Quickening Hues

The Mercy Thompson series has been fantastic, and this latest book was much the same. I don't know how Briggs can continue breathing refreshing plot ideas into the series, but she doesn't disappoint. Lorelei King does an excellent job conveying the emotion, performing the voices of different characters, and getting the wry humor just right.

My Bluegrass Baby reminded me a lot of a Jennifer Crusie novel. It was clever and funny. The romance was definitely a primary part of the plot but it wasn't lathered on with layers of cheese. Rather, it felt very realistic and honest.

Amanda Ronconi did an excellent job of delivering the humor and the sentiment.

I definitely recommend this!

This was probably my favorite of the Edge Series books. Apparently, this is the last book of the series. I've enjoyed everything that Ilona Andrews has published, but I'm sad to see this series end. The world Andrews created in the Edge was both magical and realistic.

Renee Raudman does a good job with the narrations. However, I can't seem to disconnect her voice from Kate Daniels in Andrews other series. It's not a criticism of her narration; it's a credit to her performance of the Kate Daniels books.

The story in Steel's Edge is entertaining and the characters, Charlotte and Richard, are both likeable and complex.

If you are considering buying this audiobook, I definitely recommend it!

I read the first book before the audiobook edition was published. I was reluctant to listen to book two, because I was afraid the narrator's performance wouldn't jive with my perceptions of the characters. The preview was enough for me to fork over the credit, and Emily Bauer's narration turned out to be fantastic.

This book is a fantastic addition to the InCryptid series. I never could get into Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, but Verity Price has turned me into a fan of her writing. It has just the right balance of action and romance to appeal to almost everyone and the supporting characters keep things fresh and thoroughly entertaining.

I'm normally reluctant to buy an audiobook that is performed by someone new. But, Erin Spencer was better than I had expected. The male characters sounded a little goofy, and I would have preferred it if she had sped up her reading just a tad bit, or maybe I'm just being too picky. I think she has the potential to be a really awesome narrator with a few minor adjustments.

As far as the story goes...

I really enjoyed the characters. I know there are plenty of paranormal mystery books out there with main characters that solve crimes with the aid of ghosts. (I really enjoyed Amanda Steven's Graveyard Queen series) Yet, this book felt different. I think it was the humor Terri Reid injected into the dialogue. The mystery wasn't much of a mystery, but the plot didn't really suffer from the lack of suspense. I still wanted to know how it's all resolved. Now I'm eager to listen to the next book, Good Tidings, to see where things go with Mary and Bradley.

Susan Duerden does an awesome job.

Julie Garwood's writing is always entertaining. If you are already a fan of her novels, then you certainly won't be disappointed with this audiobook.

I normally eat up this type of world; set in a Victorian England with lots of steampunk toys and plenty of supernaturals. This just didn't hold my attention. Very disappointing.

I liked Quirk's narration. Unfortunately, Saintcrow's attempt to describe Bannon and Clare's surroundings, the mystery they were trying to solve, and the undertones of the character's relationships were all a jumbled mess. It didn't come together like many other Saintcrow books I have read. My comprehension skills are just fine, but I found it hard to make sense of the plot at certain points. I think the story needed to be restructured before it should have been published.

In terms of the storyline itself, I was equally disappointed. For every positive aspect of this book, there is a negative one. The most obvious example I can think of is Clare and Bannon. Archibald Clare is observant, pleasant, and candid. Clare's antithesis is definitely Emma Bannon. She came off as self-centered, haughty, and callous. I will openly admit that it has a lot to do with the social/class system. Nevertheless, it was disturbing. The Prime/Shield relationship seems to be set up to breed narcissists and lapdogs. I liked the 'mentaths,' but sorcery world's caste-like power system offended my American sensibilities.

The narrator did a terrific job, but I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for Eibhear and Izzy's love story.

If you haven't already started on this series, I recommend listening to Katie MacAlister's "You Slay Me," as an alternative. Like Aiken's Dragon Kin series, you get the dragons, the romance, and the adventure, and with MacAlister the humor isn't as cheesy.

I hate it when the narration of an audiobook ruins the whole experience for me. That's what happened with "Don't Make Me Make You Brownies." If I had chosen to read it myself, I would have been able to appreciate the humor and the romance Nina Cordoba created. It sounded like a really bad actress reading lines at an audition without any practice. Her performances were exaggerated and melodramatic. If you listen to the audio sample, you'll understand what I mean. Unfortunately, I didn't.

But I really did enjoy the story. So, I would just recommend buying the ebook on Amazon instead.

Unlike most other novels and series in this genre, Jenna Black's series about Nikki Glass is a breath of fresh air. There is no romance at all in the first book, and the romance in Deadly Descendant, the second installment, is developing at a snail's pace. For some reason, this makes me all the more eager to find out where things go in book three. The concept of the series also veers away from the genre's status quo. Descendants of gods, who can steal immortality from other descendants by killing them, leaves Black's main characters teetering between good and evil. And by creating characters that inherited diluted powers of mythological gods (I think she's only included Greek and Norse gods so far) she's given herself a treasure trove of inspiration that I hope will continue in the next book, because it's done her well so far. I definitely recommend.