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.
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