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.

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.

Reading was better than listening

I love all of the books in the elemental mysteries series. Elizabeth Hunter is an amazing author. But i was not happy with the audio version. I didn't like the accent of Giovanni. He came off as harsh and old. Even though he is a 500 year old vampire, he was turned when he was very young. When he spoke to B, most of the time it was tender. Not abrupt and condescending. He needed a softer side to his voice to make me believe it was really Giovanni. Beatrice on the other hand had an annoying voice. She is portrayed as an intelligent woman but her voice reminded me of a very dense and flighty girl. I suggest not using less accents on the characters and add more emotion instead.

Whiny helpless protagonist.

This listen is just OK. I have to agree with another reviewer who was irritated by main character's helplessness and abundant whining. I wanted to slap her. Also as much as I love to read, I did not get understand why vampires would have such an obsession about old books. I guess everyone needs a hobby.

Elemental series

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The main female character is very annoying.

Has A Hidden Fire turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes, the main characters just did not grab my attention.

A hidden fire

I really enjoyed this paranormal vampire story. The characters were interesting and strong. The story was different from vampire stories I have read.

Should have heeded the reviews...

The story was good... but not only were the voice and accents of the narrator grating, the timing and intonation were off... almost making some seem like an unintentional comical caricature. It made it hard to care about the characters. Will not be continuing the series.

Good start.

I don't care for weak women as a main character. Afraid to speak her feelings but so far I like the storyline.
This story seem similar to another I read before. but I can't remember all.

For young female listeners, very good

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

To a young female friend. Its fun and sometimes erotic. Much in line with the Twilight series. I've enjoyed the stories and the audible presentation has been pretty good.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It does what it should for the story being presented. I wouldn't change anything.

Did Dina Pearlman do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

She did. The accents were well done and I became familiar with the voices of the characters so I knew who was speaking.

Did A Hidden Fire inspire you to do anything?

Not really. Perhaps a little inspiration to bravery and self-advocacy. Mostly it was just simple enjoyment.

A New Fan of Elizabeth Hunter

This is only the third Elizabeth Hunter book I have listened to but I am hooked. My only complaint for this book would be about the narration. Beatrice has a great accent but everyone else is difficult to differenciate I had to keep backing up in order to understand which character was speaking. Overall this is a good story for fans of the paranormal who like a little less testosterone and a few more brain cells in the male characters.

Love this series

What made the experience of listening to A Hidden Fire the most enjoyable?

I was elated to know that this series was available via audio. The world that Ms. Hunter has built is captivating and intriguing.

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

This is the first book I've listened to performed by Ms. Pearlman. She did a fabulous job!