FORBIDDEN MAGIC
Forbidden Magic by Stephanie Foxe
Book 4 in the Witch’s Bite series
Narrated by Laurel Schroeder
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Forbidden Magic:
Join Olivia Carter one last time in the final installment of the Witch’s Bite series.
Loyalties tested. Prophecies fulfilled. And magic’s final price.
After being kidnapped, shot at, blown up, and barely escaping a collapsing building…I’m done following orders; and the threats don’t scare me anymore.
My trust in Reilly has grown since the attack on the Summit and meeting his clan. But when he suggests the unthinkable, I realize I must find my own way to kill this God.
Source: Info in the About Forbidden Magic was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39809577-forbidden-magic on 24/10/2019.
My Thoughts:
Like all the books in this series, this one is also short and sweet with 252 pages long. This is the finale of the series and I liked it! However it was not the big bang that I expected. That may only be because my expectation bar was a little higher than it ought to be. My bad! Furthermore, the ending although not a cliffhanger, but also hints of possibilities that there might be more stories coming of the Olivia Carter world. And like the previous book, I read this ebook more than I listened to it. Still not a fan of Laurel Schroeder‘s singsong reading. At the end of it, I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it to all urban fantasy readers! However, to get here, you need to read the previous books in the series!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 5
Plot = 3.5
Narration = (N/A)
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Witch’s Bite Series:
About Stephanie Foxe:
Stephanie Foxe was born and raised near Houston, TX. She grew up playing in the pond and woods in her backyard, and devouring every book she could get her hands on.
Her teen years were spent transitioning slowly from reader, to writer. She spent most evenings on the phone with her cousin writing the first few pages to many books that would never be finished.
Her adult years were spent toiling away at a corporate job until one fateful day when she heard about a little writing project called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). From there, the idea of writing a book went from a fanciful dream to a finished manuscript. The first book in the Witch’s Bite series was written, and Stephanie was addicted.
Now, she has plans to publish everything from paranormal fantasy to science fiction.
One book at a time.
Join the Newsletter to be kept updated on any new releases. Sign up today to receive Unsteady Magic, the short story prequel to the Witch’s Bite series, for free!
About Laurel Schroeder:
Laurel Schroeder is a classically trained actor who received her MFA in acting from the University of Houston. She’s narrated over 100 audiobooks, and although her genres vary widely, she’s particularly fond of narrating young adult and mystery novels. When not in the booth working on her latest project, she can sometimes be seen in film or on stage, most recently in the world premiere of Good for Otto, by Tony Award–winning playwright David Rabe. A Colorado native, she now lives in Chicago with her boyfriend and their dog, the cutest little troublemaker you ever did see.
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
HOPELESS
Hopeless by Melissa Haag
Book 1 of the Judgement of the Six series
Narrated by Julie McKay
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Hopeless:
Gabby’s brain is like a human fish finder. It comes in handy when she wants to avoid people. Mostly men. They seem to like her a bit too much. It’s lonely being different, but she’s adapted to it. Really. She just wishes she knew why she is different, though.
In her search for answers, she discovers a hidden community of werewolves. She immerses herself in their culture, learning about their world until she meets Clay. He’s unkempt, prone to mood swings, intense without saying a word, and he thinks Gabby is his.
It’s going to take every trick she knows to convince Clay to go away, and every bit of willpower not to fall for him when she discovers the man beneath the rough exterior.
Judgement has begun…
Source: Info in the About Hopeless was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20985371-hope-less on 19/08/2019.
My Thoughts:
I first met this author with the Of Fates and Furies series and I liked the way she tells a story. So I thought I’d seek out her other works… Thus this book got bought and read. Like the other series, the books in this one also has multiple cover arts. For this particular book, the cover arts are apropos to the story but not high up in the “grab-me-now-and buy-me” scale.
I like the way Julie McKay reads. She sounds so much like Therese Plummer, another favourite narrator. Kudos to the narration! However, even with the convenience of the audiobook format, I would still say that this book is not a fast “read”. I find myself needing breaks from it from time to time. I contribute this to the tstl (too stupid to live) and whiny-ness of the heroine which I find royally annoying! However, the premise of the story is intriguing enough to keep me reading until the next book.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 3.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 55 mins)
Plot = 2
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Judgement of the Six Series:
About Melissa Haag:
I love to write! Sharing the worlds I’ve created is beyond amazing . Want to read a book for free? Check out my website at:
http://melissahaag.com/free-ebookConnect with me on:
https://www.facebook.com/author.MelissaHaag
I also write adult books under the pen name M.J. Haag. Happy reading!
About Julie McKay:
Julie is an Audie-nominated audiobook narrator of nearly 300 audiobooks. Her work has also been favorably reviewed in the industry magazine Audiofile.
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
OWL’S FAIR
Owl’s Fair by Leanne Leeds
Book 2 in the Owl Star Witch Mysteries
Narrated by Naomi Rose-Mock
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Owl’s Fair:
I get the divine talking owl bit. I understand the part about star magic. But if the “goddess” knows someone’s going to die, couldn’t she send a file with information on how to stop it instead of a sparkly card?
As a witch who was used to being told where to go and what to do for the greater good — after all, that’s how the witch military worked — being told what to do with the rest of my life by a goddess I didn’t believe in and a talking owl with a chip on his shoulder wasn’t all that far-fetched. The military prepared me to accept all sorts of things that make no sense.
But at least in the military, I had a manual.
During Alice Windrow’s card reading with my sister Ami, the glowing star card announces she is marked for death by someone and marked for rescue by the “goddess Athena.” Mom tells me the cheerful girl is known throughout Forkbridge for her philanthropy (funded by a distant relative’s substantial inheritance.) Alice claims she only wanted assurance that the marathon she sponsored will come off without a hitch. Nothing crazy going on in her life.
And yet someone wants her dead.
Can we unravel the plot in time to stop Alice’s murder? Or will the generous girl find that her marathon is officially over — for good?
Source: Info in the “About Owl’s Fair“ was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60560022-owl-s-fair on 14/05/2022.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
Like the first book, this one has more than just from A to B plot. For an urban fantasy, this series sure is good in the plot department! It is also good in the character development department. None of that “too stupid to live” (TSTL) nonsense where the protagonist acts out of character to create a dilemma in the story to the point of unrecognizability. Take Pistachio for example… beautifully crafted character! I recommend this book to all urban fantasy readers!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = (6 hrs and 24 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries
Books In Owl Star Witch Mysteries:
About Leanne Leeds:
Leanne Leeds writes witty, funny, and exciting paranormal cozy mysteries that are light-hearted explorations of offbeat small-town America. With a cast of quirky characters inhabiting her fictional world, Leanne provides a unique blend of comedy, clues, and twisty action — all with a touch of magic that keeps readers turning pages.
You can also visit her at leanneleeds.com for free stories, to join her newsletter.
About Naomi Rose-Mock:
Hi! I have recorded 100 plus audiobooks, I specialize in fiction with large casts of distinct characters. I am also an acting/dialect coach with over a decade of professional experience.
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.
MAGIC SIGHT
Magic Sight by Leia Stone and Lucía Ashta
Book 2 of the Supernatural Bounty Hunter series
Narrated by Kate Marcin
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Magic Sight:
When Evie found out she was knocked up with the alpha’s baby and a rare Kitsune with untold power, she thought life couldn’t get anymore complicated.
Then she was told she was also the guardian of the gate to the underworld and that her dad was still alive. Now she has 48 hours to bring in the Siren who started this whole fiasco in the first place.
What could go wrong?
*18 and up recommended reading age. Sexy times and cussing are sure to be found in this series.
Source: Info in the About Magic Sight was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43384275-magic-sight on 14/08/2019.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
The story started right where the first book left off and ended right in the middle of the story. So this one is more like a chapter of a bigger book. The start was began in Maigc Bite and the continuation will be in the subsequent installments in the series. Therefore, plot-wise this book hasn’t got much. In fact, if one reads Magic Sight on its own, the reader will be mightily confused because a lot of the explanations are in the previous book. I really like the premise of this book so the poor plot building and the cliffhanger ending is really a downer! And I don’t like cliffhangers, so I probably wouldn’t be reading further into this series…
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 3.5
Story itself = 1.5
Writing Style = 3
Ending = 1
World building = 4
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 2
Plot = 1
Narration = 4
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Series:
About Leia Stone:
Leia Stone is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Matefinder series which is optioned for flim, and the Hive Trilogy. She lives in Arizona with her husband, two kids and her dog. When she is not chasing around her twin son and daughter, or writing, she has her nose shoved in a book. She wrote her first book when she was 23 years old. Keep reading and live with purpose.
About Lucía Ashta:
I’m Lucía Ashta, creator of alternate realities and the kind of stories I like to get lost in as a reader. I love magical adventures (the more magical, the better!) that fascinate me with their twists, turns, and wild characters, both human and otherwise, so that’s what I write. Fresh stories that move beyond the ordinary to explore what’s possible when we suspend disbelief.
