Cronin's Key II

By: N.R. Walker

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's Summary

History isn't always what it seems....

With the battle of Egypt behind them, Alec and Cronin are enjoying the thrill of new love. Though fate doesn't wait long before throwing them back into the world of weird.

They know Alec's blood is special, though its true purpose still eludes them. And given Alec's inability to be changed into a vampire, Cronin is free to drink from him at will. But the ramifications of drinking such powerful blood starts a ripple effect.

With the help of Jorge, a disturbing vampire-child with the gift of foresight, Alec and Cronin face a new kind of war. This time their investigations lead them to the borders of China and Mongolia - but it's not what lies in the pits beneath that worries Alec.

It's the creator behind it all.

In the underground depths of China, amid a war with the Terracotta Army, they will find out just what the Key is - and what Alec means to the vampire world.

©2015 N. R. Walker (P)2017 Tantor

Fantastic listening

What did you love best about Cronin's Key II?

The whole book, is amazing, how to pick to pick my favorite ermm, love Alex and Cornin deep bond, I found I was trying to do Jorge riddles myself(hopelessly). The whole listening to this booked that I really enjoyed reading was delightful. I highly recommend it to you

Who was your favorite character and why?

Far to many characters to name one, NR Walker has a great talent of developing her characters, There is Alex who is a human, Cornin whose a vampire, Loved Jorge, Joel Leslie brings them all to life.

What does Joel Leslie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Joel Leslie has a talent at voicing all the characters, he is always a joy to listen too.

Any additional comments?

Never have read a bad book by NR Walker, listening to this was a honest to goodness joy.


was giving this book for an honest review, which I have truly done.

More Cronin and Alc to love.

What did you love best about Cronin's Key II?

I loved following the changes both in Cronin and Alec relationship and also the physical changes that they go through. I also realy enjoy the interaction between Cronin's long time companions and their acceptance of Alec to their "Family"

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cronin's Key II?

I loved Alec's interaction with Jorge and the final realisation of what Jorge sees/hears and suffers from.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to Cronin's Key III!

A must

This is a must listen. I wish there had been a third book...Such a well written and voiced novel

Joel Leslie does it again!

Any additional comments?

Cronin's Key II picks up right where book 1 left off and is just as exciting and engaging as before. Alec and Cronin continue to grow closer and they make such a great couple! Their scenes together are cute and tender, and their banter (especially Alec's) made me laugh!

Leslie continues to impress me with his ability to use different accents and tones of voice. He is a truly talented actor and I can't praise him enough!! The emotions that he portrays in these characters is just wonderful and really add to the overall experience of listening to this story.

There is a particular part at the end where Cronin growls/yells, "The life of my Ailig is not a game!", and let me tell you...I got chills...well done Leslie! Perfection!

4.5 Stars

More, please.

The combination of N.R. Walker and Joel Leslie is truly magical. Cronin and Alex draw you in and you never want to leave their world. Add to that the great supporting characters and you get a story to be listened to over and over.

A vampire series like no other

I love this series. Have read several times and buy up the audiobooks as soon as they are available for preorder. Joel Leslie is wonderful and I am so thankful he is doing this series. He makes me cry, smile, and most keeps me on the edge of my seat. He does a perfect job bringing these characters to life thru his voice. And as always I am grateful to N.R. Walker for this series. I wish the series would continue on because I can see so many paths these characters could take. Please take the time to listen to these books and enjoy the ride.

So GOOD!!

The love story, the plot! I need there to be a third book right now!!

Out of this world narration, Great story

The narration: As always Joel Leslie did a wonderful job narrating. I have always praised his multitude of accents but in Cronin’s Key II he really pushed the limits by having a conversation between several characters at one time with over five different accents among them. It was quite impressive how well he kept it all together. Joel is a great voice actor whose narrations should not be missed.

The story: I read the Cronin’s Key series two years ago when it was released and recently listened to the audio of book one. I was excited to be offered book 2 for reviewing purposes. I love books that fall under the paranormal umbrella and always loved vampires in particular. I read them in YA series when I was younger and not so younger, I read them in m/f romance novels, and now I read about them in m/m romance books. Vampires can be scary creatures but often they have this mystique and romantic quality about them (in most books) that they can fit into any genre.

