Review: Ever After by Nora Roberts

Ever After

Nora Roberts {Facebook}
Publisher: Brillance Audio
Publication Date: December 15, 2010
Audio Book {5 hr}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Elena, Connell
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories
My Rating:

Wearing an ancient star pendant, an enchanting woman journeys to an otherworldly land – and introduces a skeptical stranger to the magical powers of love…

Elena arrives on this secluded island, in the middle of a storm, with only one inhabitant. There is some magical myth that Connell’s, the island only resident, will arrive with the mark of the star. And of course Elena arrives wearing the star pendant he thought he had destroyed.

After the two of them share a heated first kiss, she announces her love for him. This is rather sudden for my tastes, and only after one kiss.

I didn’t really enjoy this on at all. It was too short to connect with the characters which made it feel somewhat forced. Even as a paranormal novella, it seemed far-fetched to be believable or relatable.

Read by Justine Eyre

Duration: 5 hours

Brillance Audio

The narrator did a great job getting the accents and painting the vivid picture Nora had written. The narration takes nothing away from the overall novella. The narration was a B.

Review: Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Happy Ever After
Nora Roberts {Facebook}
Series: Bride Quartet #4
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: November 2, 2010
Format: Audio Book
Source: Public Library
Genre: Contemporary
Characters: Parker Brown, Malcolm Kavanaugh
My Rating:

Parker Brown turned the quartet's childhood game of Wedding Day into their dream jobs. And now she's the face of Vows—the one who meets every bride's demands; keeps every event on schedule; and brings Emma's romantic flowers, Laurel's delicious treats, and Mac's stunning photography together in one glorious package. She knows how to make dreams come true...

Mechanic Malcolm Kavanaugh loves figuring out how things work, and Parker Brown—with her mile-long legs—is no exception. But as a good friend to Parker's brother, Mal knows that moving from minor flirtation to major hookup is a serious step.

Now man has rattled Parker in a long time, but the motorcycle-riding, raven-haired Mal seems to have a knack for it. His passionate kisses always catch her off guard, much like her growing feelings for him. Parker's business risks have always paid off, but now she'll have to take the chance of a lifetime with her heart.

In the last installment of Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet, we finally get to see Parker get her Happy Ever After. Parker Brown’s role at Vows is to handle all the details. To make sure everything goes according to plan. But when it comes to her own love life, nothing goes as planned.

Malcolm is the perfect fit for Parker, even though he’s not what she had planned or pictured for herself. With Parker’s no nonsense attitude, Malcolm is the only man she doesn’t seem to be able to scare off.

Although Malcolm may be a bad boy, you can immediately tell he’s a good man by the relationship he has with his mother. And with Parker’s parents being deceased, family is extremely important to her.

I enjoy the friendship that’s more like a sisterhood between these four ladies. All of their men provide just the right balance for the women’s strong personalities. Happy Ever After was a great closing to a wonderful series. My only complaint would be I’m sad to see it end.

Review: Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

Title: Savor the Moment (Bride Quartet, #3)
Author: Nora Roberts
Published: April 27, 2010
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 352
Source: Public Library
Characters: Laurel McBane, Delaney Brown
My Rating:

Synopsis

New Love takes the cake in the third novel in Nora Roberts's new Bride Quartet-in a stunning French flap edition

Wedding baker Laurel McBane is surrounded by romance working at Vows wedding planning company with her best friends Parker, Emma, and Mac. But she's too low-key to appreciate all the luxuries that their clients seem to long for. What she does appreciate is a strong, intelligent man, a man just like Parker's older brother Delaney, on whom she's had a mega-crush since childhood.

But some infatuations last longer than others, and Laurel is convinced that the Ivy League lawyer is still out of her reach. Plus, Del is too protective of Laurel to ever cross the line with her-or so she thinks. When Laurel's quicksilver moods get the better of her-leading to an angry, hot, all-together mind-blowing kiss with Del-she'll have to quiet the doubts in her mind to turn a moment of passion into forever...

I've been a fan of this series since the very first book. I loved all the weddings, the cakes, and the flowers, but I didn't love Laurel and Delaney. From the previous books, I felt that there was great potential for these two characters. But I felt let down by this story compared to the other two. There just didn't seem to be any substance to Del and Laurel's relationship. I just can't put my finger on it, but something was definitely missing.

Laurel has been in love with Del since forever, but he is unaware of this fact. She kisses him one day and apparently that changes everything for him. That didn't seem very believable to me, for it to change so drastically for him. To me, they came across as friends who happen to be sleeping together instead of two people in love with each other.

I am looking forward to reading Parker's story. I did enjoy her interaction with Malcolm. I'm hoping Happy Ever After is as great as the first two books.