Grim Tidings

An Aisling Grimlock Mystery, Volume 1

By: Amanda M. Lee

Narrated by: Karen Krause

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Grim(ace) while you work....

Aisling Grimlock is having a bad week. Well, actually, she's having a bad life - not that she's complaining. Okay, she's totally complaining.

After being laid off from her secretarial position, she has no choice but to join the family business, and now she's a full-time grim reaper. That's right. She collects and transfers souls to the hereafter.

Cool, huh? Not quite.

On the second day of her new job, Aisling (literally!) stumbles over a dead body that's not on her list and the stakes are suddenly raised because, when a name isn't on the list, that means someone stole it (and that's never a good thing).

Aisling's family, which consists of a tempestuous father and four overbearing older brothers, are hot on the case - but the answers they're coming up with aren't exactly soothing.

It seems a contingent of wraiths have descended on the area, and they're not just dangerous for unsuspecting souls and the general populace. The Grimlock family is at risk, too.

If that weren't bad enough, Aisling finds herself inexplicably drawn to Detective Griffin Taylor - the police officer who considers her a murder suspect. Oh, and she's a wraith-magnet - although, truth be told, she's more interested in Detective Taylor.

Aisling is determined to prove that she has what it takes to be a great reaper - even if it means risking her life and proving her father and brothers wrong when it comes to her competence level.

When things finally become clear, will Aisling survive long enough to make things right? Or, will she fall prey to the wraiths and the individual controlling them?

©2014 Amanda M. Lee (P)2015 Amanda M. Lee

A fun and exciting read.

I hadn't heard of this before prior to seeing it come up for review, but I loved the sound of it and eagerly started. Well, i'm so happy to say that this was fantastic. Such a fun yet addictive read!

The plot was fast paced and gripping. It centers around a family of reapers who collect the souls on their list. Aisling is the only girl in the family of boys and she never intended to be part of the "family business", yet when she loses her job she has no other choice. She is only on the job a few days when souls that aren't on the lists are being taken, not only that, but some of her souls are been taken! She realises that somw wraiths have entered their territory and are stealing souls. She needs to find out who their master is and stop them before it's too late. During this time, she becomes a suspect in "murders" that keep happening around her. Detective Taylor is intent on finding the culprit but keeps coming back to Aisling Grimlock, how is she involved?

The characters were fantastic!!! I loved every single one of them. Aisling was funny, strong, independent and did I mention funny!!! Jerry is Aislings gay roommate who has the hots for her brother, I adored Jerry!! So fun yet a rock for Aisling. The Grimlock brothers were all amazing too, each of them were so protective of Aisling and would do anything for each other. The enigmatic Detective Taylor was a surprise love interest for Aisling, yet it works well. I loved the dynamics between them and look forward to seeing where their relationship goes.

Anyway, this was such a fun and snarky book. I found myself giggling and snickering a lot and ended up listening to it within 2 days. I couldn't get enough of this family and their business!! I can not wait for the next installment of this witty and addicting series.

Karen Krause did a great job with the voices. I never had a problem following who was talking. She gave each character their own personalities and I really enjoyed her narration.

*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.*

SUPER FUN LISTEN!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Grim Tidings to be better than the print version?

I think it always is....but I only listened!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Grim Tidings?

When Aisling catches her brother and Jerry together the first time....lol Oh and Aisling talking to the hooker...it was so funny!!

Which character – as performed by Karen Krause – was your favorite?

Jerry!!!! I love Jerry, especially how he calls Aisling Bug!!!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

OMG..I laughed and laughed...this is a funny book!!!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is a funny book, a light listen, and a pure pleasure....I really enjoyed it! That being said, the narration was a B- for me for a few reasons...one being the character of Griffen's speech pattern sometimes was so slow, that he sounded a little challenged...and the brothers voices were similar at times and I got confused who was who....But still well worth a listen!

Aisling has to go to work for the family business after dropping out of college and losing her job...Her family are Reapers..she being the youngest in a family full of brothers....they all live at home still, but her..she lives with her gay best friend Jerry...who is hilarious! Well someone out there is stealing souls, and when Aisling and her twin Brother come across a dead body and the handsome detective Griffen gets involved...you are in for a hilarious ride!

This Book is a giggling good time!!! LOVED IT!!!!

Thank you Audiobookblast(dot)com

narrator voice does not match character

the heroine is supposed to be a mid-twenty year old woman, but the narrator uses the voice of a 3 year old child. it's incredibly annoying.

Like the story not the narrator

Would you try another book from Amanda M. Lee and/or Karen Krause?

Maybe by Amanda M. Lee but not narrated by Karen Krause.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator made the main character sound to bland and boring. I know she could have had more emotion.

Do you think Grim Tidings needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Grim Tidings could definitely have another book. The story was good. The characters were good. I enjoyed it.

Be prepared ROFLYAO and have a really fun time!

A family whose business is being Grim Reapers. And who live in a castle. In Detroit, Michigan. Except for Aisling. She lives in a condo with her bestie. Who is a guy. Who turns out to have the hots for Aisling's twin brother. And she has the hots for a homicide detective. Who took her in as a suspect.
And that's just the beginning of this giggle fest! Throw in botched assignments, evil wraiths, a Daddy Dearest (everything but 'NO WIRE HANGERS!), and a whole intricate cast of characters. Dialog is fast and snarky, always lots going on, and too much fun to louse up with spoilers!
Karen Krause really nails it with her performance! Good character involvement and differentiation, and is totally believable as Aisling (who first person's the entire tale). It doesn't hurt that her voice is pleasant, either.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

not sure I can finish ugh!

Narrator sounds about 65, not believable as a young person. She works so hard to enunciate that speech is stilted.

Good book but narrator sucks.

Would you try another book from Amanda M. Lee and/or Karen Krause?

I will definitely avoid books with this narrator. Stiff reading, it appears the narrator does not enjoy the story, it comes through in her reading. The narration had no flow, stiff, staggered, easy to toon out the reading due to narrators poor delivery.

What did you like best about this story?

Story

What didn’t you like about Karen Krause’s performance?

Fire her, never let her read another book for audible

Did Grim Tidings inspire you to do anything?

No

could of been better

I enjoyed the story, the narrator was flat sounding as she read the guy lines in the story. made it hard to connect the them.

4 star story...2 star narration

I agree with other postings, this is fun story to read. However, the narrator was horrible. All the male voices sounded the same and none were very convincing. In general, the narration failed to convey the emotions and nuances that the author had clearly intended with her words. My advice is to read the book and skip the audio.

Better than I expected

The Grimlock family is crazy, mixed up, slightly dysfunctional but still family. Even the family business is crazy. I still like the Witches of the Mid-West series better, Aisling has a different charm all her own.

Good story, dull narrator

I quite liked the story, it had some funny parts that made me chuckle, but the narrator was just so boring. Her voice is so flat and dull that it was a struggle to stay awake at times, and to be honest made a good story hard to follow at times - difficult to pay attention to something that makes you want to nod-off.