| Title | : | The MacKinnon's Bride (The Highland Brides, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 356 |
| Publication | : | First published June 1, 1996 |
The MacKinnon's Bride (The Highland Brides, #1) Reviews
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My local reading group selected this book for our chat (they all loved it). We got it free on Bookbub, I think it's $1.99 on Kindle right now.
It’s been a good long while since I’ve read one of these vintage highland romances and even though this one does fall victim to several tropes of the sub-genre it was mostly a lot of fun to read.
Scotland 1818 When Iain married Mairi it was with the hope that their union would end the feud between their clans. Instead she loathed him and right after giving birth to their son she jumped to her death (dramatic much?). Naturally everyone blamed him. Fast forward few years and Iain’s been spending his time ruling his clan and raising his son and steering clear of the womanfolk. Can you blame him? But when his son is kidnapped he and his clan rescue him and a woman named Page who no one apparently wants.
This all happens in the first few chapter so no worries that I’ve gone and spoiled it all.
The rest of the book is a spirited romp (yep, I’m digging out the golden oldie review clichés for this one) that basically follows spitfire (oops, I did it again) Page, Iain and his clan of rowdy Scotsman around as they face treachery and drop their pants because them Scots like being as naked as the day they were born. Just trust me, it is some silly fun. It’s a little frustrating too, I’m not gonna lie, because Iain has kept things from Page that she really should know about but he’s done it to spare her tender feelings. Sweet but not the smartest move. If there are any menfolk reading this you might want to listen up. This tactic, no matter how well intentioned your motives, will always come back to bite you in the naked behind. Just saying.
The cast is filled with larger than life types, the romance though a wee bit aggravating at times, is tender and lovely and the relationships develop believably. I can forgive all the rest of the nitpicky stuff because the book made me smile quite a few times and that’s enough for me.
Your enjoyment of this story will rest on your tolerance for this sort of plot, exclamation marks, an excess of verra, mayhaps and dinna’s in the dialogue and damaged but good natured characters. I liked it, found it romantic even, but as I said I haven’t read one of these in ages and it was a nice blast to past for me and though it was way too long, it mostly just made feel happy to be reading it. Here’s a little taste to see if the humor works for you.
“Page shuddered at the bold way he appraised her once more. No man had ever dared look at her so—with such undisguised lust. It sent a jolt of alarm racing through her. And to her dismay, the tiniest thrill.
Another quiver shook her.
Mayhap she’d lost her wits when she’d collided with his monolith of a friend?
She cast a glance at the others and found them all staring, mouths agape. Page hoped their idiocy wasn’t contagious. They were half-wits! Every last one of them!
“Catching glowworms perchance?” she asked.
A ridiculous sight, the lot of them; their brows drew together in unison and they cast surprised glances at each other, then snapped their mouths shut.
“Bones o’ the bluidy saints, wench! ‘Tis no wonder your da lets you aboot in the middle o’ the night,” the leader said. “He’s like to be hopin’ ye’ll lose your way home in the dark.” -
One of the downfalls of reading books in the same genre for a little over twenty years, is the repetitive feel they sometimes get. This wasn't bad but it definitely had a been there done that feel to it; it had faint echoes of a Scottish Garwood.
Along with the nothing new feeling I had, the insta-lust and the immature heroine had me skimming some pages. The story arcs of the villain feeling wronged and Page's father not wanting her were ok along with the developing romance between Iain and Page but again, not particularly original. There was never an anticipation or feeling of fun to their journey.
