Mystery Man

Loved it ......Eventually !

This book was a exercise in perseverance for me. I didn't know the author and I hated it when I first started listening to it - didn't like the characters, didn't care for the narrator and the plot was ridiculous (a sibling being expected to pay off her sister's multi-million dollar debt). I decided to return it to Audible but it was late so I decided to listen to another 30 mins and return it in the morning. Well, 30 mins turned into 1 hour 30 mins and by the morning I had got to a funny part and wanted to find out what happened so I decided to give it another hour. After that some really great characters had shown up and I had to listen to some more because I really enjoyed them (I'm talking Elvyra especially here). And so it went on. Nine hours of listening later I had to admit I was hooked.

So, if you try this book and hate it - persevere. Once you get into the style and the characters and you've laughed out loud a few hundred times it is actually an absolute gem. I'm so glad I stuck with it.

34 of 34 people found this review helpful

Fan-freakin-tastic!!!!!

I totally fell all into this book. Alpha males all over the freaking place. Bad guys blowing up stuff, and a hero worthy of role in "An Officer and a Gentleman." Gwen was the bomb. A little dingy but in the best possible way, with a little "Sex In the City" thrown in. I have never seen an author pull off dingy without being annoying, but Kristen Ashley did. And girl!!! I either wanted to become one of her characters or to make them all a reality. One of the best books I have listened to period. And even though Hawk's secretary was only in the latter part of the book, she was my favorite character besides the H and H. I want a friend in my posse just like her.
Now on to Kate Russell......O.M.G.! I am soooooo totally in love with your voices. They made KA's character come alive for me. I had the biggest grin on my face. And the men sound totally yummy. Girl, when I heard the Hawk's secretary for the first time I spewed water out of my mouth! She was a hoot!!!!

Okay, if you have to ask is this worth a credit. STOP! Just go download the dang book!!!! :)

67 of 70 people found this review helpful

#1 KA Fan

What made the experience of listening to Mystery Man the most enjoyable?

It was not.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them!!!!!!!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kate Russell?

A male

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

Love, love, LOVE KA!!!! I've read MM four times, but I could not listen to it. The best part of her books are the Alpha males but K Russell can not pull that off. Hawk sounds like a old lady and I just could not handle that. Such a disappointment.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Fan-Freaking-Tastic!

This was just what I needed! I was stuck in my book club's monthly selection that was slow and not picking up the pace, so I stopped that audio to try and find something adventurous, fun, hot, and juicy...you know something you can sink your teeth into? I found it all right here! Adventurous enough to have my adrenaline still pumping, so much fun my cheeks still hurt from grinning, Hot to the point of beating the heat of this Louisiana summer, and so juicy I can feel it dripping off my chin! Mystery Man makes into my top 10 of contemporary romances, maybe even top 5 but that's to hard to narrow down. This novel has it ALL ladies and gentlemen...you will laugh out loud in the middle of the grocery store, have you crying and with a baffled husband cause he doesn't understand why, make you so mad the kids will wonder what they did wrong, and have you so hot and bothered you wish you hadn't started listening at work! All of that was true by the way, if you couldn't tell, because once I started this audio I COULD NOT STOP! I was not able to with the way the author just tosses you into the story and you are gripped from the dang prologue! I could go into detail as to why I LOVED EVERY SECOND of this book but then I might go on forever so just TRUST ME on this one guys...Our heroine is a total day dreaming girly girl but incredibly lovable, our hero is infuriating yet perfect Alpha Soldier (Don't you just love a good drool worthy soldier?), and all supporting characters were amazingly well rounded bringing a lot of great humor and realistic qualities to help you relate to this sometimes out-of-this world story. This whole novel is well rounded in fact, with high voltage action, comedy, hot romance, and just the right amount of heart break before it wraps up so nicely it makes you sigh because it was wonderful and now its over. I will definitely be re-listening to Mystery Man on a day when I can't make up my mind on what to move onto next, and YOU should get your first listen on RIGHT NOW,credit or no credit, this one is worth your money!

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

I love KA stories!

Would you consider the audio edition of Mystery Man to be better than the print version?

The narrator of this KA story is better than the first one, but I really wish they would get someone who makes a true distinction between voices. Since this is not the case, I will have to say the print version is better.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I am a big Elvira fan. I would really love to hear a narrator be able to capture her character because she is quite a character.

