Event
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Sometimes you meet people who are out of this world, so you make them a part of yours. A one-night stand born from vengeance in a foreign land. An explosive chemistry neither of us could deny. We signed a contract on the back of a Boar’s Head Pub napkin that said if we ever met again, we would drop everything and be together. Eight years and thousands of miles later, he’s here. In New York. And he’s America’s music obsession.
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Pure enjoyment!
- By LI5A on 28-11-19
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Tyed
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Meet Blaire. An underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you). She doesn't do bad boys. Actually, she doesn't do boys, like, at all. Not that she's a lesbian. And not that there's anything wrong with being one. It's just that...well...she kind of needs to focus on graduating from college right now.
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Tyed audiobook
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Broken Knight
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Luna Rexroth is everyone’s favorite wallflower. Underneath the meek, tomboy exterior everyone loves (yet pities) is a girl who knows exactly what, and who, she wants - namely, the boy from the tree house who taught her how to curse in sign language. Who taught her how to laugh. To live. To love. Knight Cole is everyone’s favorite football hero. This daredevil hell-raiser could knock you up with his gaze alone, but he only has eyes for the girl across the street: Luna. But Luna is not who she used to be. She doesn’t need his protection anymore.
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Broken Knight is phenomenal
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Griffin Quinn was my childhood pen pal, the British boy who couldn’t have been more different from me. Over the years, through hundreds of letters, we became best friends, sharing our deepest, darkest secrets and forming a connection I never thought could break. Until one day it did. Then, out of the blue, a new letter arrived. A scathing one - one with eight years of pent-up anger. I had no choice but to finally come clean as to why I stopped writing. Griffin forgave me, and somehow we were able to rekindle our childhood connection.
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not a fan of the male narrator
- By Anonymous User on 01-12-19
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Hate Notes
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It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress. Something blue. I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.” Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true. The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there.
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LOVED THE CHARACTER AND THE HUMOR
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Slashes in the Snow
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I can feel it. I wake up in the middle of the night freaked out of my mind, paranoid a stranger is there. My skin prickles every time I leave my house, because I know someone is following me. I’m afraid. Alone. And there’s only one person left to turn to. The stepbrother I never met. He’s the president of a notorious motorcycle club and exactly the kind of person I need to protect me - cutthroat, cocky, dangerous. Little did I know, hot as all holy hell Ky Parish, downright loathes me. You know what they say - there's a fine line between love and hate. And I'm walking it.
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ENEMIES TO LOVERS/STEPBROTHER ROMANCE
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The Stopover
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I was upgraded to first class on a flight from London to New York. The food, champagne, and service were impeccable. The blue-eyed man sitting next to me, even better. He was suave and intelligent. We talked and laughed, and something clicked. Fate took over and the plane was grounded, and we had an unexpected stopover for the night. With no plans, we made our own.
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And she does it again!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
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There were always whispers about my roommate at Hillcrest Academy. The wealthiest of the wealthy sent their kids to our boarding school, and Brooke Bennett had been at the top, though I never quite knew why. She was fun and outgoing, but she kept quiet about her family. The only things she showed me were photographs of her brothers. I became fascinated with her second-oldest brother. Kai Bennett. Smoldering. Hypnotic. Alluring. Kai had eyes that pulled me in and a face that haunted my dreams.
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Enter Kai Bennett - my new favourite book boyfriend
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Damage: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance
- By: Natasha Knight
- Narrated by: Wen Ross, Mackenzie Cartwright
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We're a match made in hell, Stefan and I. He took me to exact his revenge. I went from being a pawn to my father to being a pawn to Stefan. The only difference is I have a ring the size of a boulder on my finger and a husband I don't want. And the hardest part is I thought he was different. I thought I was falling in love. I guess my father was right. I'm not a very smart girl. Stefan is a powerful man. He doesn't play nice, not if you're his enemy. But I've learned one thing about my husband.
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I'll say it again!
- By Alisha on 05-12-19
Summary
"Bonnie and Clyde meets Kill Bill." - Jenna, Goodreads
His name is Beat, and I should hate him.
Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I'm tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me.
His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't.
I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.
His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful.
Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.
His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his.
Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Garden girl
- 03-03-18
So exciting!
This is a book I love and listening to it is incredible. You hear detail you sometimes miss when to rip through a tense, exciting storyline. Great narration of the two main characters, Nate and Prescott. The only issue I had were the English accents. As a Brit these sections were difficult to listen to. However still an amazing listen.
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- Mad Moo
- 17-08-17
Not for the faint hearted!!!
