The Story is wonderful, but the Narrator ruins it

Any additional comments?

I often purchase audio books to listen to after I have read a book - I get a more complete picture of the book because I hear things that I missed during reading, and vice versa.

That said, Thank heavens I read Six of Hearts first, or I'm pretty certain I would have marked this as "Did Not Finish".

At one point while listening, I honestly wondered if the narration was computer generated - it is that stilted. The narrator seems to stop to breathe at the end of every phrase as well as at every comma. She forgets to use an American accent with Jay half the time. She doesn't differentiate between voices, so you can't tell from listening who is speaking. She doesn't emote half the time, so it sounds flat and boring. I really hate to say all this, because I don't want to cause hurt feelings, but listening to this recording was just plain painful...

I truly enjoyed this story, and would highly recommend it -- but get the eBook version of Six of Hearts. Don't buy this narration.

14 people found this helpful

Don't get the audible book...narrator ruins it

What did you love best about Six of Hearts?

Characters all the characters have depth.
After the story reaches that peak storyline halfway thru the book
there are still twists and turns to look forward to

What didn’t you like about Donna Kelly’s performance?

Jay Fields sounds like a high pitched 15 year old. While Matilda sounds like she is 30 something.
She would raise her voice when she was suppose to whisper
The american accent was good, until she said Darlin'... which annoyingly came out as a sarcastic sounding Dawhhhhh-lliinnn' every time.

11 people found this helpful

Very bad narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I believe the narrator ruined this story for me. I should have been laughing instead I felt annoyed with the voice and the background noises she made. There was very little voice difference in the characters. I understand that may be difficult, but then narration of a book may not be your suitable profession. I hate to sound cruel, but this story should have been delightful for me.

Would you recommend Six of Hearts to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book, just not the audio.

Would you be willing to try another one of Donna Kelly’s performances?

I've added Donna Kelly to list of one other narrator that I will not listen to again.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

A better narrator.

8 people found this helpful

UNDERNEATH ALL THE ILLUSION WAS SWEET REVENGE

Now I'll be honest here - it took me a couple of semi-starts before I could overcome the female narrator's inability to do a convincing male voice - and even her female characters were indistinguishable from each other. But I was curious, intrigued and captivated by the mysterious, talented and handsome Jay whose personality stole my heart.... and it was him, coupled with the humorous banter that flowed easily between him and Matilda, and their sweet ever growing feelings for each other, that made me press on to find out just how this unusual love story was going to play out.

Let me spin the web for you.... Jay has returned to Ireland, seeks a Solicitor to sue a Newspaper - enter Hugh Matilda's Dad, Jay also needs somewhere to stay - Hugh has a spare room and so starts Matilda's infatuation with the fit, sexy and drool worthy Jay. And, as they live under the same roof, they soon become friends but the tension and sexual chemistry between them builds when Matilda goes on a couple of dates because Jay is giving out some very strange mixed messages. There's bad guys, good guys and a couple of good friends, there's a tragic backstory and a bit of drama revolving the bad guys and there's romance, sweetness, some sex and unfortunately sacrifices too. Jay is an Illusionist, Mentalist and a Trickster.... and with him nothing's quite as it seems..... so Matilda's questions remain unanswered, his secrets build and things aren't adding up but the one thing that remains constant is the unshakable chemistry between them and their faith in each other.

Jay and Matilda were likeable characters, his true identity could be 'read between the lines' early on in the book but there were a few surprises still up Jay's sleeve. However, I did think there was a lot of build-up to the reveal.... then 'poof' suddenly it was all over and the whole ending was, IMO, a bit anti climactic. Told from Matilda's funny, warm, vibrant and often confused POV.

Worth a credit? I really liked it but I just didn't love it, it delivered a very unusual plot line but it sadly fell a bit short at the end, I loved Jay but their relationship blew hot and cold and although there was romance, some passion and sex - I never really felt an epic love story. For me, I think the listen suffered a lot by having this particular narrator and so sadly my full enjoyment of it was a bit marred. However, I do think the tattooed, mysterious and talented Jay has deserved the credit all on his own for the Sting he managed to pull off, for being so damn sexy and nice and for his thoughtfulness at the end. If you're not sure then maybe put it in your Wish List and wait for a Sale.

9 people found this helpful

Should've read the book

First of, the narrator. I loved, loved! her Irish accent. English is not my mother tongue and it was quite charming and fascinating to listen to. But, the narrator has an issue pronouncing an S in the words. I got used to it by the middle of the book though, and it would not influence my review if not for other things. Throughout the whole book, it seemed as there was no end to sentences. No commas, no exclamation points, no punctuation whatsoever. It just went on and on in one fluid, unstoppable string of words. Most of the time, I couldn't say who's speaking. At least not for a bit or two after the sentence actually finished so, no variation in her voice. Not all the time, but enough to become annoying. And, if he is whispering something, narrator should lower her voice by at least few decibels. Not shout those whispered words. I understand their job isn't easy, but in this book, it ruined the story. From what little of the book I managed to read, I surmised I would enjoy it much more, and rated it higher, if I read more of it instead of listening. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to due to, well, life. So, there it is. Narration aside, the story is solid read. Characters felt real, romance felt real, and even if it's obvious who's who and what is going to happen (no need to be Watson or Sherlock to see it a mile away) the story is engaging enough to keep reading. So, if I find time to read it (not likely due to life), number of stars could be revised.

