Book Review: Sinister Magic
Posted: September 8, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Review, Urban fantasy | Tags: Audio Books, Book Review, Lindsay Buroker, Sinister Magic, Urban fantasy, Writing to be Read 3 Comments
About the Book
When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently.
This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community — as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb.
That changes when my boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating me, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of my latest job.
I’ve taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful. And it doesn’t look like this one is going to like me.
Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel me to do his bidding, as if I’m some weak-minded minion.
That’s not going to happen. I’d die before being some dragon’s slave.
But if I can’t figure out a way to avoid him, save my boss, and get rid of the government spook, I’m screwed. Or dead. Or screwed and dead. And that’s never comfortable.
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Sinister-Magic-Fantasy-Dragon-Dragons/
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/eye-of-truth-by-lindsay-buroker
My Review
I listened to the audiobook of Sinster Magic, book 1 in Lyndsay Buroker’s Death Before Dragons series, narrated by Vivienne Leheny. Although I have listened to many of Buroker’s Science epic fantasy stories, this was the first urban fantasy by her that I had read. It has Buroker’s usual snark, which I love, and Leheny does a beautiful job with the narration as always, portraying a full cast of dwarves, vampires, dragons, and other dimensional tigers, as well as other supernatural beings and humans alike.
I listened to Buroker on the Six Figure Author podcast because she is a multi-genre author, and I enjoyed hearing how she handled the marketing for books of different genres. Buroker keeps her mailing lists seperate, because she believes that the readers of one genre wouldn’t be interested in reading her works in a different genre. Her co-host Adrienne Pearson does the same with her genres of fantasy and romance, too. In theory, that makes a lot of sense, but I have to say that I enjoyed this urban fantasy story just as much as I have the epic fantasy stories I have heard by her. Of course, I’m a multi-genre author, as well as a multi-genre reader, so perhaps I do not fall within the norms.
Delightfully distinctive characters and the Buroker snark makes for quite an entertaining urban fantasy story. I give Sinister Magic five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Eye of Truth
Posted: August 11, 2023 Filed under: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Review | Tags: Adventure, Audio Books, Book Review, Epic Fantasy, Eye of Truth, Lindsay Buroker, Vivian Leheny, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout the Book
After 10 years at war, Jev Dharrow looks forward to hanging up his sword, relaxing with a cool mug of ale, and forgetting that the love of his life married another man while he was gone. But when his ship sails into port, a beautiful woman wearing the garb of an inquisitor from one of the religious orders waits to arrest him.
His crime? He’s accused of stealing an ancient artifact with the power to start another war. Jev would gladly hand over the artifact to stop more suffering, but he has no idea where it is or even what it looks like. The inquisitor woman definitely has the wrong person.
Inquisitor Zenia Cham grew up with nothing, but she has distinguished herself as one of the most capable law enforcers in the city, and she’s next in line to become archmage of the temple. All she has to do is find the Eye of Truth, and her superiors are certain Jev has it.
He tries to charm her with his twinkling eyes and easy smile, but she’s not letting any man get between her and her dreams. Especially not a thief.
If Jev can’t convince Zenia they’re on the same side, find the artifact, and clear his name, his homecoming will turn into a jail sentence. Or worse.
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Eye-of-Truth-Lindsay-Buroker-audiobook/
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/eye-of-truth-by-lindsay-buroker
My Review
I listened to the audiobook of Eye of Truth, book 1 in Lindsay Buroker’s Agents of the Crown series, narrated by Vivienne Leheny, an epic fantasy adventure that will steal your heart. Book 1 of the Agents of the Crown series is a classic Buroker fantasy, with plenty of snark, and as always, I am amazed by Leheny’s ability to portray a full cast of characters, giving each a distinctive voice. If magic and mayhem appeal to you, this epic tale is a must read. And as always, Buroker you value for your buck with an epic length tale, supplying several hours of listening enjoyment.
Zenia is an inquisitor of the water order who has worked hard to prove herself and rise nto a positon of power. But, when she is called upon to bring in Jev, an accused thief who claims innocence and appears to be genuinely unaware of the crime he is accused of, she begins to have doubts about the validity of her position and duties. How can she honor her duties when she is uncertain of his guilt? She takes him into custody, but the journey back to the water order only strengthens her suspicions that she has the wrong man.
