The Reader (The Immortal Series Book 1)

I’ve been wary about the free books by unfamiliar authors lately because so many have had cliffhangers with three books poorly stretched out to be three. However, the synopsis of this book appealed to me and none of the reviews indicated that it had a cliffhanger, so I took a chance.Happily, this book was very well written, had good characterization, great plot and good world building. Best of all, there was NO cliffhanger. I think that the book is geared towards young adults but it held my interest and I’m a senior citizen. The book had no risqué or sex scenes and no swearing, so it was definitely a clean read, which reinforced my belief that the target audience is the young adult demographic.Since this is the first book in a series, I imagine that more will be revealed about the Readers in subsequent books. There were some minor plot holes or areas that could have been more developed, but overall, it was a good read. It was light, entertaining and most of the characters were engaging. I will definitely be interested in purchasing more books in the series.I highly recommend this book for readers looking for a light, young adult paranormal series. Kudos to the author for not inflicting a cliffhanger on her readers. For that alone, she deserves to have readers give her books a chance.

I read this in just a couple of sittings. Dinner and a movie then back to this book. Aside from the premise being farfetched, I had trouble with a couple of things. No sense of passing time. Aside from a mention or two about months having passed I thought that the whole story took place in a few days. The main issue for me was that there was very little interaction between Devon and Ann. OK they were soulmates, but did they ever hang out together, read the paper, watch TV? We are told they play poker, but we aren't invited to the game. Does Ann read Devon's mind? Do they all laugh about her "cheating"? I felt left out. This is a quick and easy free read. Would I pay to read it? No.

It took me a few pages to get into the book, but once I did, I kept reading and couldn't stop. The writing is really good and often laugh out loud funny. The plot is fast paced and interesting. The story, though I don't believe in evolution, was imaginative and believable. I cared about the characters and liked their banter. The romance was clean but exciting. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship develop. I started reading around 10 p.m. and read until I finished at 2:30 a.m. I recommend to anyone who likes teenage romance and paranormal stories and is looking for something clean. It reminded me a little of The Green Ember, another book I really enjoyed. I plan to continue reading the series. The next book comes out sometime this year.

It needed a couple more drafts I think--there were a lot of plot holes, deus ex machina, one-dimensional characters, black-and-white morality, logistical discontinuities, cliches, and things that just didn't make sense. A conceptual example: what's the intrigue of a community of immortal mind readers, eternally sequestering themselves from those whose minds they can read?? We barely got to see anyone use their paranormal abilities. And why is the book called 'the reader' when everyone is a 'reader'? There wasn't a single (named) *human* character in the book.Also: all the attractive guys in the book are required to kiss our MC to see if she's their soul mate, and thereby The Chosen One who can make the world all good. Come on, cliche. She's also The Best at fighting. Except when the plot demands that she be a damsel in distress. For her paranormal love triangle.It wasn't terrible. I did have fun reading it, and got sucked into the drama; even admired the MC's initiative and determination a couple times! There were a few twists that caught me off guard. And I loved that there was a satisfying ending!! If it had been just a little more character-driven, I probably wouldn't have minded everything else enough to care

I came across this book while searching for something new to read and downloaded a sample to see if it would even interest me. Boy am I glad I did. After reading only a few pages, I quickly bought the book and devoured it.The book opens with the main character, Ann, waking up on a beach wounded and with no memory. She is quickly rescued by cousins, Archer and Devon. They whisk her to their compound where she learns exactly who and what she is and what her destiny is.I won't say anymore about the plot because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I highly recommend this book. It is listed as a YA book and the 3 main characters are all late teens/early twenties but there are other characters that are adults. I give this book 4 1/2 stars and eagerly await the next book in the series.Annette EvansAuthor of They Call Me Jane Doe, Family Secrets and Lies, and Simple Pleasures

I got this book because the cover just kept showing up as a recommendation and tempted me, until I finally gave in and bought it. This is one of those books that you cannot put down once you start reading. From the first page to the last I was completely absorbed and entertained. The writing was excellent, the concept unique, and the characters were absolutely believable. The story is of a group of people that can read minds, and their adversaries that can usurp human bodies to carry their souls is unusual and intriguing. The centuries of battle between them is the premise of the book.This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I cannot wait to read another book in this series. It can be read as a stand alone, which I liked. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

One of my all time favourite reads.This was a brilliantly written story and was, for me, a unique twist on the lives of immortals making them either reader's or hijackers. The story literally sucks you in from page one to the very ending. Just when you think you have it worked out the author chucks in another twist. I loved the characters and wow, Samara was pretty impressive.It was nice to have a female main character not be all whiny and petulant. Ann certainly came into her own when she returned to her burnt out shell of a home. You could feel the chemistry between Ann and Devon (he was my favourite). Archer was a little immature in comparison.Loved it!!

pooled ink Reviews:The plot was very fast-paced, perhaps because the book itself was comparatively short. In a way it reminded me of THE HOST or of SHATTER ME except a lot shorter and no aliens, superheroes, or such.While it would have been possible to stretch this story out longer or even into a trilogy like so many authors do, I’m actually okay with how quick this went by. It made for a nice stand-alone paranormal action romance novel for those who are into such topics but don’t want to devote hours and hours to rifling through a giant book series.Overall I think this was well done and an enjoyable read. Although it also holds great potential for extending/deepening the story (something which I would have enjoyed but I suppose I can live without).Concise, thrilling, romantic, and tragic, THE READER is a solo story in the world of the impossible. Perfect for any paranormal romance fan seeking a riveting journey that could be read easily in a day.Read my FULL review here: [...]

I read this book in less than 24 hours! It is a great story and moves along quickly, so you never get bored, or want to put it down. Can't wait to read the sequel.

This book was just so exciting I could not put the book down. It was a great adventure, lots of great twists. It was very special.

I’ve read all the books written by MK Harkins, and I have to say, this one is my favourite so far. There are so many things I loved about this book, I’m not sure where to start.First of all, paranormal is my favourite genre, so I was pleased when MK Harkins branched out into this genre. MK has proved herself to be a good storyteller in the contemporary romances she has written, but now she has proved she can transfer this talent to the another genre.The world the author created didn’t exist in a paranormal world, but existed within our world. I still haven’t decided if this was clever or just plain scary. I had lots of OMG moments when the two worlds collided.The book was full of characters I loved, some I hated and even some I was conflicted about. The story definitely wasn’t predictable and I wasn’t sure how it would end until I reached the last few pages. I hope this author will continue to write books in this genre