The Muffin Man

Magic Emporium, Book 4

By: Kim Fielding

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Morli is a prince on a mission - but he’d rather be baking.

Baxter is a lonely production artist stuck in a pandemic lockdown.

They are literally universes apart. But with a little help from a magic shop, a raven, and a dead great-aunt who was possibly a witch, Morli and Baxter are joined together on a cross-worlds adventure. Battling killer brambles in order to rescue an enchanted princess seems simple compared to their real challenges: Discovering their strengths and creating a future together.

The Muffin Man is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone is in dire need. This audiobook contains reluctant heroes, sentient sourdough starter, lots of carbs, and a guaranteed HEA.

©2021 Kim Fielding (P)2021 Kim Fielding

Delightful take on a fairytale

Joel does his usual magic with this tale. Kim does her usual magic with a fairytale. Only complaint is no freash baked goods offered with purchase. Seriously fun take on the traditional tale.

enjoyed it - solid 4 stars

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

All i'm looking for in a book is to be entertained for a few hours, add a Joel Leslie narration to a Kim Fielding story and i'm a happy camper. 😊

📖 Story comment: Entertaining story, likeable characters, easy pace.
Good story for a lazy weekend. Kim Fielding's words paint vivid and colourful scenes as bright as Morli's green hair. Many elements not "typical" of a fantasy story (let's face it - who kills off their Prince in the beginning of the story!) make The Muffin Man unique, entertaining and fun (although over time I expect the references to the current Pandemic will date the story a little, it wont stop me from listening to it again).

🎧 Narrator comment: Joel Leslie is one of my favorite narrators and he has done a delightful performance on The Muffin Man. I had no problem distinguishing characters and the rhythm, inflections and intonations all worked to bring the book to life.

----- 📌 NOTE TO SELF; -----
Social Media Polls during 2021 have indicated many listeners prefer to speed up audiobook narration ... the native (1.x) narration speed of this one is creeping up to be a fraction too fast for me (compared with pre 2021 Joel narrated titles). I was OK with a chapter or two at it's native 1x speed, but after that, found I needed to drop the speed a fraction to 0.9x.

📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in multiple formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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Fabulous narration!

3.5 Delicious Stars!!

After a bit of a rocky start, I settled into this magical tale!

Two worlds
One, pandemic California
Another, magical historical realm
A deadly quest
A lonely man
The two meet
The two have off the page sex
Magical stuff
The two continue the original quest
The two live HEA!

DNF @ an hour in

I normally never write negative reviews but here is an exception. Fairytale, magic, and Joel Leslie narration was an auto buy however only an hour in I had to shut it off. Way too many political and pandemic comments. This is a fairytale romance which I felt didn't need all that stuff, not to say it doesn't have a place in anyone's reading it just wasn't what I wanted especially with everything going on currently. I wanted to smile and have some escapism. Just didn't do it for me maybe I will try at a later date.