4.5/5 Stars Charlotte Redbird, Ghost Coach by Sharon Buchbinder

September 4, 2021August 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, cozyish, Paranormal, romance Rebecca Winder, Sharon Buchbinder

Series: Cat’s Paw Cove 12

Narrated by Rebecca Winder

Summary:

Charly Redbird moves to Florida after her business as a life coach hits a speedbump in the form of a put-out customer.

Additional Comments:

Moving to FL brings her close to a handsome real estate broker who happens to be an empath.
Thankfully, there wasn’t too much dancing around the point with the romance angle. He fell for her pretty quickly, and she did the same.
What makes or breaks a cozy is the side characters and setting. Cat’s Paw Cove sounds like a hopping weird place to be.
Charly’s ability to chat with ghosts and cats is amusing. There’s even a mini-mystery of sorts for her to solve.
Charly freaking out that she’s adopted was dumb, but she got over it quickly.
Content Comments: some cursing. Some skirting around adult situations.
Narrator fit the main character well.
Novella length isn’t exactly a great amount of time to get to know characters, but the cast of characters sounds amusing, especially grandma and the old folks home people.
As with most in its genre, you don’t have to think too hard with this story, just enjoy the oddities.

Conclusion:

Charming short tale of a woman who likes puns, can chat up ghosts and cats, and lands a boyfriend in about .5 seconds.

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Many of my 50 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)

Guardian Angel Files:

Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)

5/5 Stars Skin, The X-Files Book 6 by Ben Mezrich

July 16, 2021June 24, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Paranormal, scifi Ben Mezrich, Patrick Lawlor, x-files

Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Run Time: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Summary:

A series of fantastic, seemingly unrelated events send Mulder and Scully halfway across the world to hunt down a legend.

Additional Comments:

Story has great flow. There are a lot of seemingly unrelated things happening, but they don’t feel contrived.
The murders are brutal but plausible.
There’s good action and danger for our hero and heroine.
There are only mild hints of conspiracy on this one.
Soldiers disappearing during the Vietnam war isn’t that far-fetched.
Mulder and Scully get to travel. They seem to be doing a lot of that.
Science and supernatural collide in many X-Files. This one happens to favor more science than supernatural, but there’s still a decent mix of the two.
Content Warnings: Some disturbing content. It’s not described in too much gruesome detail, but there’s definitely a creepy killer on the loose in this one.

Conclusion:

Probably the strongest in the series so far. It’s got classic X-Files vibes and creepy killers and scifi crazy science. Nice combo.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 51 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Ground Zero, The X-Files Book 3 by Kevin J. Anderson

July 13, 2021June 24, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Paranormal, scifi Kevin J. Anderson, Patrick Lawlor

Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Run Time: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Summary:

Dr. Gregory dies a gruesome death in his own lab. A second victim dies similarly on the other side of the country out in the middle of nowhere. A third victim gets struck in Washington, D.C. This one has some ties to nuclear research.

Additional Comments:

Definitely of the paranormal flavor. A wee bit of government conspiracies thrown in.
Revenge is best served stone cold, I guess.
Mulder and Scully poke around, but they’re not even sure what kinds of questions to ask. They keep getting stonewalled by government officials. Not even their FBI clearances will pull back the curtain and shed light on the super-secret project.
I don’t really like the researcher who turned protestor, but I do sort of like her fate. It’s oddly fitting but horrific at the same time.
I liked the little bits of Scully’s past being tied in.
Gee, you probably don’t want to be the person who opens one of these books because you’re gonna die in a gruesome manner.
Patrick Lawlor’s performance works swell. He doesn’t attempt to go full falsetto for women, but you can still tell when the speaker is a lady.
Mulder and Scully take on a hurricane. Nice. I enjoyed the conversation Mulder has with the kid who answers the phone number he’s not supposed to have.

Conclusion:

No need to hear these in order. There is zero link between the stories, but they’re all uniquely fun in their own twisted little way.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Whirlwind, The X-Files Book 2 by Charles Grant

July 12, 2021June 24, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Paranormal, scifi

Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Run Time: 5 hrs and 42 mins

Summary:

Serial killers usually have a pattern, but this time, there’s seemingly no link between the victims. Male, female, young, old, human, and animal have been targeted. The method of the kill is highly unusual.

Additional Comments:

Albuquerque, New Mexico has seen its share of unexplained events, but nothing quite like this.
Mulder and Scully get sent to investigate. People don’t really seem to want to talk to them. Everything seems to lead back to some trinkets, but is there also a rational link as well?
This one falls on the paranormal/ supernatural side of things. It’s still very good. Not sure these will ever fall in the wow, blew me away category because they’re meant to be oddball stories.
Performance is strong.
I’m surprised I like these stories so much because they’re not exactly action packed. There’s usually some action in the end, but it’s not non-stop. There’s a lot of setup.
It’s weird that these were published in 2015. I think they stuck to the X-Files time frame so 1990’s. I mean there are cell phones, but not iPhones.

