The Gardens

A novel

De: Alexis Masters

Narrado por: Claire Calverley

A hidden legacy. A legendary relic. An ancient magic.

Deep in the enchanted hills west of Florence, a powerful ancient relic lays hidden, shielded by veils of secrecy both human and divine. Julia Giardano’s father tells her she’s a witch, heiress to an ancient tradition and all its mysteries, but before she can learn more, he’s murdered in cold blood. Alone, with few clues, can Julia find her legacy in time to save it from her father’s murderer, Gregor Danilenko, who will stop at nothing to possess the relic he believes will give him eternal life and unmitigated power?

What begins for Julia as a curious journey prompted by her father’s dying words soon becomes a passionate quest fueled by her psychic awakening and the numinous Presence we call the goddess Aphrodite. Along her way, Julia encounters family ghosts from the distant past, the handsome parapsychologist Andrei Anatolin, the quixotic Parisienne Madame Racine, and the American entrepreneur-turned-Interpol agent Rafael Gibbons, each of whom knows Danilenko poses grave danger to Julia and to the world at large.

In The Gardens, we also meet the people of La Calderola, who have lived for centuries amidst the region’s legendary Witches’ Brew. Some faithfully protect the Giardano secret history. Others fear the very idea of witches, ancient or contemporary. All attempt to block Julia at every turn, and she must win them over to restore her lineage and reclaim her legacy.

Enjoy the masterful performance by UK actor Claire Calverley. Travel along with Julia Giardano as she discovers the magical, mystical world of the Giardani in this thrilling novel of international paranormal suspense, reincarnation, history, and romance. Originally published as The Giuliana Legacy by HCI Books in 2000, The Gardens is a visionary novel whose time has come, and with our newly expanded distribution, readers and listeners around the world can enjoy its timeless appeal.

©2017 Alexis Masters (P)2018 Alexis Masters

The Gardens

This was a book I wanted to like.It was SO long and just dragged.I fell asleep several times.Claire Calverty was a fine narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

Just not what I expected.

I'll have to admit that although this one sounded fun, I found it to be too long and an odd stretch in the story line. I have read other supernatural and witch related stories but this was a mix of witchcraft, mythology and teleconnectic phenomena and I found the combination weird and a bit too out there for me. Had the story maybe been shorter and moved more quickly I might have enjoyed it more. My other problem was even though it revolved around the goddess of love, I simply found the dialog and build up in the relationship a bit hard to stomach toward the end. This just wasn't my personal favorite but if you enjoy an unusual romance and want it to take you several days to get through then this might be the book for you. It does have some sex scenes and I would say in the R rating category but not quite the 50 shades of gray depth either.

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

Looking forward to the next one!

A very enchanting and thrilling novel about a young woman learning about her family and the powers the woman has. After the death of her father, she heads to Italy to find out more about her cultural heritage of witches. Yet, things go array and one from the past is determined to stop her. Will he? Can he? You must listen to this audiobook to find out and you will not be disappointed. I look forward to the next novel in the series.

Good story, difficult narration

While this story was good, it was difficult to follow with the way it was narrated. I love an accent on a narrator, but this one had a disadvantage. Something about her voice was hard to understand at times, and I feel like I missed a good portion of the story. But it does make me want to go purchase the physical book and read it myself.

The story is captivating and intriguing. Characters are relatable and interesting. I will definitely keep an eye on this author, but will likely turn to the paperback versus the audiobook.

Off putting American accent

I enjoyed the story overall but the narration on this one was very distracting. She did well with the other characters and has a nice voice but the American accent of the main character is more of a strange cross between Australian and American South and Boston.
I will buy the next in the series if it’s narrated by someone else.