Parts & Wreck

Entangled Covet

By: Mark Henry

Narrated by: Valerie Gilbert

Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries hard to keep hidden. Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for empty-nesters. Can they withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup) and come out alive and...in love?

©2013 Mark Henry (P)2014 Mark Henry

Intriguing concept

This is a super quirky read!! It had my attention from beginning to end!! Kind of because it jumps around and you really have to be on your toes.

Wade is more of a straight forward guy and when her meets up with Luce sparks fly! They go from one crazy situation to the next, really fast paced action. Maybe a little too fast at times. Always enjoyable!

I adore Luce and all her quirkiness, is she crazy or just eccentric, I sat the latter! She just seems to be one of those gals who always finds trouble or odd situations. I say roll with it! Loved her sass and she was a perfect match for Wade.

Loads of story to keep a gal busy, fantastic lead and supporting characters, really dynamic storytelling and a laugh out loud riot!

The romance isn't really a scorcher but they definitely have a little fire going on! I can not wait to see more, hint hint Mr. Henry...I am expecting a series here!

The narrative is mixed, going between Luce and Wade. It gives you a fair amount of insight into the characters. This does help put the story together. It has some jumpy bits that had me trying to follow what happened.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Valerie Gilbert. who does a great job with the challenging read. Her pace really helps keep eh story moving. I loved her voicing of Luce, plenty of sass to keep her fun. Wade was a little rougher, but very distinct. Overall, I enjoyed the read, there were a couple spots where it was a touch stilted, ala Captain Kirk. But they were not enough for me to be put off the book.

Marc Henry is a new author for me and if his other books are as much fun as this one, I'm sold!

*Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.*

Off-Beat Humor in aQuirky Paranormal Romance Story

Where does Parts & Wreck rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Some where in the middle. It was a story that doesn't fit the box. I felt off-balance the whole time I was listening. I enjoyed it, but didn't have a deep connection.

If you’ve listened to books by Mark Henry before, how does this one compare?

This was my first by the author. I would definitely listen to more of his stories.

Have you listened to any of Valerie Gilbert’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time with this narrator. Enjoyed her work so would listen to others.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It wasn't that sort of book. I found the office 'training' scene hilarious. I felt sad learning Wade's background. I was appalled and laughing at the scene in the sex club. But the epilogue was a nice touch, too.

Any additional comments?

I don't think this book will have universal appeal. I think the key is the humor aspect. If the reader can appreciate off-beat raunchy humor then this will probably work for them.

I am in love with this story!

I initially reviewed the book on Amazon (full text below), and nothing about that has changed with the Audible version. This story is just as quirky and perky and ridiculously fun as it was when I first read it. Luce and Wade have great chemistry together, as do Luce and Hitch, and I'm still looking forward to a future publication with more of Quince's straightforward bit of awesome. I'm also still half in love with Wade. He has that perfect and rare combination of rough surety and surprising fragility that makes me want to take him home and try to fix him.
My problem is, once again, with the narrator.
Most of the time Ms. Gilbert is a sweet-voiced version of William Shatner, complete with the deliberate pacing and minimal inflection. "She knew that pursuing Wade. Wouldn't. Be. A good. Career. Move." Every once in a while she'll perk up with some more inflection, but it's definitely the exception and not the rule.
Also there is very little difference between the character voices, which makes it pretty easy to zone for a unfortunately long bits of the story and come back to it with a, "What the hell just happened?" and a frantic toggling of the 30-seconds-back button.

My review from Amazon:
Just when I was getting bored with paranormal romance, Mark Henry sweeps in with something so off the wall and hilarious that I can't help but love it. He's built a world where demons move from body to body via organ transplant, and set our heroes up as "exorcisionists" (Think The Exorcist meets Repo Men. Or Repo! the Genetic Opera sans Paris Hilton, if you prefer.) He then populated this world with promising background characters like the perpetually intoxicated Sister Mary-Agnes and the supportive (and slightly off kilter) coworker, Quince.
But the meat of this story is Lucid and Wade, and it's their banter that keeps the pages turning. Luce's "...limited capacity for appropriate social engagement" is refreshing and hilarious. I want to have drinks with her. I love the way she surprises and amuses and sometimes flat out shocks Wade almost as much as I love that his reaction is to immediately fall ass over tea kettle in love with her. They are perfect together and the reader is left feeling that their happily ever after didn't involve one of them totally losing themselves to the other.
The editing was a bit rough in places, and I wasn't in love with the ending, but neither of those detracted from the overall charm of this book. I definitely want more from this line.

Super!

Snide, funny, sometimes downright silly urban fantasy romance. Let the publisher's blurb give the plot clues and skip the spoilers. I enjoyed it a lot.
My copy is an audio, and Valerie Gilbert brings the house down with her terrific snarkability!

Love the narrator!

I loved this book and Valerie Gilbert! she does a great job narrating! I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.