Rlane

Lovely!

Reviewed: 03-31-25

Lady Pheobe Hunt was shipped off to America to pay for her crimes and has spent the last few years there. Now she’s back in England to help her mother and sister get situated after the death of her father. What a horrible man!

Sam Fenley, an enterprising and now wealthy businessman, wants to buy their London Estate and agrees to help them catalog their country house and get it and the contents ready for auction as well. He thinks he might offer for the younger sister, she’s beautiful and titled and it would be a step into the aristocracy that Sam has been looking for. However, Lady Phoebe is the one that captures his attention with her icy demeanor, sharp wit and air of sadness that hangs about her like a cloak.

There’s a lot of bad memories and ghosts for the poor Hunt women! Sam was the breath of fresh air needed as they sorted things out! I absolutely loved him! He was kind, confident, and determined but didn’t take himself too seriously.

Lady Phoebe Hunt was introduced in the previous series, and she certainly was a villainess, but of course, there was far more to her story.

The Lady Sparks a Flame was lovely! The writing was gorgeous and clever with splashes of humor that balanced out some of the more serious parts. The romance was delicious and spicy with the perfect foundation and buildup! I think fans of Tessa Dare or Lisa Kleypas would definitely enjoy this story! Characters from the past series figure in and appear here, but I feel you could read the story as a standalone.

The narration was wonderful!

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Loved it even more the 2nd time around!

Reviewed: 02-23-25

The Edge is a place where magical powers and creatures exist. It sits in between the Broken, our world, and the Weird, a place where magic thrives and where a royal society rules.

Cerise Mar’s parents are abducted as part of a land grab in the Edge by a rival family. Their abduction was at the urging of The Hand, a deadly group of unnaturally enhanced humans led by the ruthless and power-hungry, Spider. Cerise has to reclaim her land and get her parents back. Her plans and mission collide with William’s.

William was born a changeling and brought up to be a soldier. He left that life when the government turned against him and he’s been living a quiet, solitary existence in the Edge, until the government needs his help again. They have the perfect motivation for William: capture Spider, the killer responsible for the mass murders of changeling children. He’s eager for vengeance!

I adored William and Cerise’s first meeting! “The Hobo-Queen” and “Lord Bill” had me cracking up! They had plenty of chemistry, and longing from afar. I thought their romance was well done and in the right amount considering all the danger they were in. I loved the big, crazy extended Mar family and how they *mostly* welcomed William in!

Parts really creeped me out, especially the bits in Spider’s POV!

My heart went out to Lark (Sophie), Cerise’s younger sister, who had a traumatic event shape her. Lark appears in future installments of The Edge and The Innkeeper series, as does George and Jack, Rose’s younger brothers, so it was nice to reread her introduction. I loved seeing her, George and Jack again and they continue to be some of my favorite characters of Ilona Andrews’ stories!

I read Bayou Moon back in 2015, and re-read it again for a read-along. I loved it even more the second time around!

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Heartwarming romance & more!

Reviewed: 01-24-25

Olive is back in Sunrise Cove to support her best friend, Katie, when her husband is injured in an accident. Unfortunately, she’ll be staying under the same roof as Noah, Katie’s brother, and they have a history.

Quick flashes from the past gradually reveal the details of Noah and Olive’s friendship and the attraction between them. However, all that came to a halt when Olive accidentally runs Noah over, changing the course of his career path. Olive never forgave herself and accepted an early internship overseas leaving soon after. There’s more to that story that Noah and Katie didn’t know about, and it made me mad!

Noah and Olive’s forced proximity makes it impossible to ignore the feelings they’ve always had for each other. Their romance was full of longing, a little bit of hurt, but also a lot of fun with great playful banter!

I absolutely loved Better Than Friends! Yes, it was a romance, but so much more! Quirky, fun secondary characters, like Katie, and her little boy Joey. Don’t get me started on the things that came out of his mouth! Hilarious! Not to mention the sweet animals! Holms, the dog, and kitten Pepper, named because she’s spicy and feisty. Their bond was so adorable! I also loved all the original marketing strategies Olive came up with for her customers. The gorgeous, small mountain setting was just icing on the cake for me! Definite recommend!

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Another exciting installment!

