Rage (Karen Bechard Adventures)

By: J. Carrell Jones

Narrated by: Lauren Sweet

Length: 2 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Karen Bechard, UN Agent, thought the flight from the US to Europe was going to be routine. It was in mid flight where everything turned ugly. A man hyped on some highly addictive drug goes zombie flesh eating berserk. People die, people get hurt, and then no one to fly the plane. What is an agent to do? And, that was the easy part of the day, of which was turning out to be a Four Horsemen trampling humanity scenario and Karen had to be on her A-game.

If you like fast-paced heroic action dished out by a badass female agent then this book is for you. Bond, Salt? Step aside. This new girl is taking names and kicking butt.

©2012 J Carrell Jones (P)2017 J Carrell Jones

Action packed beginning but fizzled at the end

Any additional comments?

I don't know if this is the first story in a series or not but this listen started with a bang but ended with a whimper (cliched, but true) so I hope there's more.

I liked the intriguing story line and the main character, Karen, was a take no prisoners female Clint Eastwood. (Yes, please.) There were some spy games, a series of action-packed rescues and a little sex thrown in for good measure so the majority of this short listen was good. This listen either needed to be longer to make finding the bad guy a little more expansive or the finding of said bad guy needed to be explosive. Either one would have saved this listen for me.

The narrator was good. The power and strength of Karen was complete in the vocals and the big action series were well-done.

I don't know if this listen is for everyone but I liked it. I just wanted a better ending.

A good short

A very scary situation. I can't imagine being in that situation. I received this audio book for free and voluntarily reviewed.

This would be a page turner if it had pages...

This book hit the ground running and passed the finish line with a screech. Everything between was packed with action as well. Karen Bechard is a fabulous lead character, she's smart, focused, and capable, and it's just as well with the situation she;s found herself in,oh my!

Her supporting cast are an interesting group too and the set-up for the rest of the series is done really well.

The story is beautifully written and it has me wanting every book in the series.

The narration is perfect for the book. Great character voices and a style of delivery that help keep me on the edge of my seat.

This book was supplied free by the author/narrator/publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.

If you found this review helpful would you please take a moment to click yes below, thanks.

Fun zombie action pilot

What did you like best about this story?

It moved along quickly and had some fun set pieces.

Which scene was your favorite?

The opening scene on the plane was the most entertaining to me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes it is short, and moves at a clip. It is like the first episode in a tv show or a movie.

Any additional comments?

Fun introduction to a character, and seems like a potential jump off for a series.


I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I am woman, hear my gun bark

What did you love best about Rage (Karen Bechard Adventures)?

I enjoyed the idea that Karen thought she had her boss figured out and played to that. The after thought was that he was maybe a bit better at manipulating her. I loved the interaction between Karen and Cortez. And, yes, there was some character development, especially between Karen and Banner, the LAPD SWAT commander. And I loved how independent Karen was, but she also thought about the feelings of others.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rage (Karen Bechard Adventures)?

Her running into the group of Ragers. Pivotal.

What about Lauren Sweet’s performance did you like?

I thought she did an excellent job. One reviewer hated her performance. She thought Karen's voice was too sultry/sexy? Connery or Craig or Dalton or Moore. One should wonder how Karen sounds to the Author. Or, one should accept that the narrator had artistic license in narrating Rage.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was and I have. It is short and entertaining. Two hours and 30 minutes is a good time to be entertained. What's the price for a 90-minute movie?

Any additional comments?

I'm looking forward to the second book. Yes, please!

Woman v. Zombie

Any additional comments?

I thought this short book was pretty good. The main thing I enjoyed about it is that the protagonist is a badass female agent of the UN. So often I read books starring sexually liberated men as the story's hero, but almost never is a female character allowed to be sexually liberated, much less *GASP* promiscuous! It was nice to see a woman behave this way without judgement within the book - it was refreshing for me.

The only minor complaints I have is that, while I found most of the story to feel authentic, they lost me a little when a flight attendant was allowed to, like, work with the police force to save civilians. It also ended quite abruptly. That said, I enjoyed it and I think people who enjoy badass women killing zombies will like it too!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Action Packed!

What did you love best about Rage (Karen Bechard Adventures)?