Fab audio book.... thoroughly enjoyed it!!! plenty of twists and turns... Some heart stopping moments well worth a listen!!!
Although Godfrey was supposed to be a Cockney Londoner the voice artist made him Sound Northern Irish!!! Not that this was bad but it did make me chuckle!!!
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- Berkshire Book Wench
- 28-11-16
Please please please find another person to read!
This is the second L J Shen book that I have abandoned. I cannot bear the voice being used for the characters in this book. I will now again go and buy the kindle version so I can actually read it!
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- Sofia Talley
- 31-08-16
Beautiful, ugly, agonizing and elating
Blood To Dust tells the story of Prescott, a once privileged rich girl, turned drug dealer, who plans a revenge against the people who hurt her. Her plans fail, and when she's captured, the muscle man assigned to guard her is Nate, the ex-con with the poetic soul.
Prescott's plan is simple - seduce Nate, and make him switch teams.
The first half of the book is a beautiful love story, growing in the ugliest surroundings.
The second part of the book is the horrid, brutal revenge.
There's a lovely happy ending, but just like the rest of book, it's tinted with imperfection.
Blood to Dust is beautiful, ugly, simple, complicated, predictable, surprising, hopeless, hopeful, agonizing and elating.
It's painful, but it's also peppered with captivating, irresistible moments.
As much as I wanted to at times, I couldn't put it down.
The narration was very good, but a dual narration would have been better.
The book:
• 264 Pages • Contemporary • Taboo • Standalone • Happily Ever After • First-Person Narrative • Her POV • His POV
The romantic theme:
• Outlaw Romance
The read:
• Intense Read • Dark Read • Page Turner • Good Pace • Made Me Smile • Touching • Sad & Heartbreaking • Twists & Turns • Sexy • Dramatic • Provocative
Heat level:
• 3 / 5 (Includes hot and explicit sex scenes) • MF scenes • Dirty Talk • Vanilla Sex • Beyond Vanilla Sex
Story ingredients:
• Witty Banter • Heroic Rescue • Big Romantic Gestures • Big Secret • Action • Mystery & Suspense • Violence • Brutality • Sexual Abuse • Kidnapping
He is...
• Possessive • Emotionally Unavailable • Hot • Fit • Poor • Outlaw • Troubled Past
She is...
• Stunning • Sassy • Emotionally Unavailable • Strong • Unconventional • Money Problems • Troubled Past
50 of 50 people found this review helpful
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- Cheri
- 20-04-17
Dark! Raw! Twisted! Tale Of Love & Revenge!
I've had this audio in my library for some time now, and finally took the time to listen. From all the reviews I was expecting a dark story, and just when I didn't think it could get any darker, L. J. Shen blew my mind. This story could be brutal at times from the characters dire situations, betrayals, to the sex scenes. It was filled with lots of dark, raw emotions, and some scenes were disturbing to listen too, but it was also action packed. These characters go from being captor, and hostage to developing feelings for each other, and teaming up to go on a dangerous, and destructive path seeking revenge. Their story wasn't perfect, but it kept me in suspense with all the plot twist, and listening to their love grow for each other.
Michael Pauley's a great narrator with a unique voice. You could feel all the tortured emotions these characters felt from anguish, fear, despair, and a whole list of more. It was truly an emotional performance.
BTD was a intense dark story, but the more brutal scenes are relived through memories. It certainly comes with trigger warnings (sexual), and may not be for everyone..... it was almost a little too dark for my taste, but I would definitely listen to another story by L.J. Shen. It was a good whispersync deal!
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
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- The Audio Flow
- 07-09-16
Powerfully Unexpected Love story
L.Shen is such a powerful writer. I never know what to expect. That's the beauty of her work. She is able to create unlikely characters that your heart and mind griws to love. In this story, it is hard to tell at first who you actually like, who to trust and who will steal your heart.
Because I don't want to give away the plot, I will just say that there is Prescott who wants to survive and she will do anything to make that happen...including giving of herself. What makes this even better is the relationship that develops from the one she attempted to give herself too. Out of everything in her life she finds that even broken people can find their other half...
What a truly nontraditional love story. Full of action, passion, hate, ultimate sacrifice and healing. I loved this story because Shen's heroines always are written so well. At times when you think they are at their weakest, they show greater strength with or without a man.
Michael Pauley is fantastic. He is not just a narrator, he is a true voice actor. Believable with his character deliverance and easily brings the listener deeper into the story! Pure perfection.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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- Kim R.
- 10-11-16
MY FAVORITE AUDIOBOOK OF 2016!!!
If you could sum up Blood to Dust in three words, what would they be?
