1888 - Ripper File

Paranormal Research and Rescue Institute Series, Book 1

By: Lora Edwards

Narrated by: Corinne Davies

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Welcome to Jack the Ripper 101. My name is Dr. Teagan Faelynn. I know the true identity of history's most notorious serial killer - because he came for me." 

The discovery of a new Ripper journal sends Teagan on a journey to London...or so she thinks. But she finds herself plunged into a hidden world of witches, fairies, dragons and Valkyries - and that's just her friends. 

How can Teagan hunt the Ripper and bring him to justice? In the modern world, or in a secret Victorian England where nothing is as it seems?  

Join the Paranormal Institute for Research and Rescue.  

And travel back in time to solve a centuries-old mystery - if you survive....

©2017 Lora Hasse (P)2017 Lora Hasse

1888

This is a time travel book. It will interest you from the beginning until the end. The characters Teagan, Ovidia and Bran bring you along in their journey, not just in their personal lives but also with their journeys thru time and solving cases from the past.

Bizarre and Enjoyable

I do like some weird content and this one definitely fits the bill! '1888 - Ripper File' is a story about a young woman who, while discovering her true paranormal identity, must travel back in time to try and prevent The Ripper from successfully killing his infamous victims. This 'paranormal story' had a bit too much romance in it for my taste, but I'll let that slide because I thought the rest of what the tale had to offer was well worth hearing. Corinne Davies brings the story to life in a way that truly elevated the listening experience. I would only recommend this story to readers who enjoy romance/paranormal stories! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

A romance novel disguiseas a paranormal novel

The book was well written however the The genre's a of book was a romance with very little ripper and/or paranormal evidence in the book after the romance of the main character had started extremely disappointing and a misleading title.

Not bad

I loved the description and I thought this is right up my street.

It starts of slow and it takes a while before it builds up. I would not have minded this so much if the characters are interesting.

I found the main two characters to be confusing. The male character (love interest) acted like an immature teenager. He played around yet he know something about the main character. Which I don't want to say what since I'll end up spoiling it. Usually the guy/girl would try and win their love interest but not in this case, so I did not believe in this love between them.

The other thing is that the main female character has a PhD in Jack the ripper murders, yet once she went back in time she did not contribute anything to the investigation. I felt like she did not know a lot about that era. Another reviewer said this felt more like a YA and I would agree with her. Also I imagined her as a 19 year old (more due to the way she acted) then a 24 year old.
It was not a bad book and I would still recommend it. I will be reading other books by this author.

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

Interesting idea, but the execution...

I was looking forward to listening to this audiobook after reading the summary blurb, but I discovered (unlike nearly all of the other reviewers here) that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought it would.

I liked the *idea* of the story, but the execution wasn't compelling for me at all. Right from the start. From my own personal experience, I find it unbelievable that our heroine has completed a PhD and is a full time Professor at Duke University, who has been given discretion to design and deliver her own course...at the tender age of 24. No. Just no. A university will not give a young faculty member permission to create and deliver a new course about Jack the Ripper in exchange for agreeing to teach History 101. Junior faculty members and sessionals are assigned those '101' courses because that's one of the (many) ways that you 'pay your dues'. And...it seems to me that a special topics course on Jack the Ripper would fit better into a Sociology or Criminology program rather than a History program. Yes, I'm getting pedantic here. But... this happens all the time in fiction, right? The author places characters in occupations to move the plot a certain way, but readers who work in those occupations can spot credibility issues that most other readers wouldn't even notice at all. Don't get me started on the fact that she drives a Jag to campus, parties in high-class martini bars, and gets there by being chauffeured by her best friend's driver. Out of all of the academic conferences I've ever attended and academic people I work with, I can safely say that we're mostly nerds and we don't wear 4-inch heels when we go dancing (and, yes, we dance like nerds). So, for me, the whole characterization of the heroine isn't really believable to me. As the story progresses, what jumps out at me is that she's immature, impulsive, oblivious, and doesn't know as much about Victorian-era British social history as her credentials would suggest. (In other words, I think the whole story got off on the wrong footing. I think it would have been much, much, much more believable if she were a graduate student of history or a doctoral student.... who didn't use the phrase 'mysteries of history', like, five times in the first hour of the story. She seems like a heroine for a teenage/young adult fiction audience, so maybe it would be better to make her a 19 or 20 year old?)

