Purgatory Playhouse

A M/M Fantasy Rom-Com

By: E.J. Russell

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's summary

Staging a musical in Purgatory can be absolute hell.

Lonnie Coleridge last saw the sun in 1968. Since then, he’s been consigned to Limbo, still wearing the same tie-dyed T-shirt and bell-bottomed jeans he had on when he left his life behind. He and others like him have one chance each year at redemption: produce a show for the Greek pantheon. Whoever pleases this very specific - and temperamental - fan group could earn the right to move on.

But after a literal act of god (*cough* Hermes *cough*) destroys their sets, lights, and costumes, the company needs emergency help to rebuild. Without it, all of them could poof out of existence forever. 

Out-of-work theater technician TD Baylor has precisely three things on his cosmic wish list: a job, a place to stay, and a boyfriend who isn’t a total tool. He thinks he’s got the first two nailed when he gets a line on a two-week gig that includes room and board. So what if the job tip came from a guy who was leaning way too hard into the LOTR cosplay at a sketchy Halloween pop-up? At this point, TD doesn’t have anything more to lose, so he figures…what the hell.

He didn’t realize hell was the operative word.

When Lonnie greets him at the theater door, though...whoa. TD fantasizes that item number three could be within his reach. But then Lonnie gives him the bad news: This is Purgatory Playhouse, aka Theater of the Darned. In two weeks - if they’re lucky and can successfully mount a musical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream - the company will return to Limbo after the curtain falls. If they’re not lucky?

Remember that part about hell?

Purgatory Playhouse is part of the multi-author Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This book contains a theater techie who’s one couch surf away from homeless, a production assistant who’s sort of, um, not alive, Greek gods behaving very badly indeed, and a guaranteed HEA.

©2021 Ellen J Russell (P)2021 Ellen J Russell

Hilarious!!

This was a sweet cute, over the top, whimsical romantic comedy.

I had so much fun with this one!!

The author's writing style was absolutely hilarious and had me engaged.

The dialogue was witty and whimsical at the same time.

The narration was enjoyable as well

Theater. Gods being badly. Sweet romance. FANTASTIC.

I have to start by saying I have a ridiculous over-the-top love for this book. The authors experience and love of theater, a deep knowledge and hilarious skepticism about Greek mythology, and an absolute social justice warrior hero of a technical designer come together to create a thoroughly delightful story.

Smart, very funny, clever, charming, and immensely creative - totally on brand for EJ Russell. Her best book, I think, which is saying a lot.

I fell in love with this book when I read it, but it is no surprise that Greg Boudreaux, who is a wonderful, versatile, and often hilarious narrator, brings great color and dimension to it. His comic timing, passion, and talent for characterization are on full display here.

Brilliant comedic play on the Greek mythology!

I loved that this author did this comedy!! The play on the transgressions of the gods and goddesses tickled my funny bone! The main characters are sweet and their path was fraught with obstacles. I absolutely adored the beautiful narration! The narrator did an excellent job of each individual character!

mediocre

**SPOILERS**

I honestly didn't finish the last few chapters. The writing is mediocre, the story is fluffy, characters are undeveloped and 90% of the story is the main character having a fit because the ancient Greek Gods were unfair then telling them off and getting his way...

Intriguing Story

This book is reminiscent of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I really liked the premise and the way the main character got into the theater. The end is a tearjerker but I love those anyway. Highly Recommended.

Absolutely Wonderful

I went into this book without reading the blurb in the last cash sale as I knew the writer and the narrator from previous books. I am so glad I got this one. It was totally worth buying.

In here we have TD, who's real name is Taylor Baylor because his parents were different and Lonnie, who has been in purgatory since 1968.

They took one look at each other and it was instalove. Which was good since they spent very little time together as they were putting on a play for the Greek gods.

Well, TD was not someone who can let anyone be hurt so he pretty much went to war against these gods. And I don't blame him, what the gods had been doing was bad.

The ending started off sad and I was about to start raging as I wasn't sure the HEA/HFN was going to happen, then bam!! That ending.

