Heart of Evil

Krewe of Hunters, Book 2

By: Heather Graham

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

Emerging from the bayou like an apparition, Donegal Plantation is known for its unsurpassed dining, captivating atmosphere, haunting legends... and now a corpse swinging from the marble angel that marks its cemetery’s most majestic vault. A corpse discovered in nearly the same situation as that of Marshall Donegal, the patriarch killed in a skirmish just before the Civil War.

Desperate for help traditional criminologists could never provide, plantation heiress Ashley Donegal turns to an elite team of paranormal investigators who blend hard forensics with rare - often inexplicable - intuition. Among the “Krewe of Hunters” is an old flame, Jake Mallory, a gifted musician with talent stretching far beyond the realm of the physical, and a few dark ghosts of his own.

The evil the team unveils has the power to shake the plantation to its very core. Jake and Ashley are forced to risk everything to unravel secrets that will not stay buried - even in death....

©2011 Heather Graham (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Storytelling at its best!

Where does Heart of Evil rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I really rank this near the top. It had a riveting story that kept me on the edge of my seat and Luke Daniels did an awesome job narrating!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ashley Donegal is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed her characters personality and all she encountered.

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

I thought he brought every character to life in such a way as to make it easy to picture them all in your mind. He is truly an awesome narrator.

If you could take any character from Heart of Evil out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Just one? No way! I would love to have a meal with the entire 'Krewe'. Now that would be very cool.

Light on the "supernatural"

I hopped on this one thinking the concept sounded fun. A large chunk of the beginning is spent on the characters setting up and participating in a civil war reenactment. It does eventually set up the plot but it was a bit to wade through. Once our Krewe arrives, the story devolves into a less ghost heavy episode of "Ghost Hunters" with the romance of the 2 central characters taking center stage for a lot of the story.

I was looking for a supernatural/horror/mystery and i didn't find it in this book. For those looking more for a supernatural romance, the story is well written and enjoyable - it just wasn't what I wanted.

Disappointing return to the Krewe

All the small things in the first book I loved got so exaggerated in this one that it became just too much and overwhelmed the story. Too much romance. Too much of the ghosts. Too much of the Scooby-Doo cheesy feel. It was like the author decided she didn’t have enough tropes/stereotypes in the first that she had to throw them all in this one.

The author lost the entire team dynamic she had created in the first one. This was Jake and Ashleigh’s story and the rest of the team played third fiddle. They weren’t even second fiddle. There wasn’t the great chemistry between the team members that we enjoyed in the first book.

The heroine is just pathetic. She is tough and lashes out when she shouldn’t and then spends the rest of the book making stupid decisions to put herself and others in danger. I spent a lot of time calling her an idiot throughout the book. She wasn’t that likable and I didn’t feel any chemistry with Jake. She sadly enough has more chemistry with Cliff “her semi-cousin” than she did with Jake.

I guess my biggest disappointment in this book though is the complete change in Jake’s personality. It’s like he switched bodies with Jackson. I loved his smooth, laid back calm in the first book and in this one none of that was present. I hope the author can find her rhythm again in the next one.

There was a change in narrators from the first book as well which I found disappointing as I couldn’t quite recognize the characters I loved in the first book. Apparently this will the narrator for the books in the series now and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

A Modern Day Ghost Story with Civil War Ghosts!

If you could sum up Heart of Evil in three words, what would they be?

Old-fashioned ghost story!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart of Evil?

The scene with the alligators.

Have you listened to any of Luke Daniels’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I was favorably impressed. While I found his work on the Hexed series to be outstanding, I was detracted by the certain small parts of the story line which were just plain irritating. In this series the storyline is well written and not at all irritating. I quite enjoyed hearing Luke's performance. More importantly, his voice is such that I didn't think "oh, that is the voice he used for thus-and-such character in the Hexed series". No, he made these characters his own, without detracting from the story line in any way. Well done!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

An old-fashioned ghost story set in the deep south.

Any additional comments?

This is the second book in the series and it appears the author is going to focus on a different character/characters each book until their back stories are all fleshed out. I hope so anyway, I love the first two books and hope that this continues throughout the entire series. Thank you for a great listening experience!

