A Mage's Guide to Human Familiars

R'iyah Family Archives, Book 1

By: AJ Sherwood

Narrated by: Tim Paige, Michael Ferraiuolo, Greg Boudreaux

Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

One mage: Bel Adams–part demon, gun shy about being rejected by one again, needs a familiar.

One familiar: Nico di Rossi–Army Ranger, needs a change of pace and a new purpose in life, is a golden retriever in human form (though not literally).

Plus one familiar: Garen Dallarosa–Secret Service, part gargoyle, needs his ex-lover Nico back.

One second chance–all for the taking.

©2022 AJ Sherwood (P)2022 Podium Audio

Perfect for my mood

I always enjoy AJ Sherwood books. There is good writing, engaging yet unusual characters, humor, romance, and sexy times. What’s not to like? I think my favorite series so far are Jon’s Mysteries and R’iyah Family Archives. I’ve read this book once and just finished listening to it for the second time and was completely struck by the sense of joie de vie that permeates this book. Nico’s character is probably one that might make you crazy in real life…but how fun to hang with him and Bel and Garen. I laughed out loud when another character describes him as a golden retriever puppy. So apt. The angst level is low (which I prefer right now) and the world is fascinating and fun. Instead of one major challenge facing the characters, there are several smaller ones and it was a great way to introduce this world of magic use and get introduced to our MC’s. I was tickled by the almost over-the-top magical challenges. They felt a bit tongue-in-cheek…but like we were all enjoying the ride. AJs humor really hits the mark for me. Thank you, thank you for your books.

Loving this series!!

I had already read the book and was so excited for the audiobook. I mean, how could I not love an audiobook when I know the book was great and it’s being narrated but not one but three of my favorite narrators!! I was not disappointed and I can’t wait for future books in this series!

Well done!

I enjoyed this story so much!! The narration was stellar and the story delightful! Excellent!

Love

This is one of my favorite books right now. It’s fun, light, I love the relationship dynamics between all the characters.

low angst fun

I love this book, series, and author! AJ almost always promises low angst fun and a little steam to spice things up.

The only thing I dislike about the audio version is that Garen's narrator sounds like an actor from the 50s rather than having a current-century accent. Not at all how I imagine Garen would sound. He also talked MUCH slower than the other narrators, and I had to speed up the recording for his chapters. It pulled me out of the story every time. Luckily, he didn't have as many chapters as the others.

So Much Fun and Snuggly Goodness

Looking for a familiar should never be as painful an experience as it starts out for Bell. And then when he does get 1 familiar who wants to stay, the guy brings in his ex boyfriend. As things progress, it is clear that it going yo take more than a summoning to keep these three bound together.

Fantastic in all aspects

I loved this! The story is amazing and I read this before getting the audio book. The narration made this story even better. I will admit I'm picky on audio books about the voices and reading style. Their voice tones and reading style flow are A+. Highly recommended. I can't wait for the second book to go to audio.

loved it!

loved it! great narration, and fun, laugh out loud, feel good story. I thought the character development was well done

Great start to the series

I read the book first and I think the narration improved on an already great story! Funny with likeable characters, interesting magic, and some action. I look forward to more.

Loved this book

What a fantastic combination of narrators and a great story! Really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to dive into the next one.