Review: Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1), by Ian Kirkpatrick, audiobook, narrated by Kieran Regan

 

Title: Bleed More, Bodymore (Bodymore #1)

Author: Ian Kirkpatrick

Narrated by: Kieran Regan

Format: audiobook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "HORROR IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN EVIL OVERTAKES THE HEART.

Joey’s a Baltimore mechanic. One night, she receives a call from her best friend, asking for his car to be picked up from the infamous body dumping grounds of Baltimore: Leakin Park. When she arrives, there’s little more around than a stalled-out car and a couple of ravens, so she leaves only with the car. Back at the body shop, it doesn’t take long for the smell of rot to permeate the trunk. Inside? A corpse. The cops said her friend did it. His absence is his guilt, but Joey knows better. She will find her missing friend and she will prove his innocence.

But something isn’t right in Baltimore. It’s not just the feeling that someone is always watching from the city’s abandoned buildings... Her search for her friend reveals something much worse hiding under Baltimore. A ghost town, a reaper, regret. Suddenly, the city’s rage and the stink that rising out of the dirt make much more sense."

My Opinion: Josephine (Joey) works as a mechanic in Baltimore. She jumps right into the story when she goes out on a call to pick up the car of her best friend, Wayland. Unfortunately, when she gets there, Way is nowhere to be found. Instead, she finds a dead body in the trunk. Also, she notices an inordinate amount of crows in the area, and are they actually looking at her, or is she going crazy? Thus begin Joey's adventures into the underworld of Baltimore. 

First off, as this is an audiobook, I have to say that the narrator put me off a bit. First off, it was a male narrator, and the main character was female, so that just didn't work for me. Second, while Joey is a very sarcastic person (in a totally fun way), the narrator made absolutely everything she said come out sarcastic, even when that was clearly not how the line was written. It just wasn't believable.

As for the story itself, I loved it. The world building was phenomenal and the descriptions of the settings, especially anything that happened at night or in the woods, was done exceptionally well. I loved the characters and thought they were fleshed out fully for the most part. I'm looking forward to learning even more about them in the next book, fingers crossed. The pacing was very quick so this was a rapid read.

In summary, I recommend this book to fans of horror stories with just the right amount of snark thrown in for good measure. You might want to read the book itself instead of listening to the audiobook if narration is important to you.

3/5 stars.

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Aloha Alibi (Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1), by Jasmine Webb

 

Title: Aloha Alibi (Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1)

Author: Jasmine Webb

Format: audiobook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "Most people flee to Hawaii for gorgeous weather, white-sand beaches, and cocktails at sunset. Charlotte Gibson, however, is fleeing for her life after a vengeful mobster leaves a severed finger on her doorstep as a warning. Message very much received.

That’s how Charlotte—Charlie to everyone except her mom— finds herself on Maui with six dollars to her name, living with a mother who can’t stop giving her advice on how to land herself a husband. But when a businessman is murdered and his company offers a reward to whoever finds the killer, Charlie sees an opportunity: with that kind of cash, she could afford her own place and start a new life here away from the people who want her dead. After all, how hard can hunting down a murderer be?

Teaming up with a couple of old ladies with more spunk than Betty White, Charlie is sure she’s on the right track to snag the reward money. However, the infuriating-but-smoldering-hot cop trying to keep her away from his case has other ideas. Throw in a day job at an ice cream shop, corrupt local politicians, and a best friend trying to act as the voice of reason, and Charlie has her work cut out for her.

Will she be able to find the killer, or is Charlie’s time in paradise going to go straight to hell in a handbasket?"

My Opinion: Charlie Gibson kills a man in self defense who ends up being the brother of a very vengeful mobster, and when she finds a severed finger on her doorstep, she decides it's time to get out of Dodge, fast! The only place she can go, seeing as how she has no money, is Hawaii, where she spent her childhood and where her mother still lives. I mean, there are definitely worse places to go!

