Audio Book Review: “Behind You” & “A Shift in Shadows”

About Behind You

Despite being a rising star in the BAU unit, FBI Special Agent Hailey Rock still lives in the shadow of her older sister, who remained in their small Midwestern town to become a police sheriff and who remains the favorite in their parents’ eyes. Hailey has not thought of her estranged family in ages, but when young women turn up dead in her hometown, the FBI dispatches Hailey to solve the case her sister cannot—and forces her to face demons, including that of her kidnapped sister, that Hailey wished she would never face again.

Women are turning up dead, posed in local farm fields like scarecrows, and time is running out. A serial killer lurks, and their small town never felt so small.

A cat-and-mouse thriller with harrowing twists and turns and filled with heart-pounding suspense, the Hailey Rock mystery series offers a fresh twist on the genre as it introduces two brilliant protagonists who will make you fall in love and keep you listening late into the night.

Purchase Links:

Chirp: Behind You (A Hailey Rock FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by Rylie Dark – Audiobook (No Subscription)

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-You-Hailey-Suspense-Thriller/dp/B0BY9M881V

My Review of Behind You

I purchased an audiobook copy of Behind You, by Rylie Dark and narrated by Susan Marlowe from a Chirp Friday Freebie Deal. I’m offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

The trail of a serial killer creating human scarecrows in her hometown brings FBI Agent Hailey Rock back to work the case alongside her small-town sheriff sister, stirring old memories and old grievances, as they follow the crime trail to discover who is responsible for these reprehensible crimes. Unable to work together, the sisters pursue their individual theories independently, and it becomes more of a race to see who can solve the crime first. But you can’t solve the puzzle until you have all the pieces, and some are still missing. We are given enough viewpoint from the killer’s perspective to be able to speculate if each of the suspects could be the perpetrator, but the identity isn’t revealed until the very end.

This mystery is well written, although the personal conflict between sisters is over played in this listener’s opinion, making both law enforcement officers seem unprofessional and petty. That said, the narrator, Susan Marlowe does an excellent job, providing distinctive voices that don’t all sound alike, but very natural, and carefully placing just the right emotional touches exactly where needed.

A well-crafted crime thriller mystery with an excellent narrator. I give Behind You four quills.

About A Shift in Shadows

Betrayed by love.

I was a fool in love once—until I learned he only wanted me for my power. I left him and found love with someone else. He retaliated by ripping out her heart.

Driven by revenge.

Every year my warlock ex-lover leaves me a bloody heart as a gift. A taunt and a reminder that I belong to him. But he’s forgotten that I’m the ruthless feline shifter that was hunting down my enemies long before we crossed paths. Sooner or later, it’ll be his heart I’m holding in my hand.

Damned by magic.

But to destroy the warlock who has haunted my dreams once and for all, I might have to embrace the dark magic I’ve been hiding my entire life. And even if I survive… it will change the course of my life forever.

A Shift in Shadows is Book One of the urban fantasy romance series Lost Legacies. Perfect for fans of stabby morally grey FMC’s, all the found family vibes, and slow burning romances.

Purchase Links:

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Shifvt-Shadows-Lost-Legacies-Book/dp/B0F14MTQWP/

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-shift-in-shadows-by-maddox-grey-99acfacc04

My Review of A Shift in Shadows

I purchased an audiobook copy of A Shift in Shadows, written by Maddox Grey and narrated by Krys Janae, through a free Chirp deal. I’m offering here an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

I must commend this narrator. Every character has a distinctive voice which fits the character’s personality. Krys Janae does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life, whether they be shifter, vampire, witch or warlock, fae, demon, or…. something else. Janae may be the best narrator I have as yet encountered. Bravo on a job well done.

I had a hard time getting into this world. I am familiar with werewolves and vampires, but I haven’t read a lot of stories where they exist together and socialize. Add to that, witches and warlocks, demons, and members of the fae realm, all either loving or fighting amongst themselves, and new, unfamiliar beings called devourers, and that’s a lot to learn and assimilate. There are vampire hybrids, too; vampire kids, which goes against all that I know about vampires, which comes from classic vampire literature and Anne Rice. But once I accepted that this world was different from others which I had explored and accepted it for what it is, I began getting into the characters and the world, and I have to admit, I became invested.

Lemane knows who she is, but she is unsure what she is, and she is on a constant search for answers. But it’s hard to search when you are hiding from a crazy rogue warlock, who is determined to have her as his own or destroy her. All her life she was taught to keep her own magic hidden, and since she’s not encountered any other beings which have magic such as hers, the kind that can open gateways to other realms, she fears what will happen if she lets it out, but is forced to use it to save herself and those she cares for, time after time. With a vampire for a roommate, a werewolf for a lover, and a fae for a bestie, Lemane searches for answers in this realm and beyond. But there’s more going on than she realizes, and greater powers are at work, all in a grab for control of the realms.

Can Lemane find the answers she seeks and stop an evil coupe, avoid the warlocks and vampires, and stay alive long enough to save her world and herself?

I may not know what an FMC is, but I surely know a good story when I hear one. I give A Shift in Shadows five quills.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and Book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARC digital copies, (she also accepts print copies). Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.