A Hidden Fire

Elemental Mysteries, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Hunter

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Semi-finalist - The Kindle Book Review, Best Indie Books of 2012

"The first book in the best-selling Elemental Mysteries series by Elizabeth Hunter, Elemental Mysteries has turned into one of the best paranormal series I've read this year. It's sharp, elegant, clever, evenly paced without dragging its feet, and at the same time emotionally intense."
—Nocturnal Book Reviews

No secret stays hidden forever. A phone call from an old friend sets mysterious book researcher Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery that has eluded him for centuries. Little does he suspect a young librarian holds the key to an ancient secret, nor could he expect the danger Beatrice De Novo would attract. Now both will follow a twisted maze leading from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a passion that could destroy them both.

©2011 Elizabeth Hunter (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What's happened to Dina Pearlman?

I loved this series when I read it on my Kindle and couldn't wait for it to come out on Audible.

Then I bought it. What the heck has happened to Dina Pearlman? Her reading of this is so awful that it's un-listenable. Normally I enjoy her performances in series like Anna Strong and Vampire Moon, but in this one she flops spectacularly.

Why make a character like Beatrice, a young, sheltered academic, sound like a coarse ranch hand with boundary issues? What reads as simple curiosity in the material, Pearlman turns into a suspicious interrogation in her interpretation. She usually doesn't have a tin ear for nuance, but her accents for a Welshman and an Italian are so horrific it sounds like she has square marbles in her mouth. Her voice also sounds overworked and aging. I almost wonder if she's been ill.

What a bummer. I guess I'll clear the whole series off my iPod and reread it on my kindle.

What a shame.

Fantastic Story, Horrid Narration

How could the performance have been better?

The only way to improve the performance would be to have hired a completely different

Any additional comments?

I read the book first and loved it and was so excited when it came out on audio. But the narration was so terrible that I could barely listen to it. This is one of the few audiobooks I've listened to where the narrator truly ruined it for me. The voices she creates for each character are completely off and the various accents she attempts to use are beyond cringe worthy. And really annoying when she mispronounces Spanish words considering the main character is of Mexican/Spanish decent and speaks Spanish. I would skip getting this audio book, but definitely read it! The story itself and the characters created are fabulous.

Decent story, kind of bad narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the story and went on to listen to the others.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was...I feel like she just didn't have an idea who these characters were. Her voice for Beatrice was just baaaad. She sounded very trashy, and ill-bred. It was horribly jarring. Some of the accents were ok, and others were strange. The Italian was pretty overdone I thought, to the point of being distracting. The villain's voice was goofy rather than menacing and when I went to the kindle copy to read it, the voices in my head made the characters and even the story so much more appealing that even though I love the convenience of the audiobook, I kind of think the narrator wrecked the story a little for me.

Fantastic story--far less than ideal narrator

Elizabeth Hunter's series is clever--much more clever than many series in this genre. I read all of these before I found them on Audible, and I had a hard time putting them down. I was so excited that they were going to be available in audio format. Pearlman is not the best narrator for this series, though. Her voice, while pleasant enough, also has grating nasal tones. The story requires a wide range of accents and nuance, and Pearlman's voice is not up to the challenge.

I strongly recommend the story--and all the sequels. I do require a different narrator, though. Some people might not have trouble--listen to the samples before you buy.

Not bad.....

I was surprised on how much I liked the story. I bought this book several months back and finally listened to it because a friend advise me on how much she liked it. I don't want spoil the story but the book kinda reminded me of "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborh Harkness only no witches but with vampires who posses one of the four elemetal powers. The story was slow in the beginning but did pickup. I would recommend this book and plan on reading the others in the series.

It's worth a credit.

Bad Voice

I really love these books, so when I heard they were coming out in audio I couldn't wait to get them. Unfortunately the narrator is really bad. I mean really really bad. I had a hard time telling the difference between Gio and Carwyn by their voices. I also thought that Bea needed to sound more female and less like the actual narrator. The book isn't worth returning since I got it with the ebook and it was fairly cheap, but I don't recommend anyone spend any time or money listening. Buy the book instead. You'll be glad you did.

