A SHIFTER'S SIN

A Shifter's Sin by Debbie Cassidy
Book 1 in the Wolves of Hawthorne Cove series
Narrated by Keira Stevens and Troy Duran
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About A Shifter's Sin:

A Lycan that can’t shift is no use to anyone.

I’ve made it my mission to be useful to my pack. As pack enforcer, I’m fast and strong, but when the time comes to bond with my mate, it isn’t enough.

Rejection means lone wolf status and isolation from the pack. But when a package arrives with an unexpected inheritance, the pack that wants to shun me, suddenly has a new use for me.

Turns out, I’m the proud owner of a house in mysterious territory, rumoured to be home to a pack of beautifully twisted shifters. Hawthorne Cove is Impregnable to Lycans, but not to a half human like me.

Now I have a second chance to be accepted by my pack.

All I have to do is infiltrate the Hawthorne pack, find the source of their power and steal it.

Easier said than done.

Because once I pass the mystical boundaries surrounding the town, I’ll be absolutely, and totally at the mercy of the wolves of Hawthorne Cove.

Source: Info in the "About A Shifter's Sin" was taken from amazon on 03/11/2024.

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My Thoughts:

This is my first Debbie Cassidy read and am I glad to stumble upon this author!

About half-way through the book it made me think of the Innkeeper series by Ilona Andrews with magic houses and sentient magic...

The book ended in a huge cliffhanger though it ended the current dilemma in the book. I hate cliffhangers and that is one of the big reasons why this book will never get a 5 out of 5 with me.

There wasn't much of a plot. But then again, this is an urban fantasy, not a crime fiction. I was not expecting anything twisty.

The story telling quality was good enough that kept me reading through the end.

This is also my first Keira Stevens and Troy Duran listen. For both narrators. They make a good duo.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 1.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (7 hrs and 19 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Wolves of Hawthorne Cove Series:

 

Meet The Author

About Debbie Cassidy:

Debbie Cassidy lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes Urban Fantasy, Fantasy and Reverse Harem Fantasy. All her books contain plenty of action, romance and twisty plots.

debbiecassidyauthor.com | x | facebook | amazon | goodreads

The Narrators

Keira Stevens:

Audiobook narrator / voice-over artist

goodreads

About Troy Duran:

Troy Duran is a passionate voice for audiobooks, and you'll hear this in each of over 250 titles featuring his warm, smoky, sometimes gritty baritone in romance, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Fans have described Troy's voice as "one click," "sex-on-a-stick," "instant-O," and "fire."

www.troyvoice.com | x | facebook1 | facebook2 | tiktok | instagram | linkedin | goodreads

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE BONES AT POINT NO POINT

The Bones At Point No Point by D.D. Black
Book 1 in the Thomas Austin Crime Thriller series
Narrated by Joe Hempel
Genre: crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Bones At Point No Point:

How do you catch a killer who's already behind bars?

Thomas Austin was once a star NYPD detective, known for locking up a psychopathic serial The Holiday Baby Butcher . Now retired in a small beach town, Austin runs a little café, trying to overcome the loss of his wife, a district attorney who was gunned down only one year ago.

But when a mysterious bag of bones appears on a nearby beach, Austin is dragged back into law enforcement for one last job. The Holiday Baby Butcher is behind bars, so it has to be a copycat. But with each new clue, the killer seems closer and closer to the real thing.

Now Austin must overcome the darkness of his past to chase a killer as twisted as any America has ever seen. And when Austin finally learns the truth, it's a twist so shocking it shakes him to his core, and threatens his life.

Source: Info in the "About The Bones At Point No Point" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62100609-the-bones-at-point-no-point on 04/09/2023.

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My Thoughts:

I was reading Unquiet Bones by David J. Gatward just before this book. In fact, I was reading it when I bought this book. At first I thought that, that title suited this story better than The Bones At Point No Point. However, at the end of it, not anymore.

I think I've been reading too many similar stories. JD Kirk's A Whisper Of Sorrows is a copycat story. Both are serial killers taking kids. I sometimes get the plots confused in my head!

The ending was ok, I guess. But I saw it coming...

This is my second audiobook by Joe Hempel and I would buy audiobooks by him again.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (6 hrs and 28 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Thomas Austin Crime Thriller Series:

 

Meet The Author

About D.D. Black:

D.D. Black is the author of the Thomas Austin Crime Thrillers and other Pacific Northwest crime novels. When he's not writing, he can be found strolling the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, cooking dinner for his wife, and throwing a ball for his corgi over and over and over.

www.ddblackauthor.com | tiktok | facebook | instagram | bookbub | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Joe Hempel:

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Joe Hempel, a total eighties' kid, had a fascination with an eclectic array of shows that would later shape his performances in the audiobook world — shows like Alf, Night Court, Tales from the Crypt, and WWF Superstars. For over a decade Joe honed his acting skills as a referee in professional wrestling and inspired people as a NASM certified personal trainer and endurance coach. Combined with his animated personality and a love for reading, becoming an audiobook narrator was a natural step. Best known for his captivating, rich narrations and uncanny ability for pulling listeners into an immersive experience, Joe has entertained listeners with over 100 audiobooks ranging from horror and mystery to science fiction, romance, and personal development. Joe still lives in Cincinnati with his son Zach, and enjoys running marathons and bringing words on a page to life. Joe is also the winner of the 2018 ABR Listeners Choice Award for Horror.

facebook | linkedin | goodreads

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

THE RISE OF MAGICKS

The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts
Book 3 of the Chronicles of The One
Narrated by Julia Whelan
Genre: dystopian urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook

About The Rise of Magicks:

After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness — if, indeed, they can be saved.

Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal — and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy’s stronghold, and pursues her destiny — to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all — she will need an army behind her…

Source: Info in the "About The Rise of Magicks" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43263398-the-rise-of-magicks on 08/07/2020.

Buy Link(s):

 

My Thoughts:

The conclusion of a fantastic trilogy! Or so it is supposed to be... It did conclude the trilogy. However, the epic bang that I was expecting kind of fizzled out.

Everything I have to say about this book, I have probably said in my reviews of previous books in this series, except the non-existent bang. However, this is a Nora Roberts book, that means the story telling quality is still compelling so can't really give this book a low rating. It wasn't the great book I was expecting, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Empirical Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 3
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (14 hrs & 3 mins listening time)
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

Books In The Chronicles of The One Series:

Amazon

Amazon

Amazon

Meet The Author

About Nora Roberts:

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 — The Becoming — the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

noraroberts.com | instagram | facebook | amazon | goodreads

The Narrator

About Julia Whelan:

Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, lifelong actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator of over 500 titles. Her performance of her own debut novel, the internationally bestselling My Oxford Year, garnered a Society of Voice Arts award. She is also a Grammy-nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier.

jmwhelan.com | twitter | facebook | instagram | goodreads

FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.