Becky Baldridge
Mr. Rook has a great premise, especially if you're of an age that you remember anything about the television show, Fantasy Island. That's what I thought of when I read the blurb, and I was excited to give this one a listen. Oh, yeah, I listened to the audiobook. I have the ebook and just hadn't gotten to it, and now that I've listened, that's probably a good thing because the narration by Lisa Zimmerman is the only reason the book got that second star. Maybe it's just me - I'm certainly in the minority - but way too many things about this book just didn't work for me. Given the premise, I expected it to require a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief, but too many things went beyond even that. The reveal about Stephanie's sister, for example, was just eye-rollingly ridiculous. Even with that being Stephanie's focus, there is a surprising lack of actual investigation on her part. She's there to get to the bottom of her sister's disappearance, and she's sure Mr. Rook is the man with the answers, but she can't seem to keep her mind on anything but how sexy he is. The reveal about him was out there as well. Let's see... we have an over-the-top story but really very little action. The bulk of the story takes place inside Stephanie's head, and I spent a lot of that bored out of mine. It's kind of all over the place and nothing of substance happens for way too long. Even the ending was just off in my opinion. I did like the twist with the three older ladies, but that had nothing to do with Stephanie or her sister. It was just a bit of interesting side story. I'll be honest, I'd rather have had more about those women. Rather than going too far and giving spoilers, I'll stop there and finish with the one bright spot. Lisa Zimmerman's narration is the only reason I finished the book. She has one of those voices that's easy to listen to, and whether I liked Stephanie or not, Zimmerman captures the emotions of various scenes. Needless to say, I won't be continuing this series, but I will search out other books by this narrator, so this one wasn't a complete loss, I guess.
Joyffree
I did this backward for me as I listened to the audiobook first and have yet to read the physical - Changes the tone definitely I am not sure how I feel about our heroine Stephanie comes across as very self-centered to me - Wait let me explain - She is looking into the disappearance of her sister wanting answers and to bring the culprits to justice. That's a good thing yes but is it truly about justice for her sister or to soothe her own feelings of guilt? If you listen in the beginning I believe it is more about guilt. Add to that the fact she feels the need to treat people like garbage to get the attention of Rook ... IDK I just wanted to reach in and "correct" her behavior a few times. She acted the prude when she really is not. Enough of my rant lol I liked the world-building (I was a fan of fantasy island as a child) The story idea is solid and the author weaves all kinds of OMG moments as well as a lot of misdirection (just makes the unveiling that much more) Rook is our mystery host - dark and somewhat distant from emotions at times, still, there is something about him There are quite a few scenes that I call breadcrumb trail moments - little hints at possibilities - some might be misdirection IDK but they did their job - I was on edge wanting to know more and to see what was behind the curtain This ends on a bit of a "to be continued" cliffy Packed with twists and reveals that will catch even the best sleuth off guard Oh and lots and lots of steamy moments After all, it is all about the fantasy
