Jerry

Finally!

Reviewed: 04-27-25 Listener received this title free

I have been longing for a decent banshee/la Llorona tale for several years and I finally found one! This story was well written, with good characters, and full of realistic, sketchy human behavior that leads to consequences. The setting and time period were especially appealing to me as well. Although not much of the banshee origin is revealed, the story itself just works because of the way the various family ties are detailed. I would have enjoyed more banshee horror action to be sure, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this one after such a drought.

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Another Winner

Reviewed: 04-14-25 Listener received this title free

This is a very good historical piece involving the arrival of the plague in a European village. The author captured the era with great skill, especially the human frailties and behaviors. I was very impressed with the whole tone/setting and the creativity that is needed to create such an engaging work. I am really starting to love this author's work after what I thought was a shaky start.

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Stellar

Reviewed: 04-14-25 Listener received this title free

This is the story of how a fallen nobleman becomes is serial killer in olden times. I loved everything about this. The characters were well developed, the gore level was about right, the killings and most of the motivations made perfect sense, and the prose flowed perfectly. The main character is made human instead of one dimensional and that takes an expert touch. This is a home run for me and I am glad to see what this author is capable of producing, since I have been less impressed with some of his other works. I definitely will be following this series.

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Pretty Good

Reviewed: 04-14-25 Listener received this title free

I enjoyed this story, largely because of the world building aspects involved. Vampires are always a favorite genre for me and all that it entails. The length was a bit of a problem and I think this would have benefited from either being longer and more detailed or shorter and cut off after the initial battle. It's essentially a version of the "crusty old veteran breaks in rookie" trope, with a female as the veteran (not my favorite device because it is not common sense). I did think the character development was good and I hope there is more on the way because there is such potential.

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Not For Me

Reviewed: 04-14-25 Listener received this title free

It is muddled, confused, and I suspect way too personal for the author. I'll just leave it there rather than risk offense.

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Reel Me In

Reviewed: 02-18-25 Listener received this title free

This is how you write an introduction to a series and hook in the reader like a fish! A lot of action and world building are packed into a few pages and the two sympathetic characters that are the main focus are compelling. I want more, and that's the point isn't it?

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Something Missing

Reviewed: 02-18-25 Listener received this title free

This was just ok. I enjoyed the story on balance, but there was nothing new or original here and after the author's addendum I understand why that was the case. The story itself is workmanlike, but the human element or creativity is lacking. I enjoyed the concept very much, but the execution fell short for me.

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Good Intro

Reviewed: 02-10-25 Listener received this title free

I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. The plot opens in a role reversal with our hero finding himself in a bear trap and being rescued by a fine damsel when she stumbles upon him. I listened to this as an audiobook and it was excellent. The writing is engaging and the narrator was very skilled in laying out the events. Even though it was a bit predictable, this tale succeeds because the reader (or listener) is transported mentally into a different world. To me that is the mark of a successful writer. I definitely want to read more from this author.

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Fun

Reviewed: 04-14-24 Listener received this title free

What an enjoyable romp this book was. I like the weird western genre and this was a fine example of it. The writing was crisp, the main character was a "good egg," and the story line was just plain enjoyable. Nothing overly wrought or complicated, just a nice bit of "take you away" entertainment that was a perfect length (about 5 hours of fun distraction).

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1 person found this helpful

I Enjoyed This!

Reviewed: 01-29-24 Listener received this title free

This book was a pleasant surprise. I struggled with the beginning because of the world building and hard sci-fi aspects, but I stuck with it and it was worth the effort in the end. In the far distant future, two former gods are hired as assassins and the story revolves around their shenanigans and schemes. I particularly enjoyed the not overbearing Latin/Aztec flavor but what really made this book work was the author’s skill at character development. Even though there are a fair number of characters, they are all well described and memorable, even when they get killed off. The imagination and creativity it takes to craft this kind of tale, seasoned with just the right amount of snark is to be admired. Clearly this is only the start of a series as the ending was left so open, but this will likely not be the last Frank Kennedy book I’ll be reading.

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