Conclusion:

Solid entry in a fun series.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.25/5 Stars Goblins, The X-Files Book 1 by Charles Grant

July 11, 2021June 24, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Paranormal, scifi Charles Grant, Patrick Lawlor, x-files

Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Run Time: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Summary:

A man gets his throat slashed by an invisible enemy, and the only witness is a drunk. Another woman swears the attacker is a goblin. Mulder is a little reluctant to hop on the investigative bandwagon, especially now that he’s saddled with a rookie agent and an interdepartmental loaner agent. He thinks the case is too normal for him, but somebody high up pulls a string and gets him assigned to the case anyway.

Additional Comments:

Mulder and Scully and two others are sent to New Jersey to investigate a brutal murder
I’ve been on a kick to hear X-files books. This is one of my favorites of the lot so far. They’re all good in different ways.
I may also be partial to this one because it’s set in NJ near Fort Dix.
I love how most of them skirt the edge of possibility. They come in a few flavors. This one falls on the government conspiracies side, rather than the horror or straight up paranormal.
Of the ones I’ve heard thus far, I think this is probably the most plausible so far. (Just finished Ground Zero, Whirlwind, and Ruins recently.)
I don’t remember everything, but the plot moved along at a steady pace. The end twist was reasonably satisfying.
Patrick Lawlor captures Mulder and Scully and their dynamic pretty well.

Conclusion:

If you loved the show, you might like this series.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

3.45/5 Stars Recruitment by K. A. Riley

May 15, 2021May 2, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, dystopia, Paranormal Ginger Sue, K.A. Riley, YA dystopia

Narrated by Ginger Sue

Run Time: 8 hrs and 53 min

Summary:

Kress and her friends are swooped up … this is more conscription than recruitment if you want to get technical. That takes about 1/3 of the book. The rest is the beginning of their training.

Additional Comments:

3.5/5 Stars Main Character – Tries a little too hard to hit that average but amazing teen protagonist vibe. Glad I looked up her name because I would have gone with Kris, not Kress. The connection to a raven was new-ish and cool, a great excuse for her to be able to see and hear things she normally wouldn’t be able to.
4/5 Stars Side Characters – A nice variety of personalities. I might be mor of a fan of Mandy than the others though.
4/5 Stars Plot – The what happens is typical dystopian fare. Predictable but still decently satisfying if you’re not completely inundated with this flavor of story. Evil government, check. Naïve populace, double check. (I would like it more if that part wasn’t so sadly realistic.) Training the youth as a last-ditch effort, check. The end twist works but is very predictable.
3.5/5 Stars Worldbuilding – typical dystopian world with a few neat added tidbits.
1/5 Stars Pacing and closure – This is essentially a very, very, very long, wordy prologue to the rest of some unseen story. There’s not even much sense of this chapter ending. That sort of thing would be better in book 2 of a trilogy, but I expect better out of book 1. The way this ends just sort of leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth. It’s not even like a “oh, I really need to see what happens” vibe, more like a “wow, that’s annoying. 9 hrs I’m not getting back.”
3.5/5 Stars Performance – The narrator fit the MC very well. Some of the cadence took a bit of getting used to. This is rare for me because I listen at a faster speed and that tends to fix stuff like that, not cause it. Props to the narrator for being able to distinguish 8-ish core characters.
The use of the word conspiracy was odd.
4/5 Stars Cover – pretty and decently on point with the genre.

Conclusion:

There are definitely cool parts, but if you like closure, definitely NOT the book for you. If you want to take a gamble, I recommend waiting until there is a combination book and springing for that. The other two books in the trilogy aren’t released, so I’d recommend a different medium until that’s ready.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 42 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Audiobook Review 4/5 Stars: Allison by Jeff Strand

March 23, 2021March 13, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Horror, Paranormal Jeff Strand, Sara Morsey

Narrated by Sara Morsey

*Note: NOT A CLEAN TITLE

I mention that because 98% of what I post is.

Summary:

The back cover explains the whole story. Allison has a supernatural gift that lets her break people’s bones. But she can’t really control it.

Additional Comments:

Characters are flat but functional. This isn’t really a deep thinker kind of book. It’s a let’s break stuff and cause mayhem book.
The premise is cool.
Allison, despite her terrifying gift, comes across as a nice lady.
Cover art’s cool.
There are some genuinely funny sections.
Sometimes the banter seems inane.
Performance worked swell.
Not much to say. It’s a grisly fluff piece.
Content Warnings: pervasive adult language and violence; 1 scene at the end that would have thrown it off the “clean” list.

Conclusion:

If you like horror, supernatural gifts, and don’t mind strong language, you may like this book.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Audiobook Reviews 3.5/5 Stars Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Mysterious Bag of Bones

September 18, 2020August 15, 2020 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Paranormal Carrie Coello, K.M. Waller, Lost Souls ParaAgency

Narrated by Carrie Coello

Run Time: 3 hrs and 58 min

Summary:

Ally and Sydney get caught up in a new mystery when Ris accidentally animates a bag of bones buried in their front yard.

