Thursday, December 7, 2017

Audio Book Review: The Beautiful Ones

The Beautiful Ones

By:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publish Date:  October 24, 2017, Audiobook Release October 24, 2017

Format:  Audiobook - 12 hrs 48 mins
Narrated By:  P.J. Ochlan

Genre:  Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal

Series:  Stand-alone

Impression:  Sometimes people have to fight through the hard times to find true love.

Synopsis:
In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be.

Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society. Under the tutelage of the beautiful but cold Valérie Beaulieu, she hopes to find a suitable husband. However, the haphazard manifestations of Nina’s telekinetic powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.

Yet dazzling telekinetic performer and outsider Hector Auvray sees Nina’s powers as a gift, and he teaches her how to hone and control them. As they spend more and more time together, Nina falls in love and believes she’s found the great romance that she’s always dreamed of, but Hector’s courtship of Nina is deceptive.

The Beautiful Ones is a sweeping fantasy of manners set in a world inspired by the Belle Époque.

First Sentence:
Hector was like a castaway who had washed up on a room of velvet curtains and marble floors.

Purchase At:
Amazon

AudibleAudiobooks.com 

My Thoughts and Summary:
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.


P.J. Ochlan is a new narrator for me. It took me a few chapters to get use to his proper feel to the words, as is expected with the style of the time our characters are in. I do very much like his sound for Hector, though for Antonina I had to get use to it. He does do different tones and voices for the characters, easily differentiating them for us. I found I really enjoyed his narration as the book went on. When we came to the emotional moments, his voice was full of love. Though, when he voiced Valerie. Grrr. He did a great job and made my heart thump with anger. Well done!

Antonina, Nina as she likes to be called, comes across as a sweet girl that's staying at her cousins in the city to help form her to the proper way as she's from more country setting. I love the more informal feel we get from Nina. She seems so friendly and not backstabbing and two faced as some in the city are. She finds a friend in Hector from the moment she meets him. She's starting to find she's attracted to Hector with each meeting.

Hector... He sounds formal. He's been away from "home" for ten years, and is hoping to see the woman he fell in love with before he left. Valerie. It happens that Nina is the cousin of Valerie's husband. Where Nina is falling for Hector, I feared Hector was using Nina to get into Valerie's home and to see her. This could only go one way, right?

This is more a historical fantasy romance with a touch of paranormal to it. The setting and formalities remind me of a historical setting. But Hector has a special ability, telekinetic powers, that bring a paranormal feel to the story. And Nina has a special ability as well, which is something she and Hector have in common and brings them together.

We get three POV's - Hector, Nina, and Valerie. Yes, this is a love triangle that's very complicated. Valerie's married to Nina's cousin. Nina is visiting to be shaped into the formal lady she can be. Hector. Well, Hector has returned to see his long love, Valerie, but stumbles across Nina which gives him a connection to Valerie.

I get frustrated and angered when people use others or play with emotions of others for their benefit. This book frustrated me in that way. Which is not a bad thing. I felt for the characters which drew me to feel frustrated with them and what they are doing to others. Grrr. I wanted to slap these people. All they think about is their selves and not the harm they are doing. Playing games with another person's life for their own pleasures. That's a selfishness of the rich in this world, or so it seems.

That all being said, the book was well written in this way, to rise a feeling from me. This means I cared for someone and didn't like others. But, as this is happening I saw sparks of moments where the one being used was slowly making her way into the man's heart and attention. I melted in these small moments.

This is a romance. The paranormal with the talent of moving things with ones mind is a part of the characters, something that could be a connection. More a historical romance feel to the story. This story has two parts. In these two parts it seems the positions shift, slightly, in who is the innocent love. These characters have to fight for what they want. Even if it's not for love but for money.

Some times people have to live through the hard times and mistakes in love to find their true love, learning the feelings.



****If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon. Thank you!

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Blodeuedd, I was too. I like what I found though. Hope you get to check it out.

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  2. Replies
    1. Yeah, I know LilyElement. But it really does all work out in the end.

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  3. Oh yea... annoying but in a good way. I totally get that. This one looks very interesting.

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    Replies
    1. Melissa (B&T) It was a good one. I was very pleasantly surprised I enjoyed it so.

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  4. I really had a good time with this one!

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