CRYSTALS, BELLADONNA, AND MURDER

Crystals, Belladonna, and Murder by Leanne Leeds
Book 1 in the Silver Circle Cat Rescue Mysteries series
Narrated by Meghan Kelly
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Crystals, Belladonna, and Murder:

A cantankerous former mayor.
A dead man with a secret.
A midlife magic gift with a murder mystery that keeps you guessing.

When forty-nine year old Eleanor Rockwell was laid off from her soul-crushing corporate job, she moved a few miles north of Austin with her daughter, Evie, and opened Silver Circle Cat Rescue in the small town of Tablerock, Texas.

Five years later, SCCR is Wildebridge County's largest shelter for lost kitties, so it's no surprise when Deputy Markham brings Belladonna — former mayor Fiona Blackwell's cat — to the shelter after she's arrested for murdering her husband, Beau. But why, Eleanor wonders, did the Deputy bring a silver drink tray with the sullen cat — and why is Belladonna talking when she walks on it?

Something strange is going on in Tablerock, and Eleanor is determined to get to the bottom of it. Can she unravel the mystery before it's too late, or will she fall victim to the town's sinister spell?

Join Ellie, Evie, and all the cats at Silver Circle Cat Rescue in this new cozy paranormal midlife mystery series!

Source: Info in the "About Crystals, Belladonna, and Murder" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61380776-crystals-belladonna-and-murder on 30/06/2023.

Buy Link(s):

 

Ellie Rockwell

My Thoughts:

This is my second Leanne Leeds series.

I find Eleanor, our main protagonist, not just a little dim but a whole lot dim! So, Fiona told her exactly what she wants her to do. Find the murderer. But she keeps asking what Fiona wanted her to do, confused?!? Cecelia, the estate agent, talks about how big a commission that Fiona's big house will bring and Sadie had to explain what the "commission" is to Eleanor.

The whole town is not much better. A husband cheats on his wife so they blame the wife and elect the mistress as mayor because the mistress is clearly of impeccable standing. The townsfolk chased a goth kid with a shaved head and a mohawk to the woods, and when asked why or if they know who the kid was, nobody can tell the police.

I've forgotten this about Leanne Leeds, her love of stupid. Stupid characters. Stupid people.

Meghan Kelly's voice is soft and soothing to the ears. I love that about her! However, she reads with a singsong. **sigh**

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (6 hrs and 31 mins listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Silver Circle Cat Rescue Mysteries Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Leanne Leeds:

Leanne Leeds writes witty, funny, and exciting paranormal cozy mysteries that are light-hearted explorations of offbeat small-town America. With a cast of quirky characters inhabiting her fictional world, Leanne provides a unique blend of comedy, clues, and twisty action — all with a touch of magic that keeps readers turning pages.

You can also visit her at leanneleeds.com for free stories, to join her newsletter.

leanneleeds.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | bookbub | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Meghan Kelly:

Meghan Kelly is a Proud member of SAG/AFTRA and has narrated 450+ Audiobooks in the genres of Romance, Comedy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Cozy Mysteries, Thrillers and Erotica. After ten years of being on the "other side of the business" as a Franchised Talent Agent/Casting Director in NYC & Detroit, Meghan decided to pursue her own performance aspirations. She now works full-time as a narrator, voice-over artist, and singer. Meghan is a versatile actress who draws from a huge emotional pool bringing a variety of characters to life. She specializes in bringing the emotional truth to every story..but definitely with a bit of Snark, Sass & Sexy whenever possible!

www.meghankelly.org | twitter | facebook | instagram | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

DRESSED TO KILL: A Monster Seamstress LitRPG

Dressed To Kill by Crown Fall
Book 1 in the Dressed To Kill series
Narrated by Andrea Parsneau
Genre: fantasy/LitRPG YA
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Dressed To Kill:

To save her town from decaying into oblivion, a young seamstress embarks on a quest that weaves together magic, mystery, and monsters.

In an impoverished border town with a population dwindling as fast as hope, Gwen Tailor aims to change things. She is a daughter of the Seamstress class, drawing on the bloodline skills of her mother, who stitches with a speed that veers into the realm of magic. An awesome feat. But armed with a giant piercing needle, Gwen is more than a seamstress. To save her people from extinction and create a pattern all her own for survival, she must be a monster slayer.

In the core of the town is the dungeon, a deep-pitted breeding ground for all the local despair and decline. Gwen is going where the monsters dwell. For every new kill, each creature’s pelt, shell, and exoskeleton will become not only protective armor but a source of escalating power. With the help of her friends — Sandy, a cleaver-wielding butcher’s daughter, and Gerald, a young blacksmith with near-wizardly talents for forging enchanted weapons — Gwen has a team to be reckoned with. Monsters, beware.

Would that it were so simple. Descending into each cavernous new level, Gwen will make a harrowing discovery about the true roots of her town’s decay. And they are more overwhelming and far-reaching than she ever could have imagined . . .

The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series — with more than 500,000 views on Royal Road — now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible!

