Silver Light

Alexis Silver, Book 1

By: J.R. Rain, Matthew S. Cox

Narrated by: Kelley Huston

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

From J.R. Rain and Matthew S. Cox, the best-selling duo that brought you New Moon Rising and Convergence, comes Silver Light, the first in a brand-new fantasy series starring Alexis Silver, a mermaid detective!

For centuries, tales have told of merfolk haunting the seas, strange creatures teasing or helping sailors at their whim, occasionally having them for dinner. And not in a cordial sense.

Alexis Silver was ahead of her time, a woman too smart to fit into society at the turn of the century. She gave up her dreams of higher education for love, marrying young. But her husband, and the life she wanted, perished in World War I, soon after. Heartbroken and restless, she booked passage on a cruise along the West Coast in search of adventure, but adventure found her.

The ship capsized, killing everyone on board, except for her. As she drifted far beneath the waves, inexplicably alive, the reason for her survival flashed by in a streak of silver: a merman. He had passed along the curse - or gift - as Alexis sees it.

A century later, she breaks up the monotony of immortality in the Pacific Northwest working as a private investigator. The long-dormant maternal instincts of her resident Dark Master kick in when a nice older couple hire her to find their missing son and his family. Her instincts tell her this isn't like her usual jilted-spouse cases.

If she doesn't work fast, a little girl is going to die.

©2018 J.R. Rain (P)2020 J.R. Rain

Mermaid PI

This was a well written and wildly entertaining book with a unique main character. Alexis Silver is a private investigator, but she is very different from any PI you have ever encountered before. You see, Alexis should have died when a cruise ship she was on back in the 1920's sunk. Instead of perishing, though, she was turned into a mermaid. She lives with a resident Dark Master inside her brain as well as a link to salt water, eating live seafood (in lieu of human hearts) and a ten foot long tail.

Her latest case is the search for a couple and their young daughter, Hannah. When the man's parents come to Alexis asking for help, her maternal instincts kick in the minute she sees a photo of Hannah. This case is much more interesting than the cheating spouse cases that Alexis usually works.

The descriptions of Alexis in her mermaid form, her reminisces about her former life, the details of her transformation were wonderful. Anyone who thinks that mermaids are like those cute Disney cartoons will be shocked by the reality of Alexis and her cravings! I enjoyed the addition of her former husbands, who were a werewolf and a vampire, and her encounter with the original Dracula.

The mystery is full of intrigue and twists, the paranormal elements were great and the emotions were perfect. I will definitely be awaiting more adventures involving this wonderful mermaid!

The narrator did a wonderful job, with perfect pacing, great voices and spot-on emotions. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by the authors/narrator/publisher and chose to review it.

So Unique!!!

I listen to alot of PNR and this takes a unique perspective on mermaid shifters. Alex is a private investigator who gets involved in strange situations. Thankfully she comes out just fine. The authors have done a great job of using old mythology and present day perceptions of merfolk, with a unique twist of additional "souls".
I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to more from the authors. This book is the beginning of a series I have a great feeling about. Uses of old lingo from the past century are scattered throughout the book, and the uses are LOL worthy. Kelley Huston did an amazing job bringing Alex to life, with each character being unique and interesting to listen to. J.R. Rain and Matthew S Cox have written a great storyline with comical dialogue and interesting characters. Again, I highly recommend this book.
Would I listen to this book again? YES
Would I recommend this book to others? Yes, with no real reason for any age restrictions.

Love

I loved loved this book. It is a spin on mermaids like you never would of thought before! The narrator is wonderful and she keeps you engaged the whole story! I can't wait to hear the second book!

Great read

New author to me but I enjoy this book even if it’s a little different and gross. Kelley Huston did an amazing job at narrating

Mermaids!! Need I say more?!?

Ohh I absolutely love this book. It is engaging and the narrator does a fabulous job portraying the main character as well as the other characters. It is easy to follow her voices and distinguish who is speaking as well. The author does a fabulous job informing the reader how Alexis came to be and how she is able to live now. If you enjoy some supernatural and mystery then this series is for you. Looking forward to listening to the next book.

good beginning

This was a good start to a series. There was action and some flashbacks to build the main characters story. The narration was excellent and the voices distinct for each person. There was no major plot twist or cliffhanger, just an interesting introduction to a new heroine.
I was given this free audiobook copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

its good

I like the main character and narrator. The lead is warm, caring, brave and likeable. It has two cases where one is simple and another complex. I like the premise of a PI mermaid. The world building of lore is interesting. The only thing I find lacking is a strong supporting cast.

What an experience, what a story!

A family is missing and time is running out. Alexis Silver is hired to find them. As luck would have it, Alexis has some pretty unique qualifications. Silver Light is a thrilling, well written, unique, and suspenseful mystery. What makes it so unique is that the central character is a Mermaid. Not the cute, bubbly, fashion doll mermaid we are used to seeing in the toy stores and in children’s films, but a bad a$$, siren of the sea, lure sailors to their death, take no guano, stuff of legends, Mermaid and I absolutely love her! This story at times horrified me, at times had me looking behind the curtains, and at times had me wanting to cry for what a certain character (no spoilers) was put through. The writing was fantastic! All the background information a mermaid rookie like me needed to fully understand how Alexis came to be, and how she got to where in time the story was taking place, was provided in a way that not only set up the series perfectly, it enhanced the story beautifully! The narration was nothing short of brilliant! The voicing choices for each character, the consistency, the clarity and the level and range of emotions were all stunning! I could sit back, close my eyes and just feel! I definitely want to go on to the other books in the series because I’m just not ready to let these marvelous characters or this experience go! Five stars!

A really engaging introduction to a series...:)

I like mysteries, and I like fantasy - almost all kinds. So I love books that have both:) But after reading like tons of fantasy/urban fantasy/supernatural mysteries you do find it difficult to come across a book that doesn't sound like another copy of stories you know almost by heart by now... So, although the premise of Silver Light sounded good I hesitated a bit before pushing the play button on my device... Unnecessarily - the mermaid detective turned out not only to be a breath of fresh air, she turned out to be a character I definitely want to read more about...:)
There are many good things about the book: the main character for one. She has a past that we get glimpses of but do not really get to know fully yet, and she is not alone in her body; and the soul that dwells in her is even more mysterious and more intriguing - I definitely want to find out much more about Licinia:) Another strong point is the mystery itself - or rather the emotional bond that develops between Alexis and the girl who falls the victim of the crime our PI has to solve.
The only thing that bothered me a bit was the unnecessary repetitions of some information (we got it the first time, you know:)) and the uneven pace of the story itself. That's why it's 4 stars for the story (or 4.5 to be completely honest with you).
As for the narration by Ms Huston, it's very good. I liked the way she read the narrative parts and I liked most of the voices she gave individual characters. Also, the pace of her reading was spot on - it's one of those rare books when I did not speed the audio up:)
So, in general, if you like parnormal PI stories in good interpretations, grab this one and have a great entertaining afternoon with your book:)
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Enjoyed the book and character very much

I really enjoyed Silver Light. Alexis is very likeable and funny, and the story of her trying to help an unfortunate little girl was very compelling. The authors did an appropriate amount of world-building to help you understand who Alexis is and how she came to be in her situation, and how those experiences shaped her. The narration was great also. The only slight critique on the narration was that there were times when I had to concentrate to distinguish the characters just a bit. But it was well paced both in writing and narration cadence, and I'm looking forward to the next entry in the series.

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