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Radiance
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really enjoyed
- By Anonymous User on 13-10-2019
Publisher's Summary
The prince of no value
Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.
The noblewoman of no importance
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn't just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she's known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.
Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Siobhan
- 16-05-2018
Easy, fun but not life changing
I was looking for an easy romance/fantasy- I definitely was not dissatisfied... and I’m going to listen to the next one!
But overall the fast romance and other relationships were unrealistic and the all was a bit corny
That being said I enjoyed it! And was exactly what I waned for the time.
The performance is fine- she has a lisp which can be distracting but she does a really good job portraying the emotions of various characters
:)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 14-03-2018
Buyer Beware
The narrator has a very pronounced lisp. It took me over an hour to get used to it. I honestly would have given up if this was not my only way to access this book. Just be aware before purchasing.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Wendy A. Abraham
- 28-12-2015
Another wonderful Grace Draven story
What did you like most about Radiance?
The story is highly original, developing in a fascinating way as we learn about this world and its inhabitants. The central characters are engaging and believable, more rounded than is often the case in this genre.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Ildiko is clever, funny and brave. She faces the challenges of being a stranger in a strange land with fortitude and humour. She is not a warrior, just an honest and likable woman determined to make the most of her circumstances and not to give in to cruelty or bullying. She is optimistic, open mind and willing to see each person she meets on their merits, not on any preconceptions or prejudices.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
Unlike some of the US reviewers, I found the narrator's accent pleasant and enjoyed her characterisations. However her slight lisp was a little distracting, as were her odd pauses, especially every time the word 'but' was used. This sounds petty, but there is no punctuation in the written text to suggest that the author wanted these pauses and I found them jarring enough to irritate.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I became immersed in the story and deeply interested in the world the author created. I enjoyed the humour and the slow growth of the loving relationship between the two central characters.
Any additional comments?
I have read several other books by this author and thoroughly enjoyed them. Draven takes fantasy concepts and weaves them into adult tales with entrancing stories. I thoroughly recommend her work. I look forward to future audio presentations, but hope she finds a different narrator next time.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Tracy Joyce
- 15-09-2019
Loved it!
I really liked this series - Radiance in particular, and will be looking out for more books narrated by Gabrielle Baker. This is a romance novel in a fantasy setting, but it is an excellent fantasy world. What I liked was the character development between the main characters. Neither finds the other at all attractive, no insta-love! They like each other’s personality and become friends before anything else.
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- Narny
- Hamilton New Zealand
- 27-01-2019
Brishin and Ildiko
Really enjoyed the journey that this story takes you on. It's about differences and being open minded but also about the love that can bloom when you give it a chance.
The narrator was good. She brought the story to life.
The dry humour kept me listening it was great
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- Nina crause
- 28-03-2017
Great character development
I loved this book and couldn't wait for the next one. It is beautifully written and narrated (lisp or not). The characters are so well portrayed that you almost feel as if you know them. To me that it a sign of a great book. The laugh out loud moments too were greatly appreciative. I will be sure to follow this author.
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- Olivia Thomas
- 20-02-2017
Great book
I really enjoyed this book and the reading of it the voice actors did a great job and the story was an interesting mix of romance, action and drama.
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- Book_Addict
- Queensland Australia
- 15-04-2016
A masterpiece
Brilliantly written , Brishen and IIldiko's story is enchanting with a quirky sense of humour .
Five star *****
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- Sharon
- 17-06-2015
An unexpected and awesome surprise!!!!
Wow. I can't believe how much I enjoyed this book. I can't wait for anything else by this author to be released in audiobook. This is a great paranormal/fantasy romance with great world building and good character development. But what I really liked was the fact that it didn't focus on how broken the main characters were and how much they needed to be fixed, there was no angst over being forced to marry. No stupid decisions by the characters or frustrating plot twists. No drama over psychological scars from their pasts, well not much. It was just a good fantasy with two mainly well adjusted characters learning how to love despite their differences. With all the other new releases in the romance genre lately, this was as refreshing as it was we'll done.
I highly recommend this one and it may actually be a multiple listen for me.
69 of 74 people found this review helpful
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- Jan
- 20-06-2015
Something Special...
Any additional comments?
...and it's right in so many ways.
There's no instant lust in this one, but there is instant chemistry, and a warmth that's not found in every romance. It makes the eventual love even better.