Reviewed: 07-25-24

Auden Scott is the daughter of the ruthless Psy-Counselor pair: Henry and Shoshanna Scott. Her mind was fractured in an experiment approved by her mother that went wrong. Auden has recovered for the most part, now fully aware/awake, and pregnant, without her consent or memory! She and her baby are constantly monitored by the advisors left over by her mother, a prisoner in her own home. When touring the properties she inherited from her parents, Auden discovers land adjacent to the Rain Fire Pack where she encounters the Alpha, Remi and there’s an immediate connection.

Remi is fascinated by Auden Scott, the clearly damaged Psy, so when she takes up residence close by and alone, he can’t help but check on her. What he discovers about her circumstances is chilling. Auden needs his help. Remi’s determined to keep her and her child safe.

I was outraged for Auden by the treatment she had by the ones who were supposed to love and protect her! I wondered at what was going on and I had my suspicions. Auden’s mother was truly awful! I was so happy she found the Remi and sanctuary with the Rain Fire Pack, because she and her baby needed protection from those psychos!

Primal Mirror is book 8 in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series, “season two” in the Psy-Changeling series. It’s best read in order. Or at least from the first Trinity book. Each book is a standalone romance, but there’s an ongoing story arc that came to a critical point in this installment. The Psy race are desperately trying to repair/salvage the Psy-Net from imminent collapse. There was movement on that front and other revelations that wouldn’t make sense if you read this as a standalone. I loved the cooperation from all races: Human, Psy, and Changeling banding together to help the Psy.

I completely recommend this series for fans of fast-paced, chemistry filled shifter/sci-fi romances! I would start from the very beginning, the original series and keep going. The audios, read by Angela Dawe, are fantastic!

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Unexpectedly Good!

Reviewed: 01-22-24

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was unexpectedly good! I was a little hesitant that I’d like Angel being that she’s a self-described loser and drug addict. However, not only was this a zombie story, but it was also a story of positive personal growth, and a mystery. Angel is a smart cookie who had a rough start in life. I’m eager to see her take charge of her life and happiness and excel!

Angel wakes up in the ER told that she was saved from an overdose, but the flashes of memory she has doesn’t match up with the account she’s been given. Also, when Angel leaves the ER she’s given a note and instructions to show up and start work at the coroner’s office or be reported to her parole officer which would likely result in her going back to jail. A threat that motivates her to comply.

Angel’s job sounds like a nightmare for someone with a notoriously weak stomach, but there are some surprising revelations as she settles in. Also, there’s a string of murders where the corpse has been left decapitated.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was a “page-turner”! A story I didn’t want to stop listening to! I listened to the story straight through and was tempted to continue with the next story, but it was getting too late! Allison McLemore’s performance was perfection! I loved her Southern accent, and her comedic timing was excellent! There wasn’t as much laugh-out-loud humor as I thought there’d be, more ironic, dry humor that worked well with this story.

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Twisty and atmospheric!

Reviewed: 11-25-23

Luna and her friends are reuniting at a remote estate, getting together after years apart, but one of them isn’t part of the group. Bea Shepherd, Darcie’s younger sister, died eight years earlier and it still doesn’t make any sense to Luna. Bea was a bright star in the group, with her magnetic personality, everyone loved her. Luna can’t forgive the way Darcie handled her death, brushing it and the details under the rug.

Luna has struggled with the loss, but now has an added reason to finally get answers about Bea’s death. She’s going blind and wants to be able to look her friends in the face, see their reactions to her questions. She wants the truth, even if her questions stir up anger and bitterness.

Their meet-up turns dangerous as a winter storm cuts them off from civilization, trapping them at the estate while things start going wrong. Tensions grow while they struggle to survive long enough to escape.

Oh, this was a twisty, atmospheric mystery! It took a little to get into it, getting to know the characters and history, but as soon as strange things started happening, I was hooked! The characters stuck together at a gothic-like, creepy estate upped the tension! There were a couple of surprises as all is revealed! I’m still thinking about the story!

Narration was top notch. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

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1 person found this helpful

Perfection!

Reviewed: 06-03-23

You’ve probably seen about a million reviews for The True Love Experiment, so I won’t bore you with another recap. This was just so much fun! Fizzy had no filter and I laughed so hard at the things that just flew out of her mouth. Especially, the verbal bombs she’d drop just as River was somehow entering the room! He’d just turn tail and leave, like every time, lol!