This book has everything an epic fantasy should have – magic, elves, dwarves, romance and lots of adventure – all wrapped up in a well-crafted and intricate fantasy world. I give Eye of Truth five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: The Clock Maker’s Secret
Posted: June 2, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Review Leave a commentAbout the Book
A buried clock holds the key to a decades-old mystery….
On holiday to escape the nightmares of his last case, disgraced soldier turned private detective John “Slim” Hardy comes upon something buried in the peat on Bodmin Moor.
Unfinished, water-damaged, but still ticking, the old clock provides a vital clue to an unsolved missing-persons case.
As Slim begins to ask questions of the tiny Cornish village of Penleven, he is drawn into a world of lies, rumors, and secrets – some of which the residents would prefer to stay buried.
Twenty-three years ago, a reclusive clockmaker left his workshop and walked out onto Bodmin Moor, taking his last, unfinished clock with him. He disappeared.
Slim is determined to find out why.
The Clockmaker’s Secret is the stunning sequel to Jack Benton’s acclaimed debut, The Man by the Sea.
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Clockmakers-Secret-Slim-Hardy-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07GSM1LKK
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/the-clockmaker-s-secret-by-jack-benton
My Review
I listened to the audio book, The Clock Maker’s Secret, by Jack Benton and narrated by Kevin Green. The British voice of Green helps to set you in both time and place, although Benton gives us enough to determine this even if reading a print or digital copy. But I do think Green’s voice adds an extra allure to the story. Benton has skillfully laid out this well-crafted mystery, filled with surprising revelations, as all is not as it seems.
Detective John ‘Slim’ Hardy is on holliday, trying to outrun the demons of his past, but true to his nature, when he finds an old clock buried and hidden, he just can’t resist a good mystery. It’s made by a clockmaker who disappeared many years ago. But there are those in Penleven who perhaps don’t want to see the clock’s secrets revealed. As Slim works to unravel the clock’s mystery, he finds that the clockmaker had a few secrets of his own, and the deeper he gets, the more he wonders if the clockmaker’s secret isn’t best left buried.
A gripping mystery which takes several surprising turns. I give The Clockmaker’s Secret five quills.
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Important Update
If you have never tried Chirp audiobooks, but would like to, I have great news! Chirp has given me this special link for me to share the above book with new Chirp readers/listeners. So, if you haven’t tried Chirp and you’d like to give The Clockmaker’s Secret a try, click on the link and give it a go: https://www.chirpbooks.com/r/a75333e42889/link
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: A Hard Ticket Home
Posted: May 19, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Crime, Fiction, Mystery | Tags: A HArd Ticket Home, Audio Books, Book Review, Brent Hinkley, Crime Fiction, David Housewright, mystery, Writing to be Read 2 CommentsAbout the Book
Ex-St. Paul cop Rushmore McKenzie has more time, and more money, than he knows what to do with. In fact, when he’s willing to admit it to himself (and he usually isn’t), Mac is downright bored. Until he decides to do a favor for a friend facing a family tragedy: Nine-year-old Stacy Carlson has been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only one with the matching bone marrow that can save her is her older sister, Jamie. Trouble is, Jamie ran away from home years ago.
Mac begins combing the backstreets of the Twin Cities, tracking down Jamie’s last known associates. He starts with the expected pimps and drug dealers, but the path leads surprisingly to some of the Cities’ most respected businessmen, as well as a few characters far more unsavory than the street hustlers he anticipated. As bullets fly and bodies drop, Mac persists, only to find that what he’s looking for, and why, are not exactly what he’d imagined.
David Housewright’s uncanny ability to turn the Twin Cities into an exotic, brooding backdrop for noir fiction, and his winning, witty hero Rushmore McKenzie, serve as a wicked one-two punch in A Hard Ticket Home, a series debut that reinforces Housewright’s well-earned reputation as one of crime fiction’s stars.
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/A-Hard-Ticket-Home/dp/B082TLLK5Q/
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-hard-ticket-home-by-david-housewright
My Review
I listened to the audio book A Hard Ticket Home, written by David Housewright and narrated by Brent Hinkley. This book is a cross between your typical detective story and a cozy mystery, with distinctive characters. Hinkley sets the perfect tone, giving it kind of a Mickey Spillane feel, which is perfect for the genre and the story.