Have you listened to any of Kate Russell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not heard her narration before.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did just because of the story. There is never a dull moment.

Any additional comments?

I would love to hear someone like Loralie King read Kristen Ashley 's stories. They have such enjoyable characters that she would bring to life.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

A complete roller coaster ride of emotions. 

The Dream Man series starts with Gwen and Hawk. While their year and half "romance" is not your standard fling, their passion and possession are off the charts. There is a lot of action in this book as well as great sex scenes. For me it was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every minute. I was completely sucked into this story. The plot was intriguing. Lots of twists and turns. If you like the ultimate dominant alpha male and a sexy sassy heroine with a love story filled with suspense then you need to listen to this book. Each character are hot and completely lovable. The love is beautiful, the plot fabulous. It was an excellent, fast paced, and action packed book. Kristen Ashley definitely has a fan for life. I hope audible starts to offer her Rock Chick series soon!

42 of 49 people found this review helpful

Love Kristen Ashley, the narrator, not so much.

Where does Mystery Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high. I've read all of Kristen Ashley's books, and was very happy to see them offered on audio.

What did you like best about this story?

I agree with other reviews in that the storyline and characters are not real world, but if I wanted to read/listen to real world, I'd stick to history and biography. This is a work of fiction, who cares if it's real? It's enough to just live in the fantasy for a while.

What three words best describe Kate Russell’s voice?

Too New Jersey. This book is set in Colorado, why does everyone seem to have a New Jersey accent?

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Right Out of Left Field

I fancy myself a well informed reader, and yet I'd never heard of this book, this series or even this author. Ok, I do tend to read mostly paranormal, but still, one would have thought that a book so good would have not escaped my notice!

I can't even tell you why I was reading the reviews of this book, but they caught my attention as they were universally glowing praise for the author. I was feeling a bit restless and in the mood for something different, so I bought Mystery Man.

Holy smokes! This book was simply fantastic. It went beyond my expectations into the land of "books I will remember for the rest of my life" territory. To beat it all, this book was so well written I couldn't even tell you why I loved it so much. It's just a masterfully told love story, with just the right amount of angst, action and adventure. The hero is sex on a stick and the heroine is smart and likable. The writing style flows perfectly, with just the right touch of humor.

Kate Russell is a great narrator, and her performance here is stellar.

Worth a credit? In hindsight, I'd pay two. It's that good.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

AWESOME! Kristen Ashley's books are the best!

When a book makes you want to stop at chapter 2 and review it, so everyone in the world can enjoy pure happiness... Well then, I say 5-Stars, Sir... 5-Stars!

Hawk was a great, great character....hot and smexy and a total bad-ass.... but Gwen! Gwenie was awesome. I totally loved her air-head meets smexy chic, although highly intelligent attitude. She was a perfect Commando's Woman....

I really like the secondary characters in the book. Elvira, man I really want Elvira to have her own book... Next was Tracy... and Cam and Leo! Loved it... I also loved the other two bad-asses in this book, which was Mitch Lawson and Tack Allen. If you have listen to Own the Wind...then you should know who Tack Allen is... Tack actually will have his own book, at the end of this series... and I just cannot wait to hear Mitch's story. He is the next bad-ass to find a hot Cosmo Chic!

Ashley books are really true to their characters. For instance, the bad-asses remain bad-asses throughout the entire book... they don't change halfway through into these love struck wimps... They remain bad-asses with that special one who can handle the shit they dish out! All the females who fall for these bad-asses are quite strong as well... Perfect Combination...

The smex was also great... not too much, not too little... just perfect. I don't think there was anything wrong with this entire book..

Narration was great. Loved Hawk's voice! So smooth and smexy... Babe!

A Buy, Credit, or Sale... whatever...just get this...!!!!

24 of 28 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly Good

I've never read this author before so did not know what to expect. I got this book based on reviews. I was not disappointed. I must say that the dialogue is a bit different then I am used to but I really enjoyed it in the end. Gwen is a little bit flighty and a little bit kickass. Hawk is all alpha male and I loved that. I think the storyline is surprising and really unique. I also liked that Gwen still looks and is drawn to all the eye candy around her. Really who would not look? There is suspense and romance so a little something for everyone. So I give this a thumbs up. It is a little bit different but in a good way. It is worth the credit.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful