Sherry R

What a fun quirky book

Revisado: 04-20-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I love the premise of this quirky book. Hells Gate a town full of danger of the paranormal trying to masquerade as normal.

The romance itself is Hallmarkesque while the rest of the story is a little less tame. It’s weird and quirky and different and I liked it. It’s also a little rough around the edges but it fits with the premise.

This was a pure listen for me. Dahlia Summers does a great job narrating the cast of characters, which there are a quite a few. Her pace and voices kept me in the heart of the story.

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Great conclusion

Revisado: 03-26-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This picks up directly after Due North with the same intensity and high stakes. I love how the world expanded and the more I read, the more I needed to know what would happen.

Kara is one tough cookie. And I love there was a little romance thrown in. I rooted for the cast of characters to win out and save the world. Things move along at warp speed as they fight the zombies. Kara faces her demons and reluctantly grows into a leader.

Samantha Norbury again narrates Kara and does a fantastic job bringing the story to life. I found myself caught up listening and not wanting to stop for real life

I highly recommend this series. If you are an audiobook listener, the narration takes a great story and hits it out of the park

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a slice of life

Revisado: 02-03-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

A character rich story about finding your past to guide your future. I loved how each chapter started with a plant name. Both its common and official name. It tied in well with the flower shop setting. A miss the days when chapters had titles.

The cast as a whole is a unique group. Deeply rich and all driven by something personal. Not everyone is likable and my thoughts kept shifting on their qualities.

It’s part slice of life, a little romance and a whole lot of dysfunctional drama. I kept wanting to know more about their lives.

Jeannie Sheneman and GM Hakim narrate all of the characters and do a good job bringing all the characters to life. Capturing their unique spirits and the tone of the plot.

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such a strong main character

Revisado: 02-01-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This was a gem of a find. A perfect mix of story and narration that drew me in and never let me go.

Samantha Norbury was Kara Mason. She was a great fit for both the young and slightly older girl. She captured Kara’s vulnerability and fierceness.

This dystopian zombie story, while ultimately very different, gave me vibes of The Hunger Games and Divergent. It brought me back to the time when I was reading about brave girls changing their worlds.

I loved how the first person narrative kept Kara and the reader in the dark about the big picture. The story was suspenseful and had me closing one eye while I was listening. 😂

I was gripped by Kara’s struggles to survive the dead. All the brushes she had and her tenacity. There was one moment I did have a little confusion. There was a time jump that left me confused for a little bit until I figured it out. Not sure if it was just an audiobook blip or would have happened if I was reading. I thought I lost focus and missed something. But ultimately I figured it out and really liked this one.

If you’re looking for a strong girl in a dystopian setting, you should check this out.

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a unique psychological thriller

Revisado: 05-08-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I’m always up to listen to a psychological thriller. This one took me on quite the ride. I must admit I needed to pay a little bit more attention than I usually do, but the payout was worth it. It is probably one of the more unique thrillers I’ve listened to as it dips a little into fantasy. The plot is layered and surprising at times. I don’t know if I would call it twisty, but it went off where I wasn’t expecting it and surprised me over and over.

Some of the characters were very unlikable and there were a few that my thoughts bounced around on how much I liked them in addition to how much I trusted their account of things. There were moments when I wasn’t sure it was all going to piece together, but it fit like a puzzle.

There are explosive secrets and just about everyone had at least one.

I’m trying to hard to describe this but to also not spoil anything. I’m not sure where that line is but I definitely don’t want to overstep. Everyone is unreliable. The characters are relatable but not always likable. There is a wild roller coaster of a ride as it all slowly unravels. I know that makes no sense but it really does.

Dryw McArthur and Louise Rook Schofield do a great job of voicing all the characters (and there are a few) in this one. They keep everything in check and represent the right tone as the plot layers are peeled back and exposed.

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this hit the spot

Revisado: 12-30-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I know I was a little grumpy about holiday books a while back but it was just a phase. I have read a few now and while not full out in Christmas mode, I am definitely ready for some Christmas romcoms.

This one hit the spot. It did take me a moment to warm up and love the main characters (could be me and that grumpy thing I mentioned), but I did and ended up loving this one. Megan as a run away bride and Christian as her protector. I didn’t know how much I liked the fake dating trope until last year, but I love it when it is done well and it is here.

There is some witty banter and this is my third book close together with an isolated cabin in the woods, but the use is quite different than in the other thrillers I read. There are a couple of side stories about a proposal and resolving Megan’s runaway bride slights.

While there are a couple of slightly spicy scenes, but this could really be a Hallmark movie. (but they kiss before the last page)

If you need a little romance, a laugh and some holiday spirit, you need this book!