A former architect and attorney, I now get to dedicate myself full-time to bringing life to worlds I wish existed. Since I get to live in these other worlds through my writing much of the time, i consider myself pretty lucky.
Sign up for my newsletter to find out about new releases, giveaways, and sales and to receive a free book at: http://luciaashta.com/newsletter.
About Kate Marcin:
I do voiceover so that I can help bring my client’s projects to life with a voice that sounds real and relatable. I absolutely love it. Since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated with the performing arts. Now working for clients like Google, Dell and Skechers, I feel most comfortable embodying that relaxed, conversational, down-to-earth millennial spirit. Why am I telling you all this? Because I want to make your choice of who you hire as easy as possible so that your boss gives you the keys to her brand new Tesla and let’s you take over her corner office on the same day she’s come down with measles and has almost been pecked to death by a pigeon. Seriously, I’m here to help.
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
THE ELEVENTH HOUR
The Eleventh Hour by Mark Hayden
Book 3 in The King’s Watch series
Narrated by Ciaran Saward
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
Another Day, Another Scar…
Conrad needs a rest, and so does Vicky, his partner in fighting magickal crimes. The universe has other ideas.
Conrad had planned the perfect weekend in the English Lake District – tie up some loose ends before spending the night with his girlfriend. Simple. What could possibly go wrong?
Everything is the answer. An innocent man is murdered to cover up magickal misdeeds, and before they can draw breath, Conrad and Vicky are on the trail of a Mage who hides behind dark magick to kill at a distance.
In the third book of Mark Hayden’s highly praised King’s Watch sequence, Conrad and Vicky have to unlock doors and penetrate the ancient families of the Lakeland Particular to unmask a killer with an agenda of vengeance who doesn’t care who dies on the way.
Source: Info in the About The Eleventh Hour was taken from Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41036780-the-eleventh-hour on 02/06/2022.
When I bought this book I was thinking, “what the fluff is that duck doing in the cover art?!?”… it made sense in the end.
What I wanted to know is, what did His Worship left Conrad? Other than the Badge of Office itself. There were a few things in that chip… Yeah, curiousity killed the cat. Good thing I am not a cat! That was not answered in this book though, but I am hoping that it will be in subsequent books.
Tounela quillIf it was Lt. Eve Dallas of the In Death series by JD Robb, Augusta would be charged with accessory to murder. I know the Cloister Court is the magickal court and their rules could be different. But, howay, man! Augusta and everybody involved in the killing is not “did not do anything wrong”!
As usual, the story telling quality is superb! Not as much holes in the plot this time! Kudos to the author! And that I am now a firm rabid fan!
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 3
Pace = (11 hours and 25 minutes listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
About Mark Hayden:
Mark Hayden is the nom de guerre of Adrian Attwood. He lives in Westmorland with his wife, Anne.
Adrian has had a varied career working for a brewery, teaching English and being the Town Clerk in Carnforth. He is now a part-time writer and part-time assistant in Anne’s craft projects.
He is also proud to be the Mad Unky to his Great Nieces & Great Nephew.
His current writing project is the King’s Watch series of urban fantasy novels, from 13th Witch all the way down to Zero Hour. If he can keep it up.
I’m a London-based voiceover artist who loves discovering new things.
From small businesses and indie video games, to big publishers like William Collins and big authors like Wilbur Smith, I’ve worked with a range of clients to get their stories heard.
If you need a flexible & enthusiastic voice to bring your project to life, you’ve come to the right place.
Please have a listen to my voicereels, read some testimonials and see how I could help you!
No money received for this review.
WILD KNIGHT
Wild Knight by Annabel Chase
Book 1 in the Midnight Empire: The Tower series
Narrated by Suzanne Elise Freeman
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Wild Knight:
In a world of darkness where royal vampires are in charge, I spend my days working as a knight in the city formerly known as London. Instead of a lance and a horse, I rely on my trusty axe, Babe, and ride the occasional dragon. Every day new threats emerge that require a dash of magic and a dollop of attitude.
Good thing I have both.
Naturally danger comes with the territory. What no one knows is just how dangerous it is for me. If our vampire overlords discover what I am, they’ll execute me on the spot — no questions asked — which is why I avoid them at all costs.
Until now.
If only this one didn’t have a lethal reputation, a princely pedigree, and a quest that leads to more questions than answers. The heat between us doesn’t help matters.