This was a kindle freebie for me and because the writing and grammar was good, I'd say if you're not an old hat to romances, this is definitely worth the free download. -
This book is a novella length story stretched out into novel length by a lot of silly stuff and redundant inner monologues. I personally cannot enjoy fiction that contains characters who do dumb stuff that makes no sense while the author goes on and on with a lot of neurotic internal monologue in an attempt to justify the stupidity of what the character says and does. In this case she was very unsuccessful since a lot of the dumb stuff--e.g. the idiotic singing (just gag the shrew and get your sleep already) was just too dumb to be justifiable. Really, if the characters are genuine and the story authentic, the lengthy detours through the rumination swamp are unnecessary--in this case the author could probably cut away 3/4 of this nonsense and save the reader the trouble of having to skim through so much wasted redundant verbiage. I also cannot enjoy books with stupid or obnoxious heroines, and this bimbo was both. I cannot enjoy a book when I find myself hoping against hope that the characters will grow a brain, develop basic adult communication skills, and act vaguely like human beings. No luck here. What can I say about the hero? Only that he had really bad taste in wives. At first I thought the father, FitzSimon, was a really vile villain, but it didn't take long before I could totally sympathize with his desperation to dump the scrunt anyway he could. Now I can be happy because this boring nonsense is finished, erased from my Kindle, and I can move onto a better book.
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38% dnf
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OveruseUse of the word "mayhap" should not be allowed. Ever. -
Kindle Freebie!!! The MacKinnon's Bride (The Highland Brides Book 1) by Tanya Anne Crosby Thanks for the heads-up, Samantha!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
#1 Bestselling Historical Fiction
#1 Bestselling Historical Romance
Description:
Scotland 1118
Descended of the sons of MacAlpin, Iain MacKinnon refuses to bow to the English. When his young son is captured by a minion of the English king, the fierce Scottish chieftain vows to stop at nothing to secure the lad's return. Retaliating in kind, he captures the daughter of his enemy, planning to bargain with the devil ...
FitzSimon's daughter has lived her entire life in the shadow of the man she called father--yet never would she have imagined he would forsake his only daughter. Even as Page blames her captor for welching on a contract with her father, she suspects the truth. But the shadows hold secrets ... now only the love of her reluctant champion can save the MacKinnon's Bride.
This book begins The Highland Brides series.
Other books in this series:
Lyon's Gift
On Bended Knee
Lion Heart
Highland Song -
I bought this because Amazon had it for $0.99 and you could get the accompanying audio for a very cheap price if you bought the Kindle version. I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed it, although I did have to read more than listen due to the narrator. I think he did an excellent job overall, but I can't abide listening to a male narrator voicing the heroine. It's always a silly falsetto and I can't help viewing the heroine as a big dude in drag and then I giggle during the love scenes (yes, I'm secretly a 12-year-old boy). It may just be me, because this narration was rated highly by others. He did do a great job with the H and all the other parts (which happened to be 99% male).
This is the 3rd Tanya Anne Crosby novel I've read (also read
Kissed &
Viking's Prize). I enjoyed this one the most out of the three. Odd thing is, it was very sweet and the H/h relationship was not twisted or messed up at all even though she was a captive. In another author's hands this could have easily become a too-fluffy-DNF for me, but Crosby managed to pull it off and add the right amount of angst and a suitably villainous villain.
The book was truly humorous. I loved the MacKinnon clan and all their bickering and lack of pretension. The big guy who had fleas and talked constantly about his ingenious dog, Mary Bells, was great. I also thought the unfortunate adventures of the body of "poor Ranald" was morbidly hilarious. Poor smelly bastard.
The best thing was the hero. He was awesome. He's the kind of man you'd actually want to be with. Most of the alpha-jerk heroes I enjoy reading about are men I could NOT deal with in real life. Ian MacKinnon was an exception, even though he had all the potential to be a real dbag. He had a tragic past that involved cruel rejection and abandonment at the hands of his wife, lack of a mother, and he never felt loved by his father. Still, he was well-balanced and incredibly endearing while still being the big, tough laird of the clan.
I wasn't sure if I'd like the h at first. Page was kind of prickly. But the more you understood about her childhood and the more she let down her guard, the more I liked her. She de-flea'd precious Merry Bells, so you gotta give her credit. I think I may have to name my next dog Merry Bells.
