Audio Book Review: Magic and Misrule by K.M. Merritt

Magic and Misrule by K.M. Merritt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just starting out to earn her shield, Vola is looking for a mission with her teacher Henri. As half orc, people are stuck on their prejudices of her being a monster. Coming into a small town she's guided to a place by her goddess for a mission, to find out what's going on with some of the people in town.

This story is a story of learning about yourself and learning how to work with others along with failure doesn't have to stop you.

Vola finds herself a mismatched group of people to become a team as they work on solving what's happened to people in the town. Those in the group have their own flaws, but they seem to be working well together to cover for each other. Vola has to realize that she's not just there to lead by doing, but to do together to get further and succeed.

I love seeing how each has what others may perceive as a flaw. But it makes them who they are and unique.

The setting is fun as I love fantasy and gaming themes. This isn't based in a game but has the group feel to the team.

Kristin James is one of my favorite narrators. I love listening to her bring the characters to life. She puts emotion into their voices. And the transitions are clean and clear.

I'll gladly listen to the rest of the series!

I received this audiobook at no-cost from AdoptAnAudiobook.com. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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Audio Book Review: The Wrong Witch to Hex With by Molly Harper

The Wrong Witch to Hex With by Molly Harper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We are returning to the island but to another family on the other side of the island. The Seaworth's.

They live in secret, hidden by their families magic. But things are evolving with the ghosts they have captured and closed up in the underwater locker.

Linney follows her sister to Starfall Point thinking she's meeting a man in secret. Which, she is but not for the reason Linney thinks. Linney doesn't make trips to town very often, and loves checking things out. But, she gets caught in a haunted alley with a ghost tour group and a ghost who demands she tell his story because the guide is wrong about it all.

This is the first time Linney meets Gray.

Grayson's trying to make his grandfathers ghost tour company work. He wants to do this. But he's having troubles with his siblings that want their inheritance, which the business was left to him and not them. And he's noticing the things that are moved in his home, that he didn't move.

They are drawn together, Linney and Gray, through different events. But does Gray want to be involved in the world of ghosts? That's a lot! Especially when there's someone out to get the Seaworth's.

I love this world that's created. This is a different view on the same island. The Seaworth's have a different magical connection to them. And they are the ones that see the ghosts that escape from Shaddow House. We do see the coven present in the book, mainly with Mina who's home from college for the summer.

I'm thinking there could be more interactions between Seaworth's and Shaddow House coven in the future books.

This book has the action of having to fight, magical and supernatural presence, along with finding love. It's a series I enjoy when I want fun, light, and a little more to my stories.

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Audio Book Review: Brighteyes by C.T. Phipps and Michael Suttkus

Brighteyes by Michael Suttkus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book with Ashley and her adventures, picking up where we left off in the first book. It's also set in a larger world where other series cross with this one.

The story picks up loose threads from the first book. We see Gilroy, again. Ashley's siblings and their conflicts are a focus, leading to a whole problem of it's own with the Magestic 13, vampires, and even trafficking.

We get to dive back into Ashley's past. We get to see what she remembers of her family when younger. We even get to see how things went when she was lost to her vampire addiction. And, as things unfold, we learn more about her family in the end. Very interesting how things go!

There's action as we go into battles. Ashley's sword is still cool. I love this. I know Ashley always has things running through her mind and spirals out on strange thoughts, which is fun because she relates to comics and such. Always fun throw backs too. I did feel at times we got a lot of information told to Ashley at one time. Then into action we'd go.

Ashley starts to see who her friends are and maybe even rekindling of a relationship...if she wants?

I ended this audiobook with a "No. You didn't just do that to me." This goes to the authors. That was a surprise ending. Now I need to know all about how that came to be. lol.

I struggled some with the narrator and her voices in this audiobook. She has Ashley sounding whiny. She has a slower pacing to her speaking.

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Audio Book Review: Uncontrollable by Sean Oswald

Uncontrollable by Sean Oswald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crafty play with Roll Playing rules in this story.

I really liked the play with words and creating the ephemeral theme. Ever changing. This would be something interesting to try to play out as a character. And with it being a story, it's all a strange shock to the main character, Tim.

Tim doesn't have any friends in the world he just woke in. Making friends can be a little complicated if you look different today as you did yesterday. This is what he rolled, ephemeral, and he's trying to make his way in the world with it.

Tim's at the center of what's happening. For the good or for the bad? I'm not sure. I bounce back and forth depending on the god we see interact with Tim. He's over powered yet has so much to learn. The events in this book are getting Tim ready for what's to come. So what's to come?

There's more going on in the world. With the gods and rulers. They haven't told Tim yet, but we see it in the Prologue and Epilogue. I'll be listening to the next books as this is a fun idea and I'm curious as to what's happening that we aren't seeing, yet.

