Lost Girl

Hidden, Book 1

By: Colleen Vanderlinden

Narrated by: Tonya Cornelisse, Punch Audio

Molly Brooks is a telepathic vigilante with a few secrets and a mysterious past. Determined to make something of her bizarre powers, she devotes herself to saving those who need her most. One night, she's followed by a powerful being in a pickup truck, and her world will never be the same. Finding herself thrust into a world full of supernatural beings she could have only imagined, Molly learns how powerful she really is, and how much she stands to lose. Combining elements of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, Lost Girl is the first book in the Hidden series by author Colleen Vanderlinden.

©2013 Colleen Vanderlinden (P)2014 Colleen Vanderlinden

Fantastic series I've beenmissing

PNR, romance, throw in some great characters, very interesting new world. The lead kicks ass as a strong female. Fast action, gods, shifters, vamps, and many other beings. I listened to first two books in less than two days. The narrator is perfect for the characters, though she needs to brush up on her pronunciation. This would normally drive me crazy, but the story is so engrossing, I ignored it. There are only a few words she needs to work on, which also made it easier to overlook. Anxiously waiting for the rest of this series & will automatically download once they are available. Worth the credit or the price :)

Your Narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Lost Girl to be better than the print version?

Since I haven't read the book - Yes

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The hypnotic narration & the titillation of her script.

Have you listened to any of Tonya Cornelisse and Punch Audio ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will now. Ms Cornelisse intones aural nectar. I could listen to her, mesmerized, until the end of time.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Mollyest Me !

Any additional comments?

Can't wait to hear the next in the series.

Not my favorite but okay

I'm really swaying between three and four stars. The ending, while not happy, was unexpected for me, which I really like. I mean all the signs were there but I just didn't expect the author to make such a bold move. I didn't really like the mc Molly, she's a real big grump, understandably so, but still it got on my nerves. Also the romance just didn't catch as it should. It felt like it went slow, slow, slow then way too fast and intense.

Somehow Dickensian

Not usually venturing into the paranormal genre, the synopsis of Lost Girl: Hidden (book one) piqued my interest.
It's not just a story about paranormal beings, but a coming of age story, and it has something Dickensian about it.
There's the dismal areas of Detroit where crime is thriving. There's Molly Brooks, our heroine, an orphan who doesn't know where she stems from.
She has some supernatural abilities and uses them to make the world a better place. Then there's this stranger, Nain, who seems to know a lot more about Molly and her super powers than she herself knows. But, can she trust him? Who can she trust at all? Is Nain just some Fagin, or what is his intent?
Suddenly, there are paranormal beings wherever she looks, and not all of them are friendly.
And although Molly is an independent soul, she needs some help.
She's a master at getting into scrapes, and she isn't good at getting out of them on her own.
Suddenly, it seems as if the whole paranormal world is out to get her, and at first she doesn't take it seriously.
In the end, she has to pay a high price, and she probably would have chosen not to, had she had the choice.
I really enjoyed the story, and Tonya Cornelisse narrated it perfectly. I liked the way the young people talked, and I enjoyed the writing style. Tonya Cornelisse brought it all to life perfectly; I thought her voice was the perfect match for Molly.

I got a free copy of this audio book from Punch Audio, with no strings attached. My review reflects my independent opinion.

Wonderful storytelling, I was enthralled.

I really enjoyed this character and her ballsy, ass-kicking approach to everything thrown at her. For the genre, this is a well-written female lead character, one who is not sitting on the sidelines waiting for a male in story to tell her what to do. I greatly enjoyed that she followed her own lead, but was loyal, conscientious and relateable.


Many commenters mentioned the narrator mispronouncing words, which I did notice and it seemed distracting at times, but I was able to quickly move past it. Don't let it keep you from buying this book - the story is worth taking the chance and it becomes less noticeable.

Okay but not my favorite

Had a hard time hearing the narrator when she attempted the male character voices and that detracted from the story. Overall story was entertaining, but I was wanting to just get it done- not enjoyable read

One of My Favorites; But Narrator Missed the Mark

This is one of my go-to series for rereading whenever I need an escape or couldn't find a new series to binge through. I finally decided to buy the audio version to have it readily available while driving or doing household chores. I'm 1/4 of the way through it & I had to stop listening to write a review this early in.

I don't expect perfect narration from audio books, but 1 aspect that gets old is mispronouncing words. it takes the listener out of the immersion you get from a well written story (like this series). The words I stopped on to write this was: "femoral carotid".

It's properly pronounced: "fem -or -all" and "car -ah -tid"

Narrator said: "Feam -oral" and "cair -oh -tid"

Why don't narrators look up pronounciations of words unfamiliar to them? Then they can record those segments using the appropriate pronunciation, instead of moving forward with the errors! I know with my job, had I delivered a report to my clients with errors in it, I could be sued & cost my company money & future contracts. I guess that's why I can't fathom the reason for such simple corrections not being addressed. It almost feels like the narrator doesn't take pride in what she does. Such a shame since I really enjoy the author's work.

An interesting new heroine!

What made the experience of listening to Lost Girl the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the different flavor of paranormal in this story, along with the raspy, whiskey smooth voice of the narrator.

What other book might you compare Lost Girl to and why?

I can't really compare it. It's different.

What about Tonya Cornelisse and Punch Audio ’s performance did you like?

I liked her voice. She has the voice of a lounge singer; like she's been drinking good whiskey in a smoky bar.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Just when you thought you had a handle on the things that go bump in the night...

Any additional comments?

I really, really enjoyed the story, and can't wait to read book 2. That said, I have a couple of gentle critiques. The voice actor cannot be held accountable for typos, but if the communication between the actor and the author is as it should be, then the narrator should point out things that aren't right, even if the book has been edited. Additionally, the author should be listening to each chapter, as the actor finishes, to make sure that words are pronounced correctly. That said, I STILL gave this five stars, because the story and narration were really good. The mistakes were not enough to mar my enjoyment. I just thought you would benefit from knowing.

Excellent start!

This is the book that hooked me on Colleen Vanderlinden. Excellent staff to the Hidden series!

couldn't get past the horrible narration

I really wanted to love this. Certainly an interesting story, but the narration is awful. Major mispronunciation of words, strange cadence, and overall just fell very, very flat.