Jas P

Exceptional New Series from Harris and Stone

Reviewed: 02-15-25

"Secrets of the Frostbound Cottage" follows Beatrix Stonehaven, a private investigator with a past. She is an empath with some other skills, a person who comes from a long line of witches, but unfortunately did not inherit their gifts, and as such, left that life.
Now she helps others as an investigator, at the start of the book, she is trying to find a missing dog (a pure bred "Schnoodle") with a ruby studded collar.
However, when a young elf turns up on her doorstep, desperate for help to find her missing parents, Beatrix can't help but drop everything to help the young girl.
Things get nasty when she tries to find the missing dog, she is drawn into something far darker than she ever expected, and Beatrix has to fight for her life. But she finds a surprising little ally in her fight.
As she searches for the young elf's parents, Beatrix is pulled into the world of magic, a world that she has tried so hard to avoid for years. But now, to save not only the lives of the elves, but her own, she is going to have use all of the skills she has.
The main character of Beatrix is wonderfully told, she is a troubled person, having fled her past. We get to learn pieces of what has happened to her in this prequel (no spoilers), and do learn that she is not as adept in magic as those in her family, but she is an empath. She loves her martial arts, which gives her some additional skills as a PI.
The world-building is fantastic in the story, there is a combination of a ‘known’ magical system, but with some slight additions for the authors own tweaks, just to add some flavour to the story. They have taken some interest with the crime aspects of the story, paying attention to crime scene aspects, giving the story some authenticity, which is always great when reading a mystery series.
This is a fantastic story of mystery, magic, with a wonderful lead character and as the story progresses, we pick up some other brilliant characters as well.
As a prequel, this is a wonderful introduction to Beatrix, providing us some background into her life, as well as a great Urban Fantasy story that acquaints us to the series that is to come.
Another exceptional listen from the minds of Harris and Stone, and an absolute must read!!
Alyse Gibbs has the voice of an angel, and is easily one of the most delightful female narrators to listen to. I could happily listen to her non-stop. She has a very clear and concise voice, and does a wonderful job with creating both male and female voices, especially the voice of the main character Bunny. She has a great range of voices, so that you can clearly tell who is speaking, with distinct male and female characters.
On top of this, she not only narrates, but does a wonderful job of voice acting, adding emotion to each of her characters, bringing them to life, so we know how they are feeling as she tells the story, be it happy, sad, angry, elated, or a good dose of humour from the main characters.
Alyse Gibbs is brilliant and adds something special to these stories, and it is absolutely worth listening to them rather than just reading them, as she really brings the Authors characters to life with that beautiful voice of hers.

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Must-Listen Urban Fantasy Series!!

Reviewed: 01-29-25

Book 5 in the series sees Bunny and Sidnee attending a Police academy to receive formal training as both police and detectives for when they are on duty at the Portlock Police Station. The academy is not actually for supernaturals however, it is for normal people, and as such, Bunny, Sidnee and 5 other recruits have to hide their supernatural abilities whilst undergoing their training. The instructors at the academy are aware of their status however, with one of the instructors, Sergeant Marks, actually being a supernatural.
Things are going pretty well for Bunny and Sidnee, they are doing well with their studies, as well as performing above average in the physical aspects of the training. This is despite a few run-ins with some pig-headed recruits who still think that ‘girls’ shouldn’t be there in this day and age.
As we see the daily routine of the classes, there are a few harmless instances of a poltergeist playing some tricks on students. These are initially played off by the staff and a few of the students in the ‘know’ as just being pranks by the local poltergeist, Petty Peril. But these ‘harmless’ incidents soon turn dangerous, and as the poltergeist continues to harass students, Bunny decides that it is up to the supernats to investigate.
As Bunny begins to dig deeper into the history of the poltergeist, and into phenomena of poltergeists themselves, she begins to discover that there is something very dark about the history of the “Petty Peril”.
Bunny and Sidnee soon find that things at the academy are not as fun as they had originally thought, and that once again, not everyone is as accepting of supernaturals as they first appear to be.
This is a fantastic addition to the series, as we get to understand how the Portlock Police operate, the way they are trained, and the various techniques that they use. Whilst there is not a massive in-depth analysis of policing techniques (there would not be enough time in a single book, and it would most likely bore the reader!), there is a clever coverage of the classroom activities, the hand-to-hand training, and other techniques that recruits are taught.
Dolbeare spent some time at a police academy researching this, and this time and effort clearly comes out in the writing. Having been a cop for 11yrs, I am always impressed at the attention to detail the authors use at crime scenes given the nature of the series, it gives the story a bit of extra credibility.
At book 5 in this series, the story continues to develop and grow, being as much fun now as it was in the first book. We continue to learn more about each of the major and minor characters in each book. This is a series in which you look forward to every new book to find out what the new story is going to be about, but also to learn more about your favourite characters (and in you have so many of them!).
The world-building continues to be one of the reasons this series is so outstanding, with a mix of all of the favourites that we love and know, but there are the odd additions from the authors just for their own flavour. The authors continue to use the series to add some fantastic mythical creatures from all parts of folklore, fairytales and supernatural lore. This beautiful and captivating world-building totally absorbs you into the story so you become completely lost in this sensational story.
If you love Urban Fantasy, the Portlock series continues to be one of the best series available today and is an absolute must read!!
Alyse Gibbs has the voice of an angel, and is easily one of the most delightful female narrators to listen to. I could happily listen to her non-stop. She has a very clear and concise voice, and does a wonderful job with creating both male and female voices, especially the voice of the main character Bunny. She has a great range of voices, so that you can clearly tell who is speaking, with distinct male and female characters.
On top of this, she not only narrates, but does a wonderful job of voice acting, adding emotion to each of her characters, bringing them to life, so we know how they are feeling as she tells the story, be it happy, sad, angry, elated, or a good dose of humour from the main characters.
Alyse Gibbs is brilliant and adds something special to these stories, and it is absolutely worth listening to them rather than just reading them, as she really brings the Authors characters to life with that beautiful voice of hers.