You have to put aside logical questions and just go with the vibe.

This actually had some sex scenes, which were great, but shocked me cause the last book I read by them only had a kiss. I'm glad to have seen these.

The narration was top notch and Greg Boudreaux was awesome as always.

Good story but ending was abrupt

I loved the story over all. The characters were entertaining and well fleshed out and the story was engaging. However, the ending was a bit unsatisfactory as we don’t actually get to see the end of the play house and just see the aftermath. The story switches perspectives throughout so I’m not sure why it couldn’t switch to see the final play.

Cute & Clever! 😍

This was a fun read/listen!

There was little angst, crazy gods, interesting humans, and sweet love.

Great narration by Greg Boudreaux ❤️❤️

A playhouse in hell

EJ Russell excels at writing at paranormal romance stories and this one was no exception. I’m really impressed with her knowledge for mythical beings and especially Greek gods in this series.

TD is a theater technician who’s just one couch shy of being a homelesss guy. Out of employment and close to being homelessness, needless to say, TD is desperate for a job. When he found a job he so desperately wanted in Marden’s Magic Emporium, he thought it was a godsend. Ironically, it’s really gods who want this production to happen. A limbo, a pseudo hell and unfortunate souls. It’s onehelluva journey TD must face to overcome all these hurdles.

I think this is definitely light on romance and heavier on myths, Greek gods and paranormal stuff. I like how Lonnie is how everything TD is ever hoping for and I really think they are a good fit to each other. I won’t spoil too much since there are a lot of wonderful materials to find out. And Greg Boudreaux’s narration was a yummy treat for this listener. Recommended if you like EJ Russell and paranormal romance stories.

4.5 a playhouse in hell stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


Audio rating

Book - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Greek mythology and theater

I really enjoyed the book a lot. The very end felt a bit rushed but overall it was so much fun to listen to. I really liked the characters and their interactions with each other. It was also a fun take on Greek myths and the theater elements made it even more fun. It was a sweet and fun story.

Great paranormal romance!

I love books about the greek Gods. And this one was so good. I liked the setting and I really loved the characters and the ending was so very satisfying!The narrator was amazing! Loved this so so much!

Enjoyable Story

A well written story with and interesting  concept.  The characters are likeable and the narration is very good.

Sooo good!

I read most of the instalments in the Magic Emporium series, but somehow I missed out on this one.

EJ Russell did a great job with this story. Lonnie and especially TD were amazing and I had so much fun following their adventures in purgatory. I really liked Lonnie, but the star of the show for me was TD, resourceful, steadfast TD, who was a problem solver, and boy, if he didn't do just that. One would think a live person wouldn't thrive in purgatory, but TD proved everyone wrong from the start, even the gods. LOL Lonnie showed so much growth throughout the book, from just skating by, content on helping others, to taking his rightful place in the play and being the leader everyone knew he was.

This was so much fun to listen to, Greg Boudreaux is so talented and he shines in ensemble books like this one, where he can showcase how easy it is for him to go from one character to the other seamlessly, no matter how many of them are in a single scene.

Highly recommendable!

Magical

EJ Russell did a magical job with the story. All the characters where so well thought out. TD and Lonnie where fantastic to follow and get their story. greg Boudreaux was a superstar with ghe narration.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Interfering gods and wishes

I love the premise of the Magic Emporium and how it appears in the real world when it needs to. I really enjoyed E J Russell's offering with a bunch of human souls in Purgatory and a pantheon of Greeks staging a version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night Dream. I thought TD and Lonnie were the perfect mix to help everyone achieve their potential while finding a love that neither ever expected to find. Greg Boudreaux does a wonderful job of bringing a diverse cast of characters to life. Highly recommended to all lovers of mythology, magic and mm romance.

Fun

This was as much fun to listen to as it was to read. A down on his luck theatre technician gets sent to purgatory to run their yearly production for the Greek gods. Greek myths were cleverly weaved into the story as TD forced the Gods to consider their actions.
TD was a force of nature and I loved how selflessly he stood up for everyone.

