The ABCs of Spellcraft Collection, Volume 1

By: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrated by: Nick Hudson

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Dixon Penn’s family wasn’t terribly shocked when he announced he was gay, but they were devastated to learn he’s the only one without the gift of spellcraft. Fortunately, that doesn’t stop spellcraft from reaching out to him.

Dixon’s prospects have gone from bad to worse, but a contest at the biggest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to turn his luck around. So what if he’s not technically a Spellcrafter - he’s been scribing pretty words and phrases all his life. How could anyone possibly write a better verse than him?

Yuri Volnikov, the taciturn Russian security guard at Precious Greetings, is determined to keep the charming contestant out. But Dixon has always been a sucker for big guys with exotic accents, and he won’t take no for an answer.

Whether or not Dixon wins the prize he hopes for, when he and Yuri work their magic together, it’s clear that luck is on their side.

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where M/M romance meets paranormal cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect.

This collection contains the first five stories in The ABCs of Spellcraft series: Quill Me Now, All that Glitters, Trouble in Taco Town, Something Stinks at the Spa, and Dead Man's Quill.

©2019 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2019 Jordan Castillo Price

Scrivener and Seers and magic, oh, my!

Quill Me Now
This first came out as a Valentine's story, although is not your usual Valentine's story, far from it. But it has it all: humour, magic, romance, and adventure, and I loved it.
Dixon is such a wonderful character, even when everything in his world is going wrong he keeps trying. And yet, when he sees someone who needs help, he won't hesitate, he would go head first straight into danger. The fact that who needs help is a handsome Russian, tattooed and muscled and a Seer on top of all that just... happens :P
And it sets the rules of this new, wonderful Universe in which we can believe that goodness and love will win, always :)

All That Glitters
Meeting the family can be... challenging. Particularly when your take on strangers is please, no! :P And Dixon's overprotective and tight-knit family doesn't help. But, let's be honest, who could resist Dixon enthusiasm and joy?
And let's not forget the mystery of the red spatula!

Trouble in Taco Town
After the events in the first book, Dixon and Yuri are decided to find Dixon's uncle, Fonso. With that in mind, they go to Taco Town... and from then on you won't be able to stop laughing. The characters they find there are eccentric and simply delightful, the plot great, and Dixon and Yuri are quickly becoming a favourite pairing. Watching how Dixon is managing to melt Yuri's rocky surface is pure joy. And the thoughts of Yuri at the end? Awwww! So, so sweet!

Something Stinks at the Spa
Uncle Fonzo must be stopped!
Well, okay, maybe they just need to find him, but c'mon! The man leaves a trail of disasters wherever he goes! And, of course, Yuri and Dixon are the ones who have to deal with the consequences.
I love this series. I love the way in which Yuri and Dixon's relationship is evolving, the way in which Yuri is opening his heart to Dixon's light. He's so worried about the whole Fonzo debacle and so protective of Dixon's feelings...
In this book we get to see how the magic works from Yuri's side, and it's such a different way to create a spell!
I love the fun! No, really, there is so much fun in this book (Yuri's treatments, anybody?) that you'll spend most of the time laughing, or, at the very least giggling.
The story ends on a sort of abrupt mini-cliffhanger, which provides the perfect set-up for the fourth book. :P

Dead Man's Quill
Filled with weird characters, crazy adventures and the cutest couple ever, this book is a joy to read.
We get to (FINALLY!) meet uncle Fonzo, and oh, he was absolutely worth the wait :P Although I must say it: I wasn't really fond of him at first, and sided with Yuri on my distrust of the man.
Dixon and Yuri's relationship keeps growing and deepening, and Yuri is getting used to being part of a big family which sometimes is not as great as he was made to believe :P
And, as if that was not enough, we also get a twisty, darkly funny plot. And curses. And twins, one of which Dixon dated as a teen *laughs*

This is a fabulous Universe, the way the magic works there and the societal views about the practitioners and their work, the whole Scrivener and Seer thing; I love its.originality and the logic in its madness, and I have enjoyed it every single bit of it. I really, really hope that having closure in this arc won't mean that we won't get more of it.
And I Iove Jordan Castillo Price's writing, she can submerge you into a story from the first paragraph, compelling you to keep reading with her characters and the worlds she imagines.
And Nick Hudson's narrative? OMG! He is simply fabulous! His range of voices, the way he manages to give individuality and personality to each of the voices is something marvellous. Yuri's accent! That's a thing of beauty =D
A new favourite narrator, no doubt about it ♥

Dixon and Yuri

QUILL ME NOW Super cute Valentine's story. Dixon made me giggle with his ramblings when he got nervous. I liked Yuri and his attempts at protecting Dixon. Together these two undo a lot of wrongs and fit together just perfectly. I'm excited that the author intends to add more adventures for these two.