Unfortunately I can’t refuse a royal command, so I’m stuck until the job is complete.
And even if the job doesn’t kill me, the truth just might.
Source: Info in the About Wild Knight was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59513802-wild-knight on 11/05/2022.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
Hey! This book actually has a plot! How about that??!
The first book that I read of this author is the Endless Knight and I nejoyed it so I went digging for more books by this author abd found out that the Midnight Empire: The Restoration is in fact an off-shoot series from this one, Midnight Empire: The Tower series. I like reading books from the start. I’m kinda anal that way. So finding out that I read a book which is essentially the fifth book in the Midnight Empire series was a downer! I pouted!! I read this book anyway. And I’m glad that I did because I enjoyed this book too!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 4
Cover art = 4
Pace = (6 hrs and 57 mins listening time)
Plot = 4
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Midnight Empire: The Tower Series:
About Annabel Chase:
Annabel Chase is the author of urban fantasy and cozy mystery novels. She would love to live in a magical town where she can shop at Ready-to-Were for the the perfect outfit, flirt with hot angels and vampires, and cook gourmet meals without exerting any effort.
About Suzanne Elise Freeman:
Audiobook narrator and voiceover artist narrating books in multiple genres, including Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, and Romance.
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
OBSIDIAN MAGIC
Obsidian Magic by McKenzie Hunter
Book 2 of the Legacy series
Narrated by Stacey Glemboski
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Obsidian Magic:
The only thing standing between me and death is my secret.
I’m a Legacy — a secret I’d planned on taking to my grave. Gareth, the enigmatic leader of the Supernatural Guild, knows it, but can I trust him to keep it? When mysterious deaths occur as a result of magic that mimics my own, I no longer have to worry about Gareth exposing me — it will be one of my own that does. Another Legacy is causing the chaos, and I’m forced to hunt my own kind. It seems simple, but we’ve existed for as long as we have because we’re better hunters than prey.
I’m forced to work with Gareth to clear my name and find the Legacy responsible. Not only is my secret about to be revealed — so is his. Gareth is much more dangerous than I expected. Is he my friend or my enemy?
Source: Info in the About Obsidian Magic was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35658025-obsidian-magic on 01/10/2019.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
This book has no beginning and no end. The story started with Double-Sided Magic and ended in a whooping big cliffhanger. So anyone reading this book on it’s own, I imagine the reader to get royally confused. If not pissed off, too. Because the entire book is just a middle chapter of a bigger book. I am so not a fan of that kind of book. At all! And also, not really sure how the title relates to the story… Which is a pity because I really like the way this author tells a story. Her author’s voice is easy to sink into. I also like th premise of the story, even though it is not very original. I wanted this book (this series) to work… On the bright side, the cover art kick-ass!! It is one of the things that made me buy this book to begin with. Additionally, I still like the way Stacey Glemboski reads. Kudos to the narrator!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4
Character development = 4
Story itself = 2
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 2
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4.5
Originality = 2
Pace = (8 hrs and 20 mins listening time)
Plot = 2
Narration = 4.5
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Legacy Series:
About McKenzie Hunter:
McKenzie, in her childhood, discovered that her life could be a whirlwind of adventures by simply opening a book. To this day, reading is still her favorite activity. She has a fondness for fantasy and mystery, which is probably why she writes urban fantasy.
When McKenzie isn’t working on her next book she is usually binge-watching paranormal and comedy shows, maintaining her title as “favorite auntie”, or trying to create a tasty low-calorie pizza.
About Stacey Glemboski:
Stacey is an accomplished audiobook narrator and voice actor who has recorded books for many best selling authors. Though her favorite books have been for kids and teens, many other genres of narration appeal to her.
Her acting experience has been largely experiential and has been honed through singing, plays, life, choir solos, Barbies, and eventually teaching middle school. For Stacey, narration is about having fun breathing life into characters and getting as lost as possible in the story she’s telling. Outside the studio, Stacey is compulsively addicted to tennis but is not seeking any treatment for this condition.
An experienced copy editor, proofreader, and English teacher, Stacey is adept at understanding complex texts and subtleties of plot and character.
Her home studio is a WhisperRoom sound-resistant booth, and she uses a Neumann TLM103, MBox Mini 2, and a MacBook Air.