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Brilliant Addition to the Other Realm Series!!

Reviewed: 01-23-25

Frustrated Justice follows Detective Inspector Stacy Wise in a new spin-off series to the Other Realm series – “The Other Detective Series”. This is a prequel Novella to the full series that will be released later in 2025.
We have previously met Detective Inspector Wise in the Other Realm Series when she has helped Jessice ‘Jinx’ Sharp with her P.I. investigations. This series however, has Wise as the main character, a D.I. with the common Police, however because she is a powerful wizard, any case that has to do with the magical realm is sent to her to investigate.
At the start of the book, Wise has been sent a young rookie Detective (Detective Channing), who is also a wizard, to both train, and to try and help her with her excessive work load. However, as with all rookies, Channing is actually adds more work for Wise, but, she figures he will either eventually be useful, or she won’t have to deal with him for long in the Other realm.
Wise catches a case of a pulverised body, one that is of the magical realm, but is so badly crushed, she has trouble working out what has happened initially. Given it is obviously from the Other Realm she takes control of the case from the common Police, and begins her investigation. Here she comes across a foul-mouthed bird – one that adds a certain levity to the crime scene.
We get to see some of Stacy’s personal life, as she heads to dinner with her Mum, and we get to meet her brothers and their partners, (one of whom, is able to id the bird). This provides some rare insight into the character of Stacy Wise, and Harris uses it to give us some background on who Stacy is.
After this, Stacy heads home with the bird, and this particular sequence is hilarious – the bird is one of the best characters in this book, it has an incredibly foul mouth on it – but the dialogue makes you laugh (I don’t recommend listening to parts of this book in public – as laughing out loud to it gets some strange looks!!)
As Detective Inspector continues her investigation, she runs into the King of the Ogres, Robert Krieg. Initially this huge, imposing figure seems somewhat intimidating, given that he actually towers over Stacy’s 6ft height. But she quickly comes to realise that Krieg has other motives, when he offers assistance to her. Worse still is that she finds that she is actually attracted to him, and he is distracting her, impacting her concentration.
Wise has to focus though, as things start to get out of control, and she finds that she is suddenly fighting for her life as she tries to find out who the killer is.
This is a really interesting series, a combination of Police procedural, Urban Fantasy Thriller, with a touch of romance, action, with masterful character work, and the stunning world-building we have come to expect from this series.
As a former police officer, I was really impressed by the level of detail and the quality of the writing with regards to the crime scene investigation (the little things, like wearing booties!), as well as poor Stacy being buried in the excessive paperwork that they never seem to show in Police shows (a good 70% of a cops life is paperwork).
Frustrated Justice is an exceptional addition to Heather G. Harris’s Other Realm series, and one not to be missed!
Alyse Gibbs has the voice of an angel, and is easily one of the most delightful female narrators to listen to. I could happily listen to her non-stop. She has a very clear and concise voice, and does a wonderful job with creating both male and female voices. She is amazing as Stacy, capturing the voice of a Detective with some attitude, but one that at times, is also just tired. She has a great range of voices to, so that you can clearly tell who is speaking, with distinct male and female characters.
On top of this, she not only narrates, but does a wonderful job of voice acting, adding emotion to each of her characters, bringing them to life, so we know how they are feeling as she tells the story, be it happy, sad, angry, elated, or a good dose of sarcasm from Jinx.
Alyse Gibbs is brilliant and adds something special to these stories, and it is absolutely worth listening to them rather than just reading them, as she really brings Heathers characters to life with that beautiful voice of hers.

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Frontline Doc in an Alien War

Reviewed: 12-28-24

Anatomy of Courage follows Dr. Christopher Walters, a US surgeon who has been assigned to the front in a war against an alien enemy. The aliens are known as the Novo, a spider like species with energy weapons. The front line is a blood-bath, soldiers have a very low life expectancy, so low, that they don’t use their real names, and don’t bother telling each other about their lives, as it’s not worth making the connection or going through it with each new person. They are just not around long enough. Walters, who is known as Doc, meets his squad – Dog Food Squad or DFS, and each of the members, Hawk, Mouse, Leech, Lavender and William Sunday.
At the start of the story, Doc has a notebook, and is making notes on each of his squad mates, as he wants to write a book about what it’s like on the frontline. When the others notice, they ask him what his book is about, and what it’s called, and he tells them, “The Anatomy of Courage” – what is the definition of courage.
As the story unfolds, we see Dog Food Squad perform their role, running out into the no-mans land of the battlefield, finding wounded soldiers so Doc can perform triage on them, and then bring them back into makeshift hospitals. The aim is to try and save as many lives as possible, given the horrendous turn-over rate.
Initially, Doc finds the process brutal and confronting. However, after a particular event, when he comes face-to-face with a Novo, he starts to wonder what they are actually fighting for?
What is the point of the conflict? Has anyone actually tried to make first contact with the aliens and find out what they want?
As with all of Cawdron’s books, the character work is exceptional. Doc’s character is brilliant as he comes to the front with a certain enthusiasm for the role, and whilst he understands the ‘concept’ of what he has signed up for, this is vastly different to the reality. Even being a trauma surgeon in the ER, he still finds the brutality of the front confronting.
Doc’s story is gripping and powerful, as his understanding of the front grows, and he begins to question everything that is happening.
One of the most extraordinary characters in the book is William Sunday. Her name comes from her brother who died at the hands of the aliens, and the day she lost her family to them. She lived in the area that was first hit by the aliens, and lost her entire family, and everyone she knew. Now she fights and works to help those on the front. She is a contradiction on many levels, having a very kind soul, but at the same time, she is ruthless when it comes to the Novo. When Doc starts, Sunday takes him under her wing, doing all she can to make his stay more bearable, and to help him. On the battlefield, she is always by his side, making sure he is safe. She carries a heavy burden from the loss of her family, refusing to answer to her real name, but she is very compassionate when it comes to others.
There are other interesting characters, Hawk, is quiet, but he is a skilled scout. Doc and Hawk form a unique bond as the story continues. Mouse’s name is ironic, and his character is brilliant (I’ll let you read about him). Leech is a typical soldier in a lot of ways, but the war has had a significant impact on him. Lavendar is another fascinating character, one that is incredibly in-depth, but like Mouse, I’ll let you read about her.
The descriptive work in this book is outstanding, incredibly gritty, and at times, very intense. The portrayal of the frontlines and combat scenes is blunt, authentic and candid, leaving little to the imagination. Cawdron takes you to the frontline and walks you through the trenches. It is a combination of World War 1, aspects of the Gulf War, and an alien war. A no-mans land that is shelled each day by heavy artillery to stop the Novo from ‘digging in’ (they bury themselves into the ground and wait for ambush), with a trench system on the human side, including a ‘MASH’ style hospital system buried in the trenches to serve the wounded. It is a fascinating combination of different aspects of warfare throughout history.
This is another astounding tale from Peter Cawdron in his First Contact series, combining outstanding characters with extraordinary storytelling. This is another thrilling epic not to be missed!
Tim Fannon does an exceptional job with the Narration, providing clear and concise narration throughout the audiobook. He does a brilliant range of voices, both male and female, that are easy to understand, and easy to distinguish so you can understand the different characters during the story.
Fannon also does an outstanding job of providing the emotional aspects of the voices so that you really understand how the characters are feeling in the story. It brings the story to life, making this so much better to listen to than reading.
Fannon’s Narration is engaging and captivating, and shouldn’t be missed – fantastic job!

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Epic Urban Fantasy!!

Reviewed: 10-08-24

Glimmer of Dragons - This short story is a must read for anyone who is a fan of the Other Realm series. I have to say though, even though it is listed as a prequel, that it is much better if you read (listen) to this after you have read book 1. For those that continue with this review, please note, that there are some spoilers for Book 1 that follow, so if you have not read the first book in the series, please read that first before continuing!!
Glimmer of Dragons is set about 2yrs before the events of Book 1 in the series, and takes us back to when Jinx first went to Conrad’s house to steal the Vase back for Wilf.
This is a great short-story, as we get to find out what actually happened during that “Break-in”, and why it was so important!!
I don’t want to give too much away, so there won’t be any spoilers here.
This story is set when Jinx is only about 23yrs, not the 25yrs she is in the later books. Jinx has no idea about the “Other Realm’ and is just trying to keep her business solvent with new clients.
Part of this is helping out Lord Wilf from time to time, although back in this early part of her life, she still things of him as the strange rich person who is an acquaintance with the irritating son. When he asks her to steal a vase from a house, with a pretty weak story, she is at first reluctant. But then he offers a ridiculous amount of money to fulfil the job, and she just can’t say no.
As a result, she heads off, on the infamous job, and ends up at Conrad’s house, attempting to steal back the vase. I am not going to go into what happens with the rest of the story, as the events that follow are just brilliant, and tell a chain of events that you just wouldn’t believe unless you read them.
As with all of these stories, the world building is just wonderful, the richly stunning world of the Other Realm is just fascinating and makes for a wonderful read. The creatures that are involved in this story are equally wonderful, there is a fantastical range, and each is beautifully described, with Harris making them her own, but also remaining true to the more unbreakable tropes.
The character work is masterful and is what makes this story just so outstanding, Harris creates these engaging characters that are all so believable, so real, and so totally captivating. It takes no time at all before you are instantly pulled into the characters lives, and become completely enamoured with Jinx and the characters that revolve around her. This short is fun as we get to see her interact with so many characters in the years before she knows who they really are.
Glimmer of the Other - follows the life of Jessica ‘Jinx’ Sharp, a 25yr old P.I. with the ability to tell when others are telling the truth or not. She is quite literally a walking lie detector. Kind of useful in her line of work. She has been a P.I. for some years, not only as a job, but also so she can try and find out what happened to her parents, who were brutally murdered when she was only 18.
When hired to find a missing University Student, Hester Sorrel, Jinx initially figures this should be pretty easy, find the girl in a bar, discovering the fun of alcohol. But things are never that easy right?
When she finds out there is another investigator on the case, Zachary Stone, who whilst she decides is gorgeous, she doesn’t need the competition. However, as she and Stone are exchanging information, she gets more than she bargained for. Stone tells her that she is a ‘Truth Seeker’, this is why she is a walking lie detector. Then he takes it one step further, and introduces her to ‘The Other Realm’, a kind of mirror dimension that sits alongside our own. Except in ‘The Other’ there is magic. The Other is linked to “The Common” realm (where us normal people live!), and so moving stuff in the Other, moves things in the Common as well. But Magic can only be cast in the Other, even though it can impact those in either realm. Those that are part of the Other are marked with a triangle on their foreheads. Although Magical Creatures exist within the Other, and do not have runes on their foreheads.
There is an intricate World-Building system, that whilst complex, is easy to follow, and Harris has created this stunning world with Witches, Vampyrs, Wizards, Elves, Dragons, Elementals and many more magical creatures. She has paid homage to many of the classic tropes of these creatures, but also made them her own in other ways.
It is here that Jinx discovers that she is a Wizard, and one that has the rare ability of Truth Seeker, something that is incredibly rate in the Other realm.
Glimmer of the Other is such a fun filled Urban Fantasy story, with an edge of Romance as well. There is so much that happens within this story as we are initially introduced to Jinx’s life, her P.I. business, her best friend Lucy, and her dog Gato. The story is multi-faceted, with some aspects focusing on Jinx’s new discovery of the Other, whilst other aspects of the story focus on her investigation of the missing girl Hester, added by the implacable Stone. It soon becomes apparent to, that Hester’s disappearance, and Stone’s involvement are all tied to the Other Realm. Harris is clever here, using the investigation and Jinx’s learning curve to explain all the different aspects of the ‘Other’ to readers, allowing us to learn at the same pace that Jinx does.
The world-building is truly outstanding in this book, it is the depth of the character classes and the various twists and fun that Harris has had with them. It is the Other Realm itself. There is the magic system for the Wizards (known as the I.R.), then there are different magic items. There are so many really wonderful aspects to the world building, but I don’t want to give too much away.
The other great thing about this book is the character work. There is a lot of detail in each of the characters, as with the world-building, it gives them a great depth, and realism. Jinx’s character is just brilliant as the main character, with a bit of sarcastic fire in her comments that leaves you laughing at some of the dialogue, at other times, a painful reminder of her past that pulls at the heartstrings. Her ability to tell the truth all the time is a fascinating gift, and Harris uses it well, telling us with ‘truth or lie’ comments after various character statements (including Jinx’s own comments – she is not immune to her own ability which makes for some intriguing self-reflection). It allows us to know what Jinx is thinking, and although we don’t know what is going on in the other persons head, we know when they are trying to deceive Jinx. There are some other really wonderful characters (and I am not going to go into all of them – I don’t want to give away spoilers!!), but Gato, Jinx’s dog is just awesome. Gato is not a normal dog (as will be explained in the book), and he is easily one of the best characters in this series. Lucy is the perfect friend.
Glimmer of Hope - At the start of this story, Jinx is approached by Joyce Evergreen, the Dryad she met in the Café in book 1 when she was first introduced to the Other. Joyce is very upset and wants to hire Jinx to find out who killed her husband, Reggie. He was allegedly killed in a robbery, but Joyce doesn’t think this is true and that it is a coverup. Looking at the crime scene photos, Jinx is shocked to see that the wounds on Reggie are almost identical to the ones on her parents.
Jinx is working with Hester Sorrell now, the young woman from book 1 who was going to be sacrificed by Mrs Harding. Jinx now works in offices supplied by Lord Volderiss, a thank you for saving the life of his son Nate, who was also going to be sacrificed by Mrs Harding, and was mortally wounded by her. Jinx not only saved his life, but in the process, the two are now permanently blood bonded. They have a special empathic connection in which they can feel when the other is near, and the emotional state of the other, which is both good and bad. It is great when one or the other is in danger, as they can help each other. Not so good when getting intimate though, as it can be a be a bit ‘TMI’!!
Jinx begins to investigate Reggie’s death, and discovers that he wasn’t the nice accountant his wife thought, but instead, was working for a drug cartel, creating a new drug for those of the Other Realm called Boost. However, Boost is dangerous, it can give you a serious high (and ‘Boost’ your abilities, thus the name), or it can simply kill you.
When a new victim is found, Jinx finds she has a new partner. The new victim was a Dragon, and her new partner, is the King of all the Dragons in their local Realm. Emory, has decided he needs to be a part of the case to find out what is happening, as the Boost deaths are only targeting ‘Magical Creatures’.
Along with Emory, Jinx also has assistance from Agent Stone. Initially, Jinx is not sure about Emory, but it is interesting watching their relationship unfold in book 2, as Jinx learns that there is a lot more to Emory than what she originally assumed. It doesn’t hurt that in his human form he is so gorgeous that ‘it makes her teeth hurt’.
The world building and character development continue from the first book to make this a truly magical journey.
Glimmer of Christmas - Jinx gets a visit from Amber DeLea of all people, right before Christmas.
It seems that one of the children in her coven has lost something, and needs help finding it, and she believes that Jinx is the only person that can help her?
When it turns out to be a Christmas stocking, Jinx is initially a bit surprised, until she learns that the stocking came from her Parents, Parents who have since passed away, and now if she doesn’t have this stocking, her belief in Christmas and Santa will be dashed forever.
Jinx vows that she will find the stocking before Christmas, as the little girl, Jade, hits a nerve in her, and she just can’t let her down.
This is a Novella, so not a full story, but it is still a fantastic addition to the Other Realm series and well worth the read for any fan of the series.
It gives some good insight into Jinx, and it also provides some background into the opening relationship of Emory and Jinx, not to mention, showing some of the reason that Jinx and Amber are actually such good friends (even though Amber will never admit that).
The story follows a very interesting tale, as it is not as simple as first thought, and Jinx gets to learn a lot about Coven life, the two Witches who are now looking after young Jade, as well as what happened to her parents.
It is a really fantastic story, but I will warn you now, you will need a box of tissues.
Whilst it has all of the usual aspects of an Other Realm story, and you will be laughing yourself crazy at points, and getting into the action in other parts, there are a couple of points where you will feel your heart crushed in a vice and if you don’t at least tear up a bit, you have to be made of stone.
Glimmer of Death - At the start of Book 3, Jinx is devastated to learn that Lucy, her best friend in the whole world, is dying. Lucy has been the victim of an ‘Incubus’ attack. Her boyfriend, James, was an Incubus, and has been slowing leeching the life out of her, in breach of the ‘The Verdict’, as it now means that Lucy will die.
Several other things occur at the start of this book, Jinx and Emory have started a relationship, but Jinx is not really sure how she feels about him. At the same time, there is an illness spreading through the Magical Creatures. The illness is only affecting Magical Creatures, none of those that are magical but ‘Human’ still (Vampyrs, Werewolves, Wizards, Elementals Witches etc), it is affecting the Dragons, Dryads, Trolls, Mermen, Griffins etc.
Jinx is hired to investigate the nature of this disease, who or what is causing it, as no magic can cure it, and it appears that it has been crafted. When it impacts Emory’s adoptive parents, Jinx becomes even more invested in resolving who is behind this.
This is a very in-depth book, as there is so much happening, that impacts so many characters. From the start of the book in which Lucy is dying, and Jinx is powerless to save her, to the following chapters in which other magical creatures (including Emory’s parents), start getting terminally sick, there is a very grim edge to this book, and you wonder how many of the major (or semi-major) characters are going to make it out alive. Throughout this though, is the romance forming between Emory and Jinx, as even in the midst of all the darkness, they start to realise just how much they care for and potentially, love, each other.
There is such an intriguing and powerful story, as Jinx, along with Emory and the ‘Brethren’, those that are half-Dragon and half-Human, but not able to take Dragon form, struggle to find who is poisoning the magical creatures. The investigation takes them down some very interesting political paths that do not bode well for the future interests of magical creatures (I really don’t want to give away spoilers), but Harris creates this fascinating storyline that has such strong moral dilemmas. Whilst the story deals with the interspecies relationships between ‘Human’ and what are considered ‘Non-Human’ species, the ability of humanity to display such open discrimination against anything that they don’t consider ‘the norm’ is rather intriguing in this story and speaks to much wider social issues in our culture in general. The character work is again just exceptional in this book (and series). Jinx continues to grow as we learn more about who she is, and her growing relationship with Emory, which is not just wonderful to watch, but so real. And that is something that makes this book (and again, series), so brilliant, is the true-to-life nature of the characters. Whilst this is a fantasy series, the masterful way in which Harris tells the story, all from Jinx’s point of view, is so utterly ‘REAL’, and natural.
The other outstanding aspect is the world-building, with Harris creating this beautiful parallel world for us to be a part of, full of magic and magical creatures. This world is extraordinary, bringing so much to extra to what is already a compelling story.
Book 4 of the series sees Jinx finding someone trying to kill her (just for something different). However, this time, it seems that it might be directly related to her parent’s murder, and not just part of the Other Realm, her Investigations, or someone trying to get at her through Emory, or one of several other reasons!
Initially, she doesn’t take the threat overly seriously, but as there are further attempts, and it appears that the person trying is not going to stop, Emory and his Brethren, start to become more involved, along with Hes and Amber.
It doesn’t take long before they discover that things are a lot more sinister than they first thought.
This is a deeply complex story, one in which Harris has intertwined all of the major and minor players from throughout the series so far in what is to be a pretty epic end to this part of the series.
I don’t want to give too much away, but Jinx must face some the challenges that led her parents to their deaths, and to find the person who killed them, she is going to have to face some exceptionally power people.
This is actually a difficult book to review without giving too much away, as there is so much that happens, but it is such a detailed and in-depth storyline. The character work is exceptional, as it has been throughout the series. In this fourth book though, Harris has really developed her characters and fallen into the groove of each of them. Jinx is such an easy character to read, so effortless and so much fun. She has a wicked sense of humour, and as a truth seeker, an intense passion for the truth and to understand things. It gets her into trouble a lot, but it also equally gets her out of it (Or she has the Prime of all Magical Creatures to help her otherwise!!) There are some truly cutting moments in this book, as a Dad, I felt my heart break for Jinx in this book, but at the same time, I had to put it down to as I was laughing so hard at other times. From the moment you start reading, Harris takes you on a thrill ride, and you just can’t put this book down.
There are so many brilliant characters in this book, Manners is one of my favourites, Lucy is brilliant (can’t wait for the new series!), Nate, Emory of course, and so many others. I do warn you though, don’t get too attached to everyone.
There are just so many wonderful characters in this book (new and old), it is hard to mention all of them.
As with the other books, the world-building (realm-building?), continues to be outstanding, it has been a true highlight in this series. Harris has created a stunning realm, and just made it her own. This book continues to grow with new and wonderful creatures, but those that she has already added are just amazing, and bring her world to life with so much magic. As I have said in other reviews, she has kept with some of the older tropes, but also added to some of the magical creatures to make them her own, making this story a lot of fun to read. The magic system is something unique and a bit different, but it is the individuality of each of her creatures and beings that is really fun. And of course, then there is Glimmer (but you can read about that!)
Alyse Gibbs has such a beautiful voice, you can listen to it endlessly. She is the perfect choice for Jinx, with the first-person narrative, Alyse makes you believe that she is Jinx, telling her story, she really conveys all of her emotions, as well as that dry sarcasm that Harris has done so well in the book. Gibbs also does an exceptional job with the ‘Truth Seeker’ ability, so that as the story is unfolding, she drops in the ‘truth’ and ‘lie’ for the dialogue of others so well. Gibbs has a wonderful range of voices, both male and female, with different character voices for every character. You can tell who is talking without having to be told. Harris has written this with an audiobook in mind, in that there is not a lot of ‘He said/she said’, and the narrative flows very nicely (even with Jinx’s lie detector ability). With Gibbs characters voices, and the lovely narrative flow, it makes for a really wonderful listening experience, especially given that Gibbs has such a beautiful voice. This is one of those Audiobooks, in which the quality is so good that it is far better to listen to it than read it as you get so much more from the Audiobook!!! This is a must listen!!

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Sequel that outshines the Original!

Reviewed: 10-07-24

Awakening of the Pack is the fourth book in Other Wolf series and picks up after Lucy has defeated Beckett, and Mrs Dawes and taken up her mantle as Queen of the Wolves. However, she has not yet completely assumed the role, as she does not have the crown, nor the seat of power. As such, many of the British wolf packs do not yet see her as the Queen, but only a potential Queen, and a potential threat for power.
Lucy also broke the curse on the Gargoyles (with help from Amber and others), and they have now become the Dark Seraph, loyal to Emory.
As Awakening’s unfolds, Lucy finds herself facing multiple issues, the Werewolf Council was at the mansion, having come to swear loyalty to her as the new Queen, but wanting her to go to the seat of power and claim her crown. Then there is the matter of the dead body on her lawn, the Devon pack she has inherited from Beckett now residing in her mansion. This all on top of several other packs (Jimmy Rain for example), are gunning for her.
Awakening follows Lucy as she begins to unravel the death of the body on her property, and how it is related to the black tourney’s. It also follows her as she begins her journey towards claiming her crown from the seat of power. This is going to be a very real challenge for Lucy and Esme, for they have to follow this path on their own, without the support of the Home Counties pack, to show that they are worthy of being Queen. It not only means going into the seat of power and claiming the crown, something that hasn’t been done successfully by anyone in hundreds of years, but it will also mean facing the countless contenders for the crown once she has taken it.
The first three books in this series really showed Lucy using her people skills to bring the pack together, to repair the damage that had been done by various factions, as well as the loss of their leader Lord Samuel. It also showed her and Esme cementing why they were the Alpha of the Home Counties pack.
Awakenings sees Lucy and Esme having to stand on their own (Well, with each other?), to face the challenges being thrown at them.
This is not just a challenge for Lucy and Esme though, it is a huge challenge for Greg and the other members of her pack, who have become incredibly loyal. During this book, we learn some new things about pack characters, and see just how loyal they are to their new Queen.
The character work continues to be exceptional in this series, with each of the major (and many of the minor) characters being developed further in this book. Esme is brilliant in Lucy’s head, and their interplay is one of the highlights of the book. There differences in personality are highlighted a bit in this book, which is really interesting to see. Lucy continues to grow, with further development of her relationship with Greg, but also both of her families. There are multiple other story arcs with Lucy, that make this a fascinating book in the series.
One of the really interesting parts of this book, is that it runs parallel to the ‘Court’ series with Jinx, and so Harris has had to interweave Lucy’s character into what happened in that series, into this series. If you have read the Court series, it makes for an interesting crossover, and Harris has done an outstanding job.
For lovers of Urban Fantasy, there is probably no better series than ‘The Other Series’, either the original Other and the Other Wolf series. For many series, there is always that concern the sequel will not be as good as the originals – but this is NOT the case here, with Awakenings probably outshining the originals, and setting us up for a stunning continuation! Absolute Must Read!!
Alyse Gibbs has the voice of an angel, and is easily one of the most beautiful female narrators to listen to. I could happily listen to her non-stop. She has a very clear and concise voice, and does a wonderful job with creating both male and female voices. She does a great range of voices to, so that you can clearly tell who is speaking, with distinct male and female characters.
On top of this, she not only narrates, but does a wonderful job of voice acting, adding emotion to each of her characters, bringing them to life, so we know how they are feeling as she tells the story, be it happy, sad, angry, elated, and she does a great inner wolf voice for Esme!
Alyse Gibbs is brilliant and adds something special to these stories, and it is absolutely worth listening to them rather than just reading them, as she really brings Heathers characters to life with that beautiful voice of hers.

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Captivating, Enthralling and Exceptional – Cawdron

Reviewed: 08-17-24

Ghosts is the 28th standalone novel in Peter Cawdron’s ‘First Contact’ series, and this one is another masterclass in character driven science fiction with throwbacks to the 1973 classic by Arthur C Clarke “Rendezvous with Rama”.
Initially we meet a young intern at the White House, Molly Sorenson, on her first day. Molly finds herself thrust into a fascinating world of political intrigue when an alien vessel enters our solar system. Instead of heading towards Earth though, it heads towards the L4 Lagrange point, over a hundred million miles from Earth.
Whilst this is baffling, it becomes even more interesting when they realise the ship could only have come from potential star systems thousands of light years away, throwing speculation onto if there is any life on the ship at all.
With the United Nations in turmoil, and nations around the world not sure what this means, young Molly is tasked with trying to learn what she can.
As the UN is trying to come to terms with the realisation that humanity is not alone in the universe, we follow a team of international astronauts as they prepare to go out to the L4 and intercept the craft. There are several notable characters, including Chris ‘Crash’ Williams (the nickname has a very entertaining backstory), who represents the US contingent on the crew. There are representatives from the UK, China, India and Russia.
But as this story unfolds, there are multiple different things happening, some of thing on Earth within the different offices of power, some up in space as First Contact unfolds and not is all as it seems.
This is an incredibly well told story, Cawdron uses his characters well, as things are explained to different characters in the story, so to, are complex aspects of hard sci-fi explained to the reader so that we have a better understanding of what is taking place.
There is a mix of political intrigue on Earth, as multiple different factions are trying to come to terms with the concept that there is an alien power in our solar system, one that is vastly superior in technology and intelligence, and yet, we have no idea of what their intentions are? Have the gone to the L4 as a staging point? Or have they gone there because when they launched, humanity was only just starting out, and civilisation as we know it didn’t exist, and so they are here to observe, much like someone might observe an animal in the wild?
Meanwhile, several astronauts approach a ship, several times the size of a nuclear aircraft carrier, that has travelled thousands of light years, to try and communicate in some way. This part of the story is intense, eerie, and at times, there are parts, that with the right music, could out do most horror sci-fi movies.
As with all of Cawdron’s books, the Character writing is exceptional. The opening sequences following Molly into the White House is exceptional, leaving you on a roller coaster of emotions. As the book progresses, you find yourself becoming attached to multiple characters, and following their stories in this stunning first contact tale.
What really makes this story a standout though, is the world building. Cawdron not only takes you inside the White House, like he has been there every day for the last 20yrs, and so you feel like you are walking through it, including the Oval Office, but he takes you onto an alien starship. I am not going to say anything about the alien starship, as I don’t want to give any spoilers. However, his descriptive work is outstanding, stunning, intense, and at times, utterly terrifying.
Cawdron has again, and amazingly after 28 books, delivered another creative masterpiece that you won’t be able to put down from the moment you pick it up. An absolute must listen!
Alex Picard is outstanding as the Narrator of Ghosts.
She has a really clear and concise voice that is easy to listen, and she has a really lovely voice that is very nice to listen to for a long period of time, making it easy to listen to her for the entire audiobook.
She has a great selection of male and female voices, and she does them well enough, that you can tell the different character voices, without having to be told who is talking all of the time.
What is really great about her narration though, is that she provides the emotional range of the characters as well. This adds so much extra to the story.
Alex Picard does a really wonderful job – and it makes this absolutely worth listening to the audiobook!!

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Powerful Action Packed Sci-Fi Thriller!

Reviewed: 08-08-24

Dark Harvest Rebellion is a gritty, Sci-Fi Alien Invasion, action thriller, that from the very first moments of the story, you find yourself in riveting, heart-pounding scenes, so good, you can’t just can’t put the book down.
The story is told from multiple characters points of view, the two main characters being Gabriel Stone, and Chloe Lidell.
Gabriel and Chloe wake up to find themselves in rooms in a cubed shaped room, with no idea how they came to be there. When one side of the room opens, they think they are going to get an explanation, but instead, they have to fight something horrendously alien, to the death.
With little more than the things in their pockets, and their wits, they soon realise that they are in some sort of challenge for their lives, one in which their competition is not of this earth. As each round ends, the room gets bigger, and they are joined by first the survivors of each other round, and then a new round of challengers.
Gabriel is a US marine, and faces the challenges head-on. Chloe is a Texas farm girl, not afraid to get her hands dirty, and together, they manage to unite a small band of people who have been taken from a variety of backgrounds to face these deadly challenges. Each person brings something unique, including one person, who manages to co-op one of the ships robots, who they lovingly name “shit-bot”, due to its unique characteristics.
This is a brutal, gritty action story, one in which the characters fight to the death, and you have no idea who is going to live or die from one chapter to the next. It is rare in a book that the major characters are killed off with such regularity, but the Hunger Games has nothing on this story.
As with all of Hopper’s stories, one of the really great aspects of this story is the characters. Gabriel is brilliant as the stoic marine, faced with a unique, dynamic and unknown situation, he takes it head-on. When he realises that there are civilians in danger, he does all he can to protect them, at the risk of his own life, knowing his training is far superior in the circumstances. Gabriel, as most long term soldiers, has a history, and things that haunt him.
Chloe is the really brilliant character in this story though. Chloe has a past as well, and that gives her an advantage in this situation. But it comes at a cost. Watching Chloe’s character unfold, watching her internal struggle as she fights for her life, against something that she can’t explain, and then tries desperately to save others, whilst battling demons from her past, makes for a captivating read. Chloe’s character is outstanding, and is Hopper at his absolute best.
There are multiple other exceptional characters in this story, including the alien abductor, one of the other points of view we get to read, which makes for a fascinating insight into both sides of the story. I don’t want to give too much away though.
The world building is masterful, with daunting alien constructs that would terrify anyone. The fight scenes are incredibly well described, so that you feel like you are right in the core of the battles (and at times, covered in either blood, gore, or something completely alien). This is an intense at times, very brutal book, with graphic scenes, and is for a more mature audience. Having said that, it has been written in a way so that the fight scenes are not over-the-top.
This is like the Hunger Games, but using Aliens instead of other contestants, just to see how a variety of human test subjects will go in brutal hand-to-hand combat. From the moment it starts, it is an outstanding, action-packed thrill-ride, with the exceptional characters we have come to expect from Hopper.
Not to be missed!
The Narration performed by Christopher Hopper and Jennifer Hopper is some of the best voice acting I have listened to on an audiobook since I started listening to Sci-Fi audiobooks. Christopher Hopper has a brilliant voice, and a fantastic range of voices, bringing to life all of the male roles in the story (both human and alien), and so you can clearly tell who is talking, without having to be told. He clearly conveys the emotional state of the characters as well. His portrayal of Gabriel is incredibly gritty, and really brings the marine to life.
The standout though is Jennifer Hopper. She has a stunning voice that you can listen to for hours, and does an outstanding job with creating each of the female voices, providing different voices for each character, some with different accents. It is her portrayal of Chloe though that is the real showstopper, as it is so incredibly powerful in certain scenes, some in which you don’t want to be out in public whilst you are listening to this.
Chloe’s performance is one of the best female characters I have heard narrated in a sci-fi series.
This is one book that it is an absolute MUST to listen to, as the audiobook is so much better than reading it (I have done both), with the Narration bringing so much more to the characters and the story. An absolute MUST LISTEN!!

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Hystad is brilliant – one of his best series yet!

Reviewed: 05-25-24

When Commander Peter Gunn, former astronaut, and the Commander of the last mission to set foot on the moon is shot and killed in his home, his grandson Silas goes to his house at Loon Lake to find out what happened and sort out the estate. But Silas gets more than he bargains for, when he discovers that Peter Gunn has been hiding something for the last 50yrs. Silas uncovers a token, a piece of alien metal, that when you touch it, it gives you echoes of memories of being on the moon, memories of the Helios 15 mission his grandfather was Commander of.
As Silas is trying to work out what this strange token means, Rory Swanson, the Author also known as Rory Valentine, and granddaughter of Colin Swanson, who was one of the other astronauts on the mission, has fled Boston to her parents home in Woodstock. She has left an abusive rel ationship, coming home to write a new book. But when she gets there, she is inadvertently drawn into this mystery about the tokens as well, through some nefarious people.
Meanwhile, Special Agent Waylen Brooks has just finished a major case, when he gets some information about a break-in at a storage unit belonging to Fred Trell, who happens to be the third astronaut on the Helios 15 mission.
Waylen starts to follow up on the break-in, which leads him to both Silas and Rory.
With no real idea what the token means, or why Peter hid it from everyone, and now, why there seems to be people hunting and willing to kill for it, Waylen starts to follow leads, helped initially by Silas, and then Rory.
The three soon realise that they can’t really trust anyone but each other, and an alliance between two old family acquaintances and an FBI agent leads on an intriguing, gritty and enthralling mystery.
Hystad is exceptional at writing powerful, character driven stories, and Echoes of the Moon is another masterclass in multi-faceted, intelligent storytelling. Each of the main characters are brilliant, Waylen is this driven FBI agent, with a lack of personal life due to the work he does. He has sacrificed having a romantic life as he travels so much, his relationships never work, but he loves his job. However, recently, things have become a little complicated with his current partner Sanchez after a few drinks one night.
Silas is intelligent, but has been trapped in the family business, even though he doesn’t really want to be there. Recent events with Peter Gunn have made him realise just how much he needs a change in life.
Rory Swanson is a gifted author, but her personal life with an abusive partner has crushed her creative spirit, and she has just recently fled to her parents, looking to start over. However, the past is still interfering with her creative side, as well as an overbearing Mother.
There are numerous other outstanding characters that bring this story to life, without listing all of them.
Hystad leaves you guessing, as the mystery moves from one location to the next, and new things unfold, with thrilling action as well as some creative and clever sci-fi aspects.
The descriptive work is stunning, when someone touches a token, and gets an echo of the moon mission, you feel like you are there with them on the moon, looking back at the earth. The imagery of parts of the US is beautiful, such as Loon Lake, where Peter Gunn lived, and some other aspects (no spoilers), are somewhat terrifying.
This is Hystad at his absolute finest, a sensational sci-fi mystery thriller that just shouldn’t be missed, as it is easily one of best series he has written!
Jay Snyder’s Narration is outstanding. He has a really great voice to listen to, with a very clear and concise narrating voice. He does a great set of voices, having no trouble with Male or Female voices, and is able to produce a good range of Character voices, so that you can clearly tell who is talking without having to be told.
More importantly, Snyder is able to convey how the character is feeling emotionally as he Narrates, not just telling the story.
Snyder’s Narration makes this absolutely worth listening to, and I have already bought book 2 as an audiobook based on his Narration of book 1! Brilliant job – Thank you!

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Exceptional Penultimate book in a Masterful Series

Reviewed: 03-03-24

Book 8 see the Gladius trying to come to grips with the state of the Galactic Republic, as the galaxy is still reeling from the destruction of Capriana Prime, but now a new power has emerged as So-Elku has created the new “Luma Alliance of Worlds”. Whilst they talk a very peaceful rhetoric, their actions leave a lot to be desired, as they move through the galaxy, co-opting systems with strong arm tactics, or just down right force. The “LAW” as they have come to be known move quickly to capitalise on the shattered Republic, trying to bring systems into their fold whilst the remnants of the Republic are still trying to come to terms with everything that has happened.
In the midst of this, the Gladio Umbra have gone to the Sekmit homeworld to try and find some much needed rest. But Ni Freya asked for their help in return for their stay on Aluross. As a result, at the end of book 7, the Gladius went to the Governors house on Sekmit to retrieve some information, but instead, came across some incredibly powerful Unity users operating for So-Elku. In the ensuing battle, Governor Littleton was killed, as were several others and the Gladio Umbra had their first real run in with the LAWs new Unity Soldiers.
At the start of Book 8, it has become apparent that So-Elku is moving against all of the Trinium deposits in the galaxy, making sure that he can secure this vital resource for his own ships, and to put a stranglehold on all future supplies for transportation across the galaxy. It is here that we learn one of the largest of such deposits has been kept secret on Aluross. However, Littleton new about it, which was why So-Elku’s forces raided his property, and they now have the information.
As the story builds, it becomes obvious, that So-Elku intends to take the Sekmit’s Trinium, either by them surrendering it (which they have no intention of doing), or by taking it by force. And so begins a full scale preparation to defend Aluross against such an attack. This provides for a strategical and tactical look at how such a military operation will be carried out, as the Gladii and the Sekmit prepare, but it also provides for a multitude of humorous moments in language and cultural breakdowns. The Sekmit are incredibly literal, much like the Jujari, and whilst they seem to understand each other, it makes for some highly amusing conversational moments between Magnus and his team and the Sekmit forces, as well as the two AI – Azelon and TO-96.
It adds some levity to a series that can at times get almost oppressive in the constant conflict, loss of life, and decimation that occurs around (and to) the main characters. It’s the moments of levity that make this series a standout amongst others and stop it spiraling.
Without giving too much away, the focus of Quantum Assault becomes largely about the defence of the Sekmit homeworld and their Trinium. But there are also several political ramifications to this decision that become apparent as the book unfolds. As with the other books, there is not just a military sci-fi story, but there is also a strong political thriller aspect to the story, as we see the fall of the Galactic Republic, the remnants of that Republic trying to survive and protect its people, as well as several other parties vying for control for power.
In the middle of all of it, not only enjoying the chaos, but looking to add more and destroy everything, is Moldark. He has found a new ally, the Obscura, and with them, he may well have found the answers to several of his problems.
As with the other books in this series, the character work continues to be outstanding, as we see our two main characters Awen and Magnus, along with the multitude of other ‘semi-major’ characters (too many to list), all continue to grow and evolve. Magnus is still struggling with his position, both in the Gladius, but also his new role in the galaxy as no longer being a Repub Marine, but rather his own person, and someone who is very much in love. Awen is very similar, no longer a ‘Luma’, instead, a Gladii, but of the Unity variety, her own person as well, and in love with Magnus. Separately, they are incredibly powerful, together, they are nigh on unstoppable. There is also little Piper, who may well yet hold the galaxy in her hands.
Quantum Assault is the penultimate book in the series, and this is a brilliant lead up to the final story for the climatic end to what has been an exceptional read. This is a must read for anyone who has not only enjoyed the previous books, but has enjoyed any of Hopper’s or Chaney’s books.
Christopher Ryan Grant is an exceptional Narrator, he has a wonderful voice, and does a fantastic set of both male and female voices. Each of his voices are clear and concise, easy to understand, and distinctive, so you can clearly identify characters. Grant provides his characters with that emotional content to really bring them to life, so that he is creating a full audio-story, not just reading the book, letting us know how each of the characters is feeling (happy, sad, angry, confused!), and he does a stunning job with this. Overall, this is an extraordinary bit of Narration, he has more than delivered an audiobook that is a MUST listen to – so much better than just reading it!!

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