The villain was disgustingly villainous with no redeeming characteristics, yet he managed to not be cartoonish. Sadly, he reminded me quite a bit of that whiny rich kid and his "manifesto" who just went on a killing spree out in California. So, life's not fair and the hot blondes don't want to have sex with you? Obviously, you're the most pitiful person on earth and everyone else deserves to die, even your own brother. That'll show 'em who the real alpha male is. That was pretty much the exact mindset of the villain in this book. Made me sick. *shudders* -
Two Wounded People Looking for Love
First in a Scottish historical series, this story is set in 1118 (prologue) and 1124, and tells the story of Iain, laird of the MacKinnons, and Page Fitzsimon, daughter of an English earl in Northumbria. Iain lost his wife when she committed suicide following the birth of their son. Now, six years later, his son Malcolm has been abducted and is being held in Fitzsimon’s castle. Iain kidnaps Page thinking to exchange her for the boy only to learn her father doesn’t want her back. Still, when the earl gives Iain back his son, Iain takes Page with him to Scotland.
When Iain meets Page it is instant lust on both their parts, but Page is a snippy shrew and Iain is mostly amused so it takes them a while to get together. The story is told largely though the characters’ introspection and there is much inner angst of the hero, heroine and villain. Most of the story is occupied with the travel of Page and Iain from her father’s castle in England to Iain’s donjon in Scotland. Both Iain and Page have experienced hurts and losses in their past which they must overcome to find love. Then, too, Iain must learn who the traitor is who was involved in his son’s abduction.
There isn’t much history in this one, and surprisingly none of the tension between the Highlander hero and the English heroine comes from their different nationalities. Still, Crosby can write well and captures the feel of the period bringing to life some endearing characters, including Iain’s son Malcolm. The story is a bit light on action and description of scenery and locations but there is enough to have a sense for it, particularly the dreary weather they face on their way to Scotland. -
I enjoyed this but it would have been better if the villain hadn't been such a large and obvious part of the story. There's no mystery as to who it is, and every time I was forced to listen to his blah, blah blahhing about why he was evil, I wanted fast forward the audiobook. To me, he came across as an ungrateful, self obsessed psychopath. I didn't need to hear his thoughts as they were incredibly obvious and predictable...
Page is so unloved, that her father didn't name her. Yet she's made the best of it and even after she's abducted by Iain to exchange for his young son that her father is holding, she shows no fear.
I liked how plucky she was, without being annoying. Iain was a strong leader with compassion.
Their romance would have been a sweet 'getting to know' ride, but it became more about the villain and when he would strike next. But I loved how Iain and Page give each other confidence and support.
safety is fine -
3 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was a good book for a freebie! I am super disappointed in the ending though (especially with what I put in my spoiler tag in the closure section below). I enjoyed the hate-to-love type aspect as well as the side characters. I really liked the H’s sweet son and his relationship with him. Overall, I enjoyed some parts it but it won’t be finding its new home on my favorites shelf.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Page and Iain’s story. Iain’s son has been kidnapped by his English enemy, so he makes a plan and kidnaps the man’s daughter to make an exchange. What he doesn’t expect is that the man wouldn’t care to get his daughter back and actually threatens her life if she were to return. Iain gets his son back, and realizes that he cannot tell Page the hurtful truth of what happened with her father so he plans on taking her home with him. After more time spent together, they are more and more drawn to one another. There are some suspenseful scenes, some sexy times, and some sweet moments...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on mainly Page and Iain in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good until the end. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well otherwise.
Instalove: No, they take a while (in the book) to develop stronger feelings.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Iain. I liked him. I especially liked his relationship with his son!
h (heroine) rating: 3 stars. Page. Her attitude actually bugged me a little (especially in the beginning), but overall I thought she was just alright.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: No
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This didn’t have nearly enough closure for me. The author writes a note at the end that this was a common comment from her readers so she wrote a separate epilogue novella that is available through KU. I find this to be one of my pet peeves and I don’t think I’m going to get the novella because of it. I’d call this a HFN ending .
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers -
It appears some of Tanya Anne Crosby's book covers received a makeover. This book being one of them. They're quite pretty! You should check out the webpage for this book on Audible.
I would actually rate this book somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars, somewhere like 2.8, and so I rounded up.
