The Avery Nolan Adventure Box Set

By: M. L. Hamilton

Narrated by: Kelley Hazen

Length: 30 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Get the complete Avery Nolan Adventures in a single box set - tons of action and adventure set in beautiful Lake Tahoe.

The Avery Nolan Adventure series is a contemporary fantasy series, pitting our heroine against supernatural beings residing in Lake Tahoe. Recovering from a recent divorce, Avery finds herself in a situation unlike any she’s ever experienced before.

©2017 ML Hamilton (P)2018 ML Hamilton

Fantasy and humor

I really enjoyed this book. The main character came off as a little simple minded but it was still an intriguing storyline. One thing that really enhanced the story was the narrator, Kelley Hazen. She is an awesome performer and sometimes I forgot that she was just one person and not a full cast.

The Avery Nolan Adventure Box Set

Thirty hours of enjoyment listening to this four book box set! Follow the adventures of Avery Nolan, a recently divorced first grade teacher who’s in for way more than she ever expected. Who would have though that moving to her Grandmothers cottage and making a fresh start would turn her life totally upside down.

M. L. Hamilton has done a fantastic job with developing each of the characters including all the background characters. This just adds to the enjoyment. So many characters to get invested in, it’s tough to pick a favorite.

This is the first narration I have listened to by Kelley Hazen, and I was definitely impressed. There were so many different characters, and she brought each of them to life. Great voices and emotions. I especially loved the portrayal of The Aunts!

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

Just excellent

What an incredible series of books. I LOVED every one of them. Our main character is just so...normal. And her exposure and reactions to magic and her heritage are more realistically described than any urban fantasy I've ever read. The author didn't fall into that paranormal writing trap of the mc betting more and more powerful either. That gets old fast and many paranormal/urban fantasy authors fall into that trap even when they're not writing YA. So this was totally refreshing. A truly adult mc who is a regular person from start to finish. Thank the writing gods. The narrator took some getting used to. At first, I thought I wasn't going to enjoy the narration. She was stilted and robotic enough that I actually doublechecked my tablet to make sure I didnt have the autobot on. When I realized I didn't, that the voice was coming from a real human, I regrettedmy purchase. But I stuck with the listening and am so glad that I did. The narrator, after the first few chapters,settled into the story and brought the characters thoroughly to life. She was excellent. Highly, highly recommend!

A fantastic magical adventure in one set:)

I had already listened to all four books in the box separately so I was really happy to get them all together in one set. You will find my reviews of the individual parts on their respective pages, but here's a short roundup of what I thought of them...:)

In book one - Swift as a Shadow - we get introduced to Avery Nolan. She's just got divorced and wants to start over so she moves to Tahoe with her golden retriever Basil - and that's when her life takes a really strange course and where her adventures begin... The story starts quite slow, the events unfold at a steady pace, with nothing particularly unusual or fantastical/magical happening and then when magic does happen, Avery tries to ignore or rationalize it. But, with all that, you somehow cannot stop listening - the mystery behind Duncan's behaviour won't let you:)

Book two - Short as Any Dream - is definitely more action-packed and emotional, with Duncan captured and an ICE agent asking difficult questions. Every chapter brings new trouble for Avery, Bay and the Aunts, and the emotional strain reaches its peak in a heart-breaking scene near the end of the book.

In the third installment of the series - Brief as Lightning - Avery, with agent Braddock's help, finally sets off to find the portal to Frostfell - and again not everything goes according to plan... There's a lot of action, we meet new fantastic characters - the last of the Rainbow people - and as usual, we get a surprising ending to the adventure, being really the opening/teaser for the next installment...

The final adventure in the series - Momentary as a Sound - brings us many surprises on the way to quite a satisfactory ending to the whole story. The plotline, as with the other three parts, is quite fast-paced, logical and intriguing, and keeps you glued to the pages (player, in my case). There are a lot of action-packed moments, but there are also moments of emotional turmoil which will move your heart. In general, that's a great ending to Avery's story:)

While reading/listening to the set you will fall in love with Avery, but she will also get on your nerves. Sometimes she's a rational human being, sometimes she's as brave and loyal as any superhero, and sometimes she behaves like a crazy lunatic on the brink of hysteria...:) The only thing you won't feel towards her? Indifference...

There are also other characters you won't forget - Duncan, Bay, the Aunts, Agent Braddock, Avery's parents... oh, and little Susan and other kids in Avery's class, too:)... you can't ask for a more colourful bunch of strong individuals with as many faults as they have virtues, and as many not always all-so-clear motives for their behaviour... Character development for sure is one of the strongest points of Ms Hamilton's writing. The world building is equally good: the school where Avery works, the forest where Duncan and Bay live, Frostfell - you just see the places in all their complexity and beauty...

And last but not least: the narration. I can definitely say that Avery Nolan's adventures are Ms Hazen's masterpiece. She gives each character an individual voice - I especially loved the voices of the Aunts and of little Susan (the interpretation of that last character does deserve an Oscar, in my opinion:)) - and she conveys all the emotions, all the happiness and all the turmoil, just perfectly...

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

4 stars

The Avery Nolan Adventure series is entertaining and engaging. I listened to all four books back to back and wasn't disappointed.

quirky, amusing and enthralling

I LOVE this series. characters are unique and well-developed. dialogue so amusing I was laughing out loud in some places.

overall a good series

I loved the first 3. 4th one was good. loved Alberon character. avery got very whiny, needy and kinda dumb in this one. overall good story dont really care for where her character went. Other than that a great series of books 1-4

Loved the series!

I loved the series, and the story. However, Avery was too much of a hothead and caused a great deal of unnecessary trouble and was very juvenile in her reactions to dangerous situations

An Awesome Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and it is 30 hours of some of the most enjoyable listening I've done in awhile. A very average Avery Nolan finds herself in misadventures after her world is turned upside down. The characters are well written and intriguing in this tale of combining two very different worlds. This series has something for everyone, suspense, drama, mystery, humour and a touch of romance. This combination of author and narrator creates pure enjoyment. I'm just hoping that someday more adventures will be added for Avery and her friends.

4 Great Books in this Adventure!

ML Hamilton has written a great series that is made into one incredible listen. Kelley Hazen does such an incredible performance with the various characters. She give each one a distinctive voice that never falters. Her emotions and expressions are spot on. Listening to this set, one is able to pick up on details I missed previously. I loved how the stories were seamlessly tied together and enhanced the previous one. I was provided with this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I will most definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator. The imagery in this book is outstanding and the twists are great. Many things I had not seen coming, which I so enjoy.