Samyann
To be clear immediately, I’m a fan of Nora Roberts/J. D. Robb. I have thirty-plus of her books, including most of the In Depth series. I actually pictured Roarke and Eve Dallas in a few of the love scenes in the Dark Witch. Her books are never deep. I mean, come on, she’s not Shakespeare. But, being Shakespeare isn’t her role or intent. Nora Roberts writes those wonderful curl-up-on-the-sofa girly romance novels. Escapism at it’s finest. And, basically, that’s what you’ll get with the Dark Witch, Book 1.
A paranormal, ethereal theme draws a girl together with her cousins in Ireland. A bit formulaic, but she, with her cousins, chases off the demonic presence that has infiltrated the O’Dwyer clan for a century or so. But, it survives for the sequels to come.
I had no trouble reading (listening), and understood well who-said-what-to-who. I am, however, going to bad-mouth the reader. Holy smokes, woman! Take a breath and settle down! Way too much ‘emoting’. I realize there were some tense scenes that needed a tone to convey climax. But, the reader sounded like she was having one on occasion and I actually fast-forwarded through a few of these over-the-top sections.
This is the first book of a trilogy. If Nora retains the same reader, I’m not sure I’ll be interested in the follow-ups.