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Audio Book Review: Which Upon by Jayne Bicker

Which Upon by Jayne Bicker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this audiobook at no-cost from AdoptAnAudiobook.com. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

There's a lot of fairy tale themes blended into this world. Some go with names of the characters or themes in their life's events. Like Hook and Peter and their taverns. Red and Wolf along with others. I'd love to compare names and connections with you. I had fun seeing the connections and references to the fairy tales, and looked forward to reading more of them as the book unfolded.

Dusk is our main female character here. She had me curious at the beginning. It appeared she's the witch and the villain of the story. (I do love a good villain.) But there was something...just a little more to her. I was picking up on other things in her thoughts.

Can a character be both, a villain and one that helps? That's what drew me to Dusk even more. The crafting of her actions. And she's my damaged kind of character.

Dusk lives with the consequences of her actions along with her mother's past. She's a witch, after all. So she's built her own barriers to protect herself, even from her adoptive family.

Then Willoak, or Oak as friends call him, comes along.

Yes, this has a romance that happens and is for adults with a few scenes.

Oak has his own reason for being in Dyr kingdom, from his kingdom - Clubs. He's a fun main male character to balance Dusk. He's also a halfling. That's part of the game between him and Dusk, what type of halfling is he? We will find out in the end. And I think I love him even more!

Dusk has her own internal struggles and journey to go on, which happens in this book with the events that unfold and happen. I loved that the movement of the story kept going forward and the events kept the story interesting as Dusk learns about how she is handling things.

The narrator is a lovely voice. I enjoyed listening to her. All is clear and clean.

I did love the ending as well. I want to continue with this series and see how others continue to do in the world.

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Audio Book Review: Never Been Witched by Molly Harper

Never Been Witched by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the last of this trilogy with these ladies and I enjoyed it.

It held the same feel as the first two with Riley and Caroline. Alice has some past she doesn't want to share with the girls because she may have shared a few things with the wrong person. Innocently, of course. So with Alice feeling like she doesn't belong and cutting herself off from her coven, she's also cut her magic off from them. And she along with they are seeing things feel different. Alice also will face her grandparents and how they look down on others, along with her.

Alice is coming into her own now. She has friends that stand by her and appreciate her. Sure, there's always pasts and things to work through.

We also meet Collin. He's new to town but he spent years here in his youth. He comes with his own past and struggles. Something he needs to work past is his ex...girlfriend/fiance and family. All while he's trying to bring the Dutchess back to her glory hotel days, starting with removing that awful orange. He'd like to add antiques to the rooms, and Alice is knowledgeable about antiques and what will fit the design he's looking to create.

There's a connection there with Alice and Collin. And not realizing it, they help each other through some tough times with people. And ghosts.

There's a ghost story that goes with The Dutchess that others didn't know, and it's connected to Alice too. Great story there.

We also get the finish with the Ghost Locks in Shaddow House along with who the Willing is that's in town and wants it all and why. I was hoping we'd get this finally, and you'll be surprised how it all connects. Did you expect that person to be the Willing? I didn't.

There's a new series that's starting soon with people in another area but in the same world. I'm definitely going to pick it up when it comes out. :)

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Audio Book Review: Big Witch Energy by Molly Harper

Big Witch Energy by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We have an over all arch of the Ghost Locks in the house and finding haunted items to tend to the ghosts. But this is Caroline's story, her life and actions.

I really like Caroline. She's head strong and sassy. She was one I really loved hearing speak up in the first book. She says the things that others whisper or think about. She's one to do what needs to be done for her family. She also doesn't do a steady relationship. And we get her reason for it in her book.

Her family has a curse...They can't leave the island, or at 24 hours they have a terrible accident.

This curse has dictated what Caroline will do. She's stayed home and working the family bar. Even when her high school love left to become a doctor and live his life. He never believed in the curse, thinking it was her way to stay at home and try to help her family that seem to take advantage of her kindness.

Ben has returned to the island with his two teenage children. This is going to be a tough conversion for them all. He still has feeling for his high school love, after all these years.

Seeing Caroline and Ben reconnect is fun. Also with the kids. The kids are smart and witty. I loved meeting Mina and Josh. And they have great ideas, advice, and add spontaneity to the story. They also are more than we know. Love this little connection that is created.

We do get to see ghosts. There's one that needs help and one that's causing big trouble, especially for the Wilton family. Caroline is determined this could very well be connected to the curse of her family.

I enjoyed this. And diving into the third book ASAP. These are fun and light stories I needed right now.

The narrators are the same as the first book, which is nice because they have voiced all the characters and know their personalities. We have a female narrator for Caroline's POV and a male narrator for Ben's POV. I like this dynamic, really gives the feel from two different minds.



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