The ABCs of Spellcraft Collection, Volume 1

De: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrado por: Nick Hudson

Dixon Penn’s family wasn’t terribly shocked when he announced he was gay, but they were devastated to learn he’s the only one without the gift of spellcraft. Fortunately, that doesn’t stop spellcraft from reaching out to him.

Dixon’s prospects have gone from bad to worse, but a contest at the biggest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to turn his luck around. So what if he’s not technically a Spellcrafter - he’s been scribing pretty words and phrases all his life. How could anyone possibly write a better verse than him?

Yuri Volnikov, the taciturn Russian security guard at Precious Greetings, is determined to keep the charming contestant out. But Dixon has always been a sucker for big guys with exotic accents, and he won’t take no for an answer.

Whether or not Dixon wins the prize he hopes for, when he and Yuri work their magic together, it’s clear that luck is on their side.

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where M/M romance meets paranormal cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect.

This collection contains the first five stories in The ABCs of Spellcraft series: Quill Me Now, All that Glitters, Trouble in Taco Town, Something Stinks at the Spa, and Dead Man's Quill.

©2019 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2019 Jordan Castillo Price

Entertaining

Light and sweet cozy type paranormal mysteries. The characters are lovable and if there are future volumes, I’ll listen to those as well. I just can’t give 5 stars because I give 5 stars to the psycop books. These are good and made even better by the narration by Nick Hudson. I’ve never listened to him before and I was amazed. He gets Yuri’s accent like it’s natural to him. He does fantastic work distinguishing all the different voices. I will definitely look for more by him.

IT'S ALL ABOUT the VOICE of NARRATOR NICK HUDSON!

In a brief search of other works narrated by Nick Husdon I found that “The ABCs of Spellcraft” appears to be Mr. Hudson’s first and, at the time of this review, only audio book narration credit. The author, Jordan Castillo Price, hit the jackpot with this paring of Mr. Hudson’s vocal talent with his witty and charming fantasy story about magic through written spellcasting. There is romance through the interaction a Seer named Yuri, our self-doubting hero Dixon, and their quest to find missing Uncle Fonzo while overcoming the evil villains.

Other reviewers have done a great job reviewing this story and author Price has a well-established stable of books. For me to repeat others praise of Price’s work would be redundant. So my review is focusing and the narrator Nick Hudson. The two love protagonists, Dixon and Yuri required two voices. Dixon’s needed to be an American light-hearted voice and Yuri’s voice need’s a base register Russian accent that can be subtitle. Mission accomplished! Mr. Hudson also does credible voices for women, children and takes on a sinister tone for the villain character. He projects emotional tone and drama appropriate to the story’s action and plot twists. Also during descriptive passages he modulates his voice just enough to keep the material fresh and interesting. He captures the fumbling novice conflicted motor-mouth of Dixon perfectly. Yuri’s accent is steady measured stoic yet lightened a wry sense of humor. A lessor narrator would not have captured this subtlety. Uncle Fonzo’s character is crazy; he’s slightly immoral, well-meaning, but secretive; his voice is a delicate balance between trustworthy and deceitful. Mr. Hudson pulls off this tour de force of vocal requirements brilliantly.

Not once in the 13 hours 46 minutes of narration did Mr. Hudson fail to live up to the quality of the story. The story and the narrator are match made Audible publishing heaven. Mr. Hudson packs the range of voice to simulate a whole cast of different and unique voices for the various characters. I look forward to listening to many, many, more audio books narrated by Nick Hudson. He is one of a very small handful of narrators that would entice me to give an unfamiliar author a try. Keep your ear tuned for more works by what I predict will become a popular audio book recording giant.

Four out of five stars

I like the story; the writer has a good grasp of her usage, I didn’t notice many typos or errors the plot is flowing the characters are realistic and the dialogue is inspired. The reason I gave it four o Russian citizen who’s been in the states less than a year but his English is better than most Americans’. The writer does attempt to address this very in frequently by having you read drop an article in a sentence-but in my opinion this doesn’t ring true when the rest of his sentences seem to be created by an English major. Speaking of which, that was my background and my reviews tend to be a bit more detailed, dare I say persnickety, then most.If either the right or the reader is just looking for a quick read rather than a well-crafted story, then disregard my comments.

