*****Spoiler Alert*****
Reviewed through Audible. Dual POV narration. Duet boxset, books 1 & 2 of the Club Alias series. Listed as 12 hours 27 minutes (‘Before the Lie’ book one is 5 hours 23 minutes long, ‘Truth Revealed’ book two is 7 hours 3 minutes long, and the credits took up the remaining minute). I listened at speed 1.50 for 8 hours 18 minutes. I’d like to acknowledge that for me the ebooks were 5 stars for book one and 3 stars for book two when I first read them two years ago. I was really excited that they had become an audiobook but my taste in books must’ve really matured since then because after listening to this audiobook I struggled to give it 2 stars overall. I really do like K D Robichaux though. In book two chapter 19, through her main female character she acknowledges that people will have differing feelings about the story and it’s believability. That acknowledgment comes with very good reason because many things are completely beyond the scope of any circumstance I can imagine happening in reality. Before The Lie (book one in this duet) earned a PG/PG-13 rating and could be read as a YA novella. Truth Revealed (book two in this duet) is closer to earned an R rating but still has a YA feel. Both narrators read well but Logan McAllister sounds too old for the character he portrays in book one but the age of his voice is accurate for the age of his character in book two. His voice did not fit the character I imagined. Trigger warnings: r@pe; accidental drunken death by aspiration and asphyxiation of a teenage girl; spanking by a therapist; stalking; invasion of privacy, cyber crimes; drug and alcohol abuse; manipulation and intimate BDSM relationship through the stolen identity of a supposed friend; BDSM; flogging; bondage; blindfold; r@pe reenactment; dubious consent; videotaped counseling sessions viewed for personal gain; videotaped sexual encounters monitored; suicide by drug overdose; and murders.
Annoying things about the audiobook that I didn’t notice 2 years ago when I read the ebook duet:
▪Vivian is only one or two inches shorter than Corbin but he considers her tiny and small throughout the story instead of what I believe the author meant to be slim or thin.
▪The repetitive use of “baby girl” (56 times in book one/33 times in book two) and “my sweet” (38 times in book two) drove me crazy, it was like nails on a chalkboard. It got so bad I almost DNF multiple times.
▪Each POV repeats the same info/scenes with no real new info gained from the alternate POV. Half of the book wouldn’t exist if the double perspective on the same scene was edited out.
▪The completely unbelievable fact that Vivian didn’t recognize Corbin in book two. I know it’s been 10 years since she’s seen or spoken to him but come on, a mask and a long sleeved shirt can’t disguise his voice, height, and over all build. Not to mention their connection was so strong they had an instinctive awareness of each other that both described in book one that she felt in book 2 but seemingly swept aside.
▪Vivian is a new breed of woman who pined for Corbin for a decade but didn’t want to know anything about his relationships during their separation. And she thought her r@pe reenactment was private been her and the Dom in the room but she completely got over it when she realized it was videotaped and being monitored. Yeah right.
▪The doctor/therapist thought it was ok to manhandle and spank his client in the middle of a panic attack during a therapy session…. Yeah, that’s unacceptable.
▪Listening to the BDSM training in book two made me extremely uncomfortable and felt like a second r@pe of Vivian because she didn’t know the true identity of the person training her therefore she couldn’t possibly have given him consent.
I really struggled with writing this review and am disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this audiobook duet. JP
1st listen 02-04-22.