This has gotten multiple 5 star reviews for both performance and story (writing), so I’m TRYING to push through. Buuuut I’m halfway through the first book and I haven’t been pulled into the story.
The writing is clunky, but manageable. It’s not particularly florid. It’s very straightforward and lacking a creative depth. I appreciate the FMC being very independent, but the writing is very… also misogynistic? The storyline of kidnapping the FMC is just weird for a romance. It’s possible this book was just not titled properly as I know there are a plethora of different kinks. But I absolutely did not pick up this shifter book to be told about how the FMC is terrified and the MMC is entirely obtuse. (She keeps saying she wants to go home after being kidnapped and he has no idea what she’s talking about, genuinely. And there’s no discussion of how she feels about all this nor discussion from his perspective that something might be wrong.)
I find the performance (again, JUST for the first book) lackluster. It’s delivered in a very “once upon a time” style of storytelling, rather than delivery with interpretation, which used to be common but is no longer the predominant style of narrating. Also, why “BROOCH” wasn’t picked up in proofing is beyond me, the vowel sound in the middle is short, not long. And the way the characters are performed is really shallow. There’s no immersion for the listener to feel like these characters are real. It FEELS like a performance of play-acting.
I’m TRYING to give this a real try and finish at least this first book, but it’s taking a great deal of effort.