The Mackenzie Books vs. Audio

Even though I've recently been made aware of the controversy about Audible's ill treatment of authors, I already had a subscription.  I hadn't used it in a bit so I had 3 credits in the bank, so to speak.  Of course I snapped up the next three books in the Mackenzie family: Lord Mac, Cameron and Hart, the Duke of Kilmorgan.  After listening to them back to back, I figured out something. 

Of course, other fans may not agree with my opinion but I'm going to say this anyway. The rest of the books in audio format are tedious. Why would I say that especially after I waxed poetic over Ian's story? 

Perhaps it was the narrator, but I don't think that's entirely true. To expound on the vocals of the men, for Ian's story, all the brothers were present and the narrator had to give them specific voices to clearly differentiate them.  I continue to believe she did a bang-up job.  However, the voice for Cam (The Many Sins of  Lord Cameron) didn't sound the same as in Ian's book.  Hart's voice (The Duke's Perfect Wife) was more in line to his personality, and remained strong and deep during Lord Mac's story in Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage, and Cam's in The Many Sins of Lord Cameron. I was pleased and relieved to hear Ian's voice remained true for all of them.  Overall, I give Ms. Dawe her due. Her skill with male voices is more impressive and effective than some male narrators attempting female voices. If it's not the narrator, that leaves the writing. 

What all three have in common is the telling. I'd read the books in print and I enjoyed them. Maybe it's been awhile, maybe my tastes have changed or I'm more aware, but whatever the reason, I found myself disappointed and a bit let down. When reading a novel, whether it be in print on paper or on an eReader, I can skip parts that I realize I don't need. For example, the excerpts of past newspaper clippings that start each chapter in Lady Isabella and Mac's story; they annoyed me. I couldn't jump past them in audio format. The sex scenes were also harder to skip in audio than in print.  Skipping means the story moved at a faster pace.  I think I must have skipped parts of scenes at some point when I was reading the print books. Even saying that, I have fond memories of the print books from the past. Unfortunately, I won't be saying the same for the audio versions. I thought them slow and bogged down with telling. 

The more I think on it, the more I believe that the narrator did the best she could with the material. There's a ton of introspection, internal dialogue and description. With Hart and Eleanor's romance, annoyance is the predominate feeling, especially at the end when Hart finally opened up about his dark desires. All that buildup and it fizzles. The loud thought in my head at that point - "That's it?  That's all there is? That is considered the dark secret that he couldn't tell the heroine through the entire novel?"  There is more eroticism in the descriptions of Mac's paintings of Isabella than the climactic scene with Hart and Eleanor.  

There are highlights though. Like when the author wrote scenes with drama, suspense and action - they were well done and gripped my emotions. Those scenes woke me up, made me pay attention and ensured I was 100% engaged. I wanted more of that level of intensity and involvement but it wasn't there. Ms. Ashely has the talent to get the job done, but it didn't translate well to audio.  That was a revelation to me, you know.  It made me realize that not all books are strong enough to transition into audio format. There's a needed balance between narration and action, less introspection and more doing and dialogue to be successful in audio, and nothing made that more clear to me as when I listened to the three Mackenzie romances. 

I don't regret listening to them. I wanted all the brothers to have their HEAs, especially when it's finally revealed just how vile and mean their father truly was. How they came to be men of honor, protective and passionate, is all due to Hart's influence. There is still much to recommend in reading all the Mackenzie brother's romance stories, but if you can borrow them from your library's audio files, then that's the way to go instead of buying them outright. Take them for a spin and see if they're worth buying and keeping. 

What redeems them is Ian. Ms. Ashley created a character that is endearing, wonderful and engaging. I'm of the opinion that Ian is the glue that holds everything together.  It's not a wonder then, why, even though I don't find the other audiobooks to be on the same wow level, that I am still glad I bought and listened to the books. As I "watch" Beth and Ian continue their HEA as life goes on during the series, I continue to be grateful to the author for creating them in the first place. 

So, there you have it. Not all print books are strong enough to transition into audio format. Even a great narrator can't change that. 