Additional Comments:

Reg is a good addition to the cast. There’s a lot of potential for him and
The Walker Sisters are kind of boring. Though I think they are getting better in this book.
For someone who eschews magic, Ally does a heck of a lot of it.
The mystery’s conclusion is slightly convenient but very satisfying.
There are a few continuation pieces.
I’m not sure the author uses the epilogue as epilogues are typically used. It’s typically supposed to wrap up what has happened, but consistently, they’ve been more of a setup for what’s to come in the next book in the series. It’s a tad annoying in that it essentially changes what could be a nicely wrapped story into a “but wait, there’s more” situation.
While it helps to read previous volumes, I don’t think it’s required.
Sydney and Ally’s relationship doesn’t move anywhere, but it seems strong.
Narration was fine. Characters are distinguishable. Narrator has a pleasant voice. Can’t comment on pace b/c I always do 2x playback speed.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy paranormal clean cozy mystery fluff pieces, it’s a decent example of such. Good escapism piece.

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33 of my 36 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Never Again (mystery, suspense) and Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there.
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Def US codes for this one, but not on AU. Find me on FB)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.

Audiobook Reviews 3/5 Stars Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Vampire Illusion by K.M. Waller

September 15, 2020August 15, 2020 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Paranormal Carrie Coello, K.M. Waller, Lost Souls ParaAgency

Narrated by Carrie Coello

Run Time: 3 hrs and 53 mins

Summary:

This is Book 3 in a cozy style paranormal mystery series. Ally Walker kind of wants nothing to do with her witch heritage. She’s minding her sister’s tea store while Amira and their younger sister go on a road trip with the crazy aunts.

Additional Comments:

I am not sure how much the aunts were in book 1 since I came to the series at book 2, but there isn’t all that much evidence of them being crazy. Meddlesome, yes, but not crazy.
Performance 4/5 stars: Carrie Coello has a pleasant voice. She distinguishes characters pretty well. The main character was a tad perkier than I like main characters but it was a fair and accurate depiction of the way Ally was written.
3/5 Main Characters: Sydney has an interesting backstory but that’s about it. He doesn’t come across as hardened or heroic or much of anything besides slightly rude. Ally’s kind of cute but she doesn’t do much.
3/5 Plot: it’s a murder mystery but since we never really meet the victim, there’s not much to care about.
Something is missing. I didn’t get a sense of danger at all throughout the book. Or romance. Or mystery. There’s a vague sense of a cool world where paranormal and normal coexist side by side, but there’s not enough weird to warrant the spooky hype.
Still missing the charming animal aspect of a cozy anything.
It could just be the novellas are too short to really connect with the characters.
Clean. Kid safe in terms of language and such.

Conclusion:

Though it’s not really connecting with me, I am sure it has an audience out there. Maybe diehard cozy fans or enthusiastic paranormal fans will like it.

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

3.5/5 Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Ghostly Reunion by K.M. Waller

September 2, 2020September 1, 2020 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery, Paranormal, Young Adult Carrie Coello, K.M. Waller, Lost Souls ParaAgency

Narrated by Carrie Coello

Run Time: 4 hrs and 34 mins

Summary:

Amira and Lex take on a case of creepy haunting (minus the creep factor).

Additional Comments:

I think the series has potential, but many times in the book, I got the “nothing is happening” vibe. Maybe it was a missing sense of danger. The hauntings never seemed dangerous. The characters got a few bumps and bruises but that’s about it.
If you’ve read the back cover, you’ve read 90% of the book.
This is the second book in the series. While I don’t think hearing the first is vitally important, it may have helped with knowing the main characters better.
Characters 3/5: Amira and Lex are okay, but they don’t seem to have a lot of chemistry. The conflict between them (his overprotectiveness, her dying need to prove herself) didn’t really play out in more than words and a few “well, the Walker women are stubborn” sentiments. Sidekicks didn’t have enough page-time to be useful. The suspects read like a clue game. (The cook, the girlfriend, the unlikable victim, the assistant, the hot stable guy whose also a repressed actor)
The book gives off cozy mystery vibes, but there’s no cute animal companion. I feel gypped. It needs a surly but charming cat.
Amira’s sister Riz (sorry, I heard the audiobook, so I have no idea how to spell that) has potential. She’ll likely get her own book later in the series.
Clean read. Normalizes being a witch, but leaves the whole spell thing (desire spell, guilt spell) and séance running at the harmless parlor trick level. The characters don’t feel the slightest bit guilty about using magic to suit their current needs.
Performance was suitably perky. (That fits Amira stylistically.) Characters could be distinguished.

Conclusion:

Kind of disappears into the genre for me (doesn’t stand out), but I think it will appeal to fans of cozy paranormal.