EXPLOSIVE. BRILLIANT. MINDBLOWING
What was one of the most memorable moments of Blood to Dust?
My most memorable moment was after Prescott seeks vengeance on Seb and she is near her breaking point..and Nate convinces her to keep fighting...“Promise me you won’t break.”“I don’t have any more fight in me.”He cups my face in his hands, so that I can’t escape his penetrating gaze. “Then I’ll give you some of mine.”Another favorite was when she refused to leave with the cops to save him and Nate gives this impassioned speech about how much he loves her.
Which scene was your favorite?
Too many to name! The scenes where they are on the run, blazing a path of destruction, exchanging razor sharp barbs, falling in love and having explosive sex!!
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
"Unbreakable."
Any additional comments?
The Michael Pauley narration was off the charts amazing! He embodied these characters so viscerally that I was enraptured throughout. He emotes spectacularly, his inflections are brilliant, line delivery pitch perfect (and LOL funny!), and I also love his interpretations of each and every character. This audio solidified him as my alltime fave male narrator.
MY FULL REVIEW“This is a story of a boy and a girl fighting storms and trying to find peace in the most unexpected place. They try and find it in each other.”I thought nothing could top SPARROW by L.J. Shen, but Holy Wow, BLOOD TO DUST did just that! This Bonnie and Clyde romantic thriller with a gritty captivity twist blew me away on so many levels I do not have enough words to possible convey the gamut of emotions it stirred in me. It wrecked my heart, shattered my soul, made me laugh and cry and Feel. So. Much. While I have had the immense pleasure of reading many SENSATIONAL dark romantic thrillers, this one…this one I believe truly tops them all. One thing's for certain, it solidified Ms. Shen as an automatic 1-Click author for me.
BTD was brimming with so much intense emotion, BLAZING PASSION and nail-biting tension, it gave me heart palpitations throughout. It is dark and chilling…passionate and provocative…. beautiful and haunting…sadistic and sweet.... humorous and heartbreaking. All masterfully converging into one ADRENALINE-PUMPING masterpiece! There is just something so rejuvenating for me as a blogger to come across an author with the magnitude of talent that this author possesses. L.J. Shen has such a distinct narrative voice, unlike any I have read before. And her MASTERFUL character development is beyond compare!!! But what truly sets her apart for me is her ability to blend quirky, dark humor with gut-wrenching angst and thrilling suspense. She is truly a writing maestro!
The EXPLOSIVE chemistry between “Beat” and “Baby-Cakes” captivated me from the start, and their deliciously dirty, razor-sharp banter was a true highlight!!! Their odyssey from stern captor/sassy prisoner to CRAZY-IN-LOVE partners in crime determined to take down their enemies in a bloodbath of EPIC proportions was brilliantly depicted, harrowing and heartwrenchingly beautiful. Ms. Shen's craftsmanship of Nate and Prescott is absolutely phenomenal. These characters are so achingly flawed and endearingly complex with so many layers and dimensions…and I instantly fell in love with them both. They are Peace and Storm... two polar opposites whose fates become inexorably intertwined.
Prescott is one the bravest heroines I have EVER read. Yet what I l adore about her is that she is strong yet vulnerable. Hard yet soft. A beautiful, vibrant wildcard with dark, tormenting secrets she keeps locked down so deep inside because it is too unbearable to face. She could break, and does on occasion, but NEVER in front of her enemies. She has no one in her corner until she is held captive by Nate, a troubled brute of a man who would not only eventually offer her the key to freedom but also stand and fight beside her. “I’ll fight your war while I’m winning mine.”Ultimately, he becomes her savior (even though she does not need one and proves to be more than capable of fighting her own battles!) but also her best friend. Her lover. Her reason for fighting with every fiber of her being. And FIGHT and FIGHT and FIGHT she does. She never gives up…even when every bone in her body screams at her to do so.
Prescott defines female empowerment, but in the rare moments of weakness when she has no fight left in her, Nate lifts her up, takes on her battles as his own, and ultimately gives her the strength to keep going. Gah! I get goosebumps just thinking about what this heroine went through but she finally emerges victorious, reclaiming every single “piece of her soul” that Godfrey, Camden and Seb had so viciously stolen. Ultimately, “Country Club” proves to be a true Braveheart--through and through.
And Nate….OMGGGG. Nate!!!! I have a SERIOUS SCHOOLGIRL CRUSH on Nate/Beat/Christopher Delaware! I flove everything about him! His big, brawny physique, his tortured soul, his gruff tenderness, his roguish charm, his caustic wit!!!! His sexy tats! His big, beautiful heart. His bad side and good side and everything in between. And the ending?? My lips are sealed except to say the final climactic showdown was so harrowing and scary intense, I am still hyperventilating from the aftershocks!!