Great story. Great narration.

This was a fun urban fantasy with great characters. I enjoyed listening to Dixon work through the puzzles he encounters, and I liked getting to know Yuri as he helps Dixon find solutions.

The narrator did a great job of creating distinct character voices, and I can't wait to listen to the next one.

Amazing listen!!

Now I have read all these books and I absolutely love them so much. Dixon and Yuri are so perfect for each other and I just love how funny they are together. Even when Yuri isn't trying to be. Just all the things they get into has me laughing out loud. So I am so happy that Nick Hudson has brought these stories to life. He is absolutely amazing in his narration. I love how he does the voices and all the sound effects. I also couldn't stop laughing with how he brings the characters even more to life. Just everything he did is so perfect for this story!

Wonder heartfelt stories!

This collection of stories will leave you smiling and feeling warm and happy. They are wonderfully written with Dixon and Yuri embarking on adventures together that only make their relationship stronger.

Goofy magic misadventures

This is a several book series collection starring a goofy optimist whose expected magic doesn’t take and an artistic thug with a heart that can at least mimic gold, sometimes. This set of stories has the duo meeting up and following in the wake of some misbegotten spellcasting, and a stray uncle, at midwestern roadside attractions. It’s a goodhearted jaunt since the guys try to make things right for folks who had trouble, without trying to be too greedy for themselves. Dixon has an unholy (and unironic) love for terrible 1960s canned food combinations that is entertaining in its terribleness.

Dixon also tends to talk too much. When he first meets Yuri and Yuri tells him MULTIPLE TIMES to Stop Talking in a bad situation, and Dixon kept running his mouth, I almost ditched the whole thing. I really, truly, hate scenes where one character tells another that they need to shut up for their own safety and the other keeps babbling on without purpose. (If one tells the other to shut up to silence them for nefarious purposes or the talker needs to convey critical info, that’s different, and was clear that wasn’t happening here, or that if it was, the babble wasn’t going to help Dixon.) Dixon then does a 180 & intuits all the nuance in Yuri’s careful words, making his ongoing babble even more obnoxious in retrospect. If, unlike me, you can get through this scene without screaming “Shut up!” so loud you hurt your own throat, the rest of the scenes are more reasonable, even when Dixon talks too much, because he’s not risking their safety with his babble.

I do wish there was more followup with secondary details. For instance, the menagerie. (Maybe the series continues and this happens later? If so ignore this.) The cockatoo seems like a good possibility for a recurring character. The guys meet an entomologist in Taco Town who might know how to get carers for the surplus pet bugs, but it didn’t come up. I wish there was some followup about the reviews/articles for the hot springs hotel. I kept waiting for stuffy nose guy to get some good allergy meds after the smell got better. At least the stray dog was taken care of.

All in all, worth a credit for the package if you want a goofy slapstick roadtrip adventure with a couple of magical gay guys.

Steam: Low. Occasional low/no detail M/M sexytimes. Very cheerful.

Narration: The narrator did an excellent job of voicing an overexcited goofball and a stoic Russian transplant. And their friends and relatives and coworkers. Audio quality was good and consistent.

Delightful

I will fully admit I am a fan of JCP, but I somehow missed this delightful series. In a way, I’m glad. It’s a rough time for us all and this is just the perfect distraction. The characters are adorable. I absolutely love the use of the giddy but unreliable narrator against the granite honesty of another.

The audio is great. NIck Russo does a great job, though he drops accent with Yuri which is distracting. I dropped a star for that :(.

Love it!!!

Paranormal cozy mystery with romance

This series is a nice mixture of magic and mystery with a hint of romance. Dixon's flirty chatter combined with Yuri's suspicious stoicism is an enjoyable combination. Hudson did a marvelous job bringing all the characters to life. He also did a wonderful job making each character distinguishable.
I loved this collection. This was such a comfort listen, and I highly recommend it.

