typical insta-love at first sight kind of romance

First, WANTED is not an original story line, regardless, I did like this book. The premise was sweet: love at first sight, need to break through obstacles to be with one another, drama, drama, and of course, the all-encompassing HEA. I would definitely consider this book Mature YA/New Adult, but I think it teetered more on the adult side. It starts out YA and worked its way up to a NA by the end. There was a considerable amount steam, not that they were explicit or anything, but more than your typical Mature YA story would have. The story is fairly simple and highly predictable. Some of it almost seemed immature and very juvenile. To sum things up, it’s a story about a young woman, who was raised by her beloved older brother and an alcoholic mother. Ellie has been on the receiving end of a lot of verbal abuse from her mother. She always kept telling Ellie that no one will ever want her. If it wasn’t for her hard working older brother, Jefferson, she would be lost. Her previous two relationships have ended in utter disaster. Both times, her two good for nothing boyfriends were cheating on her because she wasn’t ready to give up her elusive V-card, yet. When she caught her latest boyfriend having sex with another girl in the school theater, she broke down and called her big brother to come and get her. When her brother shows up to defend her and kick her latest boyfriend’s ass, he shows up with his best friend, Gunner. It was love at first sight for both Ellie and Gunner. Oh the joys of instant love!! Ellie's only saving grace growing up though was her older brother Jefferson. He always took care of Ellie and it was so sweet. Jefferson was definitely one of my favorite characters in this book. He was sweet, funny, and very protective. I liked him from the moment his character was introduced. And him and Ari (Ellie's bestfriend) cracked me up with their sexual tension and banter back & forth. Drew "Gunner" Mathews... delicious! He was just too good to be true. He seemed almost too sweet and perfect at times, but I realized that was what Ellie needed. I liked the Dual POV, but his book actually was a multiple POV book because you get a small glimpse into Jefferson and Ari's mind. I was expecting this book to be all about Gunner and Ellie only but I was shocked to see that Jefferson and Ari played a big part in this story. The next book that is coming out is called Saved and it will be Jefferson and Ari's book. I can't wait to see what happens. Overall, a enjoyable audio book, that had my heart racing at some of the exchanges between the two couples. Unfortunately, it just didn't blow me away like some books. I still would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a very sweet love story with a mix of drama here and there...

34 people found this helpful

hmmm

The author needs to learn the art of editing. If it wasn't for the constantly repeated sentences, the book could have been a few hours shorter.

The female narrator was decent but the male narrator was annoying. I seriously thought about returning the book.

6 people found this helpful

Truly Entertaining

I enjoyed this book however at times the main character's insecurities gets to be a bit much to handle. She's grown up with an abusive mother so of course she'll have issues but it became a bit much with the rest of the drama the writer adds to the story. All in all though the story was enough for me to enjoy and quickly purchase the 2nd book.

2 people found this helpful

Who thought a middle aged smoker was appropriate?

Would you try another book from Kelly Elliott and/or Nelson Hobbs and Arika Rapson ?

I would buy every book Kelly Elliott puts out. I could torture my ears by listening to these narrators again for these characters if you paid me!!!

What didn’t you like about Nelson Hobbs and Arika Rapson ’s performance?

Ellie is a soft spoken eighteen-year-old girl from Texas. The female narrator sounds like a middle aged smoker. The male narrator Texas drawl sounds worse than Nicole Kidman's southern accent in the movie Cold Mountain. Don't even get me started on when they speak in the opposite gender's roles. UGH!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Extreme disappointment and sadness that someone did this to such a great book. The publisher needs to speak with the author about how the characters should sound.

4 people found this helpful

My poor ears...

The female narrators voice and acting were just so bad.. So nasally. I feel like the narrators ruined a story I might have otherwise enjoyed.

I recommend reading it instead of listening to this.

1 person found this helpful

Good Story! Way too long

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The length

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There was some unnecessary things put in that really could have been edited out and made the story not SO LONG!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yea

Was Wanted worth the listening time?

I guess. I fit it in my day. Like when I was driving or cleaning or showering. It was just so long. I really liked the story but oh man the length

1 person found this helpful

SYRUP AND TEARS

A LITTLE TOO MUCH. BUT, I LIKE THE SYRUP, NOT SO MUCH THE TEARS.

3 people found this helpful

You can cut what is said with a knife!!

What would have made Wanted better?

The story is a classic love at first site kind of thing. But the language used is so often and so bad that it totally ruins the story for me. Must have said F*** Me and G** D** among so many other words like it so often that it was sickening. I almost shut it off after the first chapter. I probably should have done just that. The other thing is how many times things were repeated in this book. UGH!! Awful!

What could Kelly Elliott have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Leave the horrid language to a minimum and stop being so repetitive.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Nelson Hobbs and Arika Rapson ?

I liked the narrators voices and they did a pretty good job over all.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Not really!

Any additional comments?

No additional comments. I won't be purchasing this author again.

3 people found this helpful

Life is too short

I love Kelley Elliots books but this collection sounds like it was written by a teenager. Overly dramatic, repeated phrases and really immature behavior. How many times can a character think “I’ll always be alone” “I want him but we just just be friends” “I don’t want to get hurt” and “he’s too good for me”. Ughhh! I couldn’t finish it, life’s too short. I really dislike this female narrator- nasal and overly dramatic. The is good, with a soothing voice. This is book 2 in this collection- both feel like young adult. Not for me.

good book

I really enjoyed this book. it had a happy ending and was a heart warming story.