The Lady Under the Lake

Quest Investigations, Book 3

By: E.J. Russell

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

This client is all wet....

After receiving a hot tip on the whereabouts of my almost-boyfriend’s nearly-ex-husband (hey, I told you—it’s complicated!), I thought my love life was finally coming up for air. But when we stake out the remote lake, it’s not the ex who surfaces.

It’s the Faerie King’s long-missing mother (and I mean really long, as in double-digit centuries), and she wants to hire Quest Investigations. Since one of my bosses is the king’s brother, he has a tsunami of…feelings about her as a potential client, and refuses to take the case. Instead, he passes it to me.

Yes! However…

Should I be thrilled at the vote of confidence or suspicious that he’s tossing me in the deep end without a life preserver, the better to punish the woman who abandoned her kid all those years ago?

You know what? It doesn’t matter. I may be Quest’s token human, but I’ve proven I can get the job done, so I dive right in. Then the lady explains what she wants me to do: find her missing child.

Seriously? I expected more of a challenge. All I have to do is introduce her to the king and bingo, case closed. But when she says, "Not that one," this little family drama threatens to send ripples throughout the supernatural community—especially with my boss in over his head as the prime suspect in a fae kidnapping.

As if things weren’t complicated enough… Remember that nearly-ex? When he shows up and muddies the waters, I’m faced with a choice: I can solve this case or I can finally hook my almost-boyfriend.

Dammit.

The Lady Under the Lake is the third in the Quest Investigations M/M mystery series, a spinoff of E.J. Russell’s Mythmatched paranormal rom-com story world. It contains no sex or violence, and although there is a romantic subplot, it is not a romance. The series is best listened to in order.

©2022 E.J. Russell (P)2022 E.J. Russell

An entertaining Matt/Hugh investigation 😋

Wow...this series is keeping me intrigued, I just never thought that a side character will create such a strong presence. Yes, it's not a romance, but the bits and pieces thrown in between Matt Steinitz/ Hugh Mann and his selkie hottie of a sorta bf Lachlan Broady are just too sweet, especially the way Lachlan dotes on his "Mathew" (oh the scotish burr makes me weak in the knees 😍). Best of all is the hit author-narrator combo of E. J. Russell - Greg Bourdeaux ♥️♥️♥️♥️. I think I see myself auto buying their combo work in the future as well. The storytelling is meshing so well with the narration that you are hooked from the start, especially the way Ms Russell keeps introducing these surprising new characters. Do read the previous books as this isn't a standalone story.

After finishing up the previous investigation with flying colors and proving himself to be a human investigator to be reckoned with in the paranormal world, Matt/Hugh is looking forward to finally concluding his business of "finding Win", Lachlan's ex husband and then "getting it on" with his hottie bf once and for all. But things never turn out that simple in Quest Investigations. When Matt and his team of misfits, Ellery - the rebel dryad and office assistant "in training" Jordan - the over energetic adorable werewolf with his hellhound mutt "dupe" are again thrown into Matt's first solo case. Things couldn't have been better for our lead investigator, except the investigation is for a client whose making both his bosses Niall and Mal loose their cool and butt heads. Why, because the client is Niall's elder brothers Mother who abandoned Aimon when he was a child. From here on Matt is not just trying to bring the tension down in his workplace between his bosses, but also trying to balance two investigations at the same time, not an easy task when the people you are seeking do not want to be found🙄. Will our poor investigator get his "HEN", remains to be seen.

Narration is always such a joy to listen to when GB is narrating and here again the master of voice variation has done it, especially with Welsh, Scottish and Irish accents (not an easy feat) and kept the pace of the story so well, that you are hooked from the start. I did miss the romance, but the hilarious bits are plenty and keeps you entertained till the end. So, looking forward to the book 4😍🥰🤗.

Fun. I love this series!

I love this series it’s entertaining! Matt or Hugh, depending on what people call him, and Lachlan we’re cute together. I felt bad for their relationship at times though. The mystery in this audiobook was interesting. This addition to the series was intriguing. Greg Boudreaux does a great job narrating the Quest Investigations series. It wouldn’t be the same without his narration! I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

Loved it!

4.5

Ughhhhh this book hurt me. In more than one way. But I loved it so much…

I thought I was gonna have to throw hands with Lachlan. And I did NOT see that twist coming.

Good Series

I have been enjoying this series a lot. I like the mysteries and following at Matt/Hugh tries to figure things out. Adding in the narration by Greg Boudreaux makes it an even better experience.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

Great

Great listen! I really loved the characters and the world that has been built. Can't wait for the next one !

fantastic! loved it!

Brilliant, Outstanding, Fantastic!! The was a great addition to the Quest Investigation series! Matt and Lachlan are finally moving forward in their relationship once they find Lachlan’s husband. The action, adventure and mystery were so good! I freakin adore Matt, Jordan, Eleri and Doop. The story hooked me and keep me engaged! Greg Boudreaux is a fantastic choice for this series. His vocals are amazing and he brings each character to life. Overall, fantastic! Highly recommend.

Good Story Great Narration

I like Quest Investigations series, and enjoyed this story, however for me this third installment was slightly less captivating than previous books. The mystery part was interesting and I loved Matt-Hu & Locklan's every interaction, I think that I was at a disadvantage because I haven't listened to the Supernatural Selection series and missed some of the important details mentioned in the stories. Narrator did a great job, I loved his voices and accents and for me his amazing narration made this story a very enjoyable listening experience.