I thought this was a very fun book. The premise is far fetched, to say the least, but if you could look past that, it was a good read. I loved that the main characters were all strong, independent women, other than Charlie's mother, who just couldn't seem to talk about anything other than her daughter's lack of a sex life and her single-minded need for her daughter to find a man and get married. That was really annoying. 

There was a semi-romance set up between Charlie and the "infuriating-but-smoldering-hot cop" but it felt forced. I would love to see that delved into further in a more organic way.

Since this was an audiobook, I have to say that I thought the narrator, Khristine Hyam, did a fine job with the different characters, and she injected a lot of feeling into her reading, which was great.

All in all, I enjoyed this cozy mystery, and look forward to reading any further books in this series as I can see the promise in this book.

4/5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Quokkas' Christmas Quest, by J. Macpherson

 

Title: The Quokkas' Christmas Quest

Author: J. Macpherson

Format: Audiobook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads: "When Santa and his reindeer bump into a whale, his presents are scattered on the beach at Rottnest Island. Clancy and Cobba, two local quokkas, help him collect all the presents. But when Santa continues on his way, the quokkas discover that several Christmas presents have been left behind. It's up to Clancy and Cobba to deliver the presents."

My Opinion: Audiobook ARC from NetGalley

Clancy and Cobba, two little quokkas, and the best of friends, run into Santa one Christmas Eve, and when Santa flies away on his sleigh to deliver all of his gifts to little boys and girls everywhere, some of them fall off, and it's up to Clancy and Cobba to figure out how to help Santa complete his mission. They end up having one heck of a night! 

This is such a cute little Christmas short story! The quokkas are adorable, and the story is a lot of fun. And kudos to the narrator! She did a wonderful job with the voices and injecting a lot of fun into her narration.

I'm giving this book 5/5 stars. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it.

Review: Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1), by Michel Guyon

 

Title: Archibald Finch and the Lost Witches (Archibald Finch #1)

Author: Michel Guyon

Format: Audiobook

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  "What happened 500 years ago was never supposed to resurface.

Exploring his Grandma’s scary manor, Archibald stumbles upon a dark family secret, linked to a time of great fears and superstitions. Key to that mystery: an ancient terrestrial globe, populated by the most fantastic creatures.
When he unlocks the storm inside by accident, the risk-averse boy gets whisked into the underworld of Lemurea, where a battle started in the Middle Ages has yet to be settled. Down here, it’s light versus darkness, magic versus fire, witches versus dragons. But not any kind of witches —an army of young girls, with the most magical weapons. And not any kind of dragons —Marodors, enigmatic monsters, part beast, part human, which will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about dragons.
While Archibald is thrust into an amazing adventure that will test his survival skills, on the flip side of the Earth, his sister Hailee faces her own challenges. Seeking to solve Archibald’s disappearance, she uncovers the grim plans of a dark priest.
Two breathtaking stories, running parallel with one another, but tightly intertwined. Two worlds, on a dangerous collision course..."

My Opinion:  Archibald and his family (mom, dad, and sister Hailee) move into a big, spooky mansion just before Christmas that they inherited from Archibald's grandmother. Archibald is searching the house one day, looking for his Christmas gifts (which, of course, his mother forbade him to do), when he came across an old globe. It wasn't an  ordinary globe, though, as there were countries on there that Archibald didn't recognize. It does have a keyhole, so Archibald goes on a search for the key, which he eventually finds. To his surprise, the globe starts spinning and emits a bright light, and sucks Archibald and his surrounding furniture into another world. Archibald has to learn the ways of this new world, and he has to search for a way home. Meanwhile, in present day England, Hailee  is also working on finding a way to bring Archibald home.

I really enjoyed this story, as did my 15 year old son when he listened to it. I think the narrator did a good job with the pacing and the dialogue, which makes all the difference when listening to an audiobook. The characters were well defined and explained, and I liked the changes I saw in both Archibald and Hailee as the story progressed. 

The pacing of the story itself was also done well, and the world building was extensive. Something else I appreciated was that the author didn't talk down to the reader like in some MG books I've read. That makes it much easier to enjoy.

All in all, I give this book 5/5 stars. 

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.