ALL THAT GLITTERS Poor Yuri! Being introduced to Dixon's parents is a bit unsettling. Dixon is his usual effervescent self the perfect counterpoint to Yuri's stoicism. The dinner with the parents is something interesting. It tickled me that Yuri's 'seeing' was scrutinized by Dixon's mom.

TROUBLE IN TACO TOWN This second book in the ABSs of Spellcraft follows Quill Me Now. We get to see Yuri and Dixon further along in their relationship. Dixon is his usual bubbly self, seeing the joy in everything. Yuri is the definition of stoic, but Dixon is managing to melt that. Chasing after Dixon's wayward Uncle Fonzo they happen to encounter all kinds of people and problems in Taco Town. The domino effect of situations bordered on the absurd. It was all great fun. I loved the sweet sentiment that Yuri added to the guest book.

SOMETHING STINKS AT THE SPA I'm so loving this series! Tons of laughs and cute moments. Dixon is his usual effervescent self; bright, sunny and always looking for the best in everything. Yuri gets a chance to open up a little as he softens from his usual stoic self. The stories are best read in order and so much fun.

DEAD MAN'S QUILL The trek to find Uncle Fanzo comes to fruition only to be fraught with more peril. Dixon remains his true chipper self, seeing only the good in everyone and every situation. Yuri is still stoic and still deeply in love with Dixon. He indulges all of Dixon's hairbrained ideas and tries his best to be gracious to Uncle Fanzo. The storyline is great with a bit of cloak and dagger, a creepy carnival owner, a bitter rival and a nasty curse. Loved every minute.

Highly recommended author and series

Audiobook: I really enjoyed the narrator. He occasionally loses Yuri's 'Russian' accent but it almost makes it more enjoyable.

Entertaining

Light and sweet cozy type paranormal mysteries. The characters are lovable and if there are future volumes, I’ll listen to those as well. I just can’t give 5 stars because I give 5 stars to the psycop books. These are good and made even better by the narration by Nick Hudson. I’ve never listened to him before and I was amazed. He gets Yuri’s accent like it’s natural to him. He does fantastic work distinguishing all the different voices. I will definitely look for more by him.

Loved!

I previously read the ebooks and rated the series 5*. I was delighted and thankful to be gifted the audible version by the author. This is my first fiction audible book and I loved it. Wow, Nick Hudson did a great job narrating. He gave a whole new dimension to these beloved characters and brought them to life before my very ears, lol. It amazed me how he was able to jump from from one character to the next, each one with their own distinct way of talking, without skipping a beat. I found myself literally squealing with delight as I got to hear the voices of Dixon and Yuri as they went through all sorts of trials on their madcap trek to find Uncle Fonzo. Jordan Castillo Price is one of my fave authors and I don’t know if Nick Hudson has narrated any of her other books but he’s a gem. I’m rating this series 5* for the plot, the characters, the all around uniqueness that I’ve come to expect from this author and last but not least, the superb narration.

So Much Fun!

I adored this reading by Nick Hudson! His performance brought the characters to life - each with his or her unique personality shining through. There are the main characters, Yuri with his serious nature and swoon-worthy Russian accent and Dixon with his unstoppable optimism and energy. But just as memorable were a host of secondary characters who all emerged as individuals with their own quirks. One of my favorites is Liza, the jilted bride, who is on an emotional roller-coaster that careens further downhill with each subsequent scene, until finally she comes face-to-face with the unexpected. It's definitely a moment that Nick optimized, bringing out the nuances of JCP's humor. I will be looking for more narration by Nick Hudson!

I also adore this new series by JCP! It has a lighter tone and reveals Jordan's sense of humor, but its characters have no less depth for it. The Spellcraft world with its scriveners and seers is unique and I read with curiosity to find out how it works. In this volume, there is one mystery that runs through, but each episode/novella has its own puzzles to solve. Over the course of the mystery arc, the main characters get to know one another and experience growth as they navigate the events of the stories. More than once, JCP brought tears to my eyes as she portrayed the characters' inner journeys and steered them toward their happily-ever-after. I can't wait to read more as they continue to navigate a life together.

