RB

One of my favourite female characters

Revisado: 04-03-15

What made the experience of listening to Act of Mercy the most enjoyable?

I think that Mason Lloyd was a key factor in my enjoyment. I love the use of a male narrator in this novel. It highlights how well Roth can write the male perspective.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mercy is one of my favourite female leads that Mandy has written, she is hilariously geeky and adorably awkward. Such an unexpected match for the grump alpha stick-in-the-mud that is Duke.

Any additional comments?

Oh I love this pair. Duke is a stubborn and disgruntled PSI Supernatural team member, those who have followed the I-Ops series will have heard of him before and be familiar with this world. This was my first book in the PSI/I-Ops/Outcasts world and while there were moments where a vague reference was made to events and past plots, there was care taken not to include anything that would spoil the other stories. I think that the enjoyment of the overarching plot of these interlinked series is much increased by reading them all in order.
For those who have not read Mandy Roth's work before, she is a fast paced and fun writer who keeps you turning the page. He books are not hard to read and usually have strong and fun female leads, Mercy is one of the best yet. I think every new book she releases gets stronger and stronger, and look forward to the next one.
I used both the kindle and audiobook editions of this, which was a seamless experience I highly recommend for anyone like me who commutes to work and also reads in the evenings.

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Steampunk meets steamy in this fun action paranorm

Revisado: 04-03-15

Which character – as performed by Mason Lloyd – was your favorite?

One of the things I enjoy about this book is the choice to have a male narrator instead of a female for a romantic novel. It changes the tone of the book as you listen to it, emphasises the male POV and changes the feel of the steamy scenes. I think it makes it more appealing to a female listener and more accessible to a male listener and is an unexpected and fun choice for this genre.

Any additional comments?

Mandy Roth continues to write really fun female leads in a fast paced action story. This is the story of Doc and Lynn and runs in parallel with the first book in the series in terms of timing. It is a bit fun if you have read the first one and recognise the action that is happening offstage while this plot is running.
The lead female, Lynn, has some fun background plot and is a bit of a foil to the previous story's woman, both strong but different. I am looking forward to the next novel in this series.
I switched quite a lot between the kindle and audiobook editions of this, which was a seamless experience I highly recommend for anyone who likes to read when they can but wants to continue the story during their commute to work.

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Gripping plot with great characters

Revisado: 03-11-15

What made the experience of listening to Intoxicating Magic the most enjoyable?

I think it was a great combination of excellent narration with a great story! Highly recommend this.

What did you like best about this story?

This is the third book in the Crescent City Fae series and I strongly recommend that you read the books in order, as it will both significantly increase your enjoyment of them as the plot is very dependant on previous, and avoid major spoilers if you read them in order as the books reveal key plot from previous stories as important information to understand the current plot.
This was another great book from Deanna Chase, the plot this time was less about the love triangle and more about how Willow can function effectively ongoing in a relationship and in her own skin. I think this one had the most personal growth for her and many of the other characters and felt like it was a very settled ending without a lot of loose ends.
The plot was very exciting, as has been the case with all the Crescent City books, and the ending was quite surprising, with characters that were not clearly black or white, but with complex motivations and trust issues. It was fun to follow along as they discovered the clues. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading another Deanna Chase novel soon!

What does Gabra Zackman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Honestly, I love reading books for myself on my kindle, but there are a lot of times when I need to be doing something with my hands and eyes, mostly driving to work! What Gabra brings to the story for me is an excellent narration that fits perfectly with how I hear it in my head when I read the book for myself, it makes the transition between written and audio so comfortable and effortless that I did it several times and cannot remember which bits I read and which I listened to. I love that.

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Deanna Chase always gives you more than you expect

Revisado: 03-11-15

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I think that Deanna Chase is one of the best series writers I have read. She builds on her characters and the life-long stories in a way that is gripping, endearing and complex all at once. I would definitely recommend both this series and her other series on Audible, the Bourbon street books.

What did you like best about this story?

This is book 2 in the Crescent City Fae series and I strongly recommend that you read these books in order as they include spoilers for previously books in the series.
At the end of the last book we were left with some pretty big information that turns into big plot in book 2. No longer a sideliner who is just there to support Willow, Talisen now takes some attention himself as a the creator of a powerful substance that is very open to criminal abuse.
I find it interesting how Deanna Chase takes good characters in this series and matches them to horrific creations that, while they may have good uses, are essentially the tools to create a horrific dictatorship or other overly powerful ruling body. It is mind boggling to see magic as both the gentle nature-focused happy moments in the main character's lives and the tools of world domination and subjugation simultaneously. The plot never takes it to a nightmarish place like that, but the combination of physical and psychological power that these two have created should make you stop and think.
That is something that really sets Deanna's books apart for me, the way she brings in such unexpected and often complex and interesting aspects to her seemingly lighthearted world. She gives you an intellectual pause while enjoying a page turning fun read, to think about some of the realities of magic of any kind in our complicated world where things can be used in ways the creator never intended.
This series has really grown on me, I honestly thought I mightn't enjoy it as much as the Jade series as it is not filled with the adults-only scenes that the Bourbon street series has in every book, but it has such a charm of it's own, the political machinations are so unpredictable, I love it.

Which character – as performed by Gabra Zackman – was your favorite?

I think my favourite character in this book is Maude, but I think if I get into a longer discussion of why it might cause spoilers!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

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Another terrific series from Deanna Chase

Revisado: 03-11-15

What did you love best about Influential Magic?

After reading the Bourbon Street series, this was a little bit of a change of pace, Willow, the herione is much less engaged with the human world than Jade. She is a faery and is in the thick of all things non-human from page one as she is employed by the government agency that deals with the non-human world.

This was a very engaging read, a real page turner just like Deanna Chase's other books. Fun and easy to read but quite emotionally rich. For those who come from her Bourbon series, like me, this book is much less explicit both in the violence and the relationships, but it is still a great plot and the characters seem to have a lot of potential, I like the key players and I am looking forward to reading more about them in the rest of the series.

I think my favourite aspect of this book is the how the world has a lot of complexities that take away the black and white of good and bad. We never doubt Willow's goodness but there are many things that can make a bad guy seem less clearly bad and a good guy seem to have questionable motivations, it certainly kept me on my toes the whole time who was at the cause of each event and whether all was as it seemed to Willow (as the book is narrated from her viewpoint). While the ending gives closure, I was left keen to continue the story in the next book.

What other book might you compare Influential Magic to and why?

I would certainly compare it with Deanna's other series, although it has distinctive differences including the lack of adult only scenes and the fact that the book has a heroine who is not attached for much longer in the over arching story.

What about Gabra Zackman’s performance did you like?

I think she is terrific, the right amount of character voices without being over the top, she is great at getting her tone and inflection perfect to communicate what I think the author wants to say. I seemlessly swap between reading it on kindle and listening to it on here and the voice in my head was just the same feel as this narrator. Really liked her.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

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Chase creates new depth and richness for her world

Revisado: 01-31-15

What made the experience of listening to Shadows of Bourbon Street the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed this story in conjunction with the ebook, swapping between them whenever I needed to (mostly when I was driving I would listen and at home in the evening I would go back to my kindle. I just didn't want to put this one down so having the two options made it that much more enjoyable.

What other book might you compare Shadows of Bourbon Street to and why?

Other than the obvious (previous books in this series) I would compare this book with the Sookie Stackhouse series, it has that really blurring with our reality sense that Harrison is also very good at doing. I might also compare it with the Jane Maddison series as it has a sense of fun not unlike Klasky's writing. Finally I would compare it with the Merry Gentry series in the way the Author really gives her characters the chance to grow and change through the book. I love the way Chase doesn't force unchanging opinions and hang ups on her characters, if the plot let's them learn and grow then the characters develop to new opinions and hang ups. As a reader that is so much more engaging.

Which scene was your favorite?

Probably when they meet Dayla, Chase has a fabulous imagination and brings really fresh ideas with each book. Heading into Coven Point was filled with confusion and mystery, we are finding out what the heck is going on in this odd place along with Jade and it was really captivating to read.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Chaos and adventure ensue for Jade and her friends when angel crash her wedding with an urgent demand for help.

Any additional comments?

I think that this is a terrific series however if you haven't read any of the books before you really MUST go back to the book 1 and read them in order of you with spoil a lot for yourself.

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Another book in this great series

Revisado: 01-29-15

What did you love best about Angels of Bourbon Street?

The complex character development. I love that Jade had big emotional struggles to face and that the characters are often not clearly good vs bad but that often the 'bad guy' in the books is someone in a crap situation that they never chose to be in. It's so much more interesting than simply a bad person.

What other book might you compare Angels of Bourbon Street to and why?

It reminds me of Mindy Klasky's books, though I think it is a bit more intense but it has the fun, humorous and paranormal aspects of Mindy writing.

What does Traci Odom bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like the accents she sometimes adds to characters. I never read them that way in my own head and it adds a lot of colour to the characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This is a great series and I strongly recommend it. Make sure you read it in order as the plot really progresses in each book and the characters grow and develop (especially Jade). You will find a lot of spoilers if you read out of order.

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