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
CURSED FAE
She’s got green skin, twisted tusks, and a ferocious love of canned pineapple. And her high-stakes day job just landed her a do-or-die mission…
Pepper Sterling relies on her gifts to hide and stay safe. Born with the ability to manipulate stone with ease and disappear at will, the young troll left her unwelcoming clan and found work running messages between Earth and Faerie. But after fleeing a nasty band of elves who slapped a slave rune on her arm, she’s left with a broken wrist and a testily ungrateful tiger-shifter guest in her hidden lair.
Confused by powers that are inexplicably growing after the confrontation, she’s stunned when the snarly cat accuses her of illegal magic use and knocks her out with a spell. With rising tensions attracting the attention of the Lord of Winter and news of a dryad in danger only Pepper can rescue, she’s staggered by a shocking revelation about her true nature…
Will she have to confront Death himself to save the day?
Love to see Forrest again!! It’s like meeting a long lost friend! Character development? Can never go lower than 4! Having said that, I was not impressed with Pepper trying to face up to the bad guys and then let them beat her again just so that her tiger can save her again. I’m sorry, but, that is lame… However, the story telling quality is so wonderful that this book whizzed by.
On the first round of reading before the audiobook was released, I tried to read the ebook as slowly as possible and savour it as long as I could. But it still went too fast for me!
I am an old fan of this author and this series and can’t wait for Cursed Dragon!
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 5
Plot = 4
About Brogan Thomas:
Brogan lives in Ireland with her husband and their eleven furry children: five furry minions of darkness (aka the cats), four hellhounds (the dogs), and two traditional unicorns (fat, hairy Irish cobs).
In 2019 she decided to embrace her craziness by writing about the imaginary people that live in her head. Her first love is her number-one favourite furry child Bob the cob, then reading. When not reading or writing, she can be found knee-deep in horse poo and fur while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.
ANY WITCH WAY
Any Witch Way by Lindsay Buroker
Book 3 in the Witch In Wolf Wood series
Narrated by Vivienne Leheny
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Any Witch Way:
Morgen Keller’s life has been chaotic since she inherited her grandmother’s old house — and her legacy as a witch.
Werewolves regularly attack her, familiars spy on her, and enemies she didn’t ask for keep lighting her property on fire.
Through everything, she’s been fortunate to have one steadfast ally: Amar.
The lone werewolf is a fearsome fighter, a loyal protector, and he’s sexy in nothing but a magical talisman.
Just as Morgen and Amar overcome most of her problems and officially start dating, trouble from his past arrives in town. The powerful enemy who long ago slew his parents has come to finish off the family.
As strong as Amar is, he may not be able to handle his old nemesis alone. But will he let Morgen help? And is it within her fledgling power as a witch to do so?
Source: Info in the “About Any Witch Way“ was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59023699-any-witch-way on 19/04/2022.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
Morgen‘s enemies are creating trouble for her and of course she bumbled her way through it and survived. Even that sounds not very complimentary, in the world of urban fantasy that is actually not really bad. Especially that our heroine has her heart in the right place and that the story telling quality is very good indeed! So much so that this is the best book yet in the series!
Lucky is still his goofy self. But this time around he is ferocious and intelligent as well. How about that? However, I don’t think I approve of Zorro‘s name changing to Zephyr. Zorro works just fine!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 5
Pace = (7 hrs and 50 mins listening time)
Plot = 3
Narration = 5
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In The Witch In Wolf Wood Series:
About Lindsay Buroker:
Full-time indie fantasy/scifi author who loves hiking, tennis, and vizslas.
About Vivienne Leheny:
For over two decades, Vivienne Leheny has worked professionally in New York City and Los Angeles as an actor, voiceover artist and writer. She’s appeared on Off-Broadway and regional theatre stages, been screened at numerous film festivals (including Sundance in the 2019 opening night film: AFTER THE WEDDING), toured the northeast doing stand-up, and her writing has been published in national publications.
Vivienne has built a successful audiobook narration business, reading under her own name as well as under the pseudonyms, “Nola Zandry” and “Lily Collingwood.” She has a home studio and records using punch & roll software. Currently narrating six ongoing series, she also has numerous stand-alone book narrations, all of which are doing brisk sales on Audible, Amazon and iTunes. She’s narrated titles for Harper Collins, Macmillan, Recorded Books, and Simon & Schuster, among other audiobook publishers.
Vivienne will soon be recording her 150th audiobook narration.
Her audiobook narration course, The Voice in their Ear, has been a sell-out Maine Media Workshops+College, where she’s also taught her Putting Your Voice to Work: Building a Career in Voiceover curriculum, while her Breaking Into Audiobooks seminar for the SAG Foundation fills up quickly and with long wait lists. She’s also taught audiobook narration at the Caymichael Patten Studio.
