Pack of Lies

Monster Hunt, Book 1

By: Charlie Adhara

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

"Highly recommend Adhara for all fans of paranormal and romantic suspense." —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Werewolf meets human. Werewolf snubs human. Werewolf loves human?

Julien Doran arrived in sleepy Maudit Falls, North Carolina, with a heart full of hurt and a head full of questions. The key to his brother's mysterious last days might be found in this tiny town, and now Julien's amateur investigation is starting to unearth things the locals would rather keep buried.

Perhaps most especially the strange, magnetic manager of a deserted retreat that's nearly as odd as its staff.

Eli Smith is a lot of things: thief, werewolf, glamour-puss, liar. And now the manager of a haven for rebel pack runaways. He’s spent years cultivating a persona to disguise his origins, but for the first time ever he’s been entrusted with a real responsibility—and he plans to take that seriously.

Even if the handsome tourist who claims to be in town for some R & R is clearly on a hunt for all things paranormal. And hasn't taken his brooding gaze off Eli since he's arrived.

When an old skeleton and a fresh corpse turn a grief errand into a murder investigation, the unlikely Eli is the only person Julien can turn to. Trust is hard to come by in a town known for its monsters, but so is time…

Carina Adores is home to modern, romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Monster Hunt
Book 1: Pack of Lies
Book 2: Den of Thieves

Big Bad Wolf
Book 1: The Wolf at the Door
Book 2: The Wolf At Bay
Book 3: Thrown to the Wolves
Book 4: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Book 5: Cry Wolf

©2022 Charlie Adhara (P)2022 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Amazing 😍 So cute 🥺

I love Charlie Adhara books 📚 This is technically a mystery but that is not the important part of the story. The best thing about these books are the interactions between the characters.

Good internal conflicts, slow burn between characters, and coming to terms with new situations/ information. Even though half the characters are werewolves, the book feels so human and oh so relatable. 🥰

(Personal opinion- not a fan of the voice actor which is why I only gave performance 4/5 starts.)

can't wait for more!

This was an excellent book. A great start to a spin-off series that I'm sure will be as big a hit as Big Bad Wolf. Even if you haven't read Big Bad Wolf series, I think a reader could comfortably pick up this book and be pulled into the story, but to get a deeper understanding (and therefore a fuller reading experience) of certain aspects, I would recommend going back and reading between now and book 2's release in 2023. I can't wait!

Good spin off

I have wanted Eli’s story since the moment we met him. So we have Eli working on getting the haven ready to take in the rebel runaways to help them heal and then move on to a better life. Julien is in town trying to find out what truly happened to his brother who was there looking for the monster in the woods. I loved that we had dual POV! Those are my favorite because I always want to know what the MC’s are thinking and to see things through their eyes. I had the bad person figured out almost from the beginning, but never really figured out why. If you are a fan of the Big Bad Wolf series, you will love this spinoff!

A book for Eli is awesome

Eli getting his own book is just so very awesome. Quintessential Eli to get in all kinds of mix ups with murder, treasure and than finally a love for himself. This is a well written and well read book that
throws a lot at you, including the fact that its a different person reading it. Getting past that he dose a great job. If you want to meet Eli again and listen to him Find his own path ,this is the book
for you. get it you'll love it. I did

Excellent start to a spinoff series!

I loved Charlie Adhara's Big Bad Wolf series, which I read in ebook. When I found out she had a spinoff, in audio with Joel Leslie, I had high expectations. I was not disappointed. Adhara's characters are multifaceted as always. There's action and a bit of humor. Joel Leslie does an excellent job of differentiating between characters, giving each one a unique voice. That was especially important since both MCs had chapters, unlike in the Big Bad Wolf series. If you like werewolves and intrigue, give Pack of Lies a listen. It's different from the BBW series, but in a way I enjoyed.

Great Spinoff, so-so narration.

I love Charlie Adhara's other series, and I was so excited to hear this spin-off. Unfortunately, this book has a different narrator than the original series, and while I wish I liked Joel Leslie's delivery, I never have.

Charlie Adhara wrote a great story. It was exciting and not predictable, and it's a testament to the writing that I finished this book. Please don't mistake me, Leslie did a good voice acting job with inflection, emotion and variety, I just don't like his delivery, and that's a personal choice that shouldn't turn anyone off from listening to the book.

Love the story

Love the fact that we still get to see the original romance still going on a bit at the end but now getting a better look at Eli. Can’t wait for the next book. I will say I was slightly disappointed they didn’t have the same person reading this book as the previous ones but I think it still sounded pretty good.

Good story, bad acting

The narrator’s narration voice is fine- nothing special- but his character voices are terrible. Everyone sounds 60 years old plus and like they have a difficult time speaking. It really takes away from the story

Wonderful continuation

This is a great sequel/spin-off to the Big Bad Wolf series. At first it was a little disorienting to be shifting perspective every chapter but I got used to it. The new narrator did a great job capturing Eli's personality, though I wish their voices for Cooper and Oliver had been more consistent to the voices I was already familiar with.

A wonderful return to the series!

I have to say here that I absolutely loved the original series and this book was no different! great mysteries, an excellent writing style, fantastic world building, and throwbacks to older books, characters that still act like themselves from the original series! Some authors miss that mark but not this one!

My only gripe comes down to the change in the narrator...this narrator left a LOT to be desired...his voices were...odd choices...his reading was...uninspired...he made all the characters sound as if they were all in their 60's or older...and the voice acting itself was just...mundane and hard to get through.

While I'll happily purchase the next book in the series...I'll probably switch to Kindle from here on out because...this narrator really falls flat and tries his best to drag the book down with him...it is incredibly hard to sit through...almost torturous at points.

Can't wait to see more of Ellie! Keep it coming Charlie Adhara! and hopefully...you find a better narrator or switch back to the original narrator for the next book.