This is an edge of your seat adventure. I loved Karen as a seasoned warrior living in a world sometimes hidden from the general populace. She kicks butt!!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Rage (Karen Bechard Adventures)?

My favorite part of the story was a running street battle with these 'zombies'. Lives are at stake and it is no time for squabbling over who is in charge. Do you want to live? Run!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I enjoyed the narrator's interpretation of the co-stars in the story. However I thought her Karen voice was too laid back, sleepy. In my mind I heard a more energetic person.

Any additional comments?

Karen's sexuality may be questionable, but I think the impact of her job is a contributing factor to it. She risks her life everyday in obviously extremely dangerous situations. Any moment it could be ended. I call it the Bond affect. I think she just grasps every moment knowing there may not be another. It is an exciting story and written for the action/adventure fan. I think it translated well to audio and would make an exciting film.

Good potential

Any additional comments?

Like some other reviewers, I thought that the general idea for the story was interesting. However, there were a few reasons why I felt somewhat underwhelmed by the time I reached the end and I'm not quite sure what exactly made me feel this way. Semi-spoilers ahead (however, they don't leak the plot details)...

For one thing, I didn't understand the heroine's sexuality and relationships. She was bisexual, into bdsm, polyamorous, and very promiscuous. One corner of her relationship triangle consisted of a flight attendant who she propositioned on a flight, who suddenly became a key action-heroine sidekick with a permanent place in her life. The other corner of the triangle consisted of a casual but long-term lover who apparently never shared intimacies (other than the sexual kind) because he didn't even know what she did for a living, but suddenly he wants her baby and is willing to accept a new serious threesome. And then the story takes a weird turn into bdsm erotica, with the heroine flirting and spanking the bad guy (evil lady scientist). Towards the end of the story, another bizarre bdsm scene between the protagonist and antagonist happens again. She seemed to be very 'toppy' from a bdsm point of view but I don't get the impression that her love interests (I use that word in a general sense, because I didn't get the impression that she was in love with her romantic partners) were 'bottomy'. The book description described the plot as being about a strong heroine dealing with an unknown virus that's making people crazy with rage. I definitely don't mind romance plots entwined in my suspense thrillers, but somehow the threads just didn't seem to mesh well at all for me. I couldn't figure her out, from a relationship/sexuality point of view.

I also didn't understand where she got her ninja super powers from - I understood that she's a UN agent, but I didn't really understand what she did that made her such a one-woman army (I'm thinking of Alice in the Resident Evil series, except Karen wasn't infected by any T4-like virus to give her enhanced abilities).

I had some confusion over the main plot of the story as well. Plot-wise, it occurred to me that this could be easily turned into an Austin Powers movie spoof plot. Perhaps there was too much packed into a short story and things would have flowed much better if the story was lengthened with additional plot/character development. One thing for sure that would need to be expanded upon is the idea of 'bath salts'. I understand that it's a type of designer drug, but I have no understanding whatsoever about it. In my world, bath salts are epsom salts that get tossed into the bathtub when I have sore muscles or want to make my skin softer. Thus, the idea of bath salts as a designer drug is completely foreign to people like me, who find bath salts to be very calming and relaxing. It's a minor thing, but it contributes to the confusion and distraction that I felt as I was listening to the book and trying to build mental images of what was happening.

Finally, like some other reviewers, I wasn't keen on the audio narration. Lauren Sweet has a good speaking voice, but it doesn't seem to fit well with the story or the kick-ass persona of the heroine. She sounds like she would be a great narrator of erotic fiction, or fiction stories with more girly heroines (perhaps young adult fiction).

Anyway, I'm not giving this book one star because, as mentioned, I think the main story idea IS interesting. I just think that the story needs a bit more rework so that it flows and weaves together more smoothly for the reader.

I provided my opinion in exchange for a complimentary copy of the audiobook from the author, narrator, or publisher.

Unique and Surprising

Not my usual listen but glad I took the risk. The story was fast paced and funny. It went down paths I never thought about. Worth listening multiple times.

kickass agent vs. super zombie chemical agent.

I always enjoy a strong female lead that overcomes great obstacles. The narrator did a good job with character voices but it was hard a couple of times understanding her. Warning### This is an adult read with language, sex, and violence. I voluntarily reviewed this audio book after receiving an advanced copy.