I was listening to the audiobook while I was pulling weeds in my back yard. I enjoyed the first half of the book. The majority of this first half is the hero Ian, heroine Page, Ian's son Malcolm, and the hero's clansmen, traveling from England to their home in Scotland. I did find it annoying that the heroine (and perhaps the hero as well) repetitively had internal dialogue about how her father doesn't love nor want her as a daughter and her jealousy/envy of Ian's relationship with his son. There's also insta-lust in their internal dialogues. The hero is not an alpha male. He was kind, tender, and protective of the heroine almost right from the beginning.
I was skeptical that the clan would easily accept an Englishwoman into their home. There was a laugh out loud moment when they'd reached their home in Scotland. Ian joined his son at a clansman's funeral after making love to Page (their second time in the book) and his son repeated Angus's blunt explanation for why Ian wasn't there sooner, "It's because you've been too long without a woman." Which is true. Ever since his wife , Ian haven't been with another woman. Then six-year-old Malcolm adds, "I've been too long without a woman, too." LOL. Of course, he means, he's been too long without a mother, to sing lullabies to him.
The villain's reason for being evil is not original. There are a few scenes the reader/listener get to read/hear his reasons and plans for getting rid of Ian and his son. The resolution was super anti-climactic. There's no epilogue, but I read in other reviews that the author wrote the epilogue in a novella. Maybe I'll read it if I can find it.
The male narrator pronounces the H sound in words that begin with "wh" like "when" and "where." If I can include a gif, I would love to add a gif of Stewie and Brian Griffin from the cool wHip scene from Family Guy. Here's a link instead :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmqJ... -
What can I say? It's a bit of fluff. It's true that the internal dialogues are redundant, but seriously, who would pick this up expecting to find the next Booker or Pulitzer within its pages?
And just because I found some of the other reviewers' comments funny, I'll repeat their concern... Warning: there are a couple of mildly described SEX scenes in this book. Likewise, I feel compelled to also warn you, there are ONLY a couple of sex scenes and they are MILDLY DESCRIBED.
It was a sweet story, the cover is pretty, and it's free on Amazon right now. -
I don't know what was wrong with me the last time I read this book. This is NOT 5 stars worthy.
What's with all the "!" in this book? Are we 5 years old? A heroine who wanted her father's approval but never got it. A hero with his young son met heroine. Abduction, rescue the young one, then abduction again then hero and heroine were attracted to each other but I couldn't figure out why. I started re-reading romance when I read this book over a year ago and can honestly say that I didn't know what a 5 star story was then. This book isn't bad, it just has a very juvenile feeling to it. Maybe it was a YA? -
Libro sin mas pretensiones que pasar un rato agradable.... La historia no tiene ni pies ni cabeza ya que no he entendido como se puede pasar al amor en dos paginas.... El de las da de muy salvaje y bruto pero luego es un cacho de pan , ella es una acomplejada de la vida que no te dan ganas de darla de tortas.... y el lenguaje no tiene nada que ver con el de la epoca....
Lo dicho sin mas pretensiones.... -
I think I tried to listen to this one earlier this year via the ARP, but I gave up because it was slow-going and male-narrated. Not that I mind a male-narrated audiobook, but it didn't sound all that Scottish, at least not the part I had listened to, and I was highly doubtful that he could pull off the female voices. However, upon giving the book a second chance, I find myself chagrined to admit that the narrator was actually pretty brilliant. At all parts and at making every voice seem singular. The tale was rather heartbreaking on the behalf of both main characters, but maybe equally for everyone else involved because they've seen each other suffer so much over the years because of others' poor choices. I expected a lot of banter and a sexy brogue and the author and narrator alike delivered. It's not my favorite novel set in the Highlands, but it was entertaining enough.
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The McKinnon’s Bride is the first Tanya Anne Crosby book that I have read, but it will not be the last!
From the first page, I was drawn into this exquisitely written story. Iain McKinnon is just the kind of hero a girl can dream about. My heart broke more than once for Page and I was glad to see her get away from her father.
Tanya doesn’t just tell this story. She makes you feel it. Not all authors are able to do that. Tanya is the Picasso of writing. A master artist, but instead of using paint or clay, Tanya uses words to paint beautiful, sweet, and exciting stories.