Loved Ildiko and Brishen. Loved to hate Brishen's mother.
The world building is nicely done. Just the right amount of detail to make it real, although I suspect that there are a couple of things that will be fleshed out when needed. This is a tightly written book: no filler to tune out. And the twist at the end is jaw- dropping.
When something special comes out in audio I hold my breath to see what the narration will be like. No worries there: Gabrielle Baker is perfect. I may or may not re-read this, but I will be re-listening to it many, many times.I have the tentative release of book 2 marked on the calendar. Please bring it out on audio and don't change the narrator!
43 of 47 people found this review helpful
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- TinaW
- 04-09-2017
Great story, odd narration
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
No. Read the printed book. It is excellent. The audio is frustrating. The narrator has a nice voice, but her reading inflections were odd. Not sure if it were the performance or the engineering. But it was distracting to wait through long pauses to get to the next sentence. What was clearly supposed to be a pause (comma) in a sentence was read as a full stop. Then you had to wait for the next word. It felt like the audio was spliced together because you didn't get a natural breath, you got what felt like dead air until the next word.. Not a lot of great narrative flow. Very frustrating to listen to. I finally gave up after an hour of listening.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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- dorkinsecret51
- 15-08-2015
Was pleasantly surprised....
I saw this and put it in my wishlist for later and now I'm mad that didn't read it sooner. I am a sucker for good romances but find that I get burnt out when I read too many in close succession because the stories just meld into one with the same story just different character names. Radiance stood out like a beam of individual and unique light. I adored the love story in this. No TSTL heroine and no stoic "I'm too strong to say my feelings so I will just push you away" hero. Both come together in a mutual friendship despite their forced marriage and make the story extremely delightful rather than frustrating. Honestly I think after listening to it for a day and a half from start to finish I'm ready to read it again!
20 of 24 people found this review helpful
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- Rostislav Kucher
- 11-03-2019
terrible narrator
the book sounded interesting except that the narrator has a really pronounced lisp. it ruins the story from the beginning really struggled to get through this one :(
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Stephanie Alexander
- 23-09-2018
Meh - Lisp
I couldn’t get past the lisp. Aside from that I just found this book difficult to get into. The writing itself was good but that’s about all I liked. I had higher hopes for this book.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-07-2015
a surprisingly wonderful story,
I had never heard of this author or the story but picked this one based on great reviews. I'm so glad I did. not only a great story but all the better because it was unexpected. listened to it twice so I could savor it the second time.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 21-07-2015
Wonderful!
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. I like paranormal, but not aliens or time travel. Lucky for me, this really wasn't either. It's a beautiful love story of two "spares" who very quickly become EVERYTHING to each other. I'm upset that I will have to wait for the next book, but once it comes out, it will give me an excuse to reread this book to catch up to the next book and refresh my memory. I truly loved this book and want to read some of the authors other books to see if they reach the same caliber. I even bought the book in Audible so that I could listen on my way to and from work. Well done!
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
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- Jessica Mello
- 23-06-2015
Loved the story, audio could have been a bit better.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. I didn't expect much from it but I was blown away by this book. The romance wasn't rushed but didn't drag. There was no cliche instant lust between Ildako and Brishen which I was very pleased with. The building of friendship to lovers between them was so real and so tangible. This is the first book to make me laugh out loud in the literal sense. Author was very skilled in incorporating humor with romance and a bit of bloody action into this. Lovely writing and lovely story telling.
The narrator was a decent performer. Wish she wasn't so monotoned throughout the piece. She does have a heavy English accent so some parts I had to relisten to to understand what she was saying. The recording wasn't spectacular either. I could hear birds and cars in the background every ones in a while along with a constant buzzing sound. Don't know how avoidable it was when recorded. Splicing of the audio could have been a bit better as well. Long gaps in some areas and the buzzing sound changed a lot with the different audio. Therefore I give 3 stars.
Otherwise I absolutely loved this story. Definitely worth a shot.
10 of 12 people found this review helpful
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- Kira
- 23-08-2015
Loved this book! Impatiently awaiting the next!
What did you love best about Radiance?