Anecdotal - Vitamin D

 

I'm writing this post to add to the many anecdotes about Vitamin D. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)  is a real thing.  I had a horrible time with it a few years ago and when I was tested for Vitamin D deficiency, it was found to be extremely low. I was immediately given a prescription for 50,000 IU.  It seems living in the Northeast means I'm prone to SAD. 

Here's the anecdotal part of my story. 

I've known this co-worker for three years. In all that time, especially during tax time, he's been full of vigor and could work long hours without lagging. He has a brain for math, order and detail. 

This year something changed. We had a conversation once he dropped off his current project. "I don't know what is wrong with me. I have no energy. I can't focus. I'm going to bed at 7:30 PM because I just can't keep my eyes open.  This has never happened to me before!"

I could tell he was puzzled, frustrated and angry with himself. I asked him a few more questions then offered my experience with the effects of Vitamin D on my health. I told him I believed in it, that it's made a difference for me, especially in the winter months, and that I now take it weekly from November to March. I also said that Vitamin D is cheap enough and the worse that could happen is ... nothing. Your body needs that vitamin anyway and if it's not a Vitamin D deficiency, then there would be no change. I said, "It's a simple thing to try." He agreed.

Fast forward a week later. He came into my office and right away I noticed a different demeaner. His first words, "I want to thank you for your suggestion about Vitamin D. It's the only thing I changed and I can't believe the difference it's made. It's like night and day!"

I was so pleased I was able to make a difference, that I could help. 

"I even told my wife about how good I was feeling and now she's taking it too.  So, I just wanted to thank you for the advice. I still can't believe the change. It's amazing!"

So, there you go. More proof that it works; taking Vitamin D can make a difference in your mood, concentration and energy levels.  

Just like anything a person takes, more isn't always better. Too much Vitamin D can be harmful. But if you take an extra 1,000 IUs and you notice a change for the better, then you know you're on the right track.  Seeing your doctor is a prudent thing to do, just like I did. Sometimes, the level is SO low, you need a prescribed super boost to get you where you should be. 

If you experience low levels of energy and concentration, it's worth checking out your Vitamin D levels. You might be surprised at what you find out.

Ian Mackenzie Ear Swoon Report

I am still aglow.
I am sad that it's over.
I continue with the adoration of the novel, The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (you know, the one written by Jennifer Ashley).
My ears have now joined my eyes and brain as fans of Ian and if ears could swoon, mine would have.

It's all thanks to the incredible talents of narrator, Angela Dawe

I finally listened to the audiobook of Ian's story and through the stellar talent of Ms. Dawe, she brought  Ms. Ashley's Lord Ian Mackenzie to vivid life. That means I fell in 'love' with Ian all over again.

The strong point of Ms. Dawe's narration is her incredible talent with voices. She may have a melodious and sweet voice for her female characters, in this case Beth, the heroine, but her staggering ability with vocal ranges for male characters is truly a gift. That dark, strong and forceful voice she used for Ian's brother, Hart, caused trepidation and shivers - Ms. Dawe made him sound commanding and definitely 'Duke-ish'.

The Scottish accents, and I think Beth's maid might have been Irish, and of course the English accents, were integral in character differentiation. Every single character's voice was unique, which translated to bringing out their personalities if full flavor. The narrator provided a rich listening experience that is top-notch. I always thought Ms. Ashley's writing was awesome and Ian's story must be a shining jewel in her long career. It's well earned. Ms. Dawe had superb material to work with and her talent raised it that much higher in my esteem.

Do you realize that I started listening to it just this past Friday? I finished it at 2 a.m. Sunday morning! I listened to the novel in my car, at work, practically any moment where I had 30-45 minutes of straight listening time. When everyone went to bed, I shut of that blasted television and closed my eyes to sink into the romance story between Ian and Beth. It was sublime.

Here's one thing I DID forget - how sensual, titillating and passionate those 'open bedroom door' scenes were. I don't remember there being so many but I could not stop listening, or skip past those scenes. Why? Because Ms. Ashley is a clever writer. She incorporated critical increments of forward momentum of Beth and Ian's romance. The words, internal dialogue and emotional expressions were woven in so tightly, I had no choice but to listen and blush. Beth's calling herself a 'wicked, wicked woman' and Ian's focus to detail on what he wants to do with and to her, plus the descriptions used to paint a picture for a reader of Ian's pleasure with her body, caused me no end of heated cheeks. Listening to those words directly into my ears left me in no doubt about Ian's passion for Beth or hers for him. Ms. Dawe's narration wouldn't allow doubts.

