Behind the Mask

By: C.E. Black

Narrated by: Sarah Puckett

Kassandra Darkmorré is hiding behind the mask of humanity, living her life as nothing more than a spectator. She watches, knowing the outcome of the lives around her.

They lived.

They died.

While she was left all alone.

She never imagined one of her hospice patients would figure out what she was or ask for an explanation on her death bed. And Kassandra surely didn't expect the dying woman to give her something she hadn't had in almost 200 years. Hope.

"What you desire most is achievable. You must accept the invitation when it's presented."

While on the search for her true desire, she finds the man of her one and only dream, Cyrus Good. The attraction between them is instantaneous, but Kassandra can't help but feel like something is missing. And that maybe he has secrets as sinister as Salem itself.

And what about Xavier Drago? The mysterious man keeps popping up when she least expects him to. As annoying and demanding as he is, though, she can't help but be drawn to him just as intensely.

It all began with an invitation, but will it end with a happily ever after?

©2016 C.E. Black (P)2017 C.E. Black

Behind the Mask is perfection

A very different type of vampire book. I love reading vampire novels & have read hundreds, so I don't often find one that surprises me.

The characters were likeable & well developed, the story was fast paced & intriguing. The addition of witches to the story really made the difference.

The writing was great & Ms. Puckett's narration was wonderful.

Behind the Mask

Where does Behind the Mask rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

it ranks in the top 20.

What did you like best about this story?

The lesson that you should never be ashamed of who you are.

Which scene was your favorite?

when Syrus told her that behind the mask is perfection

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

nothing in particular...the book was good in all aspects.

Any additional comments?

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Great Paranormal Romance

I was so lost at first because I did realize the witch was a male! The narrator did not differentiate much between male and female characters. After a few chapters, I restarted the book and tried to pay closer attention to details and figured out who was male and who was female! After I sorted the genders, I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook!

The story was very interesting and had witches and vampires working together against a common enemy! The conclusion was great and somewhat unexpected. It is nice to see a thoughtful, good vampire for a change! I really liked the heroine!

Looking forward to listening to more books by this talented author!

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Great Story

Where does Behind the Mask rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Not very high in term of audiobooks. In terms of story I very much enjoyed it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cyrus. Actually this was the only character I really liked because of how men are kinda emotionless in stories so the readers tone went well with this being a male character.

What didn’t you like about Sarah Puckett’s performance?

She lacked passion. I see great potential. She has a fantastic voice, but she only 'read' the story, the pitch pretty much stayed the same. There was no feeling in it whatsoever and it really brought down the feel of the whole story. It worked for the male characters but not at all for Kassandra. It made it just bleh.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not at all. Normally this would be a quick listen for me as it wasn't long but this took me almost a week to finish because the reader was just reading the story and I won't relisten to this one.

Any additional comments?

The story line was great with lots of fun twists along the way. I look forward to seeing more from CE Black. I thought it was very original. I have not heard a story like this one.
Sarah Puckett has great potential. She just needs to feel the story and change the tone of her voice when she gets to excited parts or scary parts or just in general just to keep the story flowing. She kept the same "I'm reading from the book to an empty room" tone the entire time. Great voice but no emotions.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom

Good story, narration a bit off

Any additional comments?

The story itself is very entertaining, creative and interesting. I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately the narration took away from the overall enjoyment. This book is less than 6 hours long and normally I would listen to it in one sitting. I couldn't do that with this book. The narrator never completely pulled me into the story and I kept getting distracted.

Interesting and likable cast of characters. A little steamy romance, a bit of action, a few twists, and a HEA.

Kassandra is not your typical vampire. She's a born vampire who wants to be human. Living forever isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

This is the first time I have listened to Sarah Puckett narrate a book. She's just reading the book especially in the beginning. It's dull. She has a pleasant voice and could be a really great narrator with more practice. It is spoken clearly with an even pace. There is a bit more of a difference between some her character voices as the story goes on. Her narration also flows more smoothly as the story goes on. The audio quality is not consistent the volume fluctuates at times.

If I had purchased the book I would have returned it based on the audio quality.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.