Grave Peril (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Jim Butcher

Narrated by: James Marsters

Published by: Buzzy Multimedia  06/2009

Grave Peril

Warm

Dresden Files Series # 3
11 hrs and 59 mins

Sample

In all his years of supernatural sleuthing, Harry Dresden has never faced anything like this: the spirit world's gone postal. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone-or something-is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself.

Reviewed by Lisa Kay 

 

I think this installment in The Dresden Files is my favorite so far. (Or do I say that every time?) I know I sound like a broken record, but I LOVE Harry Dresden. While he is the resident ‘anti-hero’ and sleuthing wizard of Chicago, Illinois, he is such a lovable character. Harry is amazing with the big events in the book; however, he really shines in the little moments; such as when he is chagrin in his interaction with his friend Michael Carpenter, a Knight of the Cross, who is the voice of morality with his adherence to Christianity.

 In the course of ghost hunting with Michael, Harry introduces us so many new characters. One is the faerie Leanansidhe, a Noble of the Winter Court of the Sidhe and Harry’s godmother! Harry is not above telling a lie to get out of a promise he made to her years ago. You can’t blame him, since she’s a bit bipolar and wants to make him one of her hounds, so that she can give him plenty of love and sustenance.

 There are also many things introduced, such as Amoracchius – the holy sword wielded by Harry’s friend Michael. You just know this sword is going to be important later on, down the line in this series.

 A lot happened in this novel; I know I'll be reading or listening to it again. It is loaded not only with ghosts, vampires (White Court, Black Court, or Red Court, take your pick), and faeries (Summer Court and Winter Court fae), but sorceress vampires, duke vampires, vampire promotion balls, sorcerer’s journals, Nightmare-demons, seers who seek Harry out to avoid their own death, priests, policemen, newspaper reporters, Hellhounds, kidnapped pregnant women, cemeteries, dragons, wiped memories and more.

 Even though Mr. Butcher has created Nevernever out of his fertile imagination, he still manages to bring the “Windy City” alive when I envision this Urban Fantasy world. This is definitely turning into a landmark series.
  4.15  ·  rating details  ·  32,092 ratings  ·  1,315 review on Goodreads 

 

 

The Author

Jim Butcher

 

Narration

 Narrated by James Marsters, who reads it well, with plenty of variation and differentiation in the voices. He doesn’t do the females great, but most male readers don’t. I understand Mr. Marsters doesn’t narrate the whole series, so I’m trying not to have his voice cement in my mind as Harry’s, since these books are in first person POV.

 

 

Voices behind the books

 James Marsters 

Full Blooded (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Amanda Carlson

Narrated by: Casey Holloway

Published by: Hachette Audio 09/2012

Warm (Adult content)

Jessica McClain Series # 1

11 hrs and 28 mins

Sample

 Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.

My Thoughts

 

Jessica MacClain has claimed a pretty secure spot among my favorite kick ass heroines, all thanks to the fantastic work, originality and imagination of Amanda Carlson - a new-to-me author, but one that I’m thrilled to have discovered.

In the middle of a stormy night, Jessica MacClain is going through what nobody thought possible..... At the age of 26, she’s becoming a werewolf.

Besides the self discovery she has to undergo, she also has to deal with a world of danger coming straight and completely directed at her, being the only female werewolf in existence won't make her life easy...... Oh no, not at all, Ms. Carlson is making sure of that.

As the daughter of the pack's alpha, she has navigated the two worlds (human and supernatural), but she has always felt as an outsider when it came to the wolves, and this new event won’t be making their acceptance as easy as you might think, an old prophecy and superstition will stand in her way.

Jessica’s fight for survival and acclamation to her new existence reveals a terrific character, one that possesses all the qualities  and  personality that make a heroine worthy of a place next to Kate Daniels, Sookie,  Elena and  Mercy, just to mention a few of my favorites, and  it should  give you an idea of the caliber of heroine that I'm talking about here.

Yes, the author has also created swoon and delicious alpha characters that flavor the adventure with enough sexiness, and the hint of romance it's sure to have you asking for more and highly anticipating the next novel.

The introduction to the world and to secondary characters are perfectly paced and skillfully executed, and before you know it, you’re placed in the middle of this dangerous, political, suspenseful and totally original world, all while the entire time, you can’t help but to admire and root for the triumph of this courageous heroine and her newly born wolf ( I loved them both)

The author has planted the seeds for what I see growing into a phenomenal UF series.

So, to any UF fan, I highly recommend Amanda Carlson’s full novel debut, I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed, and since misery loves company, I want you to get as crazy as I’m to get your hands or ears on the next novel.

  4.12  ·  rating details  ·  233 ratings  ·  108 reviews on Goodreads

Great reviews from my peeps

Rabid Reads

Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks

The Book Nympho

UTC 
The Bookaholic Cat

The Author

Amanda Carlson

Narration

 

Unlike other listeners, I didn’t have any problems with the sound of Casey Holloway’s voice, in fact, I found it pleasant and fitting for Jessica, I didn’t think she sounded too young,  but my disappointment comes from her reading, I  never felt transported by her interpretation, I felt the pauses  and reading tone were wrong,  her reading lacked emotion, and  somehow  it felt choppy,  as  consequence I kept being dragged back to reality,  reminding of how much I wish it was some else reading the novel and resenting the fact that this story deserved better.

 It’s not that it’s horrible; I just didn’t feel that narrator enhanced the story in any way.

Finally, after the fourth chapter, I decided just to listen without expecting much from the performance, and after settling for 2X speed, I began to enjoy the story, that despite the average narration comes on top as a winner, I just can’t in all honesty give it  5 star as an audio experience.

By all means, I don’t want anyone to run away from the opportunity to experience this terrific and original world;  I recommend taking a closer listen to the sample, and  then decide if you should read or listen, who knows, it could be that I’m becoming more critical, and expect perfection every time. 

My rating for her performance: 3 stars.

Voices behind the books

Casey Holloway 

Let's talk audiobooks with Darynda Jones/G!iveaway

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet 

Book Tour

 

Congratulations to

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and

JoAnna H. 

Winners have been notified via e-mail

I'm so excited to be a part of this tour, I'm a huge fan of Darynda Jone's Charley Davidson series, and if you are on the fence about giving audiobooks a shot, I highly recommend it as your first listen, narrator Lorelei King and Darynda Jones, teamed up to deliver some of the best entertainment on audio. This series will  turn you into a habitual listener, and here at Hot Listens we are happy to give away 2 audiobooks from this fantastic series, just fill the rafflecopter forms at the end of this page.

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My reviews

 

Darynda Jones  loves audiobooks!

Thank you so much for having me here today and giving me an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite things: Audiobooks! I have to admit, I have been a huge fan of audiobooks for years. I even have my favorite narrators and search out books read specifically by them. Some of my favs include Tavia Gilbert, Johnny Heller, Edoardo Ballerini, Edward Hermann, Eric G. Dove, Victor Slezak, Jim Dale, Emma Galvin, Dion Graham, and the ultimate and uber-talented Neil Gaiman… I could go on and on. Honestly, there are so many wonderful voices out there and incredibly talented narrators who bring books to a whole new level, and I was fortunate enough to meet some of these spectacular actors in New York this summer. If you’ve never imagined yourself melting from a single glance, you’ve never met Edoardo Ballerini. That man can glance. And Neil Gaiman? I’m pretty sure ovulated when he spoke. But my #1 favorite is Lorelei King, the narrator of the Charley Davidson series and now my young adult series, starting with DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. I got to hang with her in NY as well and, yes, even before she began narrating my work, she was my number one. She narrates both the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Imagine my surprise and excitement when the powers that be at Macmillan wrote to let me know she’d be my narrator. Trust me, angels sang. You might be wondering what it’s like to have my work narrated by a professional actress. I don’t know how it is for other authors, but for me, I am always amazed at Lorelei’s interpretation of my text. She brings things out I never thought of and even deepens some aspects of a scene. That is how talented she is. I’m so honored to have her and hope she never, ever, ever retires. Ever, ever, ever. If you are new to audiobooks, I hope you’ll give them a try. Here are a few tips that might help in the transition:

1. Give audiobooks a fair chance. Your brain processes an audiobook differently than it processes the printed page. It is two very different functions. Don’t give up on them right out of the starting gate. Your mind will adjust pretty quickly and before you know it, five hours will have passed and you are half way finished with another novel in your TBR pile.
2. 
   It’s not cheating. You can keep up with your reading while driving or cleaning house. It’s still literature!
3. 
   If you come across a narrator’s voice that doesn’t do it for you, it’s okay to give up on that audiobook. It may be hard, especially if you shelled out a lot of cash for it, but sometimes voices grate, simple as that. If you are so inclined, I would love for you to at least try those on my list up top. They are all stellar.
4. 
   It’s never too late to start. Audiobooks are surging in sales partly because, with our busy lifestyles, tons of people are learning to love them while listening during commutes, on airplanes, and doing mundane tasks like housework, exercise, and gardening. They make the time fly, and more and more books are being recorded in every genre imaginable. And I’m thrilled to report that (finally!) more YA audiobooks are being recorded.
5. 
   For some reason, audiobooks are a perfect platform to seek out new genres. I’ve discovered my love of cozy mysteries, breathtaking thrillers, and spine-chilling horror through audiobooks from authors I would not normally have read. Not sure why. It’s just fun to listen to books outside of your comfort zone.

Any recommendations from our savvy audience?

Lorelei King interviews Darynda Jones      

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Hounded (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Kevin Hearne

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Published by: Brilliance Audio 04/2011

Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles

Warm (Adult content)

Iron Druid Chronicles series # 1
Whyspersync  for voice ready

8 hrs and 11 mins

Sample

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Reviewed by Lisa Kay

 

I’ve never read anything by Kevin Hearne before, and I’ve never listened to Luke Daniels narrate, either. But I definitely will again! So glad I chose to listen to this one, as the pronunciation of Druid and other ancient dialects would have totally tongue-tied my mind. Even with the nicely provided “Irish Pronunciation Guide” in the front to the eBook. I couldn’t begin to attempt saying Aenghus Óg or Tuatha Dé Danann in my head, let alone out loud.   

Mr. Daniels does an excellent job of them all, as well as differentiating the characters; subsequently, I was completely drawn into Mr. Hearne’s world, where I think I would have been distracted with the correct pronunciation, otherwise. He even does a good job on the female voices; no small feat for a male reader. This one is in first person POV and Mr. Daniels coveys the cleverness, wit, cynicism, charm, and just plan sassiness of Atticus O’Sullivan, the tattooed proprietor of an occult bookshop – and part-time apothecary – in Tempe, Arizona. And his voice for Oberon is a hoot! He sounds like the lovable doofus he is; which is fine, since he is an Irish Wolfhound. (A dog obsessed with French Poodles and Italian Sausage) 

 There are tons of supernatural beings (Fae, witches, lupines, gods, goddesses, vampires, demons, angels, ghouls, etc.) in the first installment of The Iron Druid Chronicles, and almost all of them want Atticus’ magic sword “Fragarach, the Answerer.” The most significant of these is one pissed-off dark god named Aenghus Óg. Atticus, himself, is a shape-shifter and gets his power from the earth. I loved the description of how his energy travels though his tattoos.  

  Hounded is rich in details without being weighed down by too much world building, like so many first in series novels. Just the right amount of time spent on Celtic mythology – and other pantheons – mixed with mystery, action-adventure, and character-interactions to keep it wondrously interesting. It is a little more violent that I like my books, but I knew that going in. This is a fast-paced read with a witty narrative that I had to re-wind to catch some things, saying to myself, “Did he say what I think he did?” However, most of all it is fun! I’ll certainly have to read the prequel short-stories (free on the author’s website) and track down the novella.
4.10  ·  rating details  ·  8,792 ratings  ·  1,554 review on Goodreads 

Check Bob Riess's review:
The Guilded Earlobe 

 

 

The Author

Kevin Hearne

 

 

Voices behind the books

Luke Daniels

 

 

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