The narrator did a brilliant job bringing the story to live.

* virgin mc
* theatre
* Greek myths
* paranormal

Recommended.

The Darned

I love EJ Russell paranormal books, and this audio was no exception. Her creativity knows no bounds and, in the case of this story, her knowledge of Greek gods is impressive. I just finished another novel with plenty of Gods, so I sort of feel like I’m getting the hang of this. Or at least I know when Hermes shows up, chaos is sure to follow.

I’m also a theater major who has never worked a day in paid theater in her life. I loved my studies, but never could translate that into work. Sigh.

But T.D.? My dream job – technician at a theater. Now, he’s pretty desperate and this gig sounds pretty good – he just doesn’t realize he’ll be working with those in limbo. Who put on this annual production every year for the gods. The capricious gods who send one person per year on to the afterlife. The rest are left in Purgatory to do it all again next year. My definition of heaven – not so much for these guys and gals.

T.D. Is all about supporting those around them – he fights for better working conditions, and takes safety seriously. He also takes Alonzo seriously. Lonnie is everything T.D.’s ever been looking for, but the timing is seriously crappy – because Lonnie isn’t going anywhere at the end of the production while T.D. will be back to couch surfing and trying to avoid crappy men.

Now, of course there’s a happy ending, but I did wonder how it would all play out… Was Lonnie going to be chosen to move on? Could T.D. go with him? How would that even work? And if T.D. returns to the land of the living, how can Lonnie possibly follow? You’ll have to read to find out.

The book is brilliantly narrated by Greg Boudreaux, of whom I’m a huge fan. So definitely pick this one up.

Playhouse redemption

A colourful collection of characters that are thrown a very unexpected lifeline...

I loved TD and felt he was the perfect characters to throw a spanner into the "God" plans. He bold, passionate and filled with righteous anger. I loved his star struck moment meaning Lonnie. They're so cute together!

The story is a fast-paced whirlwind with a few twists I did not foresee. a lot of Greeks which for me kind of all blended together but very imaginative in their re-created roles in the theatre. I really enjoyed this one and like the unexpected way to their happy ending!!

TD and Lonnie

TD or Taylor Baylor as his parents named him, is a Theatre technician, who only wants 3 things in life. A job, somewhere to stay and a boyfriend. He has moved to be with an online boyfriend who didn't expect him to move and doesn't let him move in, with no place to stay he needs a job, so when he sees an ad for a Technician for 2 weeks with a room, he jumps at the chance. He is met by Lonnie at the Theatre door wearing a Tie dye shirt, resembling TD's crush Alonso Coleridge who disappeared in 1968. Lonnie has been in Limbo since 1968, every year they are given 1 chance to move on by performing in the show. So what could go wrong. We see TD cause so many problems by going up against the Greek Gods, and finding out they stole the members, who aren't actually dead. It is a fun book. With a happily ever after

The Show Must Go On!

The show must go on! Even when a bunch of self-centered and arrogant gods accidentally destroy the stage set that took a year to build. If the purgatory cast can’t get their set rebuilt, then they face punishment and eradication from a host of very angry gods. This premise is the start to an interesting urban fantasy which takes the Greek mythos and gives a voice to the victims of those myths. I really liked how we get to hear from the victims of the Greek Gods’ arrogance and selfishness. The romance was sweet and had me rooting for TD and Lonnie’s happy ever after. I just wish the book was just a tad bit longer – the ending felt a little rushed and it felt like it lost some of its momentum. This lead to a nice, but meh, ending which was a shame because the beginning and middle part of the book was so fantastic. I still recommend reading it since the story is highly enjoyable and the world building is fantastic as always.

Even though this book is part of the Magical Emporium series, it has nothing to do with any other books within the series and stands on its own.

Greg Boudreaux narrates the audiobook and does a top-notch job of it. I love Greg’s voice and he was a perfect fit for this cast of characters. The audiobook production was well done and I really enjoyed listening to it.