WILD SIGN

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by Holter Graham
Book 6 of the Alpha & Omega series
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audio

About Wild Sign:

Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear — before it's too late — in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.

In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they've consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.

Source: Info in the "About Wild Sign" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54325980-wild-sign on 05/03/2021.

My Thoughts:

I was hoping that we will see Wellesley again... and we kinda did... if only through his art! I'm happy with that! However, I am still hoping to see more of him in subsequent books.

I still think that the US cover art is far more wonderful than the UK one. I always liked Dan Dos Santos' work! I wish UK would hire a good artist too! The UK covers are amazingly dull! Not to mention not apropos. Anna never carried a gun! The only gun mentioned here is the witch gun which is described more like a taser than a gun. The UK covers is a disservice to Patricia Briggs' stories!

As usual this author delivers a story with compelling story telling quality and a stunningly wonderful reading time! But then again, I am a devoted, old fan so my review of this author's work would always be biased.

Empirical Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 5 (US)
Cover art = 3 (UK)
Pace = (9 hrs and 47 mins listening time)
Plot = 5
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Alpha & Omega Series:

             

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 Holter Graham:

Holter Graham, winner of AudioFile's 2008 Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Acheron, is a stage, television, and screen actor.

www.holtergraham.com | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
This book, in all it's purchased formats, was bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.

BURIED MAGIC

Buried Magic by TJ Green
Book 1 in the White Haven Witches series
Narrated by Janine Haynes
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Buried Magic:

Witchcraft, dark secrets, and demons. No one is safe in White Haven.

White Haven has a history of witchcraft, but the locals don't know that there are real witches living among them, and Avery is one of them.

When she receives an ominous premonition, a rune covered box, and an intriguing letter, all hinting at the mysterious past of her hometown, perched on the Cornish coast, Avery realises that the witches are missing a vital part of their history.

Five missing grimoires.

And when the annoying, but very handsome, Alex Bonneville, shares the same premonition, they know that trouble's coming.

Against her better judgement, Avery teams up with the other witches to uncover the truth.

Unfortunately, someone will do anything to stop them.

Now is the time to uncover the past.

Now is the time to reclaim their heritage.

And they'll risk everything to do it.

When quirky White Haven turns into a battleground of magic and demons, only the White Haven Witches can stop it.

If you love urban fantasy with a twist of romance and plenty of magic, you'll love book 1 of the White Haven Witches.

Source: Info in the "About Buried Magic" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42513159-buried-magic on 16/04/2022.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

This is my first TJ Green read although I have seen her name around twitter and facebook. She has a good author's voice. However, I did not like the cliffhanger ending and the fact that the entire book is just a chapter of a bigger book. There is some sort of a plot but there is no resolution. No ending. Like I said, just a chapter of a bigger book. I do not like that. I generally avoid authors who likes that kind of publication/writing style. So I don't think I would be buying anymore books by this author anytime soon.

This is also my first Janine Haynes audiobook. She has some sing-song-like quality to her reading which is not endearing to the listener. However, I forget about the sing-song as I get pulled into the story. So, that is not much of a deterrent in the listening to this book.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 3
Ending = 1.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (7 hrs and 14 mins listening time)
Plot = 1
Narration = 4

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In White Haven Witches Series:

 

Meet The Author

About TJ Green:

I write books about magic and mystery, and myths and legends, and they're action packed!

My YA series, Rise of the King (previously called Tom's Arthurian Legacy), is about a teen called Tom and his discovery that he is a descendant of King Arthur. It's a fun-filled clean read with a new twist on the Arthurian tales.

My second series is adult urban fantasy and is called White Haven Witches. It's packed with magic, action, and a little bit of romance.

White Haven Hunters is my latest series, and is a spin-off from the witches - with a bit of a crossover from Rise of the King too!

If you'd like to read Excalibur Rises, the short story prequel to the Tom series for FREE, join my readers' group! You'll also get free short stories, news about my latest books, info about giveaways, and a chance to be in my ARC team. http://tjgreen.nz/landing

I was born in England, but moved to New Zealand 10 years ago. I now live near Wellington with my partner and cats Sacha and Leia. When not writing I spend lots of time gardening, reading, practicing yoga, watching films and drinking red wine. And occasionally making short films just for fun.

tjgreen.nz | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram | goodreads

The Narrator

About Janine Haynes:

Since graduating drama school Janine Haynes has been passionate about working predominantly in the narration industry. Proud to have produced titles for the Royal National Institute for the Blind and various clients whose titles can be found on Audible.

website | twitter | facebook | goodreads

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

LEADS & LYNXES

 

Leads and Lynxes by Rebecca Chastain
Book 1 in the Terra Haven Chronicles
Narrated by Cindy Kay
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Leads and Lynxes:

Be careful what you ask for...

Kylie got into journalism to write important stories. Ones about gargoyles and dryads, elemental warriors, and thwarted magical attacks on her city. The bigger the story, the better. So when she lands the opportunity to ask an enchanted everlasting tree for the answer to any question she desires, she doesn't have to think about it. She wants the story of a lifetime.

So does her nemesis, Nathan. If anyone is going to write a high-profile story, the senior journalist believes it should be him-and Nathan's not above playing dirty to get his way. Kylie must work fast or risk losing control of her story.

But with every new lead forcing Kylie and her gargoyle companion, Quinn, deeper into a deadly maze of murder, warped magic, and monstrous beasts, rushing could prove fatal. Kylie is determined to publish her dream story, but she is beginning to wonder...will she survive long enough to write it?

Source: Info in the "About Leads and Lynxes" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55830006-leads-lynxes on 22/05/2021.

Buy Link(s):
 

Beltane Zipporah

My Thoughts:

The world building has been established a long time ago with Deadlines and Dryads and the Gargoyle Guardian Omnibus. The compelling story telling quality is brought over to this book as well! But best of all, there wasn't much of the "too stupid to live" (tstl) bullshit that was in the other books by this author! (Hooray!!)

This might be labeled as book one but I wouldn't recommend starting this series with this book though. Deadlines and Dryads is the actual start of this series. I would recommend starting there because there are events there that is mentioned in this book which a reader would not understand if he/she hasn't read that book first. Beltane Zipporah plays a significant role in this book and this is the best harpy image I could scrounge. So, there we are, the harpy!! And like the other books, this one also ended in a cliffhanger. I wouldn't really call it that much of a cliffhanger, really. The plot did end in this book which is more than I can say about the other books by Rebecca Chastain. Plot building is not her forté! However, she did well with this one. Kudos to the author!!

This is my first Cindy Kay listen and I like the way she reads. Her voice is also not aggravating to the ears. I especially like the way she makes Quinn sound young and cute.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

Meet The Author

About Rebecca Chastain:

Rebecca Chastain has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. She has been employed as a VHS sales clerk, bookshelf straightener, government pseudo-employee, professional finder of lost sporting goods, and strategy guide wrangler in the video game industry. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old, and she’s incapable of stopping. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats. To find out about new releases, sales, and freebies, sign up for Rebecca's newsletter: http://www.rebeccachastain.com/newsletter

www.rebeccachastain.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Cindy Kay:

Cindy Kay is a Chinese-Thai-American narrator and educator who grew up in the California Bay Area and lives in the Rockies. Her work has been described as listening to a "cozy best friend." She narrates fiction and nonfiction, and has studied Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Japanese.

cindykayvo.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | tantor media | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.