Rushmore McKenzie isn’t a cop anymore. He’s a billionaire, but even though he doesn’t need the money, he makes a hobby of playing P.I. When he’s called upon to find the long lost sister, Jamie, of none year old Stacy Carlson, in order to find a possible bone marrow doner and save Stacy’s life, he steps into more than he bargained for. Just as he locates Jamie, she is murdered in hideous fashion, and he finds himself on the middle of a murder mystery as he tries desperately to find Jamie’s missing son, who might be the only one left who could save Stacy’s life. But Mac has drawn attention in his investigation, and now someone is trying to kill him, too.
Filled with twists and turns that keep readers guessing, I give A Hard Ticket Home five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Silver Spells
Posted: May 5, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Review, Speculative Fiction, Women's Fiction | Tags: Audio Books, Book Review, Kate Moseman, Paranormal Women's Fiction, Silver Spells, Writing to be Read, Xe Sands Leave a commentAbout the Book
A paranormal women’s fiction (PWF) that’ll have you walking on air!
Luella Campbell is having the weirdest day ever. Getting fired from her job at the sunscreen factory for no good reason is bad enough, but when a mysterious dog brings a tempest into her former workplace, Luella’s life is completely upended by the sudden gift of wild and windy magical powers.
With the help of her ride-or-die best friends, her motorcycle-riding mother, and a romantic blast from the past, Luella must find a way to make ends meet while unlocking the mysteries of her newfound magic…and the secrets hidden in the picturesque town of Sparkle Beach.
Sometimes, an empty nest means it’s your turn to fly.
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Spells-Paranormal-Fiction-Elementals/dp/B08YZ7339C
Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/silver-spells-by-kate-moseman
My Review
I listened to the audio book, Silver Spells, by Kate Moseman and narrated by Xe Sands. The soft, pleasant lilt of Sands’ voice made this story easy listening, and the characters weren’t too varied, but remained distinguishable. Moseman’s tale is well crafted. Although some events may seem to occur a bit too conviently, in the end, everything falls into place nicely.
After many years of loyal service to Sun Tan Queen, Luella Campbell is fired with no reason, she dumps her boyfriend, and her life is changing in some really big ways. Among the normal changes, like a new place to live, new friends and a new boyfriend are some a little less normal, like flying dogs which are invisible to all but a select few, the acquisition of a new pair of wings, and friends who develop mysterious powers… Her world has been turned upside down. Why these things are happening, she doesn’t know, but she’s determined to get to the bottom of it.
A fun and entertaining read. I give Silver Spells five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Kingdoms at War
Posted: February 24, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Fantasy, Review, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction | Tags: Audio Books, Book Review, Dragon's Gate, Fantasy, Kingdoms at War, Lindsay Buroker, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Vivian Leheny, Writing to be Read 3 Comments
The Audio Book
An epic series starter with nearly 1,100 five-star Goodreads ratings: Young mapmaker-in-training Jak dreams of exploring new worlds. But when he and his mother unearth the legendary dragon gate, Jak finds himself caught between his own growing power and magical enemies who will stop at nothing to eliminate him… From a USA Today bestselling author!
Purchase Link: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/kingdoms-at-war-by-lindsay-buroker
My Review
I listened to the audio book of Kingdoms at War, written by Lindsay Buroker, and narrated by Vivienne Lehany. Buroker takes readers on a science fantasy adventure that won’t be soon forgotten, complete with her signature snark, and Lehany brings it alive with her mastery of varied character voices.
Just as Jack and his mother find the artifact his father lost his life searching for, their find is discovered by the zidar, and they are swept away with the dragon’s gate to the distant kingdom of King Yidar. But if Yidar figures out how to use the gate, it could mean distruction for Jack and all of his kind, so his mother gives the key to the Captain of the female mercenary regiment for safe keeping, this making the whole regiment a target. Can they figure out how to wake the gate up? And if they do, can they convince the dragons to help them gain their freedom from the wizard kings and their Zidar? But will they be able to get the dragon’s gate away from Yidar and prevent him from discovering it’s secrets?
Kingdoms at War is book one in Buroker’s Dragon’s Gate series, and it brings the promise of much more to come. A delightful tale which kept my full engagement throughout. I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Mind Over Magic
Posted: January 27, 2023 Filed under: Audio Books, Audiobook Review, Fantasy, Review, Werewolf Fiction | Tags: Audio Books, Book Review, Fantasy, Lindsay Buroker, Mind Over Magic, Vivian Leheny, Werewolf, witches, Writing to be Read 6 CommentsThe Audio Book
Morgen is experiencing a midlife crisis when she travels to a small Washington town to handle her late grandmother’s estate. But upon arrival, she discovers the house is full of witch paraphernalia — and that she has powers she never knew about! Can Morgen adapt to her new reality while racing to solve her grandmother’s mysterious death?
Purchase Link: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/mind-over-magic-by-lindsay-buroker
My Review
I listened to the audiobook of Mind Over Magic, by Lindsay Buroker, and narrated by Vivianne Leheny. I have listened to this fantasy mystery three times, because it is so well crafted, with vivid descriptions and distinctive characters. Lindsay Buroker is known best for her snarky dialog and this book is no exception. Her humor allows for realistic reactions to bizarre occurrences such as finding a wolf on the hood of your car and then watching it change into a man, or discovering that your grandmother was a witch.
Morgan Keller is a practical and analytical data base tech who doesn’t believe in witches or werewolves. When she arrives at her grandmother’s home to wrap up the estate and decide what to do with her inheritance, it feels like she’s walked into another world. Grandma had some secrets that she hadn’t shared with the rest of the family, like the fact that she was a witch. The werewolf who lives in the barn claims that her grandmother was murdered with magic, and it’s up to Morgan to learn who the killer is. But in a town with two packs of werewolves and a local witches’ coven, this is no easy task.
Lehany does a fine in bringing the different characters to life. But I will say that her French accent is better than her Spanish one. In truth though, she handles a full cast of characters quite well, offering a distinctive voice for each one.
A fun and quirky story, with distinctive characters readers will grow to love. This is the first book in Buroker’s A Witch in Wolf Wood series. I would definetly read the others, as I want to hear more from these characters. I give Mind Over Magic five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
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Book Review: Canadian Werewolf in New York
Posted: September 9, 2022 Filed under: Audiobook Review, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Opinion, Speculative Fiction, Werewolf fiction | Tags: Audio Books, Book Review, Canadian Werewolf in New York, Mark Leslie, Paranormal, Speculative Fiction, Supernatural, Werewolf, Writing to be Read 7 CommentsWhen I picked up Canadian Werewolf in New York, by Mark Leslie, I must admit, I had visions of one of my favorite werewolf movies. But Leslie’s wolf isn’t one plagued by the spirits of his victims, as are the American versions. It was a pleasant surprise to find that I was wrong on that note.
Mark Leslie’s werewolf uses his more beastly senses like superpowers to come to the aid of the damsel in distress, making this story a cross between a pulp story and a werewolf cozy, as his writer turned wolf character goes about solving mysterious disappearances for the woman he loves, and fighting crime in a classic hero’s journey. Quite entertaining.
His main character, Michael, is a Canadian writer, trying to make it in the big apple, but of course he’s also a werewolf. The appearance of his old flame asking for his help finding out what her fiance is up to throws him into a mystery, calling his sleuthing skills into play. At the same time, there’s another wolf in town, and he must use all of his heightened wolf senses to sniff out his rival and protect the girl.
As an author, I know it can be very effective to use the senses to help put the reader in the story, but I also know it can be tricky writing in details of the senses other than those we use and think about most. But, Leslie has managed to skillfully craft in and use the sense of smell throughout this tale, taking the reader on an olfactory adventure like none I’ve had before. Brilliant!
I listened to this tale in the audio book form, and I must say that the narrator, Scott Overton, does a fantastic job, never once stumbling on difficult character nicknames like “Mr. Hyper-halitosis”. He also did a fabulous job with a Yorkshire accent and the female voice.
I truly enjoyed listening to Canadian Werewolf in New York. I found it fresh and entertaining, and I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? Contact Kaye at kayebooth(at)yahoo(dot)com.