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I was hooked from the start

Revisado: 09-13-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Oh my, I was hooked from the start. A heart surgeon with a perfect record of saving her patients that loses her first one? Then we learn she recognized the patient. I wanted to know who, what, when, where and how. Was it an accident? Did she do it on purpose? How does she know him? I love when an author can stun me and in this one, she did. I won’t go into any details because of potential spoilers, but I am usually able to guess and limit things down to a few different guesses on the outcome and love when the outcome is something other than what I have suspected at some point. I didn’t like the main character, Anne. Yet I still was invested in the story. That is a fine line to walk and this was well done. The complex story kept me guessing. As soon as I had an idea where it was headed, there was another layer or twist to change my thinking. I both read and listened to this one, as time permitted and loved Gwendolyn Druyor’s narration. I think this is my first listen to one of her audiobooks and she kept me interested in the story. I can’t wait to read Leslie Wolfe’s next novel and think if you like complex, unpredictable mysteries, this one is worth your time!

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How well do you know him?

Revisado: 06-08-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The author’s books are quickly becoming a favorite of mine to pull me out of a slump or to just cleanse my reading palette. They are always short, fast paced and twisty. What if your daughter came to you and told you she met the love of her life on the internet, and he lived thousands of miles away in another country? And that she wanted to go see him? Yeah, I am pretty sure that would be thoughts too. I don’t have to watch Dateline to know this is probably going to end badly. And I’ll also add in this one, I figured out what was going on pretty early on, but I was still entertained. Unlikable characters doing stupid things. I’m in as long as I want to know a little more. There weren’t a lot of characters, so not a lot of red herring suspects, but even though I worked things out, I did doubt my choices a time or two.

And while I quite often switch between reading and listening, this one I only listened. Harrie Dobby and Tamsin Kennard nailed the narration by bringing the story to life and keeping my attention. The narration will make or break a story for me and this one was spot on. I was annoyed when life got in the way and I had to hit pause.

The author’s books are good whether listening or reading and this one was no exception. If you are looking for a popcorn thriller, this is a great choice.

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Couldn’t stop listening

Revisado: 02-20-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I know when I pick up one of Daniel Hurst’s books, I am in for a fast-paced twisty ride, so imagine my surprise when he lulled me into a slow burn marital drama instead of a twisty thriller. But don’t worry, it all picked up part way through and kept me on my toes. I’ve read quite a few of his books and I liked this change of pace. While I saw the very last twist coming, there were a few that caught me off guard. I have to say I’ve read a few books lately that you don’t have to wait for the twist at the end. You never know where they might happen and I think that’s a plus.

You don’t read his books for the loving characters, so don’t get put off by the unlikeable couple at the center of this. Once things start to happen, you are invested to know the outcome. Not too many details here so as to not spoil anything but trust me you’ll want to know. Their dual narration allows you to know both sides of their marital woes. And at times it seems like Fern is telling you the story as a friend.

I was both listening and reading the book, as time permitted, and I thought both Sarah Durham and David Wayman did an excellent job bringing Fern and Drew to life.

I think of the author’s books as part of the popcorn thriller genre that aren’t too long, move quickly and keep you guessing. If you love that in a book, you should pick this one up.

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A complete listen

Revisado: 02-14-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I always love seeing the new cover for Patricia Gibney's books.  The monochromatic scene with that pop of color.  Always gets my attention.  And the books are as good as the cover. Now I know the blurb lists reading in one sitting.  I was not able to do that because the book was 500 pages and I never get to sit and read for that long, but if I could I definitely would.

This is the perfect blend of the team solving a crime and having a personal life.  Now the personal life bits carry over from book to book as the characters expand and grow, but I think there is enough detail to pick a book up in the middle of the series as I haven't read them all and still enjoyed this one.  As with real life, the team in this one gets distracted some by their personal issues as they try and work together to figure out who keeps killing the women in the widows' support group.  And I really sympathize with Lottie as she is dealing with her mother's memory issues.

I'm quite good at figuring out the killer long before the end of a lot of books, but to be honest, I didn't even wager a guess in this one.  The complexity and layers kept me from homing in on one suspect for any length of time.  A serial killer targeting a widow's support group, where one member's husband is missing and not actually dead. Is this a red herring or is it related?  Brutal deaths and not a lot to go on.  I enjoyed the team working together to solve the murders.

I was also lucky enough to listen to the audiobook narrated by Michele Moran.  Her narration was spot on and I could listen to her accent for forever.  She really grounded the story for me.  She seamlessly switches from character to character and even to the killer all while not distracting from the plot.

I think anyone who loves crime novels will love this series whether in print or audio.  I'm definitely heading out to track down the books I have missed.

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