Absolute brilliant fun, zany, romantic magic

Volume 1
Overall Series Audiobook February 2020:
The brilliance of Dixon and Yuri, who shouldn't work on the surface but are a perfect fit once you see them together, is brought to life in this audiobook collection of the series. There really is nothing new I can add to my original reviews for this delightfully fun series other than it is quite possibly even more zany and romantic the second time around.

Since there isn't anything new for me to add let me just comment on the narration. Often when it comes to audiobooks, I rarely find the narrator's renditions match the voices I heard in my head when I originally read them(I should mention to those new to my reviews that I very rarely listen to audios that I haven't previously read as I tend to zone out here and there as I find myself concentrating on what I'm doing and by having read the story first then I'm not "lost" when I zone back in) but Nick Hudson's version of Dixon was spot-on. The nuances of Dixon's zany-ness & peppy-ness was pretty darn perfect to how I "heard" him originally, now Yuri was slightly different but I found his take on the character even better than my own. Could someone else have done as good a job? Sure, but now that I've heard his Dixon and Yuri I can't imagine anyone else bringing the guys to life.

One last note, I mentioned in my review for Something Stinks at the Spa how these stories made me nostalgic for the movie serials of the 30s & 40s my parents collect. That still rings true but having listened to them on audio now they also make me nostalgic for the old radio shows of the same era that I collect. I kept expecting to hear Harlow Wilcox, Bill Goodwin, or Harry Von Zell break in with a sponsor's commercial and that is all down to the incredibly amazing meshing of Jordan Castillo Price's storytelling and Nick Hudson's narration.

Quill Me Now #1
Original Review February 2019:
We all know what happens when it comes to wishes, it is all in the wording well in Quill Me Now, magic and spells is all about the wording too. Who knew the extent of the headache it would be when no one ever wants to leave a restaurant because of the slogan? Dixon knows but unfortunately for him, spellcrafting that runs in his family doesn't seem to run in his veins but he can spot a poorly thought out one a mile away. Having been summoned after sending in an entry to a greeting card contest, Dixon meets Yuri when he warns him to stay away but needing the money a winning entry would bring him Dixon is not easily kept away. That's it about the plot you'll get but let me tell you, Quill Me Now is a lovely holiday gem that I would love to see more of but if this is all we get then it is absolutely delightful. Magic, love, humor, good guys, bad guys all brought together by the writing style of Jordan Castillo Price, what more can a person ask for?

All that Glitters #1.5
Original Review June 2019:
This free short story is an absolute delight! Yuri's fears about meeting the 'rents and Dixon's hope of everyone liking each other is rom-com 101 with Jordan Castillo Price's flair that makes All that Glitters anything but cliche. A real treat for this series and an awesome look into the growing connection between Dixon and Yuri.

Trouble in Taco Town #2
Original Review June 2019:
I was hoping that the author would continue Dixon and Yuri's story when I finished Quill Me Now back in February so when Trouble in Taco Town popped up in the "recommended for you" section on Amazon I one-clicked and read it immediately. Well, I was not disappointed or wrong in my hoping. The ABCs of Spellcraft is already a fun and delightful series that I can't wait to read further. Between Dixon's eager and unending "up-ness" and Yuri's quiet "don't-jump-in-ness", they really don't seem like they could be any more opposite if they tried but as the saying goes: opposites attract. They may not appear as they match on paper but the minute you see them together you just know that their opposite-ness not only balances each other but it helps bring out their strengths. Don't get me wrong, how Yuri doesn't throttle Dixon a dozen times a day is beyond me, I think I'm a pretty positive person but HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! Dixon's peppiness would really make me pull my hair out😉😉. So Yuri may not seem like he's a patient person but Dixon is living proof that he is and you can't help but love them for their balance.

