Enjoyable listen

I've been a fan of Donna Kauffman's for years and I decided I needed to catch up on her books. I'd read the first book in the Blueberry Cove series when it first came out, so it was nice to return to the series and the small town with Half Moon Harbor.

I was immediately drawn into the story and the character's lives. I wanted Grace and Brody to get their happily ever after, together as a couple and in other aspects of their lives. I enjoyed all the secondary characters and the hints to who is being paired up in the next book in the series.

Lauren Fortgang's narration as usual was on point. I even enjoyed her Irish brogue for Brody. The pacing was just right and just the right amount of emotion was pumped into the performance to suck me into the story.

All in all, this was a good read and I can't wait to revisit this series.

5 people found this helpful

better than book 1

pretty awesome! also, it was quite feminist! really enjoyed it! loads better than book 1!

3 people found this helpful

Whimsical, funny Romance

This book is well written and performed very well. I got caught up in the story and listened to it in three days. The characters are well developed and interesting. There was graphic sex I usually don’t read, but the overall story was excellent. I’m getting the whole series.

2 people found this helpful

A great escape

Provided a great escape from reality for a short period of time. Always looked forward to returning to the story when unable to listen.

1 person found this helpful

Fun and a little funny

This writer tends to be very fun and funny some of them are more wordy and more sexual than others this particular book is one of those very descriptive but still with taste. The only thing I would change is they can be a little wordy. But they are very enjoyable always have some little twist coming

1 person found this helpful

Is it Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day?

The narrator has managed to avoid much of the criticism from the first book of the series: no cartoonish over-emoting and she sounds more mature and confident. She does a good job with different characters, switching comfortably between sexes. And I admit that while incredibly sexy, the Irish accent is not an easy one for an American to get right. Its a critical point here, because the protaganist IS Irish. Its pretty obvious that the narrator has never visited Ireland. Which may be fair, since apparently, the author hasn't either. Kauffman actually has the OTHER Irishman say "Top O'the Morning" in one of the books. Sadly, Brodie often sounds like a cross between Fred Astaire in "Finian's Rainbow" and someone participating in "Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day".

Brodie is a very likeable guy. And I liked both the dog and the pelican. The female lead was a bit too complicated for me to buy in to - she couldn't admit her upbringing to Brodie for some reason I didn't quite get - it was hardly her fault after all. But likeable enough. The biggest flaw is in the most over-the-top, cougaresque villianess since Cruella de Ville.

The sex scenes were less cringe-y than the first book. There was only one passing reference to masturbation (although it could be argued even that is too much). And thankfully, less of the clinical detail that had me fast forwarding through some of the scenes of the first entry in the series. Romance is Never Clinical. Write that down somewhere. The narrator toned down the "When Harry Met Sally" emoting as well.

We know this type of book is not high art. They are the literary equivalent of junk food, which is exactly what I want when taking a break from heavier fare. Will I listen to another? Given the improvement between books one and two, I might. The next romantic lead is an American, I believe.

1 person found this helpful

My second book from Donna.

I recently started reading Donna's book. Her characters are well developed and her relationships are intense.
I love her small beach town settings.
What can I say, she's charmed me.

1 person found this helpful

delete

Deleted after 1st paragraph! What a waste of time. Do not bother with this book.

1 person found this helpful

Reverse storyline would have been better!

What made the experience of listening to Half Moon Harbor the most enjoyable?

Narrator brings the story alive making one a part of the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Half Moon Harbor?

When Grace met up with her brother Ford and Brodie was right there to pick her up and bring her back. The importance of these two men in her life became the heart of the story.

What does Lauren Fortgang bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her narration is excellent. She definitely pulls one in to make it a living experience.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

R rated!

Any additional comments?

I listened to the first book thinking the characters from the first book would continue and I'd learn more of what happened at Pelican Point but it wasn't that way. This book is about Brodie a ship maker and Grace who wants to make an Inn in the ship she bought and owned. Again way too much sex for me when the story of ship making could have been a great story if it would have been first. It had so much potential for a five star had it been reversed.

2 people found this helpful

It 's Okay

If you're familiar with Donna Kaufman stories, well, this is another one. An enjoyable read with nothing to make it stick in your mind. The story is a personal-growth-brings-happy-ending type. And while I liked the story, the narration bothered me. Male main character Brodie is Irish, but the rendition of his accent is hap-hazard, at times giving a hint of American South. Other males' voices have the common traits often heard when rendered by a woman: gravelly, almost whispery, none of them conveying the power and confidence that these men possess. And FMC Grace's friend Delia always sounds like she's speaking seductively to a man she's in bed with, even when it's a heart-wrenching conversation with Grace about sorrowful secrets.
Kudos to the narrator, though, for making the villainess so hatable by her voice alone. I hadn't listened to her speaking for more than a couple of sentences before I was ready to wring her neck and push her off a dock.