Audio Book Review: “Curse of the Vampire” & “The Idea Man”

About Curse of the Vampire

For graduate student Serafina Finch, ideal Friday nights consist of a good book, comfy pajamas, and a glass of Merlot. That is, until she uncovers an ancient and priceless Roman amulet on her summer archaeology dig.

Suddenly, her nights are filled with vivid dreams of drinking blood and violent magic, leaving behind an eerie sense of foreboding.

When a well-known antiquities collector takes an obsessive interest in the amulet, Sera is thrown into a supernatural world that shouldn’t exist, full of vampires and witches all claiming ownership of the mysterious relic. As she digs deeper into the amulet’s secrets, she soon discovers that the consequences of her actions could be deadly.

If she doesn’t figure out the amulet’s secret soon, then she may just follow in her archaeologist mother’s footsteps…

…straight to the grave.

Purchase Links:

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Vampire-Thrilling-Fantasy-Immortal/dp/B0GHSNC5MT/

Chirp: Curse of the Vampire by Stephanie Mirro – Audiobook (No Subscription)

My Review of Curse of the Vampire

I purchased an audiobook copy of Curse of the Vampire, by Stephanie Mirro and narrated by Candice Joice from a Chirp Friday Freebie deal. I am offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

There was something about the voice of narrator Candice Joice that really grated on my nerves and I found this one difficult to listen to. And it wasn’t only me, every time I turned it on, my dog started barking at me to get me to turn it off. I ended up listening to this one with earbuds only.

The story, itself, is a typical ancient curse tale. Serephina finds an amulet with the blood of a god inside on an archeological dig. The god claims her, but immortals set out to possess the amulet and the power of the god within, trying to thwart her at every turn and endangering her and those she loves.

Interesting story, but nothing that really stands out. I give Curse of the Vampire three quills.

About The Idea Man

Words are power, and ideas are dangerous.

Quirky hipster Parker Rebec moves to Paris in order to finish writing his novel. When a mysterious stalker leaves him a trail of notes, Parker is caught up in a story he can’t resist.

A decade earlier, on the other side of the world, Greysen Price must somehow leave his job as an inventor, completely erase his identity, and escape the country. When the two lives intertwine, chaos ensues.

The Idea Man is a comedic thriller, the first book in a trilogy. This plot-twisting thriller is a must for lovers of action-packed stories with a touch of awkward hilarity. 

Purchase Links:

Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Idea-Man-Trilogy-Book/dp/B097BP9DH8/

Chirp: The Idea Man by Kristin Helling – Audiobook (No Subscription)

My Review of The Idea Man

I purchased an audiobook copy of The Idea Man, by Kristin Heiling and narrated by Spencer Carney from a Chirp Friday Freebie deal. I am offering an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.

I was not impressed by the narrator, Spencer Carney. His pacing and inflection were both off, and I had to speed up the audio book speed from 1.2 to 1.5 in order to make it sound even close to natural speech. And, he made Parker sound like a little wimpy guy, which didn’t set us up to expect his gallant behavior later.

The author used an interesting way to tell this tale. We follow two characters throughout most of the book, alternating p.o.v. and time. Some chapters follow Parker in Paris, in 2020, and others follow Greyson, in Chicago in 2001. Two seemingly unconnected stories, and only in the last 20% of the book is it revealed how the two are connected.

Parker Rubik is a writer, visiting Paris in the hopes of finding inspiration to complete his novel. What he finds instead, is a mystery. An unknown person, who seems to know a lot about him, is leaving notes on his car, which lead him to a beautiful woman…, and a Paris jail.

Greyson is a brilliant inventor, who wants to save the world, or at least help people with his inventions. He disillusions himself that his employer will use his inventions for good, despite evidence to the contrary, until something happens that he cannot deny and he is forced to face the truth. When he confronts his employer, things melt down fast. His girlfriend and colleague disappears, and he is confronted by two of his employer’s associates, and his whole life disintegrates before his eyes.

I can’t tell you how the stories are connected without giving you a spoiler, so you’ll have to give it a listen, if you want to know. No spoilers here.

A well-crafted mystery thriller with a satisfying ending. I give the idea man four 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.

_____________________________________

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.