You'll notice I haven't mentioned the plot or their quest to find Uncle Fonzo. I don't do spoilers as those of you who follow my reviews will already know but I don't think I've ever read a book(short, novella, or full length) that truly embodies the theory "you have to read to believe". What the boys find in Taco Town really needs to be experienced to appreciate the full magnitude of how important wording is to spellcrafting.

Trouble in Taco Town, the whole ABCs of Spellcraft series, is a delightful gem that may be short in quantity but it's overflowing in quality. This is a series that is best read in order and trust me you want to read this series. Humor doesn't often play a part in the paranormal genres but it is a perfect fit for Dixon and Yuri's journey.

Something Stinks at the Spa #3
Original Review July 2019:
Honestly I didn't think the author could make the adventures, or should I say misadventures, of Dixon and Yuri any more fun and zany than they were in Trouble in Taco Town. Boy was I wrong!

We see Dixon and Yuri continue their quest to find Dixon's Uncle Fonzo and this time they find themselves in a not-so-sweet spa in this entry so aptly titled, Something Stinks at the Spa. I won't go into details because it really is an adventure you need to experience to grasp the full effect of what these boys face. What started out as a find-the-lost-relative quest has become multiple stops on the find-him-and-clean-up-his-mess map. Trust me what the boys find themselves in may be one zany spell after another but it will grab you and not let go till they discover the next clue to Uncle Fonzo's trail.

As for the romance part of this series, well Dixon and Yuri really shouldn't mesh but they do and perhaps their relationship isn't growing by leaps and bounds from one entry to the next, it is deepening. I don't think anyone who has been reading this series doubts the connection between the two and even when their love story takes a backseat to fixing Fonzo's spells, it is still there and getting stronger with each page.

They say comedy is the hardest thing to write and I can certainly see how that can be true well, Jordan Castillo Price has not only written a novella series that is ripe with adventure and romance but is chock full of humor. I for one can't wait to see where Uncle Fonzo's spells lead Dixon and Yuri next.

So much goodness packed into so few pages that make The ABCs of Spellcraft a must read but it is most definitely a series that needs to be read in order. I realize that a short story series that has an ongoing plot isn't for everyone or that some might think the author should put them into one book instead of "spread out in small increments", perhaps some authors should. HOWEVER, for me these kinds of short story connected series bring to the table a bit of nostalgia for the old movie serials of the 30s and 40s that got the population through the Great Depression and World War 2. For that feeling of nostalgia(to be honest they were way before my time but my parents collect them on DVD/Blu-Ray so I've watched & enjoyed the simplicity of the genre) alone I salute Jordan Castillo Price for telling Dixon and Yuri's journey in this manner.

Dead Man's Quill #4
Original Review September 2019:
Here I thought all the entries in The ABCs of Spellcraft were brilliant(okay they all really are topnotch) but Dead Man's Quill is beyond brilliant, its . . . super-super-uber-brilliant😉😉. Everything we've learned so far makes sense, not that it didn't fit each story before but now everything is brought together and we see what got Uncle Fonzo's journey going.

Dixon and Yuri are as vibrant as ever and their relationship just keeps getting stronger. There have been moments in the series that I wasn't sure if I wanted them to find Uncle Fonzo but now that they did, I'm glad because he adds his own variety of wit to the mix. We see just why Dixon has been so focused on bringing his Uncle back to the fold and Yuri's glad to see his man happy but I think there might be a few times where he's not quite so sure finding Fonzo was the best decision😉, however you'll have to read for yourself if he sticks to that chain of thought by the end of Dead Man's Quill.

You all know I'm not going to divulge any spoilers and in a story like Dead Man's Quill every little tidbit has a purpose so no leaks from me, sorry-not-sorry😉. Just know that Dixon and Yuri's tale is not over, this isn't the end of the road for them, just the end of this story arc. So many possibilities, I can't wait to see where the boys' journey takes them next. If you wondering about reading order, yes each entry has its own plot, it's own series of mishaps but they are also part of bigger quest so it really does need to be experienced in the order that its released. Trust me, if you like quirky romantic mysteries bound together with magic and humor than The ABCs of Spellcraft is definitely for you.