Fantastic book, HORRIBLE narration.

What did you like best about A Hidden Fire? What did you like least?

I have read all four of the Elemental Mysteries books, and some of the Elemental World books. They are fantastic. The characters are layered and interesting, the story engaging and very enjoyable. Elizabeth Hunter is a gem. I'd love to spend a day in her brain!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Dina Pearlman?

Anyone. This narrator did not fit well with this series, at all. I really can't think of anything good to say about her performance, and I hate saying that, because I really don't want to be mean. But, her voice/style/bad accents just do not fit with these characters. Not a single one.

Any additional comments?

This could be a truly excellent listen, if they re-record with a different narrator.

Start of something very interesting

Giovanni is on assignment of translating texts in a campus library, when he meets Beatrice. She may be a link to an old mystery of lost books, but that can lead them in to danger from other sources including their hearts. A very good start for a series, but as with all series books, the ending is a bit of a disappointment, compelling you to read on to the next book.

Returned after about an hour

What disappointed you about A Hidden Fire?

This is a boring Vampire story. The authors talent was sufficient for about an hour of listening from expected 11 hours. Then the story dissipated into weak words. Sort of Harlequin romance but without sexy details. Terrible tease.

Would you ever listen to anything by Elizabeth Hunter again?

No

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Performance cannot be a substitute for a story.

What character would you cut from A Hidden Fire?

I am not sure that this is a reasonable question.

Kind of Terrible

I honestly don't see what all the hype is about. The plotline is slow and predictable, very much like the adult version of Twilight. Another issue is with the female protagonist, Beatrice De Novo. I find her wimpy personality very annoying. She’s constantly crying and moping around feeling sorry for herself. I really hate seeing heroines that just sit around and do nothing while waiting to be rescued.

Refreshing...

I was skeptical at first, I thought I was over the vampire paranormal genre, I am a sucker for a good PNR,and shame on me I missed it, a guilty pleasure I wanted assuaged.

Not holding out much hope this book pleasantly surprised me. One it has a great story line and individual characters and two there's no instantaneous love at first sight , there's drama, a very delicious vampire with an unusual power, who actually does not dare scratch that itch, I understand why. Though when he does fall foul of his feelings or has to put up a front, sparks fly.

The story and relationship unfolds slowly without losing any pace, glad this independent author decided to publish, EH has put my faith back into the genre. Mystery, romance and drama I found this PNR refreshing and will definitely read more.

Awful narration.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I love this series and feel that this story has been ruined by poor narration. Gio is Italian not Transylvanian and Carwyn is Welsh not a plummy Englishman. l managed about an hour before giving up. I'll stick to dead tree format and enjoy this slow burn love story in all it's nuanced, sassy layered glory.

What other book might you compare A Hidden Fire to, and why?

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, this series also has a strong female lead, brilliant world building and interesting characters. Shifters and magic rather than vampires but still sexy, funny and not too fluffy.

What didn’t you like about Dina Pearlman’s performance?

I want my audio books to allow me to enjoy the story without being distracted constantly by the narrators performance. Regional accents must be right or at least neutral if the performer cannot imitate them accurately. This laboured rendition made me regret purchasing the audiobook version of a well loved story.

Did A Hidden Fire inspire you to do anything?

To not listen to the rest of it and be grateful I didn't pay full price for it!

Any additional comments?

Buy the paper or e-book, settle down and enjoy the slow build up, this does take more than one book. The characters grow into themselves and the stories are definately not fluffy or sparkly. Beatrice is an amazing protagonist who really blossoms as the series moves on.

Great story bad narration

I loved this book when I read it but am really disappointed by the performance. The narrator does the most awful accents I have ever heard. Very disappointing as I love the story.

My series of this year year

Where does A Hidden Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

top five and i've heard many

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Hidden Fire?

Well they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder" !! and only when you read you will understand what i mean Besides the the mystery around gio and the humour between B & G I loved the way Elizabeth set out the history.

