Winter Masquerade

By: Kevin Klehr

Narrated by: Jon Bolitho-Jones

Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Ferris wakes on the Sea Queen, an enchanted cruise ship sailing on a chocolate sea. He has no idea how he got here, but he desperately wants to go home to his boyfriend.

The alchemist is the only person who can help Ferris, but he’s been kidnapped. The ransom is high tea, with scones, and jam.

Meanwhile, the passengers are gearing up for the Winter Masquerade, a ball where love and magic reign.

With a murderous musician, an absent boyfriend, and a mystical party, Ferris soon learns that Wednesday is not the day to fall in love.

©2020 Kevin Klehr (P)2022 NineStar Press, LLC

Surreal and Terrific!

Fabulous writing about a surreal journey to rediscover and reclaim a soul detached by abuse and neglect. The narration fit the story perfectly.

Beautifully Captivating!

This was a fantastic 4⭐️ Listen! I was a little skeptical at first because I’m not big on the fantasy genre, but when done right, they captivate me and this did just that!

I loved all of the well created characters. They lent the story line the perfect wittiness among the book. I fell in love with each and every one!

Jon Bolitho-Jones narrated this story magnificently. His voice didn’t bore me, and he truly brought each character to life and made me feel at home with them. There couldn’t have been a better narrator!

If you love romantic fantasy, then grab a copy of this one. It’s a quick, fun listen and it will steal your heart! Come fall in love with a fabulous narrator and a cast of characters that will make you hungry for more from this talented author!

Fantastically Compelling Story and Narration!

This is an audiobook you must listen to intently. It is not a story you can casually listen to while multitasking. It requires your full attention, otherwise you can very easily miss pertinent details of the story—and believe me, you don’t want to miss anything. That being said, this is a story that’s worth the extra attention required. Most of the story is steeped in mystery, and is intentionally—or so I suspect, at least—confusing or misleading at times. It’s also completely absorbing and ultimately contains a message that’s both hopeful and uplifting. The messages of self respect and of loving yourself and learning to put yourself first are all integral to the story. However, this path to self discovery can sometimes be quite an arduous journey. And therein lies the real magic behind the story told in this seriously compelling audiobook. And the narration is absolutely inspired. Jon Bolitho-Jones effortlessly and passionately voices a full cast of intriguing and fascinating characters, all with their own distinctive voices and personalities.

fantasy that takes on a bit of reality

I enjoyed meeting Ferris, Cole, Molly, Olive, Scallywag, and more. It was a strange, yet enlightening voyage on the Sea Queen with its chocolate sea. There was more to this story. There was self-discovery, a chance to regain a friendship, a chance for new love, a turning point in ones life.

There were names of the various passengers on the voyage that could have double meanings (Miss Calculating). It was just a hoot. There was a winged horse, a child, a mystery, and some intriguing women in the sixties. The story was short but it was fun, whimsical, and enlightening.

There was something about Wednesdays... "Never fall in love on Wednesday". Come find out why in this well written, fantasy with much reality and life.

Jon Bolitho-Jones, it was nice to meet you and your voice. The characters had more layers of life with your voice added to Kevin's words. There was a defining tone and pitch for the various characters.

Simply Spectacular Story & A Gorgeous Performance!

This stunning story left me speechless. I’m in awe of Kevin Klehr’s marvelous writing, and while I try to gather my thoughts about Winter Masquerade, let me rave a bit about the talented narrator, Jon Bolitho-Jones.

I’ve never had the pleasure of listening to this remarkable voice actor before, and I sincerely hope this is the first of many! This is a high spirited and lively story, and Mr. Bolitho-Jones keeps up the pace, and adds even more zest to the spectacle. And his ability to create a unique voice, which perfectly suits each of this incredibly varied cast of characters, is admirable… not to mention, there’s singing !

Okay, so I’m still pretty overwhelmed, and I think trying to do justice to Kevin Klehr’s Winter Masquerade in a book review might be an impossible task. It’s easy to applaud the author’s skill at weaving this clever story through the two parallel worlds. And heartily praising his impressive creativity and wit is a no brainer. But I’m afraid I’m incapable of capturing the essence of what listening to Winter Masquerade meant to me.

I think all that’s left to say is: BRAVO Mr. Klehr! Thank you for creating something so enjoyable, for sharing this piece of your heart, and mostly, for touching me so deeply with Ferris’ emotional tale.

an audiobook copy of Winter Masquerade was provided for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own

Rich Entertaining Fantasy

We get to follow Ferris down the “rabbit hole” only it’s a magically enchanted cruise ship sailing on a chocolate sea filled with white chocolate dolphins, rainbows in the sky, no violent boyfriend, and the person he needs the most is missing. In the midst of the famed winter ball, Ferris must maneuver his way around the guests, find his way through the magic and not become distracted. One thing Ferris remembers, is Saturdays are the best day to fall in love and NEVER EVER on a Wednesday.

The author, Kevin Klehr magically transports his listeners into this new world with vivid descriptions, rich characters, and a writing style that draws his audience deeply into the story. I found the story to be well written although at first, I was confused but only because it was not what I expected. This is a story reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. The similarity is reflected in some of the more absurd pieces but there is so much more to this story. Such as, it is a rally around those who are victims and an exercise in seeing things for what they truly are and for people to take a step and move forward, do not remain trapped or a victim.

The narrator, Jon Bolitho-Jones gives an entertaining performance with unique voices for each character. His cadence is steady and enthusiastic when needed, he portrays each character according to their role and personality. He spoke clearly. I have not had the pleasure of hearing Bolitho-Jones before but hope to hear more performances.

Overall, this is an entertaining and captivating book with a fantasy-based storyline and plot twists that one can enjoy.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook, it was well done.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

Finding Your Way

I just finished this wonderful story of finding yourself after you lost your way. A surreal and frank look at escaping from life in another dimension if life was too hard to face in the real world. This story can reach out and touch others if they too need help after losing their way. This story touched me and I hope others know they can count on friends and found family in the end. Loved it!

Interesting

This was a short interesting and fun novella.

Absolutely loved the storyline and character development.

The narration was enjoyable as well.

Definitely recommend

Fantady

This is a truly unique fantasy read at first I thought ok this is going to be a silly unbelievable story I mean the sea is chocolate and full of garage and the ship is falling apart but the more I listened it I found the characters funny and the world the author built was amazing. I got a little bit of A Alice In wonderland vibe with this one.