I highly recommend this series - whether you read it to yourself, or you let Nick read it to you. It's so much fun!

TO THE PERSON WHO GAVE THE RECORDING A ONE STAR RATING BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T PLAY FOR YOU:
I have had problems getting things to play on an iPod, but the Audible techs helped me. Their customer service is awesome. You can chat or call on the phone and get help. I had some challenges with Windows 10, too. They were able to actually link into my computer and fix some settings that were thrown off by Win 10 updates. That said, since I switched to using my phone and my Alexa app, I haven't had any trouble at all. I can also recommend asking for help at the library. The librarians are very happy to help with tech. I promise! I hope you get to listen to this, because it is awesome! <3

Paranormal cozy mystery with romance

This series is a nice mixture of magic and mystery with a hint of romance. Dixon's flirty chatter combined with Yuri's suspicious stoicism is an enjoyable combination. Hudson did a marvelous job bringing all the characters to life. He also did a wonderful job making each character distinguishable.
I loved this collection. This was such a comfort listen, and I highly recommend it.

IT'S ALL ABOUT the VOICE of NARRATOR NICK HUDSON!

In a brief search of other works narrated by Nick Husdon I found that “The ABCs of Spellcraft” appears to be Mr. Hudson’s first and, at the time of this review, only audio book narration credit. The author, Jordan Castillo Price, hit the jackpot with this paring of Mr. Hudson’s vocal talent with his witty and charming fantasy story about magic through written spellcasting. There is romance through the interaction a Seer named Yuri, our self-doubting hero Dixon, and their quest to find missing Uncle Fonzo while overcoming the evil villains.

Other reviewers have done a great job reviewing this story and author Price has a well-established stable of books. For me to repeat others praise of Price’s work would be redundant. So my review is focusing and the narrator Nick Hudson. The two love protagonists, Dixon and Yuri required two voices. Dixon’s needed to be an American light-hearted voice and Yuri’s voice need’s a base register Russian accent that can be subtitle. Mission accomplished! Mr. Hudson also does credible voices for women, children and takes on a sinister tone for the villain character. He projects emotional tone and drama appropriate to the story’s action and plot twists. Also during descriptive passages he modulates his voice just enough to keep the material fresh and interesting. He captures the fumbling novice conflicted motor-mouth of Dixon perfectly. Yuri’s accent is steady measured stoic yet lightened a wry sense of humor. A lessor narrator would not have captured this subtlety. Uncle Fonzo’s character is crazy; he’s slightly immoral, well-meaning, but secretive; his voice is a delicate balance between trustworthy and deceitful. Mr. Hudson pulls off this tour de force of vocal requirements brilliantly.

Not once in the 13 hours 46 minutes of narration did Mr. Hudson fail to live up to the quality of the story. The story and the narrator are match made Audible publishing heaven. Mr. Hudson packs the range of voice to simulate a whole cast of different and unique voices for the various characters. I look forward to listening to many, many, more audio books narrated by Nick Hudson. He is one of a very small handful of narrators that would entice me to give an unfamiliar author a try. Keep your ear tuned for more works by what I predict will become a popular audio book recording giant.

Amazing listen!!

Now I have read all these books and I absolutely love them so much. Dixon and Yuri are so perfect for each other and I just love how funny they are together. Even when Yuri isn't trying to be. Just all the things they get into has me laughing out loud. So I am so happy that Nick Hudson has brought these stories to life. He is absolutely amazing in his narration. I love how he does the voices and all the sound effects. I also couldn't stop laughing with how he brings the characters even more to life. Just everything he did is so perfect for this story!

Goofy magic misadventures

This is a several book series collection starring a goofy optimist whose expected magic doesn’t take and an artistic thug with a heart that can at least mimic gold, sometimes. This set of stories has the duo meeting up and following in the wake of some misbegotten spellcasting, and a stray uncle, at midwestern roadside attractions. It’s a goodhearted jaunt since the guys try to make things right for folks who had trouble, without trying to be too greedy for themselves. Dixon has an unholy (and unironic) love for terrible 1960s canned food combinations that is entertaining in its terribleness.

