Rose and Helena Save Christmas

A Novella

By: Jana DeLeon, Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by: Shannon McManus

Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

This audiobook may be listened to as a standalone novella. You do not need to have listened to either series to enjoy. The Rose Gardner series and the Ghost-in-Law series combine to bring you a rollicking round of holiday fun!

Rose Gardner and Neely Kate Colson are thrilled with Mason's early present to Rose - a trip for the two of them to New Orleans for shopping, great food, and awesome seats to Wicked. Neely Kate plans to use the opportunity to visit a psychic and find out once and for all what her paranormal ability is. But when the psychic is murdered, and Neely Kate and Rose were the last people to see her alive, they find themselves the main suspects in a Christmas killing.

Taylor Beaumont has exhausted all resources in trying to figure out her new ghostly roommate, Helena. Seeing a psychic is the last resort. Taylor hoped for answers about Helena's worldly existence but instead finds herself embroiled on the wrong side of a murder investigation. Seeing no other option, Taylor and Helena combine forces with Rose and Neely Kate to clear their names. But can they solve the mystery in time to save Christmas?

©2014 Denise Grover Swank and Jana DeLeon (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Should not be included in the Ghost in Law Series

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

I was expecting a Ghost in Law book which I consider the Mud Bug Series. I thought this would be a cute Christmas short but I don't know if it's because it's a different narrator or what but I could not get into this book. Helena did not have the same charisma and endearing qualities as in the Ghost in Law books. I couldn't even finish listening to it. Ugh.. Horrible.

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

I think it could probably be a good read if Johanna Parker narrated the Ghost in law characters. They should have used 2 narrators so the characters kept the same voices. Helena is terrible in this book.

What didn’t you like about Shannon McManus’s performance?

I could barely tell the characters apart from each other. It was really awful.

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

Disappointment and a little anger. If the 2 authors were going to collaborate they should have done everything they could to keep the original narrators for each character. I'm assuming the narrator is the narrator for the other series.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had not wasted my money on this audio book. I learned a valuable lesson to make sure and check the narrator before buying anything.

A Disappointment

What would have made Rose and Helena Save Christmas better?

A better narrator. The attempt at southern accents was appalling.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Hard to focus on the story

Awful narration

I love the Rose Gardner series. However, once the reader finishes Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans, there is no way to purchase this novella on Kindle. I thought I could get by without it, but unlike the prior novellas, the events in this one are referenced repeatedly in Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments. I gave up trying to guess what had happened in between and broke down and purchased this in the only format available, the audiobook. I stuck it out, for the reasons I've stated, and because I want to move on to Thirty-Four, but the narrator is TERRIBLE. Each character's voice is exactly the same, but even more distracting is the fact that the narrator's intonation is exactly the same, over and over, regardless of what is going on in the story. She could be reading a children's book. I can't tell if I would like the Taylor and Helena series, as it is so bad. This purchase was a matter of necessity (seriously, Amazon, you couldn't put this little book out in Kindle version???) but I will avoid this narrator in the future.

Listened on 4 occasions

Prefer reading it to listening to the narrator .. the plot was really good (because I read the book) and I tried to like the audible but that voice, was like nails on a chalkboard

Very disappointing

Contrary to the publisher's note that it is a standalone book and that one doesn't need to have read other books in the series and can't imagine how anyone could follow the storyline who hadn't. Narrator didn't distinguish between characters

Good fun

This was a lighthearted fun short story. You know if it has Helena, it's going to have laughs. Just when you thought she couldn't get any weirder, she finds a live person who wants to emulate her. I like the narrator from the Mudbug series better. After adapting to the change in voice, it was ok. Anytime they put Helena in a book, I'll read it. Big belly laughs from her.

Good but not as good

Maybe it was because it was combined with the characters from the other series but I just didn't like it as much as the other books in the Mudbug series, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Rose and Helena

Good story but I did not like the reader. No clear difference between different voices.

Good Story...bad reading.

What did you like best about Rose and Helena Save Christmas? What did you like least?

I love how the two stories are tied in together.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jana DeLeon and Denise Grover Swank ? Why or why not?

Yes, already have most of their books.

What didn’t you like about Shannon McManus’s performance?

Her normal voice is good but lacks the follow-through of emotion at the end of sentences while doing voices. It's a bit difficult to listen to. I'm just trying to get to the end of this story to know how it ends.

Cute

Cute book. All of the books in this series have been entertaining and will make the reader laugh, read continually and simply want more. Hate to see the series end.

Disappointingly unengaging

I love the Mudbug books so was looking forward to this one, unfortunately Rose and Neely Kate don't blend well with Helena and Taylor (and Neely Kate is far too irritating a character to enjoy. Helena is bad but at least entertaining, Neely Kate missed out on that)

All in all, I couldn't stay interested enough to care about the story unfolding or the eventual outcome. I just zoned out durign the Rose & Neely Kate portions.