Stag and the Ash

The Rowan Harbor Cycle, Book 5

By: Sam Burns

Narrated by: Michael Fell

Jesse Hunter is finally trying to be an adult, but it still feels like an act. His place on the town council is a sham. He’s rarely called on to do anything. His boyfriend is grieving the loss of his mother, and while everyone seems to think he’s doing a great job caring for Sean, Jesse feels like he’s more of a distraction than a real help.

March is shaping up to be a bad month. First, random chance leads him to the realization that the town’s recent trouble is his fault. Then, new werewolves come into town, and it turns out they’re also Jesse’s responsibility. He feels like he may be at his breaking point, and he doesn’t want to drag his friends and loved ones down with him. But how will he handle it alone?

©2018 Sam Burns (P)2022 Sam Burns

Roots and Resolve

Stag and the Ash offers a satisfying installment in the Rowan Harbor series, delivering a balanced mix of romance, magic, and mystery that keeps the series momentum going. Jesse and Sean’s relationship deepens as they navigate personal growth, community responsibilities, and the ever-present supernatural threats. The romance is tender and steady, though the pacing occasionally lingers more on setup than forward action. What makes this installment shine is the way it ties emotional stakes to the overarching town drama, giving the quieter moments real weight. A solid, engaging entry that bridges character development with series-wide intrigue.

Love the series but what happened to the narrator

Jesse's character development and growth as a person is beautiful to see.

But the narration is awful. I am so sorry that I complained about the previous narrator, Chris Chambers is perfection in comparison with Michael Fell. I am not especially picky but mispronouncing a character's name differently in the same scene is too much. At some point I was sure there was another character introduced that I missed. Pure Devon, did not expect his name can be butchered so much. The total lack of emotions was really bad as well.

Another great addition to the series

The narrator change was jarring but he did well esp as the book went along. Well done!

Inconsistent

I'm not sure that I like Jesse's chara ter much. I liked the "kids." I like Sean and the rest of the cast but something about Jesse's is just off putting. Then, as far as narration goes, We'll couldn't seem to decide how Devan's name is pronounced. Honestly he should have e just gone with how the other narrator said it for consistency sake. I usually like Fell, but this was a let down.

New narrator

So love the story. But the new narrator is kind of a mess. The pronunciation of names is inconsistent throughout ESPECIALLY Devin’s name. For the love of everything if your going to change narrator at the very least have them listen to name pronunciation from the original person. Or stick to one throughout.
Not to mention all characters now sound the same. Pretty disappointing. Which is unfortunate since the story is so compelling. I’m not sure if I’ll by the next audiobook or just stick to the regular books for this series.

Love the story, not the narrator

The story was great but the narrator needs work. he isn't even consistent in name pronunciation. Should have stayed with the original one.

Do All Series do this?

I really enjoyed the stories before this. I think the previous Narrator was able to create the feeling this was a regular town with regular individuals who just happened to be supernatural. The new Narrator raised the voice's and created a meesy group of gay men at the bar. I am not sure another volume with this Narrator can return the story back to the place it was. Maybe it will just continue to devolve into a version of card night with my friends. Sadly this appears to now just be a series of the usual gay romance novel like so many uninteresting others. What a loss.

Confused

My only problem with this series is that we are expected to believe in, werewolves, vampires, witches, shapeshifters and many more supernatural beings BUT they have to wear condoms during sex.

OMG Narration is HORRIBLE

I haven't finished the book yet. Don't know if I can. He ruins the story. Ruins the mystic of the town. he can't do female voices. He makes half the main characters sound like idiot goofball. I plan to thoroughly read the reviews of the next book to find out if he pulls it together or not before I buy it. What a shame