Dixon also tends to talk too much. When he first meets Yuri and Yuri tells him MULTIPLE TIMES to Stop Talking in a bad situation, and Dixon kept running his mouth, I almost ditched the whole thing. I really, truly, hate scenes where one character tells another that they need to shut up for their own safety and the other keeps babbling on without purpose. (If one tells the other to shut up to silence them for nefarious purposes or the talker needs to convey critical info, that’s different, and was clear that wasn’t happening here, or that if it was, the babble wasn’t going to help Dixon.) Dixon then does a 180 & intuits all the nuance in Yuri’s careful words, making his ongoing babble even more obnoxious in retrospect. If, unlike me, you can get through this scene without screaming “Shut up!” so loud you hurt your own throat, the rest of the scenes are more reasonable, even when Dixon talks too much, because he’s not risking their safety with his babble.

I do wish there was more followup with secondary details. For instance, the menagerie. (Maybe the series continues and this happens later? If so ignore this.) The cockatoo seems like a good possibility for a recurring character. The guys meet an entomologist in Taco Town who might know how to get carers for the surplus pet bugs, but it didn’t come up. I wish there was some followup about the reviews/articles for the hot springs hotel. I kept waiting for stuffy nose guy to get some good allergy meds after the smell got better. At least the stray dog was taken care of.

All in all, worth a credit for the package if you want a goofy slapstick roadtrip adventure with a couple of magical gay guys.

Steam: Low. Occasional low/no detail M/M sexytimes. Very cheerful.

Narration: The narrator did an excellent job of voicing an overexcited goofball and a stoic Russian transplant. And their friends and relatives and coworkers. Audio quality was good and consistent.

Four out of five stars

I like the story; the writer has a good grasp of her usage, I didn’t notice many typos or errors the plot is flowing the characters are realistic and the dialogue is inspired. The reason I gave it four o Russian citizen who’s been in the states less than a year but his English is better than most Americans’. The writer does attempt to address this very in frequently by having you read drop an article in a sentence-but in my opinion this doesn’t ring true when the rest of his sentences seem to be created by an English major. Speaking of which, that was my background and my reviews tend to be a bit more detailed, dare I say persnickety, then most.If either the right or the reader is just looking for a quick read rather than a well-crafted story, then disregard my comments.

Great book and I love this narrator so much.

Great books and love the series and the storyline. It's like every JCP book, totally worth reading many times over. One of my favorite authors. Highly recommend.

russian accent?

i laughed when i first heard the accent chosen for yuri. i thought i would get used to it but unfortunately i couldnt cope.0

Amusing Stories

The story and characters  are engaging and the narrator has very distinctive voices for each character, always a plus for me.

take a chance

I took a chance because Nick is my favorite narrator. I wasn't disappointed with the stories at all and actually found myself laughing out loud a lot.

MM magic at its very best!

This is amazing. The characters, the world building, the stories, the humour and as for the narration well, it was spot on. Nick Hudson did an amazing job with the characters, particularly the Russian accent, and brought them alive with light and humour. I found myself laughing out loud at times and often chuckling. Yuri is just perfect as the stoic Russian Seer with a heart. And Dixon as the slightly batty, over the top Scrivener who finally gets his quill. The two of them as a couple balance each other perfectly. The situations they find themselves in bring out their personalities and allow the reader to appreciate them in full. The mix of MM romance and magic is awesome and this is pure entertainment!

A Great Way to Spend a Few Hours!

The ABCs of Spellcraft is an entertaining journey with Dixon & Yuri over the course of 5 stories narrated perfectly by Nick Hudson. He did a great job with Yuri's accent & I absolutely loved his performance of Dixon...fabulous!

This series of books had been on my TBR for a while but I'm glad I got to experience Dixon & Yuri's developing relationship & their adventures (or misadventures) with crafting spells together whilst trying to solve the mystery of Uncle Fonzo's disappearance in this format first. The quality of the narration really brought the magic (pun totally intended) of 'cosy mystery meets sweet romance' to life. Bring on the next installment!!

Hilarious

Anything by JCP is brilliant, dry, and wonderfully written, but Nick Hudson makes this hilarious! His Yuri is simply perfect. Want pure entertainment? Buy this (and if you haven’t got the Psycop series by the same author? These are also must have listens).