But there’s a lot more to the story than just slapstick. Both Fizzy and Connor had things to work through. A very inconvenient, strong attraction, considering the circumstances, that I’m super happy they couldn’t resist most of the time. The sexual tension, heat and chemistry was off-the-charts! Connor and Fizzy just felt so right for each other! I was skeptical about the whole dating show feature, but Christina Lauren made it work perfectly! They wrapped it up so cleverly and in the best way! The True Love Experiment may be my favorite CL to date! Total recommend!

I alternately listened to the audio and read an e-copy. I recommend either version! Cindy Kay was perfect for Fizzy and she performed Connor’s bits well, too. Jonathan Cole’s British accent was divine and his did Fizzy’s part nicely, as well! They enhanced an already spectacular read! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

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Narration was excellent, story was ok

Reviewed: 05-15-23

While I was happy with the positive female friendships featured and forged in this story, the depressing situations both Sam and Nisha dealt with overshadowed the story. I think it was probably 80-85% before either character had some positive resolutions. One bad thing after another made this one a downer for me. I was happy that there was justice and proper revenge by the end, but would've liked some more joy interspersed. There were some fun bits here and there, but not nearly enough to balance out crappy things that were happening to Nisha and Sam, IMO.

Daisy Ridley made the story worth the listen. Comedic timing and character emotions were excellently performed!

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A feel good romance!

Reviewed: 05-15-23

Inheriting an old inn forces three childhood friends to return to their hometown and mend fences. I liked each of the three: Alice, a sassy, independent woman who’s been on the go, never in one place for long since her brother's death. Lauren, Alice’s ex-best friend, who stayed in Sunrise Cove, pitied as the sort of “widow” of Alice’s brother after he died. And then there’s Knox, Alice’s teenage crush, who left and went on to start a successful construction business. He loved the inn and Sunrise Cove, but has his own painful memories drudged up by coming home.

The Backup Plan was a low-angst story with two romances, and a second-chance-at-bes-friends with Lauren and Alice. They let time and distance get between them but the forced proximity had them remembering how close they were, how much the friendship meant. Knox and Alice tip toe around mutual attraction while working on the inn, and Lauren finds love at the hardware store. Both romances made me smile.

I enjoyed the lessons they learned from Eleanor’s emails. Some of the revelations they had from them were painful to hear but helped the three face things they wouldn’t have normally.

The story is book three of the series, but it’s not necessary to read the previous books to enjoy it.

The Backup Plan was a feel-good story with friendship, love, and the comfort of finding home again.

Andi Arndt is one of my all-time favorite narrators for romance! Male or female voices she's awesome. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

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Can't wait for the next one!

Reviewed: 05-15-23

Nola is still working on renovating her Creole Cottage in Louisiana thinking that the spirit of Beau’s grandfather and Jeanne Broussard have moved on. Unfortunately, Beau’s grandfather is still there along with another malevolent presence. Nola knows there must be something still holding Beau’s grandfather there, but with the appearance of Beau’s long-lost sister that issue gets sidelined. But not for long.

I really like Nola and along with her I wanted to know why the spirit of Beau’s grandfather, and his mother, Adele was still hanging around when Sunny was found. There’s also the matter of the evil spirit also lurking. I love all the side characters in this series, Jolene, Nola’s best friend particularly! She cracks me up so much with all her Southern sayings, like “Never iron or fry chicken naked” her need to monogram everything for everyone, even their dog Mardi, her driving, and her constant efforts to bring Nola’s style up to par. Efforts Nola mostly tries to evade, but reluctantly appreciates. Nola and Jolene’s friendship is one of my favorite things about this series!

The ongoing messy romantic situation, with a Beau involved with someone else while there’s a clear attraction between Beau and Nola, would usually bother me, but somehow, it’s tolerable here. In fact, if I’m being honest, it’s part of the reason I keep reading on, and the fact that it isn’t the main feature of this story. The mystery, the ghosts, Nola’s friends, and progress in renovations make this story captivating. I love the setting of historic Louisiana and the subject of restoring old homes. I wish I was there in person to see it as it happens (yes, I do realize this is a fictional story, haha)!

This is a series where it's best to read in order. This mystery wraps up, but there’s an ongoing story arc and the relationships that make me eager for the next one!

I alternately listened and read an e-copy. Sophie Amoss’ performance brings these characters to life, and I love her Southern accents! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. I recommend either format.

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