I have since read all the books in Tanya’s series and each one is even better than the last. However, The McKinnon’s Bride is still my favorite. -
This was a very enjoyable read. The H/h had quite a few problems to overcome but I thought it was well played out in the story. Well written and paced on target. The narration by Braden Wright was nicely done.
4-Stars -
This is a rewrite of a Harliquin romance turned clean and sweet. I love anything Scottish or Irish that is clean and well written. This has some great dialog of the Scottish tongue and I really enjoyed that part. This story doesn't have much movement or action it takes place over the course of a handful of days and too much time is spent in the characters minds. It did keep me reading and engaged but I was irritated with too many long paragraphs of inner reflection. This is still an adult read with some sensuality. Even rewritten these story's do not have the feel of a pride or prejudice type book.
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Vikki’s Musings
Rating 4.5
I am so glad I found this book on Amazon. I was also able to download the
audio version for an excellent price. I had never heard of Ms. Crosby, but the book description sounded intriguing, so I decided to take advantage of the great offer. I always enjoy a good medieval romance and this is a fantastic one.
Page is abducted so she can be exchanged for the MacKinnon’s son. Her father has the boy and plans to turn him over to the English king. When Laird MacKinnon arrives at her father’s keep, the man could care less what happens to his daughter. Through cunning and wit, the laird out maneuvers the earl and manages to get his son back, but the man tells him that if his daughter returns, he will cut out her tongue.
There is no way Iain will allow that to happen, so he tells Page he is keeping her for revenge, leaving Page with the impression her father wanted her after all, even though he has treated her so poorly all her life that he never even gave her a proper name.
Can Iain win his fair lady’s heart, or will his withholding the knowledge about Page’s father destroy any tender feelings she has for him?
Not only is there a beautiful romance between Page and Iain, there is a marvelous, action-packed plot that kept me engaged throughout the entire book. The suspenseful scenes are outstanding and even had my heart pounding. I was so enmeshed in this story, it felt as if I was Page and all her emotions were part of me. That is a great sign of an amazing storyteller.
Page is a marvelous character. Even though she has every reason to be cynical and negative, she is able to push all her hurts to the side and show a little boy tenderness and care, although she is in a frightening situation that would have the majority of women in hysterics. While Page is fierce and determined, she is still very feminine. I truly loved her character and wanted her to have her happy ending.
Iain, the MacKinnon is also a great character. He is fearless and a strong protector, plus he’s a Scottish warrior and a fierce leader, a man his clan can respect. Then add into the mix, he has the ability to love his son in an age where fathers did not actively raise their children. Even though love has not dealt him a winning hand in the past, he embraces his feeling for Page in a way that melted my heart.
The passion between Page and Iain sizzles from their first meeting. Ms. Crosby is great at building sexual tension. That is one of the reasons I love historical romance so much. While the love scenes are not explicit, they are sensual, and they are high with emotion. While I normally enjoy more explicit love scenes, these are so well written I found them very satisfying.
The MacKinnon’s Bride is a fantastic tale of love, intrigue and suspense with an excellent medieval setting. There is a good amount of historical detail without bogging down the story. While this is the first book I have read by Ms. Crosby, it will not be the last. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loved the medieval period. Happy reading!
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For some reason I have not had the pleasure of reading many historical romances lately. And this one left me wanting to read many more!
It jumps right into the story of Iain and his glorious accent. The usage of the language just drug me into the story. It takes authors a lot of work to get the accents and pronunciations correct and this was dead on! I felt like I was in Scotland the entire time! And putting the brogue aside, I felt for Iain right from the beginning. His wife throws herself out of the window after she gives birth to his heir. And this is after he promises himself that he would never touch her again if she didn't want him to. The fact that he was trying to turn over a new leaf for her even though it was very apparent that their relationship was not great, it just made me instantly like this guy.
From there it just got better. I could not put this fabulous historical romance down. The characters were fascinating. You could feel everything they could feel so I completely empathized with their plights.
I had not read Tanya Anne Crosby prior to this, but I intend to read more of her work. The writing is fabulous! -
This was a pleasant surprise from a new to me author. I will definitely be reading more of her works. I’ve been on a medieval romance kick for a while now and seem to have read a few really good ones in a row. Quite often medieval romance can be really, really bad when it goes wrong. TAC writes it competently with touches reminiscent of Julie Garwood who would definitely be my measuring stick when it comes to this genre.
