Alot of the story felt very rushed... the story could have been built a little more and gotten some meat on the bones. But i enjoyed it somewhat. Skye was nice. Chase too.

3 1/2 stars.....

The cover and description for Heard pulled me in. I was looking forward to a different romance with someone who had a disability but had a strength that drew in the other person. Instead, it felt more like a rescue operation where Chase swoops in to rescue Skye. Don't get me wrong. I love a good alpha. I just felt like this story had potential to be more but followed a safe path.

I did like that the author chose to write about a character that wasn't 100% perfect. Skye gave the storyline a more realistic feel. I also liked Chase in general....I mean he's a military guy, what's not to like?! This was a quick read which I do believe is one reason I, personally, had a difficult time connecting. Sometimes, shorter books and novellas are tough for me to fully enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley for this review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a current day romance told from the h-Skye Callaghan's point of view. This book drops you into the action blind; which fits as Skye is also blind. She has suffered some unknown trauma which has left her broken, scarred and blind. Sky is living in a sixth floor apartment with her mother in an antagonistic relationship. Skye meets our H -Chase Rogan, the temporary building super when the elevator goes out "for the fourth time this month". As Skye has crutches and her leg in a cast Chase carries her up six flights to her apt. She figures out he is former military; which is very bad for unknown reasons. However, for the first time since being blinded she feels noticed and alive. Their relationship goes into overdrive from there.
I enjoy a mystery, and Skye and Chases' history does eventually unfold and makes great sense; but there were several times it was more than aggravating to be as blind as Skye. The author runs the risk of losing the less patient. I did enjoy the book, but liked the last few chapters better for understanding the drama.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion.
This book is a fast paced romance that grows from circumstances beyond control. I enjoyed getting to see the literal feelings of living blind. Great love and romance!

This wasn’t one for me, the characters felt two dimensional and lacked any real chemistry, the story felt all over the place and I found it hard to get or remain interested

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love this author so was thrilled to be able to read this - and this didn't disappoint

Loved the story and characters - great HEA

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book -- in my opinion, it lacked substance. I think the instant attraction without the author giving me any real character development ruined the whole premise of the book for me. This is just my honest opinion and it's my hope that it doesn't discourage anyone from reading it. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

ARC received for review

I speed read most of this book and that included the hot and heavy parts. I had no idea she had a disability. I didn't like how their relationship developed. The story was just missing meat and character development. Then the end was just everything's perfect. This was listed as erotica on NetGalley...it wasn't.

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis gave it such promise but it was hard for me to finish. I couldn't wait for it to end. There was no character development, the main character seemed constantly in her head while her mother was just conniving. Even Chase lacked depth and played a minor role. Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me.

I voluntarily received an advance review copy of this novel via Netgalley and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.

Publications: Goddess of Books Blog and Goodreads
Review Date Published: March 7, 2020
Review Links Attached

Rating: ★★ (2/5)

SPOILERS AHEAD

Heard by Suzanne Jefferies is a romance novel I received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It follows the life of the blind narrator, Skye, as she falls in love with Chase, a military man. Upfront it is a short and easy read. It's a casual book that doesn't feel like a massive commitment.

The book does throw you off the deep end into the story with very little necessary establishment of what is happening. There's absolutely no buildup at all. The author drops things with the subtlety of a sludge hammer. It almost seems like the reader is placed right into the middle of the story and they've somehow missed the first half.

All of the world, even as a usually easy contemporary, seems very vague with no truly distinct details given. I wish the writing was more consistent in regards to cementing the world around the love story. It's like none of the small details matter about Skye and Chase's environment and the people meant to be important them.

Characters don't actually have any personality, their only thoughts seem to revolve around attraction to another person. Skye's emotions are hot and cold, going from one extreme to the next, and never finding that perfect middle ground. There's no nuance to her at all. Chase, the assumed love interest, feels a bit like a brick wall the author hoped to spruce up and make welcoming but never actually took the time to do so. He's the stereotypical guy in every romance novel with no defining characteristics.

Maybe it's the gay in me, but at the beginning of the book, there's a lot of immediate fawning over a man Skye has exchanged three collective words with. Despite the author's attempts to portray Skye as a strong character, she becomes a limp noodle at the first man she meets on the page. I'm not comprehending it.