One of the things I like best is when a vampire can bit for pleasure, as well as sustenance, without killing. In N.R.’s word building a vampire’s bite is deadly and I admit I was disappointed just a little. Biting to me is sexy and I wanted it to happen during their intimate moments, but in book one Cronin could not do that to Alec until he used his human blood to save the world first. (If you haven’t read book one it is a series that must be read in order.) When Cronin’s bite didn’t take and Alec remained human it was a surprise and a mystery to the two men and their close friends, Jodis and Eiji. For me it meant that my wish came true though and I loved that biting became part of Cronin and Alec’s sex life. For those who don’t really like their main characters to be killers, the vampires have compromised by only taking out the most nasty offenders on the streets. It does make it more bearable for me and Alec comes to accept it as a necessity for his lover’s survival.

The plot in this story reminds me of Indiana Jones meets Twilight meets m/m romance. It is not just paranormal but there is a lot of action/adventure as Cronin, Alec, Jodis, Eiji, and many other vampires band together and fight against an ancient evil trying to destroy them using a resurrected vampire, Ghengis Khan, and the Teracotta Army. Discovering the why of the attacks and Alec’s purpose to remain human also adds an element of mystery. N.R. created such a well rounded story that amazed me. When you read a lot of books, it’s easy to forget how enjoyable a story is when you haven’t read it in a few years. The audio brought back how much I loved this book and series.

The brilliance continues!

Would you listen to Cronin's Key II again? Why?

Yes. This is one of my favorite series. I love the author and the narrator, and I always re-listen to my favorites.

What other book might you compare Cronin's Key II to and why?

This series reminds me of the Indiana Jones franchise, but with vampires and gay romance! I love how actual history is incorporated into the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

While I love the entire book, I felt emotional when the cause of Jorge's "personalities" was revealed. He finally felt understood, and it was lovely.

Any additional comments?

This series is wonderful, and I look forward to listening to the next book, which I've pre-ordered.

even better

I think this story was even better than the first.
Jorge is one of my new favorite characters. he's so misunderstood, until Alec and by extension, Cronin, can see what is really going on with him.
in the end you're just going to want to squeeze him.

that ending was absolutely perfect!! gaaaah!!

Joel Leslie rocked it...again...with his many accents (and there are Many!).

Another excellent read

N. R. Walker and Joel Leslie conjure up another masterful tale of vampires, ancient wonders and impossible situations. Addictive and funny the first book was the first ever audible adaption to make me laugh out loud on my bus commute to work. Earning me several surprised looks. I proceeded to snicker and snort until my stop, unable to help myself as the books well written and perfectly delivered lines tickled my funny bone. My only nitpick is how Joel says Gengis Khan's name, calling him Jengis, like the game Jenga. But if that is my only complaint over two books and 20+ hours of audio, I think that's a pretty fine record.

Sublime

These are fantastic books. Full of action, vampire magic, humour and love. Great for a romance LOL.
Add in the amazing voice characterisation of Joel Leslie and it's raised to a whole other level of awesome.
I can't recommend these books and audios highly enough. Can't wait for book three.

Enjoyable Story

The concept is interesting and well written. The characters are likeable and the narration is good.

Poorly written

The story has some great ideas, interesting concepts but it's so painfully and poorly written. Some of it sounds like rambling from the author, going on and on. Honestly, we could make a drinking game on how many times they use the word 'determination'. It has so much potential but was just badly executed.
The narrator was brilliant. Some of the British accents were almost on point and certainly done well enough I knew which region of Britain the character was from.
I bought all the books at the same time after reading the blurb so now I'm financially invested in reading all of them.
At least it gives me hope I'll be a published author one day.

execellent

the audio is better than the book. the reader made the story come alive. will recommend to anyone to read

Good read

The second book doesn't disappoint only thing the end was a bit quick. Neither the less a great book to read