If I have a criticism it’s that I’m not fond of books that happen over the course of a few days. By the end it feels strange that there is one big HEA when most of the action of the book takes place over a few hours or one particular day. -
Another reread of this one! Still going with 4.5 stars!!! I originally read the book 10/28/15 but this time I listened to the audiobook. I liked it well enough but I don’t really like when the male narrators do the female roles! The women always sound masculine. The same is true for female narrators doing male parts but I don’t have that much of a problem with it. In this one I kept imagining Page to look like China that used to be on the WWE?!?! 🤦🏻♀️🤷♀️ so 4.5 stars for the book and 4 stars for the audiobook.
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I love reading historical romances, especially when it involves sexy Scotsmen and this one is no exception! I fell in love with Iain MacKinnon right away and my heart went out to him at the kidnapping of his son. I felt so badly for Page who only wanted her father's love and yet all he wanted to do was get rid of her. I thought the story flowed well and I enjoyed the interactions between Iain and Page before they finally find their HEA.
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God her dad was a dick!!! Took a while for the sexy parts but I couldn't put this story down! Loved it!!!
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Dated and predictable. 2.5 stars
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4.7 stars
Once again I find myself enjoying this historical romance more than expected. It did not grab me immediately, mainly because the story does not really take off on a very exciting note, but when it did it had me. I did think that it was a little longer than it necessary since I figured out who the traitor was within the first several chapters. I did like the main characters once they became the focus of the story, their interactions were as I expected them to be. The peripheral characters had varying degrees of awareness for me.
When Laird Iain MacKinnon's son is taken and handed over to the English by a traitor the Scottish chieftain reacts by going after the daughter of the man holding his son. He wishes to make a trade with the man, his daughter for the return of his son. What he does not expect from FitzSimon after returning his son is that he would tell Iain to keep the girl because he has no use for her. Page FitzSimon believes that Iain is acting in bad faith when he does not send her home, but knows deep in her heart that he is not to blame.
You have two stories playing out here, The MacKinnon and Page are the romance. The you have the story of the MacKinnon and the traitor who stole his son away.
Love, Honor, Suspense, and Passion can all be found here in this book. I both read and listened to this and the audio is great thanks to Braden Wright who brings the characters to life. The accents are great, even though I have only heard a Scottish accent in person once or twice. The scenes between Iain and Page are very hot and always a little fun as well. I would recommend it to anyone who likes those highland men or just a good romance. -
Auch wenn es hier viele Wortwiederholungen gab und mich die Sprecherin ab und an aus dem Konzept brachte, fand ich die Geschichte toll.
Man kann nicht sagen, dass hier wirklich viel passiert, bis auf kleine Showdowns, aber trotzdem hing ich an den Zeilen.
Ich habe mich, wie Page insgeheim auch, sofort in Ian verliebt. Wie kann man auch nicht, wenn man ihn mit seinem Sohn betrachtet?
Page ist ein eigenwilliges Frauenzimmer. Die Herren hier verwenden dafür noch ganz andere Worte. Sie hat das Herz aber am rechten Fleck. Das sich ganz unbewusst in den ganzen Clan schleicht. Es gab einiges zu Lachen, aber auch nachdenkliche Momente, wo beide einfach nicht wussten, wohin das Ganze führen soll. Denn ihrer beider Vergangenheit, die sich in sie eingebrannt hat, ist immer mit dabei.
Ich hatte sehr viel Spaß mit der Story.
Zum Hörbuch: – 2 Sterne
Ich muss sagen, dass die Hörprobe für mich gut war und auch die Stimmlage der Sprecherin mich angesprochen hat. Allerdings hat mir das Gesamtbild des Hörbuches nicht gefallen. Manche Stellen klangen wie vom Computer, die Betonung war oft falsch, sowie die Pausen. Ich habe mir dann die Geschwindigkeit erhöht, da ist es nicht mehr so schlimm gewesen. -
3 stelline e mezzo
