• Blackbird in the Reeds

  • Rowan Harbor Cycle Series, Book 1
  • By: Sam Burns
  • Narrated by: Chris Chambers
  • Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (186 ratings)

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Blackbird in the Reeds  By  cover art

Blackbird in the Reeds

By: Sam Burns
Narrated by: Chris Chambers
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Publisher's summary

Devon Murphy has never believed that there were fairies at the bottom of the garden, but when he's in an accident on his way to his grandmother's house and comes face to face with the biggest, baddest wolf he's ever seen, he's forced to reconsider. When his grandmother asks him to look into a string of suspicious accidents, he finds a much bigger mystery to unravel. From his childhood best friend to the too-attractive deputy Wade Hunter, everyone in Rowan Harbor seems to have something to hide. Devon has to get to the bottom of it all before the accidents turn deadly. Contains mature themes.

©2017 Sam Burns (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Blackbird in the Reeds

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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3.5 Stars

I'm a sucker for a good fantasy story and Blackbird in the Reeds delivers the world and character building that I crave.

Told from Devon Murphy's single, third-person point of view, Blackbird in the Reeds is a nice blend of contemporary fantasy and paranormal romance, and it sets up nicely for what's to come next without being cliffhanger-ish.

Chris Chambers enunciates every word very clearly and he uses a distinct character voice for each of the large cast. His pacing is very structured and he infuses some emotion into the text bringing the characters to life. Overall I enjoyed listening to the audio and would listen again. However, Chambers' enunciation resulted in a less than relaxed delivery and, though his performance is proper and clear, I would love to hear Chris loosen up and really enjoy performing the characters in the next book.

Note: The Rowan Harbor Cycle is a series of 9 books - a trilogy of trilogies. The main characters (Devon and Wade, Jesse and Sean, Fletcher and Conner) will have their own book in each trilogy with a happy for now ending and later their (hopefully) happily ever afters.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Blackbird in the Reeds

I guess I wanted something more to happen. It was over half the book before we really got any info on Devon or the town.
I don’t know it was ok I just wanted more of a connection between the characters.

The narration was ok.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A good start to a new series

This is the first of a three part series although it could be added to. This is the first time I've read any of San Burns books, I like his style of writing. Very practical and easy to read. Meaning any of the conversations I could image having them in real life. Very lite on the sex which is a goodthing when you have a good storyline. You are not depending on the distraction of sex to make up word count. A little mystery, a little romance and a lot of good characters. Chris Chambers does a good job narrating. I like his voice, it's easy to listen to and the characters are easy to tell the difference.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good Weird Small-town Trope

Sam is good with her prose as ever. This is more novella than novel, but good. A nice intro to a series and a rather good narrator. Chris the voice actor is excellent with his characters but a little boring on some of his exposition. However he has a ridiculously sexy voice and I personally would love to hear him tell me bedtime stories while snuggling. #swoon

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

love it

the world rings newness to me. I kinda love it. and... I am totally loving Chris Chambers voice.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ok

Not the worst narrator ever, but he lacked inflection. It made the story a bit harder to follow. The story itself was just ok. Good to pass the time.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hate the narrator

The story is pretty good, I guess, but the narrator can make or break a story. This narrator is so monitored and unenthusiastic, he reminds me of those elderly college professors too old to care about teaching anymore but still required to lecture. Ugh! I hate that I can't even give a decent review of the story!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

So, what's the point?

A lot of this story is vague. There were times I felt like I understood what was going on less than Devon. Then it ended abruptly. Chris Chambers' reading is off-putting at times. when the characters are talking, the end of every sentence sounded like a laugh. Not the strongest book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Blackbird in the reeds

This was a very interesting book. The characters were really good at keeping the story enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story & I Enjoyed Chris Chambers

Creative, clever, fun. I enjoyed all the little surprises along the way, and since I didn't really read the blurb that worked out well for me this time 😜.

I listened to the audio version of Blackbird in the Reeds and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator, Chris Chambers. He did a good job and I'm scrolling through Audible right now looking for more of his MM performances.

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  • roisin mc menamin
  • 04-04-21

To short

To short. Great characters but feel cheatex story so short. Now will have to look for book two. Cant yoh put 3 books together

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  • Angela
  • 05-05-21

Too soft to be in the Erotica category

The romance was sweet and the world building was great. I'm loving the knitting shop touch. Wade's 180° personally shift irritated me though. I understand what the author was trying to do, but it was not explained very well in my opinion.
A fun story and interesting lore that I'm looking forward to continuing in the next books.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Anonymous User
  • 06-30-23

Unsubstantial but with potential

There’s some interesting elements and wonderful world building, but overall the story just lacks…spark, thrills, drama…any action to get me invested. It just felt… mundane, and considering it’s supposed to be supernatural that was a bit disappointing.

Half way through it I’m wondering where the book is building to; where’s the conflict or mystery requiring a resolution? Almost at the end, it’s finally presented and I was left thinking, “That’s it? That’s the mystery I was supposed to be invested in? I thought that was a side plot, not THE plot”.

As a positive, many of the characters are likeable in their own way and you do get that country-town-embrace vibe. The world building is excellent though, setting sequels up for a lot of potentially amazing stories.

The narration is “fine” but has two main issues: it’s relatively monotone, lacking emotion or any contrast; the voices for different people are not different enough that it makes it difficult to know who is talking without actively concentrating.

Pair this with the relatively slow story and it’s an okay book to pass the time with, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list if you have other things to listen to.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Wide Eyes, Big Ears!
  • 03-07-23

Tepid supernatural romance needed more thrills

Reluctantly returning to visit his home town of Rowan Harbour, Devon Murphy is plagued by accidents and weird sightings, and an odd certainty by the townsfolk that he is exactly where he should be. Unfortunately, Police Deputy Wade Hunter is the exception, giving off electrifyingly handsome but hostile vibes. This supernatural, instalove romance was pleasant enough but surprisingly, given the werewolves and vampires, it lacked bite. There was some good world building, I especially liked Oak, but I felt the author missed an opportunity to make things more thrilling. The mystery lacked oomph and the fated-mates romance and the wholesome vibe left me a little flat. I’ll persevere with the series because I love Chris Chambers’ audio narrations (the first three are currently free on the Audible Plus catalogue).

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