She’s recorded over a thousand promotions for NBC programming (Saturday Night Live, Nightly News, Days of our Lives, Late Night with Conan O’Brien), including over a decade with The Today Show. She’s also done promotional spots for HBO, Showtime, and Bravo. Vivienne has voiced numerous national commercial campaigns, including Coca Cola, Fruit of the Loom, Florida Orange Juice, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Maxwell House and Revlon.
Her narration work has run the gamut, from Chain Gang Girls on Oxygen to Charles and Di: Once Upon a Time on TLC, from Fine Living’s Esquire’s Man at His Best to the six-part series Killer Outbreaks on Animal Planet, where she was the voice of the Bubonic Plague and West Nile Virus. She’s also the voice for the mysterious and disturbing “Phoenix Project” in the popular video game Assassin’s Creed, Unity.
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.
WOLF MAN
Wolf Man by Craig Zerf
Book 1 in the Project Bloodborn series
Narrated by Matt Waldron
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobook
About Wolf Man:
Brenner is not a werewolf…
He is the result of a secret US Army experiment. The creation of a government controlled Super Soldier.
And no one asked if he wanted to take part.
So, he escaped. And for the last fifty years has been living in the backroads and the small unknown towns of America. Never aging. Searching for a cure. At the same time avoiding the dark ops experts who are looking for him.
But just because he can become a seven foot, four hundred pound killing machine, it doesn’t mean that Brenner is bad. In fact, he sticks to a strict code.
And like the High Plains drifters of old, anyone who crosses the Wolfman’s code is sure to suffer.
They took his humanity … and now it’s time for payback.
Source: Info in the “About Wolf Man“ was taken from GppdReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36178703-wolf-man on 12/06/2021.
Buy Link(s):
My Thoughts:
Great start to a promising new-to-me series!
This is my first Craig Zerf read and I am fast becoming a fan. His author’s voice is compelling enough to make me buy book 2, Wolf Spirit, even though it does not have synopsis. Having no synopsis is very annoying…
This is also my first Matt Waldron listen. He reads fine. I just sometimes wish he would give some characters a different voice than his usual ones that would be more befitting the character. Like deepen his voice a little perhaps when he is reading the lines of a deep-voiced character. Like that. He does sometimes does it. But not all the time.
The plot is pretty straight-forward. Hero meets bad guys. There was a fight. Boom! Boom! Blood and gore… More bad guys, more fight. The end. But hey, this is urban fantasy, not crime fiction!
This book is violent so I do not recommend it to young readers.
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries
Books In Project Bloodborn Series:
About Craig Zerf:
Craig Zerf is a full-time writer who has been awarded the Golganooza Gold medal for Fantasy as well as being voted ‘Best Read’ by radio BBC United Kingdom.
His novels have been translated into French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and German.
Craig has lived in America, Africa and Europe and now resides in England with his wife and two imaginary cats.
His books have reached the number one Best Seller spot in both the United Kingdom and Germany and he reckons that writing is about the most fun that you can have without actually blowing things up!
The ebook and audiobook were bought with private funds.
No money received for this review.
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ABOUT US
Cherry Mischievous (CM) started out as a personal blog of Cherry. It still is, sort of, among other things. But now, we have evolved into a kind of blog where friends who share the same love of books also blog… to know more about us, click on our names to go to our profiles:
Please note that not all reviews here are positive, but then we do not expect the entire wide world to agree and have the same tastes as us. It would be an incredibly boring and monotonous world! Besides, even among ourselves we don’t agree! One would rate a book 4.5 while the other would rate the same exact book with only 3 or less… So have a look and see, especially if it is your genre of books, even though it garnered a low rating with us, you might find it interesting 🙂
Now, let me tell you about Cherry… I am an avid reader of SciFi/Fantasy/Romance books and always on the look out for a good book to read. I dabble in the black arts of light and shadow… err mmm… photography, I mean. I am also in great excess of 18 years old. I am a nurse and constantly getting in trouble because I refuse to live in a box of preconceptions of other people of how things are suppose to be. And let me tell you, nursing is dominated with “tradition” and “sacred cows“, as any nurse and nursing student will tell you. I love spaghetti, chocolate ice cream, coffee and of course, books! I positively abhor stories with cliffhanger endings and driving in London! I am slightly insane, sometimes sarcastic, can be obnoxious, and totally honest. And oh yeah, people call me tactless too 🙂 Welcome to my corner of the world!
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