Here's another thing that the narrator did - she captured the moment when Ian looked directly at Beth. Readers and fans of the novel know exactly why those moments were so powerful and emotional. Ian didn't make eye contact, hardly ever. When he did, it had meaning; a depth of meaning that is profound. Ms. Dawe captured that moment even through the audio venue. I was quite pleased.

I don't yet know if Ms. Dawe has narrated other romance stories of the Mackenzie family, and if not I hesitate to listen to them. Mostly because the quality of the narration by Ms. Dawe set a very high bar of expectation and I don't want to experience a let-down. My ears have, for lack of a better term, an audio glow; a pleasant listening memory I prefer not to diminish in any way.

Yes, indeed, if ears could swoon, mine would have. If anyone were to ask me if buying this audio version of The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie would be worth it, I wouldn't hesitate to say YES! Yes, yes yes. I was happy reading the book 10 years ago and I'm even more thrilled from listening to it today.

A huge THANK YOU to Jennifer Ashley for writing a romance that has held solid all these years, and to Ms. Dawe for creating audio magic and bringing Ian and Beth's romance to vivid life. Their happily ever after is all the sweeter for it.

That Doesn't Turn Me On!

 Back to the book life. 

Back to reading blurbs and trying to find one that catches my eye, piques my interest and makes me want to check it out. 

I sometimes think that mood plays a part in how a reader interprets a blurb. It may be a blurb in their favorite genre or trope but something just doesn't fit, and they pass. 

What I find annoying is a specific trope, or phrase.  I start off really enjoying a blurb and the more I read it, the more I think this might be the one, until one sentence sinks it. I'm done.  I'm over it. What started to turn me on, just shut me off. 

What can't I stand? Here's a few examples:

critically acclaimed

critically acclaimed author 

surrounded by secrets and heartache

and its dark secrets.

 the secret she's been keeping is revealed.

world of scandal, secrets and desire.

 and the secrets that tear them apart.

a secret that could destroy their fragile relationship.

There it is in a nutshell - secrets. A convenient plot conflict, a well-used trope that drives me nuts. The 'secret' is the scary threat; everything reads great, they overcome some major obstacles and just when you think they're going to make it, BAM! the secrets from the past show up and now all the gains are wiped out, trust is gone, one character is tragically hurt, or runs away to 'heal', or they become bitter enemies - so the book continues and now the story becomes focused on what they have to do -  whether it be to grovel,  connive or trick the other, or 'friendly secondary characters with good intentions'  manage to get them together and the hero and heroine both reluctantly admit the spark is still there, and they start again but now they have to work around the damage of the 'secret'.   

I despise the trope of secrets. I despise a story where one main character frets practically the entire book about their secret only to find out everyone forgives whatever it is, which can come across as too pat or contrived, or the supporting cast thinks nothing of it, or, and this is worse, they knew about it all along and didn't care.  I'm left with an anticlimactic ending, and the feeling of being let down or worse, duped. I'm so over secrets. They turn me off.

Then there is 'critically acclaimed' and NY Times bestseller, USA bestseller, whatever it might be.  The epitome of ridiculousness is an example from a recently read blurb that included references to numerous bestseller lists and that the author was acclaimed here and there, but do you know what was missing?  The story! Nothing about the book that would help determine who would want to buy the book. There was NOTHING but name dropping of all the 'bestseller' lists, and how 'important' they are because past books were 'acclaimed'. I had no idea if it was contemporary, a mystery, mainstream fiction, no mention of the characters, no teasers, no hooks, no idea what it was even about. Why would I buy it?  That turned me off. 

I guess it's a good thing they DO state that secrets are going to tear them apart. Why? Because I'll know not to buy the book. Also, I don't particularly care if a person is acclaimed or not - that's no guarantee that the current book is worth reading. Usually they are 'acclaiming' about previous books so I'm not impressed. Certainly not enough to spend money on a hardcover. Being 'acclaimed' does not turn me on. 

Yes, I'm opinionated. But I think you know that already.