Reaper (Boston Underworld, #2)

by A Zavarelli

[stacey_is_sassy]

An Audio Review

Wow!! Well, that was an interesting experience. The Irish Mob sure do look a wee bit different to the Irish mob of blokes I’ve met up till now. My encounters with anyone from Ireland so far include the “to be sure, to be sure” variety, not the “I’ll blow your bleedin brains” type. I’ve even been to Ireland and stayed in a relative’s rundown castle (which was bloody cold) and managed to avoid any scary types. The scariest things I experienced in Ireland was their driving and maybe overdosing on potatoes. Fried potatoes for breakfast, chips for lunch and roast potatoes for dinner. I like potatoes, but not to eat them at breakfast lunch and dinner. So, to meet the mob and see this side of Ireland was a real eye-opener.

The audio of Reaper was everything I thought it would be and more. I was sitting on the train listening to some pretty horrific scenes practically hunched up in a ball. I was seriously freaked out to the extent that I was looking around waiting for a knife or gun to be pulled out by someone around me. The narrator, Tracy Marks, does an awesome job of grabbing your attention and making you feel like you’re part of the scene. I think I was mostly affected by the violence more than anything. The sexy times were frequent but to be honest, listening to them on audio is way different from reading them. For one, I don’t normally have an audience when I start to get twitchy. Secondly, I’m still convinced everyone around me can overhear it, so I’m forever turning the volume up and down depending on the level of profanity. When it comes to the accents, I felt that the narrator did a really good job. It’s hard enough to do accents let alone change from a male to a female character. I’m adding Tracy Marks to my favourite narrator's list. Not necessarily for her voice but because she brings emotion and feeling to the characters that other narrators just can’t do as well.

Storyline…I knew after reading Crow that this book was going to be very, very interesting. Poor bloody Ronan. That man…I just wanted…I just needed to give him a hug. The horrors he faced and lived through were unbelievable. No child should have seen let alone lived through that. It bloody scares me that children are used in this way, but then again we know, not just in Ireland but worldwide there are children being used and abused.

I really want to think that this is all from the author’s imagination, but to some extent, I could imagine it to be real. Even though I mentioned I’ve only met the “to be sure, to be sure” Irish, I know there are the “I’ll blow your bleedin brains” too. I remember the news reports of bombings and violent protests. We heard U2 sing about Sunday, bloody Sunday and saw movies like In The Name of the Father. Innocent people die and there’s always the wrongly accused fighting to be heard. So, I knew that Ireland isn’t just four leaf clovers and leprechauns, but it still shocked me to see this side of Ireland.

Sasha has had a hard life. Her mother is dying of cancer and she’s the only one available to financially support her. Sasha’s dad is dead and her sister is in another state studying. Sasha doesn’t want this life for her sister so tries to shield her as much as possible. Look, I felt sorry for Sasha, but I definitely felt that she brought some of her problems on herself. Yes, I’m quick to judge, but she seemed to just keep falling into the same traps over and over again.

The relationship between Ronan and Sasha is a little strange. Ronan is obsessed with her and even though Sasha knows it, she doesn’t know the extent he has gone to and will go to, to protect her. It’s a little…no, probably more accurate to say a lot unhealthy the way the relationship starts, but you always know there’s something different about Ronan. Ronan’s past has made him unable to have normal relationships. He doesn’t recognise love, is uncomfortable being touched and generally only knows violence. Sasha knows all of this but refuses to see just this. She wants what’s underneath. She wants to push past his vulnerable shell and bring him out just for her. Ronan does eventually come out of his shell…just because it’s what Sasha wants.

I really enjoyed the audio of Reaper. The author drags you into the seedier, violent side of the Boston Underworld and takes you for a ride. This series is awesome and I can’t wait to meet more of these crazy Irish Mobsters.