Beyond that, there are other reasons why I don't think that this story deserves a 5-star rating. The first half of the book built very slowly. The author's descriptions of clothing and room furniture/decor were excruciatingly detailed. For example, we read a very, very detailed description of a hotel suite even though the heroine only stayed there one night and did nothing in said room except drink alone and pass out. Lots of descriptions of shoes and dresses. We even learned that her wealthy father wears Old Spice cologne (which is just weird, given who he is - it would be like reading that the Queen goes to the local Top Cuts budget salon to get Her hair done...). And while listening to these exhausting descriptions, it occurred to me that the author could have invested more words in world-building or events to help us understand this new paranormal world better. Or, the author could have invested more words in making the villain less obvious (as soon as the villain appeared in the story, you could almost visibly see a big yellow arrow hovering in the air above his/her head, pointing to him/her with the word 'villain' written on it). A little more description of how the paranormal world works would perhaps help me understand why the main characters didn't use their powers when it would make sense to do this (like, when you're prowling around in a house and someone is coming, can't you just insta-transport yourself back home so you don't risk getting caught? or, if you have magical powers, why wouldn't you use them as part of your detective work?).

And, of course, there's the romance thread. It was this romance thread that reinforced how immature the hero and heroine are. He's walking the walk and talking the talk of a bachelor who enjoys playing the field. The author planted those flags so firmly that it's almost creepy to see this pair end up the way they did. So much in that romance arc screams '*maybe* the right person but definitely the wrong time'. If this book is a series, then I don't think it would be a bad thing to build a longer arc for this pair, spanning multiple books before they get their happily ever after. (For an example of this, read KF Breene's 'Darkness' series and how she writes about Charles and Ann.).

A lot of critiques in my review, so it's worth another reminder that nearly all of the other reviewers on this site gave this story a perfect 5-star rating. They didn't see any flaws worth noting, so take my critiques with a grain of salt, I suppose. Perhaps I'm disappointed because I was initially really excited about reading this book - the premise for the story (and the entire series) is creative and interesting.

Regarding the narration, if you like Irish and English accents, this book is for you! Once I passed the half hour mark in the audiobook, I increased the playback speed and found a pace of narration that worked well for me. I'd listen to audiobooks from this narrator again.

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

I want the next one!!!

I loved this book! So basically Tegan is a history buff who is drawn back home to London and discovers she is from a magical family and mythic creatures and worlds are real. She and two others have to travel back in time to catch the ripper. This was a very fun listen, some comedy, mystery, action, and a touch of romance. The narrator is excellent, she manages various accents and genders perfectly! Great first book and I can’t wait till the next! I received a free review copy of this book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Clothing, partys and a forced love story.

I recieved this book for free in return for an unbiased review. Starting with the narrator, I found her pleasant enough to listen too. She had enough differences in voice pitch and style that I could tell who was talking and which character. Most had a Irish accent but my main issue was the main character. The narrator made it seem she was a valley girl and not a serious scholar of history. I would listen to this narrator again though. The book itself was too much about cloths amd parties. The author seems to have a wonderful world in her head but never brings it out. We get sentences about training and the world beyond own while she goes into detail about the clothing the characters wear and parties and general pointless chit chat. It is okay to use that so the reader can get an idea what the people are like bit not all the time. The first 4 hours of a 7 hour book is nothing but this. Style of writing is fine. My only issue is the fact you use said a lot. Takes you out of the story. Felt like a list was being read to me. Showing me is much better than telling me. I may have not been the ideal target but I woild have liked to see more about this new world and more on how she was the ideal person to go on this mission. The love story was too much. To me it is better to build that up. Seemed forced to me. All in all the story was average and I wish you luck on your journey as an author.

I loved this audio edition...

I simply loved this audio book! Starting with the narrator, Corinne Davies' performance was marvelous. She slipped in and out of characters and accents as seamless as breathing, from an American accent, to Hugh's thick Welsh brogue, to a stodgy English one, and then back again...  The title of the book initially caught my attention, although not an aficionado of Jack the Ripper per se, I do enjoy a good yarn where he's featured and hopefully gets his butt kicked... and there's time travel, too. That is seriously one of my favorite tropes... This story introduces us to Teagan Faelynn, a  professor of history at Duke University, and she's also a  "Jack the Ripper buff".  Some supposedly new information about the Ripper has been found, and Teagan is drawn away from her job, all the way to London, where things really start to go sideways... Teagan has to land on her feet if she wants to keep up with, and survive this madcap tale!

oww wow!!

wooww !!! wwowww!!! a good! great book !!! I loved it.. don't want to give any indication about the float ..but it's goood!!! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

1st Book

Wow! I cannot believe that this book is the author’s very first published work. Incredible! The characters were likable and interesting the storyline and plot was intriguing and attention grabbing. Though there is a supernatural element it takes a back seat to the mystery the trio try to solve. The story is well executed. The narrator did an excellent job with providing individual voices for each character and appropriate tone inflections. I’m looking forward to listening to the second book! I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent!!!

I loved every page! Enlightening and very entertaining. ... Passionate and Thrilling. Can't wait for the next book almost forgot. Narrator was brilliant. She drew me in further. All and all Brilliant!!