3 people found this helpful

Magical twist of a love story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Matilda. I loved being inside her head. She was quirky and funny, and most importantly she felt very real.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Hmm. The narrator left some things to be desired. She was great as Matilda and affected an Irish accent well. However, I don't think the voice of Jay was done well. It wasn't masculine enough nor was his American/Bostonian accent present. At one point in the story, a male Australian character was introduced and that accent attempt was atrocious! Narrator aside, the sound editing was not up to par. Ambient noises like paper rustling, knocks, and chatter were present distractions.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely. This book was very enjoyable with its mystery and Jay's immense bag of tricks. Cosway's story was quite unique in the romance genre. Bravo to her for creating something new.

Any additional comments?

My only criticism of this story is that I wish Cosway had held back a little more information from the reader. Jay wove an intricate plot for revenge which should have had more of the "prestige" and grand reveal fitting of a master illusionist. I wish I had been shocked in the end and I wasn't.

With that said, the characters in this book were believable and fun. The romance between Jay and Matilda was sweet but still ripe with hot, sexual tension. I hope that the other books in the hearts series are available on Audible soon.

3 people found this helpful

3.5 stars!

What did you love best about Six of Hearts?

I love that Jay and Matilda shared a house for a brief time while Jay set the final things in motion for his revenge plan. I loved how tempted they were by each other's presence.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Six of Hearts?

Jay proving he was better than Jessica at a certain sexual skill was very memorable. ;)

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Donna Kelly?

Perhaps British narrator Edita Brychta instead, although I have no idea if Edita would be proficient with either an Irish accent (for the majority of characters) or Irish-American accent (for Jay). I just didn’t care for Donna Kelly’s narrating style overall. Her accent for Jason and her sometimes halting delivery were hard to like. She wasn’t awful, but I’d definitely think twice about one-clicking another audiobook narrated by her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, that's a rare thing for me though and has no real reflection on the story. Since I wasn't a big fan of Donna Kelly's narrating style, it was better to listen in daily chunks as I normally do.

Any additional comments?

•*¨*•What I liked about the lead characters:•*¨*•

★Matilda★ – I related to her awkward online dating results to the nth degree.

★Jay★ – I hated, hated that he smoked cancer sticks, eww! But I liked how cool his illusionist skills were and how he got his revenge on those stupid, greedy and evil people who caused his family’s death.

•*¨*•What I liked about the supporting characters:•*¨*•

★Matilda's dad★ - His honesty as a solicitor was refreshing, and I loved his reaction when Matilda finally told him she and Jay were dating, ha!

★Jessica★ – Jay’s assistant and friend. OMG! She was so frank at times. The 'who’s better at cunnilingus' scene was to die for, so very funny!

★Michelle★ – Matilda’s buddy. I liked that she had no qualms about her bisexuality and that Jay sussed out her attraction to Jessica immediately, ha!

•*¨*•
‘This feels too good to last.’ ~Matilda
★
But last it does thanks to Jay well executed revenge plan. Bravo, sir! I’ll just pretend Jay give up his cancer sticks sooner than later so he and Matilda have their fictional HEA for years and years.

1 person found this helpful

Intriguing read!

Very well written. Engaging romance that is so much more. Such a good story. Highly recommend!

1 person found this helpful

Long but good

What a unique story with so many factors that came together beautifully.

I will admit that I stopped this book a couple times because of narration. But the plot kept digging into my brain and not letting me go so I decided to just stick it out. OK! That being said... Donna Kelly is a story teller, not a narrator. She doesn't really do voices and she doesn't really narrate. At all. But she is a story teller and a pretty good one. If you go into the book with that fact in mind, you'll get thru it just fine.

The whole concept of an illusionist coming into this girl's life that has such a fantasy look on love. It's quite poetic actually.

It got a lot long in the middle. I dozed off for about and came back to it without rewinding and I'm pretty sure I didn't miss a thing. It just kinda drags on just a little.

That sounds terrible but really it wasn't. I loved the book and I know this will be one that I listen to again. It's a fantastic story. I will most definitely love on with the series!

1 person found this helpful

Great story, awful narration

I don’t like to talk bad about people doing their job, but this narrator came very close to ruining this book!! Her style and intonation were extremely hard to listen to, her lack of voices for different characters, and truly horrible accents made this book a 1 star. Different narration would make it a 5!