All of the relationships in the book are rushed. The immediate obsession of the characters toward one another is creepy, to say the least. Every single interaction between Skye and Chase feels hastened and incomplete. None of what you want in a romance is expanded upon or taken time to be considered.

There's also too much of an abled person savior complex when it comes to the male love interest, Chase, who is portrayed as a lifesaver for the blind narrator, Skye. Skye's self-doubt and hatred aren't addressed as the main character finding her inner peace but rather a man is supplied as the only obvious solution.

The main romantic relationship between Skye and Chase is shown to be the ultimate end goal to free the main character from her constraints. No self-discovery required. Skye does eventually go on a little bit of a quest for independence which I appreciate but it doesn't arrive organically and is forced in the reader's face with no actual journey to get there.

The author's attempts at low-key sexiness are downright comical - though she does a bit better with the actual sex scenes. The writing juvenilizes a lot of the aspects of sex which doesn't suit the genre well. In isolation, the sex scenes are fine enough, I think maybe all the moments are in a way, but together they don't seem to form a coherent story.

The pacing of the entire book is just plain wacky. There's no consistency or much needed development to certain scenes. The author simply slaps the scenes on the page with no forethought. There are cutely written moments, sure, but the issue lies in pacing. Once the timeline is established the pace does even out some but it's still in no shape solid.

The drama and conflict arrive later, with really none through the majority of the book, but by then you kind of don't care. The author doesn't include any other conflict besides minor romantics travails until well past the 70% mark. But even then the conflict present toward the end doesn't hold up.

I had high hopes for this book - sadly they weren't delivered upon. As someone who suffers a disability, I wanted to go into this book to see a real world and accurate depiction of what it's like to have a disability that isn't displayed as us being "broken". Instead, I felt like this book portrayed disability, particularly in women, as something a partner is magically meant to cure or fix.

Skye was in an accident that left her blind and never expected a man like Chase to enter into her life. Will Chase free her from a life she doesn’t want? Fast-paced read with plenty of drama and emotion. I really liked it.

So I've just finished the book and I don't really know how I feel about it. Most of the chapters were difficult for me to read. There was no real connection between the characters and the dialog was minimum.

What made me decide on 3 stars were the last 3 chapters. I wished that the rest of the book was like the last ones. There was finally some connection between Chase and Skye and we finally found more about both their stories.

All in all, the book would have been even better if it was more about the emotional and less about their sexual connection. The plot was promising but sadly it was less than I hoped for.

Heard is a good romance with an interesting plot. Good writing and characters help move the book along quite nicely. Good job.

The story of Skye still recovering from a traumatic event and living with a mother who's character is questionable, starting an interlude with Chase, the stand in building supervisor home from the military. She has a lot to overcome, a past to leave behind and personal barriers to move forward in her life, but she can get there.
I enjoyed the book, a bit different to what I have been reading. Super quick read, I read it in only a couple of hours. 3.5 stars if I could.

Reading this novel was fast and easy. It was very short and kept my interest throughout every chapter. The love happened very fast and the feelings never fully developed. It is not a happy ever after kind of story. Each character has a hard yet similar background pulling them together. We never get good descriptions of the characters which somewhat makes sense. Though it would have been nice to be able to imagine the characters instead of just imagining a blank face.

I received a free copy of Heard in exchange for an honest review. What a quick and enjoyable read.

It had some dark content, but that's what made this story stand out from.so many other romance novels.

Overall, this was a good read, and I will look for more from the author, Suzanne Jeffries.

This is my first book by Suzanne Jeffries. Chase and Skye have an instant chemistry that they allow to fizzle and reignite. The book was a little confusing due to the total lack of details up front.

Overall this book doesn’t live up to its potential.

I had high hopes for this book but it fell so flat. There isn't much dialogue in comparison to all the talking she does in her head. The characters develop in a snail's pace but not far. The premise of the book is good and has an eye catching cover but that's about it.

I did not really enjoy reading this book. I had sympathy with the heroine because she was blind but other than that it was not a book for me Sorry

Skye is blind, broken and in desperate need of someone to notice her. Chase does just that, he notices her. This is their messy love story that pulls you in. Two people with so much more in common than either of them can imagine. Can they save each other? Is it truly possible to start over? You'll have to read their story to find out. I enjoyed this story, and would recommend it!