THREE HALF GOATS GRUFF

Three Half Goats Gruff by Kim McDougall
Book 0.5 in the Valkyrie Bestiary series
Narrated by Hollie Jackson
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Three Half Goats Gruff:

Is he a vampire? A shifter? Something worse? Thrown together to save a middle school from an infestation of satyrs, Kyra and the mysterious Captain of the Guardians share one heart-stopping night.

Critter wrangling rule #4: There isn’t much you can’t kill, confuse, or disgust with a can of bug fogger.

Source: Info in the "About Three Half Goats Gruff" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54858697-three-half-goats-gruff on 07/01/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

Short and sweet.

Not much of a story. It tells of the meeting between Kyra and Mason. They fought a rock troll and saved the day. There were minor appearances of satyrs and a pink pygmy kraken, and that's it. For 52 pages long, that is a neat story. However, it is really, really short that I am not sure it warrants a review. The story is so short it does not give you much opportunity to judge the elements in the story like character development, etc. And because it is so short, there isn't much of a plot, either. It is so short that the story has ended before you knew it. You expect more pages because the ending does not really sound like an ending. Maybe because the entire story is just a little chunk of a bigger book. I am not really fond of tiny stories like this.

Hollie Jackson did a marvellous job of infusing life into an otherwise tiny chapter of a bigger book.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 3
Ending = 2
World building = 3.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 1
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Valkyrie Bestiary Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Kim McDougall:

If Kim McDougall could have one magical superpower, it would be to talk to animals. Or maybe to shift into animal form. Definitely, fantastical critters and magic often feature in her stories. So until she can change into a griffin and fly away, she writes dark paranormal action and romance tales from her home in Ontario, Canada.

www.kimmcdougall.com | instagram | facebook | pinterest | linkedin | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Hollie Jackson:

With over 600 audiobooks narrated and produced since 2013 (and no signs of slowing), multiple award-winning narrator Hollie Jackson has worked with both independent and USA Today bestselling authors across a wide range of genres. From fantasy, to sci-fi, paranormal romance, and beyond, Hollie's voice brings all manner of characters to vibrant, compelling life, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in the story.

Having grown up in a military family, always on the move, she found solace in the written word, both as a voracious reader, and a storyteller. Proficient in multiple accents and dialects, having studied with some of the top names in the entertainment industry, she firmly believes in delivering a quality performance each and every time she steps into her studio.

holliejackson.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | goodreads

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

SECRETS IN BLOOD

Secrets In Blood by Jack Cartwright
Book 1 in the Wild Fens series
Narrated by Graham Mack
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Secrets In Blood:

If you can't live with the truth, bury it...

Following a devastating encounter with a serial killer, Detective Inspector Freya Bloom is left mentally scarred. After a six-month sabbatical, and no desire to return to the bustling London streets, she accepts a position in rural Lincolnshire in search of a slower pace of life.

But with London behind her, and a new life in the wild fens of Lincolnshire before her, she finds only endless drama in her new team, a tortured romance in her only ally, and crimes so deadly even the steely determination that drove her to success is tested.

From the moment Freya’s expensive heels hit Lincolnshire soil, the push-pull relationship with her Sergeant begins. Noses are put out of joint, tempers are frayed, and more importantly, a body is discovered on a wild beach. There’s no time to make friends. If Freya is to make her mark in this remote county, she must work with the team she’s been given, and untangle the web of lies surrounding the death of teenager, Jessica Hudson.

Can Freya ditch her designer heels for wellington boots, and adapt to the country life? Can she shape her new team into something workable? And can she put her past behind her long enough to prevent a second murder?

Source: Info in the "About Secrets In Blood" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61247287-secrets-in-blood on 25/08/2023.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

The book starts with Freya Bloom's travel to the countryside from busy London and it was boring as h***. I persevered and got to Chapter 9 where Freya was being an ass of a new DI to hardworking Ben. That is seriously putting me off this series and this author. At this point I honestly could not see all the hub bub about this series is all about!

Love the convolutedness of the plot! What I didn't like is the story building. So the police and the ARU (armed response unit) cannot coordinate effectively!?! So how do they carry out successful operations?? Specially take down operations? Without effective coordination, that would be a disaster! That one took the believability factor down to the boots. And that wasn't the only unbelievable scene in the book.