In closing, BLOOD TO DUST is without a doubt among my top five reads of 2016! It is a darkly entrancing, triumphant tale--pulsating with MEGA FEELS!!--about the miraculous resilience of the human spirit, surviving against ALL ODDS, and finding the courage to never stop fighting for what you believe in, even when you have to blaze a path of destruction to achieve it.And, when all is said and done, at its core, this novel is about discovering a soul-deep love beyond your wildest dreams that’s “beautiful and ugly and broken…and whole.”
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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- Lydia D. Rella
- 20-08-16
Another 5 star audio for Michael Pauley & LJ Shen!
This is one gritty, raucous roller coaster of an audio. Make sure your seat belt is fastened for this one. The story of Beat and Pea isn't pretty and like most gritty romance, it's born out of violence and passion, and I loved it. They've both made decisions in their lives that may have been necessary or justified, but have placed them in the worst circumstances. Watching them change and learn to trust and love is wonderful. L.J. Shen's writing is at times brutal and shocking but the quiet moments of trust and finding your heart temper the harsh world she creates.
Michael Pauley's performance is as always, fantastic. The accents he pulls off (much like his narration of L.J. Shen's amazing book Sparrow - a definite MUST LISTEN) are brilliant and in the first chapter, fairly terrifying. Another amazing collaboration for L.J. Shen and Michael Pauley. I look forward to many more.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- CAROLYN 🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹
- 20-06-17
A GRIPPING EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT JOURNEY
It's all been said before.. it's dark, twisted, brutal, raw and chilling.. but it's also very well written, nail-bitingly tense, suspenseful and brilliantly narrated by Michael Pauley. This is definitely not a feel-good romance and it breaks the mould of 'normal' love stories because the hero and heroine are two very tortured damaged souls whose lives have not been kind to them and, as a result, they just can't do normal anymore. But they each find strength and peace in one another so, after a lot of angst, drama, danger, conflict, pain and bloodshed, they learn to trust, to heal, to smile again.. and to love.
I can't say I really enjoyed this dual POV listen.. I even contemplated stopping it a few times but, as I wanted to hear their HEA.. and to know the bad guys suffered for their many terrible sins, I journeyed on and I'm so glad I did. L.J.Shen certainly knows how to deliver a riveting story, push boundaries and write twisted hot sex scenes and, even though I was a bit on the fence with the story because it was out of my own personal comfort zone, I'm in awe of this talented author's writing skills.. which definitely deserve a 5 star rating.
Worth a credit? If you're looking for something different, if you want an unconventional love story and if you can handle a fairly raw listen (which included flash-backs of rape), then absolutely yes. I'm pleased I persevered with the dark and journeyed with the h/h to find the light that was waiting for a very deserving couple.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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- Nicole B.
- 05-04-17
Absolutely loved this book!!
I would give this five stars no doubt. It took me a minute to get used to it being narrated by a male but the story was so impactful and engaging that it no longer mattered. Beat and P are two of the best characters I've read in a long time. This book has tons of twist & turns, a superhot alpha male & a sexy take no BS heroin.
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
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- Inga Deborah James
- 06-11-16
Blood to Dust
What disappointed you about Blood to Dust?
I couldnt connect to either lead character. I dont know if it was because of the plot or the flat narration.
Has Blood to Dust turned you off from other books in this genre?
No.I enjoy well written Mafia Romance which features strong female characters. I will continue to read books in the genre.
What didn’t you like about Michael Pauley’s performance?
He didn't make me feel: I wasn't happy, sad, shocked etc.I couldn't connect to the characters and thus wasn't invested in their fate.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Blood to Dust?
I first need to read the ebook . The audio version didnt work for me. reading the book instead might change my opinion of it and then be able to better answer the question
Any additional comments?
“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author.”
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Debbie Doo
- 16-02-19
Disappointed
I believe I would have enjoyed this book with another narrator. It is a tough book to listen too and when the narration is so bland.... please take a listen and make sure you can listen to the entire book in that same monologue throughout.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Darla
- 11-01-19
GREAT READ! TERRIBLE NARRATION!!
I just couldn't get passed the narrator's voice. He sounded monotone and almost robotic, I couldn't get into the story. He was very hard to listen to. At first I thought it was the setting I was using to listen, but it wasn't. I had to stop listening, and ended up getting the kindle version and finishing the book that way. Once I started reading it, the story captivated me from beginning to end, and I would definitely recommend it, but NOT as an audiobook!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful