Rebellion

Brides for the Houses of Fate, Book 4

De: Miranda Bridges

Narrado por: Oliver Highpoint, Mia Madison

Secrets are powerful. And my feelings for this female might be the greatest one of all.

Selene might be the only thing I want more than my freedom. Except she's an enigma. A riddle I can't make sense of but want to solve.

When I engage her in a battle of wits, the female plays along. Yet I know she's hiding her motives. And her feelings.

It's going to be harder than I thought to discover her secrets. Luckily, I'm clever and a master at creating strategies. If all else fails, then I can always resort to using my venom.

Goddess, I hope that ends up being the case.

Contains mature themes.

©2022 Miranda Bridges (P)2024 Tantor

more mixed feelings on this series

My love/hate for Miranda Bridges continues. I skipped book 3 and honestly, that was likely for the best since the recap of those events in this book left me rolling my eyes hard. Like I get this is a mesh of sci-fi and fantasy. I also get that this is going pretty hard on the Hogwarts theme, but mashing in time travel is just a bit much. However none of that bothered me as much as the female character Selene. She was so boring and uninspired. I expected her to be more sly, more brash, and go toe to toe with Garrick's swagger and sass, but no. Selene is like the light version of Ember from the first book so it was disappointing. The disappointment was compounded by the fact that she has more chapters than Garrick, and honestly, I think most of us were here for him considering how outlandish he is 99% of the time. I got so tired of Selene's pov that I was thankful this was a short listen.

As for the narration, I'm going to give major props to Oliver Highpoint for keeping the male voices consistent. His voice for Garrick isn't going to be everyone's preference, but I truly enjoyed it because it was so unexpected and different. Honestly, Oliver did so well that it made it so disappointing to listen to Mia voice the women almost all the same way.

As for the rest of this series, I think I'm going to maybe read the books if they are available on Kindle Unlimited. I like the narration, but these stories are too short and trite for me to justify the cost on Audible unless they go on sale.

Great story to listen to

Her books do keep getting better. A wonderful HEA. Loved the characters but the male narrator kind of missed the mark with this one. Garret is a lovely specimen of a strong, brave, seductive and dangerous male, yet he was made to sound like a petulant teenager. At least the female narrator brings his true self out to shine.

Snakes, Sisters, and Surprising Chemistry

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💜💚❤️🤎
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋😀😛😘
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

🎧 Audiobook Review: Rebellion (Brides for the Houses of Fate, #4)

Author: Miranda Bridges
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Narrators: Oliver Highpoint and Mia Madison

This installment takes a noticeable turn from the first three books in the series, shifting the focus away from the Morja and onto an entirely different alien species. Garrik, who previously appeared only as a supporting character, finally steps into the spotlight. As a Silas—a serpentine, muscled alien species—he serves as commander of his house, a role that carries both authority and a heavy burden. That weight only grows when one of the warriors under his command is revealed to be the traitor who helped the Tulgen (brutish, orc‑like invaders) overthrow the four Houses of Fate. The Tulgen’s conquest led to countless warriors being imprisoned, forced into brutal arena matches, and pitted against one another for survival. Garrik’s guilt over his soldier’s betrayal fuels his determination to find the traitor, yet the man remains conspicuously absent from both the arena and the prison cells.

Selene enters Garrik’s life in the most unexpected—and uncomfortable—way: as the “prize” displayed during his match. Garrik defeats the Silas who previously claimed her, and by the twisted rules of the arena, she becomes responsible for tending to him. Her duties are intimate in a caretaking sense—massaging sore muscles, tending wounds, preparing his bath—but not sexual. She despised the previous Silas who constantly propositioned her, yet Garrik’s interest doesn’t seem to trigger the same revulsion. Their dynamic begins with tension but quickly develops into something warmer, layered with curiosity, attraction, and a sense of mutual respect that feels refreshing in this world of forced servitude.

Compared to the earlier books, this one leans much more heavily into action and adventure, and I appreciated that the story didn’t remain confined to the prison and arena. Once Garrik, Selene, and a small group of former prisoners escape, the narrative expands into the capital city, where they search for answers—and for Selene’s missing sister. The blend of high‑stakes danger, political intrigue, and slow‑building romance made the story feel more dynamic than its predecessors, and I found myself genuinely invested in both the plot and the relationship.

The audiobook is presented in dual POV with dual narration by Oliver Highpoint and Mia Madison. Mia’s performance is excellent; her lower register gives her a grounded, confident tone that still feels distinctly feminine, and she handles male voices smoothly without pulling me out of the story. Oliver Highpoint, on the other hand, was a mixed experience for me. I typically enjoy his narration, but his voice choice for Garrik was jarringly off. It had an exaggerated, almost caricatured quality that reminded me of a parody of a flamboyantly gay man, which made it difficult to take Garrik seriously in emotional or intense scenes. Since Highpoint uses a range of voices for other characters, it was disappointing to hear such an odd choice for the hero.

Overall, though, the story itself was engaging, fast‑paced, and emotionally satisfying—an exciting shift in the series that broadened the world and deepened the stakes.