"Expired Listings" by D.M. Barr is well written and edited with very few spelling, grammar, or wrongly used words, which made it a fairly refreshing read. Barr's stylistic voice is a nice combination of humor and sarcasm, allowing this reader to chuckle out loud on occasion. Protagonist Dana Black's love of pun was an interesting tool Barr used to give some insight into this character. However, it fell short for this reader, having never really making a connection with the main character, therefore not truly caring if she would be the Realtor Retaliator or a victim, or not... Barr opted to create a character that was emotionally stunted and cold, and one might argue she did the job so well, this reader could not bring herself to care what happened to the character - or, that the character was underdeveloped, and not worth this reader's interest or emotional connection. Perhaps the use of a real estate agent - Realtor - and all it entails for the backdrop setting of this story, is what provided the lack of interest for this reader. Logically, this reader could see where Barr would wish to use this setting to allow unfettered use of empty houses for the BDSM sections of the story, but it simply fell flat for this reader. Rarely leaving a book unfinished, it did take this reader well over four weeks to finish this story - simply due to her lack of interest in what might befall Dana Black, and this is a real shame because Barr does show creativity, has obviously put time and effort into turning out a decently edited and somewhat interesting tale. This reader does not wish ill to any realtors or real estate agents and gives great kudos to the realtor that brokered the purchase of her own home, by the way. Nor does this reader view realtors as slimy individuals.... This reader found a few minor issues with the way the BDSM scenes were protrayed, but not enough to state it was not well researched; simply, the scenes were portrayed via a different style than what this reader would have expected. And that's okay. Large sections of the story were told versus being shown, which can make a boring read. If a readers goal is to simply have a fairly error-free read, then this book is for you; if a reader desires a feeling of connection towards a character - as this reader does - then you may not be as pleased with the read as you might hope. Either way, this reader will consider reading D.M. Barr in the future. ** Originally posted on Amazon on November 14, 2016. **
