Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas

A Sweetwater Short

By: Tamara Ward

Narrated by: Julie Hoverson

Length: 1 hr and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Private investigator Jade O'Reilly thought her worst Christmas dilemma involved finding the perfect gift for her significant other. That was before she agreed to help Agnes Sturgis, the crankiest old biddy in all of Sweetwater, NC. Every day, for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, Agnes wakes up to a yard filled with Christmas decorations. But in Agnes's opinion, "they're not decorations; they're property damage!"

Finding the person responsible for the scenes of yuletide merriment that Agnes demolishes every morning is not easy. With stealth and skill that rival Santa's elves, the decorator strikes Agnes's yard and eludes Jade and her surveillance equipment. Will Jade catch the decorator before Christmas morning?

©2012 Tamara Ward (P)2014 Tamara Ward

Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”


This is a fun short mystery. Jade is a PI trying to find out who is decorating Agnes' yard with Christmas fru-fru. There is no lack of suspects because of her filing

complaints against many neighbors. The humor is abundant. Meanwhile Her ex-fiance wants Jade to follow his new girlfriend to see what she is up to. Poor Jade needs to

buy a special first Christmas gift for her new boyfriend. I couldn't wait to find out who the culprit was. It looks like I have a newly discovered series to explore.


The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.Julie Hoverson makes this so much fun!

So cute

Really liked this little jewel. Found myself laughing at the true to life way the characters acted. Was a really cute story too. I did receive it for free to give an honest review. I think it was well worth the time. I loved the narrator as well putting all the different voices in added to my enjoyment of it. Great job!

Perfectly Charming Story - Excellent Narration

This would be a great listen on the long drive to a family holiday gathering. It's safe for the kids and/or grandma but will hold the interest of the whole family.

Or make yourself a cup of tea and settle back for a comfortable tale extremely well presented. The story itself is "Vandalism She Wrote," but that's part of the appeal.

Julie Hoverson's performance really enhances the experience. Well done!

** This audiobook was given by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom

A Good Story Ruined by Narration

Jade O'Reilly was a really good short story but it was very hard to listen to with the narration.

Julie Hoverson has what it takes to be a good reader but I thought this sounded too harsh with too many different accents. It was distracting from the story. A straight read would've been better. Every time Agnes spoke, it was like nails on a chalkboard.

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."

Such fun!

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

This was such a fun story! It was fun listening & trying to figure out who the culprit was lol. Very much enjoyed!!

Funny

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The voice was uneven and things were read in an odd manner (not natural). But the humor of the story helped to sort of cover that up.

Any additional comments?

Nice story, humorous, good time.

Not one of Jade's brighter moments.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

I have not read the previous books featuring the character, so I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't like Jade's ex-fiancee Dale. He abuses his authority as a police officer for personal use; he's very jealous; and he doesn't trust his caring girlfriend. Considering that Jade used to be engaged to him, I lost some respect for her. Speaking of Jade, I felt she gave less than a real effort for her clients. Despite never failing a case, she seems to take half measures and won't ask coworkers for help when she needs extra legwork done. I don't blame her for her first attempt; she sets up a camera to watch the yard, which sounds fine. But after she is sabotaged (twice!), I expect her to go full out and camp there to stand guard. Instead, she leaves her post at 3am just to find she left too early. If this was a children's mystery story, I'd be OK with it. But references to beer and silk underwear make me think otherwise.

I thought narration was fine, though the narrator's voice sounded a bit older than I expected from the main character. She fit the angry Agnes and the haughty Louise very well.

Entertaining Holiday Story

If you could sum up Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining Holiday Fun

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed the banter of Jade a lot.

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

Julie Hoverson really knows how to portray a cranky, self-righteous, horrible person very well. I loved how she read the interactions between different characters.

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

Not your average Christmas Story

Any additional comments?

This was a fun listen and a unique plot that kept me guessing. Light hearted and very enjoyable.

No surprises but cute story

I usually like the characters best in cozy mysteries. I think this is a first in that I liked the action the best. Such vivid recreations of gaudy holiday cheer had me enthralled. The mystery is pretty obvious but the main character is likeable. I liked the supporting characters more. The narrator did a very good job with the different voices and carried the story along nicely.
I was gifted this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas Mystery..

Any additional comments?

This book was a short Christmas time mystery that was written rather well.

I just wish that it was longer, I can't say to much or I will give the entire story away.

Julie Hoverson did a good job with the narration.

Note:
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."