Broomsticks and Board Games

A Spooky Games Club Mystery, Book 1

De: Amy McNulty

Narrado por: Danielle Daly

Dahlia Poplar is a genuine witch, an unofficial gofer, and Luna Lane’s only cursed resident.

With a werewolf best friend, a vampire ex-boyfriend, and a ghost for a hanger-on, Dahlia is far from the most unusual dweller of her sleepy small town, but she’s the only one unable to leave. Dahlia has to perform at least one good deed per day - or she’s one step closer to turning to stone.

Fortunately, the residents of Luna Lane have plenty of tasks for Dahlia to complete to avert the curse until Cable Woodward, fetching professor and nephew of her elderly neighbor, stops by for the semester on sabbatical. Attempting to help Cable’s uncle work through the trauma of losing his wife, Dahlia uncovers the man’s collection of board games, which leads to him reminiscing about the long-forgotten Luna Lane Games Club.

Dahlia reestablishes the Games Club, only to find evidence of a number of horrible demises connected to the original group. While trying to uncover the truth about the deaths, Dahlia has to fight off her curse, protect her elderly neighbor from becoming the next victim, and most vexing of all, keep Cable from figuring out Luna Lane’s supernatural secrets.

Only, with eerie board games like these, there may not be a loser - or even a winner - who survives.

©2020 Amy McNulty (P)2020 Amy McNulty

loved the characters

this really broke up the long drives to work. loved the characters a fun read.

Love it.

it started off a bit slow but when it finally picked up it turned out to be a great story. I enjoyed the characters and the different array of paranormals that live in the town. I would like to listen/read more in this series. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator did a great job.

Original and entertaining

A spooky and enjoyable listen with a unique mystery-solving premise. The colorful setting and personable characters made this an entertaining read.

Disclaimer: I received this audiobook for free and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyable

This was a thoroughly enjoyable paranormal cozy book. I absolutely loved that the author was able to keep me guessing throughout the book. There’s quite a selection of paranormal beings with Dahlia being a witch.
The narrator has done a wonderful job of reading this story and I was able to tell each character.

wonderful

what a wonderful book. The twist and turns kept me guessing until the end a great addition to my library

Cute

Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, witches and broomsticks. How can you not enjoy a book with characters like that? especially when broomsticks love cuddling and hugs. If you want more listen to the audible, you won't be disappointed.

The narrator used voices that were perfect for each character. With a soft easy reading the narrator made it a pleasure to listen.

I received a free copy of this audible. it is my pleasure to leave my review.

Review - Broomsticks and Board Games

Initial Thoughts

I was excited to be chosen for this tour. I don’t get to read cozy mysteries that often but I really enjoy them when I do. I also love all things involving witches so I thought this would be a fun listen.

Some Things I Liked

Witches and magic. I love supernatural themes in a cozy mystery. I’m easily scared so I don’t read anything spooky but I love witches and the like so seeing them in less scary settings is perfect for me.
Board game theme. I thought the board games angle was really unique and something I hadn’t seen before. I love it when an author can take something ordinary or that I hadn’t seen before and make a really interesting story that doesn’t come across as cheesy. I think the board games theme was really well done here.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

Lack of romance. I can’t exactly fault the book for not having much romance when it’s not pegged as a romance story, but I felt there were opportunities for romance and they were not explored. I wanted more romance and therefore, thought the book felt a bit incomplete.

Series Value

I enjoyed this book. I’m not sure if I’d pick up the next one any time soon but I definitely wouldn’t rule it out. I liked the narrator so I might wait until book 2 is available as an audiobook before continuing.

Audiobook Value

I listened to this book at 3x speed without issue. Well no, that’s not entirely true. I did have one issue. I thought I was misunderstanding “Cable” and I was hearing “Caleb” but with an accent. This is not the narrator’s fault at all, it’s the character’s name that was different than what I was expecting. I was, in fact, hearing the name as it was intended, I just didn’t think that was the name.

I liked that the narrator had distinct voices for each character and I enjoyed the drama she added to the story with her storytelling.

I didn’t love her voice for this story though. Perhaps it was the lowness of the voice, but I found myself getting easily distracted with other things while listening. Essentially, the voice didn’t “grab me” the way I would have liked for the nature of this story.

Overall, I think Danielle Daly is a wonderful voice actress but for this story, the sound of her voice didn’t keep my attention as well as I’d like.

Final Thoughts

I liked this book. It was a quick listen (all in one shot) and has a promising storyline. I’d like to see more romance develop in the future but I would continue with this series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase – if you enjoyed the cozy mystery vibes but are looking for something with more romance and steam, try this series. It’s also great on audio!
Southern Magic by Amy Boyles – if you’re looking for another audiobook, cozy mystery with witches, look no further than the Sweet Tea Mysteries series.

Entertaining and Remarkable: A MUST READ!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was the perfect blend of a cozy mystery, YA fantasy, and paranormal thriller. The book builds intrigue by slowly introducing the protagonist and the mystery surrounding the paranormal community of Luna Lane. Quickly however the novel takes readers on a series of twists and turns that not only introduce some memorable members of this cast of characters but keep the reader on the edge of their seat as both personal and grander threats push Dahlia to the edge.

The audiobook did a great job of drawing the reader in. Between the amazing world-building author Amy McNulty does and the genre-fusion that this story becomes and the soothing yet commanding voice work of narrator Danielle Daly that kept the reader invested, this audiobook was both entertaining and enthralling all at once.

A thrilling, memorable, and engaging read, author Amy McNulty’s “Broomsticks and Board Games” is a fantastic start to the Spooky Games Club series. The cast of characters is quite remarkable and both humorous and entertaining, while the chilling mystery behind both the games club and Dahlia’s curse keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. With a powerful story and equally powerful narrator, this is one audiobook you won’t want to miss. Be sure to grab your copy today!

interesting

This was a very interesting listen. There were a couple of repeated lines but other than that, the story flowed smoothly. The narration was good.
I was given this free audiobook copy at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun and compelling

A little bit of everything in here. Would like to see more from this author. Great listen. Would recommend.