Source: Info in the "About Dressed To Kill" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204308716-dressed-to-kill on 01/02/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

This is my first LitRPG (Literature Role Playing Game) read. I tend to avoid them like the plague. I didn't know that this was an RPG when I bought it. If I had, this book would not have gotten bought. It is a powerful deterrent that I am not even a fan of this genre, yet I liked the story. Kudos to the author's voice!

I know I am not a fan of LitRPG, but this book kinda works for me. Meaning, I didn't hate it.

I've never heard of this author, Crown Fall. Sounds more like a title than a name.

This is a world where the magic created a sort-of a caste system where people are born into their magic which gets confirmed or released by a priest when they are in their teens. Once released, information of their magic comes up in their minds to inform them of how much magic they have, how much power, how much life, etc., just like it does in video games.

And like in video games, there isn't much of a plot either. You kill monsters and gain points that saves the town, with a cliffhanger ending that points to the start of the next book.

The protagonist knows of Earth like a distant memory or dream. Or another life... The world building is beautiful but strange. As in not quite firm. Like unfinished around the edges.

Andrea Parsneau is a versatile and very talented audiobook narrator! Such that I started looking for book narrated by her. She was the reason this book got book to begin with. I listened to the audiobook sample and bought it. I did not even look at the synopsis or anything about the book or the author before I clicked the buy button. I should have, really!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 11 mins listening time)
Plot = 2
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Dressed To Kill Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Crown Fall:

Crownfall is the son of a lonely orc and an adventurer who grew up in the dragon infested country side. Dragon makes for good steak.

audible | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Andrea Parsneau:

Andrea Parsneau is an award-winning narrator focused on bringing a story to life via unique and identifiable character voices, emotionally genuine portrayals, and a unique theatrical flair. Her range of characters and hard-hitting emotional style have become nearly as well known as her dedication to making an audiobook as great as possible.

www.andreaparsneau.com | twitter | facebook | tiktok | instagram | linkedin | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

WINTER LOST

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs
Book 14 of the Mercy Thompson series
Book 20 of the Mercy Thompson world
Narrated by Lorelei King
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Winter Lost:

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must stop a disaster of world-shattering proportions in this exhilarating entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It's a hard job, and it doesn't leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I'm not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother's issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

Source: Info in the "About Winter Lost" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195701887-winter-lost on .

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

I am an old, old fan of this author and this series. Everything I have to say about this book, I probably have said already in my reviews of previous books in this series and the things I can say about this book would probably just be fan-girling and bias. However, that does not make it any less true that this book is a wonderful, wonderful read!!

Having said that, I do not think it is a coincidence that this book was released on the 18th of June because I was reading this book on the Summer Solstice while the events in the book happened on the Winter Solstice. Coincidence?

Walking Stick

[by: Beardy]

I'm so happy to have Lugh's Walking Stick back again!

Another thing I was looking forward to seeing in this book was how the severed relationship of Wulfe and Bonorata plays out for our team of heroes. Maybe in the next book then...

I had been waiting to see how the pack is faring with Sherwood Post and his memories back. Everything is not smooth sailing then. Also I was looking forward to seeing Pirate again. Now, that was a disappointment!

I presume that we will know if Jesse went to the wedding or not in the next book...

Once again Lorelei King gives us a wonderful performance!

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art (US) = 5
Cover art (UK) = 3
Pace = (11 hrs and 15 mins listening time)
Plot = 5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Mercy Thompson Series:

                             

 

Meet The Author

About Patricia Briggs:

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children and six horses and writes full-time, much to the delight of her fans.

www.patriciabriggs.com | facebook | twitter | goodreads | Amazon

The Narrator

About Lorelei King:

Lorelei King is one of the most successful and accomplished American actresses working in the UK today, appearing in numerous films from Hollywood blockbusters such as 'Notting Hill' and 'The Saint,' to British independent films, such as 'House of Mirth,' '24 Hours in London,' and 'Suzie Gold.'

Lorelei has appeared as regular and recurring characters in popular British television shows such as Chef, Cold Feet, Alistair McGowan's Big Impression, Emmerdale and the saucy Mile High. She has also made numerous guest appearances in British comedies and dramas such as Jonathan Creek, Not Going Out, The Robinsons and Monarch of the Glen.

Once described as 'the best known American voice on radio 4,' Lorelei has recorded more than 200 programs for the BBC, including the Marx Brothers tribute, 'Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel,' super-hero 'audio movies' including 'Superman,' 'Batman' and 'Judge Dredd and classic American drama such as 'East of Eden,' 'Ethan Frome' and 'A Thousand Acres.' She appears regularly as a panellist on shows such as 'Where in the World' and 'Wordly Wise' and has hosted her own talk show, 'All About Eve.'

Lorelei is a multi- award-winning narrator of audiobooks, recording the works of best-selling authors Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton and Patricia Cornwell among others.

Her work in animation is extensive, and in America she provides the voices for 'Wendy' and 'Packer' (among others) in Bob the Builder.

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Los Angeles, Lorelei now makes her home in London, where she lives with her husband, actor Vincent Marzello.

www.loreleiking.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.