The book is not that bad. It is just not great.

Graham Mack's voice is not grating to the ears and he does not read with a sing-song. Would listen to audiobooks by him again.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3
Character development = 3
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 22 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Wild Fens Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Jack Cartwright:

Jack Cartwright is a USA Today bestselling author, based in Lincolnshire, UK.

Born in Essex, Jack lived and worked in Dubai for much of his adult life, as an IT professional, and as an international photographer.

Under various pen names, Jack has written and published more than thirty novels, won awards, and achieved the USA Today bestseller status in early 2021.

The Wild Fens Murder Mysteries, his latest series, has been written for TV adaptation.

After a life of travel and adventure, he has put down his roots with his wife, daughter, and dog in one of the many beautiful Lincolnshire villages, and plans to stay for good.

www.jackcartwrightbooks.com | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Graham Mack:

Graham Mack is a multi-award-winning, British voice actor, producer and broadcaster. He’s worked in radio and TV all over the UK and Australia and is the voice of commercials and corporate videos. He has narrated more than 150 audiobooks.

www.grahammack.com | twitter | youtube | goodreads

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

LITTLE WITNESS

Little Witness by S.A. Dunphy
Book 1 in the DI Tessa Burns series
Narrated by Melanie MacHugh
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Little Witness:

They took her parents.

When Detective Tessa Burns was a little girl, she hid, terrified, as her father was murdered. The face of the man who killed him is lost in her memory — but from that moment she vowed to protect the innocent, just like her father had done. Now, when she hears that seven-year-old Aisling Connolly has been found hiding all alone on an isolated farm, she’s determined to help her.

They came in the dark.

Tessa and her child-centred team are the best in Ireland. It’s not long before red-haired Aisling trusts them enough to reveal the terrifying truth: two days ago, the men came. Aisling’s mammy told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. Alone and petrified, she hasn’t seen her parents since.

And now she is the only one who can save them.

As Tessa uncovers more about Aisling’s parents, she realises details of the case mirror her own father’s death. Desperate that Aisling won’t end up orphaned like her, Tessa throws everything at the investigation. But just as she thinks she’s cracked it wide open, Aisling’s neighbours — a young family — are murdered, in a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. And to Tessa, to let the case go.

But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next…

Source: Info in the "About Little Witness" was taken from amazon on 08/05/2024.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

You must know that if you go into the kidnapping business, that it is fraught with dangers with people gunning for you from all directions. Least of all, the law enforcement. You gotta have contingency plans, over contingency plans, or you are one heck of an idiot. But your contingency plan is to lead the police to your prisoners and get the hell out of dodge?? What kind of plan is that?? Okey, there might honestly be stupid criminals like that. However, by the way this story was told, it was not very convincing that this particular criminal is that stupid. It feels too orchestrated so that the protagonists can play heroes and save the world. The believability factor is not too high. Not at all!

And what about that number plate? Why didn't they followed up on it? If the vehicle ownership did not point to the Moynihans, then they should at least say so and not just, nothing came of it....

I like the theme. Saving children. I like the bad-ass heroine! I like the world building! But plot-building is not this author's forté.

Melanie MacHugh reads with a slight singsong but I choke it down to as part of her Irish accent.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 3
Story itself = 3.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (8 hrs and 20 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Books In The DI Tessa Burns Series:

 

Meet The Author

About S.A. Dunphy:

Childcare expert, author, teacher, journalist, broadcaster, musician, nerd, husband, Dad, Grandad. Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has spent most of his life. A child protection worker for 15 years, he is the number one bestselling author of 20 books. His first nine titles dealt with his time on the frontline of social care work, and include the number one bestseller Wednesday’s Child. His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the emotionally damaged criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his series of True Crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed as well as being an audio-bestseller. He has also ghost written two biographies. Writing as S. A. Dunphy his exciting new series of crime novels, set in Ireland, feature Criminal Behaviourist Jessie Boyle and detective Seamus Keneally.

shanedunphyauthor.org | twitter | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Melanie MacHugh:

Audiobook narrator / voice-over artist

goodreads

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