Ok listen...

I enjoyed this one, mainly because of Greg Boudreaux's narration, as the first 80% was boring because I did not understand the backstory details. While this book is a spin-off of previous books, it has mostly stood up as standalones. Until this one.

Anyways, in here we have Matt-Hu, still pining for his selkie (still nothing happening between them because of the whole marriage and stuff) who gets tossed onto a case because the owners suddenly lost their minds, like none of that made sense, but still, they finally admitted that there was a Scooby gang

Side note, I love Jordan so much that the wolf shifter better be in the next book.

The mystery in this one was about kidnapped children and secrets. I'll be honest, I'm only reading to see Matt-Hu get his happily ever after.

Greg deserves a bonus for this one

Fantastical listen

This author has such a vivid imagination! The descriptions are so good that I see the whole scene that they paint. The narration makes it all even better!

great

with the references to nerdy pop culture to the mention of things in the previous series this book and narration is amazing

Adore this series!

Things are finally going in the right direction for Matt/Hugh and Lachlan! Lots of twists and turns, little story threads getting tied up. Can't wait for the last one

Brilliant

Another excellent installment in this series. I love Hugh and his developing romance with Lochlan the selkie. And while it's all from Hugh's pov this really is an ensemble cast. An ever expanding cast as we can apparently count Herne the Hunter among their numbers.
Brilliant job by the narrator.

The Changeling

I always enjoy EJ Russell stories and this was no exception. I’ll start with Greg Boudreaux’s narration. He just has this series down and does a fantastic job. I really dig him with these books.

As for the books themselves, they’re always good. Matt is such an endearing character – the human who knows about supes. The employee of Quest who just wants to prove himself. Plus his trusty sidekicks including Jordan the werewolf, Eleri, and now Dupe the hound. Oh, and the man Matt loves who is always just out of reach. Lachlan is *almost* free of his marriage – but that’s always just beyond what can be achieved.

Anyway, Matt’s given a case – because no one else wants it. But he tackles it with fervor and, to my mind, the case ended really well – resolving another loose thread in the series.

By the end, things are looking up for Matt – but there’s one more book, so I’ll be interested to see where things go from here. Can’t wait.

So Creative! Boudreaux is Fantastic!!

E.J. Russell has created such a fun series with Quest Investigations! Creative characters, witty dialogue, and clever mysteries. I'm loving the way Hugh is gaining confidence, and the relationships are building. The story is progressive, so start with Five Dead Herrings - and do yourself a favor and try it in audio. Greg Boudreaux's performances are amazing!

Fantastic addition

Another fantastic addition to the series by EJ Russel. Loving the journey following Hugh Mann on his adventures. Greg Boudreaux did a fabulous job with the narration as always. Can’t wait for the next instalment.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

The Lady Under the Lake

I loved this story. Action. Adventures. Mystery. It holds its own as a stand-alone but has plenty of those we have come to love from the world. It's a fantastic world, and Greg Boudreaux enhances the story even more with his superb narration.

Brillant

I loved reading this series but the narration by Greg Boudreaux takes this series to another level. Hugh Mann is one of those main characters that you instantly bond with and everything that he deals with just makes you like him more. The world building remains amazing and the characters are well written. Looking forward to the next audio!

One thing to know, you will need to have read/listened to the previous books in this series to fully understand everything happening.

So good

Hugh Mann is a great character starting this third book, hopeful of moving forward with his almost boyfriend Lachlan, but as usual with this series things don’t go to plan.
I love this series each book does need to be read/ listened to in order, the characters are so vivid and such fun, I listened to this book in one sitting I was glued and am on tender hooks for the last book in the series.

I like this format from E.J. Russell!

I like focusing on the same mc-s over several books, even if the romance part is in Iceberg Mode. I like Matt's human perspective, and the unlikely friends he's surrounded by. And I love Dupe!
Then there's Greg Boudreaux. My mother tongue, Norwegian, relies very heavily on melody to convey meaning. English is not as reliant on it, but when narrators like Greg Boudreaux use it! He doesn't have to raise his voice for intensity. Each sentence sounds prepared, we are consistently given as much nuance as can possibly be found in each word. For me, it makes the narration easier to understand, as well as gripping. So I sincerely hope there will be more books in this series, because I'm loving it!

A brilliant series continues...

Greg's narration continues to bring this amazing series to life. I love how he brings out the personalities and emotions, for Matt especially. It's so easy to fall into the Quest Investigation world with Greg's voice taking you there!
Another brilliant addition to the Quest Investigation series! I'd recommend reading the series in order because if the character and relationship developments that build up across the books..
From the start, it's a full on story with twists and unexpected turns. Matt is thrown in at the deep end with a case that starts with zero clues but with the help of Eleri, Jordan and Doop, they soon get on with things, even enlisting Herne (book 2).
Things start tying together for a couple of the side characters that we've known since book one but it's all built into the investigation that's going on.
Matt and Lachlan's relationship has the chance to move forward finally, once they find his husband..... Hopefully. They have something sweet together just with hand holding and lingering looks. Imagine how they'll be once Lachlan can get his divorce.
I loved the drama that comes up in this story. It adds to the tension and the case that they work in is very interesting. It brings up bad history for a couple of characters but also helps some others move forward with their lives.
A highly recommended read that is entertaining and dramatic, drawing you in from the start and can't be put down until you've found out the who, what, why and how.