What does Dina Pearlman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Dinas character voice changes were excellent. Her voice for Beatrice and Gio were just as I imagined when i read the books earlier in the year .

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If life were this exciting you would want to live forever

Any additional comments?

This isn't a teenage " Vampire Diarie"s or Twighlight. this is an adult story (not as in rudeness more in terms of maturity) I actually didn't know it was based on human and vampire world until a few chapters in. Beatrice (or B in early parts) found out stuff the same time as we did, very clever how that was writing in a slow reveal of information. I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise thinking it was going to be a teen goth book lolIt is worth joining

Elizabeth Hunters facebook page.she is a newish author with a building fan bass and answers most posts. its amazing the research Elizabeth goes into while preparing for her books. in the summer she was blogging to us all from istanbul where she was researching for another book series.

The whole series needs to be heard/read not just this book.

There are 4 elemental mysteries books followed by a onward series called elemental world that explores the characters more and uncovers more of the mystery of vampire politics crime and drug situation as well as further character development. This series is still expanding I believe.

A Hidden Fire (Elemental Mysteries Book One)This Same Earth (Elemental Mysteries Book Two)The Force of Wind (Elemental Mysteries Book Three)

A Fall of Water (Elemental Mysteries Book Four)Building From Ashes (Elemental World Book One) Waterlocked (An Elemental World Novella)Blood and Sand (Elemental World Book Two)

Blood and Sand (Elemental World 3) was my favorite in the second series and explored the character of Boajia

Extract: From BLOOD AND SAND...

Natalie was trying to take her first tai chi lesson seriously. Really. She was. But the feel of Baojia moving her arms and legs into various positions, then standing really close to move her from form to form was more than a little distracting. "You should really put on a shirt if you want me to concentrate." He moved in front of her and tilted her chin up as she stood with arms stretched out and legs half-bent. "I don't have many clothes here, and I'm not going to ruin my nice shirts practicing. Now focus." She muttered, "Kind of hard to do after that thing you did an hour ago." A lift at the corner of his mouth was the only reaction she got.

Awful narration

I have these books and thought I'd like to listen to them. I gave up and went back to my hard copies. The narrator is bad. I have never heard a Welsh accent like it. In fact ALL the accents leave a lot to be desired
It spoilt the book for me

Couldn't stand the narrator

I'm not sure if this book is good or not as I couldn't get past the first hour of it. The narrator is terrible. Her voice is horrible, her accent is just plain weird - something between New York, Midwest and Southern - and very off putting. Her attempts at foreign accents are equally bad and her reading style is unpleasant. Will stick to the to the Kindle version.

Predictable and disappointing

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think this is more aimed at teenage girls...very Twilighty.

Would you ever listen to anything by Elizabeth Hunter again?

No, it has put me off completely.

Have you listened to any of Dina Pearlman’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This was my first and she did a good job. It was the story that couldn't hold my interest, not her performance.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. From the reviews it sounded like it bucked the trend but I waswrong.

My favourite author. Accents could be better?

I have read and reread her entire collection. I think she’s a fabulous author.
I have been so excited for the audible version. And I loved it. BUT. The accents?? Carwyn is not Welsh! And couple of other accents seem to come and go!
I will 100% listen to the next one but I’m sure it will 100% still bug me!
Love you Elizabeth Hunter!!

Fantastic story but...

I love this story and the series by Elizabeth Hunter. I have the ebook and paperback so I thought I'd try the audio. This is unabridged but the accents spoiled it for me. Carwen is supposed to be Welsh, not posh English. Gavin is supposed to be Scottish not the strange Irish/English/American with a twang of Scottish here and there. And the Italian accent of Lorenzo was a cartoon Italian villain. It is a shame because the story is so strong. I will be getting the rest of the series but that's because there is no other version to listen to.

Brilliant ⭐️

There are so many mediocre books in this genre that when you find a gem like this you need to savour it, enjoy it and keep it! 5+ stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️