It was a different story than I expected, if I'm being honest. I've had it in my library for awhile now, and I can't remember what first drew me towards the book, wether it was on sale or whatnot. I originally thought it would be more of a Beauty and the Beast type book, where they are disgusted by each other at first (haha which they are, but it's done in a much different way than expected), and then fall in love eventually. It was so unlike my expectations, and so much better for it! I honestly fell in love with the characters right from the first, and became enamored with the story. It was full of romance, mystery, and action. I'm actually very sad that the next book isnt out yet, and I'm guessing by the epilogue, and some setting up of 2 other charactors for a romance, that there will definately be at least one more book. I am hoping it turns into a series.
What other book might you compare Radiance to and why?
Honestly, I can't think of another I've read that was quite like it. It had elements of a lot of other books in it, like the couple being forced to marry, but I cannot think of another like this book. I found it rather unique, and quite enjoyed it because of that fact.
Which character – as performed by Gabrielle Baker – was your favorite?
It's difficult to pick. I think she did a good job at narrating because the voices were different enough to recognize who was speaking and when. I thought the accent given to the main heroine to be a little off putting at first, but I soon became accustomed to it, and it stopped bothering me. I think I liked the hero's voice the best, but that may be because I loved his charactor the most.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Oh yes, very much so. Unfortunately I was unable to do so, and that made me rather sad haha, but I listened to it as quickly as I could manage because I was enjoying it so much.
Any additional comments?
I think this book is definitely worth a credit, and I'm rather disappointed that this is the authors only book that is on audible right now. I'm extremely eager for the rest of the series, but going by the publishing date it's likely to be awhile before I am able to listen to the next one. But this series and author is getting added to my automatic purchase list! Get it, you'll enjoy it! And hey, if you don't, you can always return it!
Note: this romance does contain some adult scenes, so if you hate books with those in them, you'll likely want to pass this over. Though, I will say, you will be really missing out if you do. And it's not erotica, where every other scene is an adult scene. There are only a few in the book, and they are married after all, and they care for each other very deeply. It's not s*x just for the sake of s*x or anything like that. So I would encourage you to take a chance on it!
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
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- Metaltoe
- 07-05-2016
disappointing
I started off very much enjoying this story and the interaction between the two main characters. While it wasn't the type of thing I usually read it was a slice of entertaining escapism. Right up until about two thirds of the way through when it suddenly turned into just endless repetition of quite graphic sex, which I felt was unnecessary in a story like this and actually spoiled the feeling of romance. Have sex, yes, but almost 30 minutes description in one chapter alone of detailed move by move explicit bedroom antics is overdoing it. I am no prude but it was just too much, specially repeatedly and at almost every opportunity after the first romp. Sometimes implication and imagination does a better job. And when it wasn't full blown sex it was nothing but a constant catalogue of kissing and nuzzling and sucking each other's tongues and earlobes. It all became repetitive, tiresome and silly for me. Also it doesn't end properly. I know there is a book 2 which I won't be interested in now.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-2015
Arranged marriage love
Both the people, who are of different races, in the politicly arranged marriage accept their situation. No poor me, weeping etc they move forward and learn to love each other.
A strong story, a good listen and a good read.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 23-01-2018
Loved it
Beautifully read, captivating storyline and a love story that's not all lust for a change. Just lovely.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Paula
- 31-10-2016
Fantasticly gripping story and brilliantly read
Loved the characters. Cared about them straight away. Loved the whole book. Fantastically read. Can't wait for the next book.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- Louise
- 17-05-2019
Original characters, predictable storyline
Positives: I did really enjoy listening to this book and got through it really fast. The fact that neither of the main characters are remotely attracted to each other at first, finding each other's appearance scary and ugly, was original and interesting.
Negatives: Obviously, as it's a romance you know the two lead characters will fall in love and 'get it on'. However, it would have been nice if there were a few unexpected twists along the way that affect Ildiko & Brishen's relationship. Also, it's clear that a book 2 might be on the way but I wouldn't read it as I feel the story of Ildiko and Brishen's relationship has been concluded and there hasn't been enough outside of it in the plot of this book to entice me to read on.
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- CeNedra Red
- 06-04-2017
Horrendous Narration
This may or may not have been a good story but I just couldn't stand listening to the dreadful, limping narration long enough to find out. Yet another potentially good story ruined. In fact two stories, as Gabrielle Baker ruins the second story in this series too. Looks like I'll have to read the printed format of these books myself.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
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- Annie A
- 08-08-2019
Brilliant!
Loved this book - characters story and secondary characters all amazingly brilliant! Definitely a re-read series for me!
0 of 1 people found this review helpful