I'm sorry!! What??!!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I don't know.

Has Heart of Evil turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes. Narration was pretty good. Not great but ok.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Incredulity.

Any additional comments?

SPOILER ALERT!!

I usually do not give bad reviews and the story really did keep my attention for the most part. But!!! Wth? The ending of the book is ridiculous! The main character blames herself for the death of a father figure. That she considers a "good guy" even after he tells her he's going to kill her and leave her daughter, motherless. He has cheated on his wife. Killed his mistress. Killed the man that helped him cover it up. And is now going to kill his surrogate daughter and at the last minute turns the gun on himself and he's a "good man" !!?? What!!?? Also, we never tell the world the truth about what he's done. Instead we say he killed himself bc he "found out he was dying of cancer" and couldn't handle the dire news. What??!! Then!! Then!! The cop boyfriend doesn't talk to or see his girlfriend for over a week. In a time in her life where she is dealing with a lot of horror and never tells her he loves her. But then shows up on her doorstep and tells her that they're getting married. Ok. Sure. Not to mention that the way the main character allowed herself to continue to be treated by her ex husband and have her reputation destroyed and her name dragged thru the mud was impossible to ignore. And in the end the ex gets everything he's ever wanted while allowed to be the worst kind of dad. That's a crap ending. I'm returning this book on principle. The narration was ok. Pretty good. The story up until the end was ok. Then it all went to h*** in a hand basket. No more for me thanks. Skip it. Not worth a credit imo.

Sorry, but I could not finish it.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Better narrarator. The story was dull even though it was pegged as a thriller/mystery. The interaction between the two former lovers is not believable nor well written. I suppose better character development and a more mature writing style would have increased my enjoyment.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Next up: finishing "Beautiful Ruins", and then on to "Divergent" by V Roth. Yes, I have a wide variety of interests, not just YA/paranormal/chicklit. ;-)

Would you be willing to try another one of Luke Daniels’s performances?

Daniel's performance would not make me buy any book. If there are female characters of significance, I would likely pass. He was deplorable with the feminine voice.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment and a little irritation.

I kinda knew all along

Even though I had it figured out, I loved the descriptions of NOLA and the plantation so I hung in. Glad I did. :-)

Series!

Read for Fun/June is Audiobook Month/June 2012 Series Read!
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.50

Audio Rating(Not part of the overall rating): 4.50

First thought when finished: I am really enjoying the Krewe of Hunters! Plus, this one is set in New Orleans!

What I Loved: Anytime you even hint that you are going to have historic re-enactments tied in with a murder mystery--you pretty much have me interested. I love that Heart of Evil weaves in historic events with a present day murder investigation. Throw in the hot chemistry between Jake and Ashley and a very fun cast of characters, this was just a downright good read!!

What I Liked: The Donegal Plantation was a great setting for Heart of Evil. It had ghosts, graveyard, swamp, and a vastness that made you feel like you had stepped back in time. I felt like the plantation itself was a character in the story. I loved Grandpa and M. Donegal--both were strong men and great characters.

Audio Specific Review: Luke Daniels hit it out of the park. I think I am officially a fan girl!

Final Thought: I recommend this series to Paranormal Mystery Readers--it only has a bit of romance (that is not the focus).

Not much substance

Would you try another book from Heather Graham and/or Luke Daniels?

No. I found this book to be rather boring. The plot was weak. Would not spend the credit on the next book in the trilogy.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked the basic concept. Just the author did not do a good job making it interesting. Bland comes to mind.

Did Luke Daniels do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

No. While some of the characters were developed others seemed to blend in with the woodwork.

Do you think Heart of Evil needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. Didn't enjoy the first so wouldn't buy the second

Better than the first

Nice easy read. There’s a scene in the book that was made my skin crawl. Fantastic!

Second Krewe of Hunters book

This is the second Krewe of Hunters book by Heather Graham. It follows straight on from book 1 but could be read (listened to) as a standalone book.

Romance, murder and ghosts fill the pages of a story set on the banks of the Mississippi. A modern day reenactment of a small Civil War skirmish draws old grudges, spectors and murder!

The book is as 'easy' (non demanding) listen.