Book Review: Dancing On the Wind (Fallen Angels #2) by Mary Jo Putney

Review of Audiobook narrated by William Kirby

Dancing On the Wind (Fallen Angels #2) by Mary Jo Putney

Reading Level: Adult Romance
Release Date: November 29, 2013
Audible.com Release Date: August 13, 2014
Publisher: Mary Jo Putney, Inc.
Pages: 388 pages
Listening Length: 12 hours and 53 minutes
Source: Author
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

I am posting this audiobook review using the format that Audible recommends:

Overall: 5 stars

Performance: 5 stars

Story: 5 stars

Q. What made the experience of listening to Dancing on the Wind the most enjoyable?

A. Excellent characters and story experienced as fine performance art.

Q. Who was your favorite character and why?

A. I enjoyed both Lucien, the hero, and Kit, the heroine. Lucien, the mysterious spymaster, and Kit of the many disguises, are both alienated survivors, negotiating a dangerous world of terrible enemies all on their own. I love it in a romance novel when equally strong protagonists such as these two, against all odds, find each other and work together against a common enemy.

Q. What does the narrator, William Kirby, bring to the story that you wouldn't experience if you just read the book?

A. For an audiobook to work well, it requires two things: First, the book must be outstandingly enough written to not just survive but prosper under the intense scrutiny of being read out loud at a quarter of the speed it would take a reader to read the book silently to herself. Dancing on the Wind is absolutely a novel of that sterling quality. Second, the narrator must be a good performer, able to convincingly portray every kind of character, from old to young, male or female, and often different nationalities. Mr. Kirby is a fine performer able to deliver these dramatic necessities really well.

Q. Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A. This book offers sensual romance, action, adventure, pathos, and moments of humor. In short, it has it all.

Q. Any additional comments?

A. Fans of Mary Jo Putney will be pleased that this recording offers them the opportunity to enjoy Dancing on the Wind, one of the very best of her historical novels, in the form of an excellent audiobook.

Overall: 5

Performance: 5

Story: 5

Book Review: See Bride Run! by Charlotte Hughes

A fun romantic comedy

See Bride Run! by Charlotte Hughes

Reading Level: Adult Romance
Release Date: December 21, 2014
Pages: 211 pages
Source: NetGalley
Reviewed By: Kate McMurry

As the daughter of a billionaire, 29-year-old Annie Hartford has been raised by her sexist father to be strictly ornamental. Her one contribution, as far as he's concerned, is to marry a man who can take over his financial empire when he retires. Unfortunately, Annie thinks the man her father has picked out is a cynical user, but her father doesn't care. He threatens Annie with a one-way ticket from riches to rags if she dumps her fiance. That's a hard choice to make, and Annie hesitates until minutes before walking down the aisle. Then she bolts in her father's limousine, barreling down the highway dressed in her wedding gown, veil and a diamond tiara, until the limo breaks down in the small town of Pinckney, Georgia.

Sam Ballard, a lawyer and owner of the Dixieland Cafe, is as amazed as the rest of the Pinckney population when Annie hits town. It soon becomes apparent to Sam that Annie is in dire straits, and he makes it possible for Annie to start a new life by employing her as a waitress in his cafe. Soon Annie is living in a garage apartment, wearing hand-me-down clothes, and using a loaner bicycle for transportation. It's a major culture shock, but there are some wonderful compensations as she makes friends in town, most especially with her handsome boss.

Both Annie and Sam have been burned by romance, and are leery of a new entanglement of the heart, but before very long, they find each other too hard to resist.

This is a lively, fun read, with two attractive, sympathetic romantic protagonists, and a host of quirky, small-town inhabitants to brighten up the story. If you enjoy romantic comedy, you will have a great time with this book.

I rate this story as follows:

Heroine: 4

Hero: 5

Subcharacters: 5

Romance Plot: 4

Setting: 5

Writing: 5

Overall: 5