Unnatural Magic

Bargains with Beasts, Book 1

By: Stacia Stark

Narrated by: Lia Langola

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

I was kept ignorant and sheltered my whole life.

Now that I’m free, I’ll never be coddled again.

Even if the smoking hot werewolf king thinks coddling is perfectly acceptable.

Because something’s hunting humans in my city. Something that kills like a werewolf, but displays those kills publicly–as if taunting the authorities.

Thanks to my spiffy new agreement with the police, it’s my job to figure out just what that something is.

But whoever is hunting the good citizens of Durham is also taunting me.

When my investigation takes me to the local werewolf pack–and the overprotective male in charge–I know I’m in trouble.

Can I solve these murders without losing my freedom...or my life?

Or will the creature make me regret ever thinking I was strong enough to be out in the world alone?

If you like K.F Breene, Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Faith Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton, Jennifer Estep, Shannon Mayer, Kim Harrison, and Dannika Dark, you’ll love this series.

Listen to it now.

©2022 Stacia Stark (P)2022 Mountaindale Press

Absolutely love this author!!!

Story is so good and narrator draws you in!!
An absolutely must read author and series!!!!!!!!

No to the Narrator

I love this series. I love the characters, the plot progression, and the dialogue. This story was a good continuation of the series. But if you are going to narrate a book, please know how to pronounce the words. If the narrator had listened to even one of the previous books she may have noticed just how MANY of the names she was pronouncing incorrectly. It was INCREDIBLY irritating. It was also unfortunate because the narrator’s voice was ok, but the vocabulary!

The story was FANTASTIC!

Absolutely loved this book, it couldn’t have been better imo but I realllly struggled with the narration and miss the voice of Evie from Deals With Demons. However it wasn’t a deal breaker.

So good

Gah I’m sad I caught up to the final book released in this series and now I have to wait! All the characters are great really enjoy this series and it’s unique take on paranormal dystopic event. I was annoyed by Evie’s reaction at the end but that’s her trigger, even if I agree with everyone else’s decision lol. Totally worth a credit but start at the beginning book “Speak of the demon”

Great story, but the Narrator made me cringe

Love this series - the story is fantastic! Unfortunately, the narrator switched when the Deals with Demons series ended to this new one and she clearly hadn’t listened to a single one of the previous books because she pronounced just about everything incorrectly. It grated on me the entire time.

Not as good as Danica’s story

I will continue series as I like the author’s writing style. I just don’t like how immature they make this character and I wasn’t a fan of the narrator.
The mate thing should be pretty straight forward common knowledge in this world and the fact she doesn’t seem to understand anything seems so bizarre. We all get it and we don’t even live in that world. Her anger over it was out of character for a seemingly otherwise mature adult. I just thought it was poorly written. Maybe had she been involved and cared for her boyfriend ( who was almost absent from book.)Were they having sex? Did she have feelings beyond friendship? Then maybe finding out the mate thing was making her breakup with her current lover would create a lot of anger. Otherwise she seems to get the alpha thing and it’s odd she wouldn’t understand how a wolf would feel or act when you actually live next to wolves your whole life in a paranormal society.
The first series with her sister was done so well I will continue with this.

Solid spin off

I enjoy Deals with demons a bit more than this but that has nothing to do with the actual writing or story line. It's a personal preference - I just liked Danica better. Other than that great narrator and solid storyline.
We get some updates on characters that were in the first series, including Danica. This one focus's on werewolves, they've got a problem and it's slaughtering innocent people. I hope that Evie does some more growing in the next one, she's strong and has all the makings of a great FMC but the ending of this book left a bad taste for me.

Really wanted this to be better.

I like the idea of the story but between the narrator and the MC it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s not bad in the beginning but it gets progressively worse. By the end I wanted to throw my phone across the room.

Evie’s reaction at the end is so over the top it’s nowhere near believable. I genuinely can’t believe the disconnect between the Deals With Demons series and this.

This narrator’s tone never actually matches the emotion of the scene. Her inflection is also all over the place. She can’t really put much distinction between female voices, I can never tell who’s speaking.

The main character knows exactly who the alpha is and what he’s about yet she’s shocked every single time he does something he’s known for doing. Seriously? Annoying.

I was willing to give book 2 a chance when it’s released on Audible but after the way the MC over reacted at the end I just can’t.