Sunday 30 October 2016

The Sounds of Time: The Chronicles of Tavara Tinker, Book 2 by Sharon Skinner , Bob Nelson Narrated by: Melanie Fraser


Publisher's Summary

Faced with a threat half a world away, Tavara finds herself confronting an adversary that has even gotten the attention of Queen Victoria. Tavara must race against the black airship to save the lives of countless innocent people, and Johnathan as well.
©2015 Bob Nelson & Sharon Skinner (P)2016 Bob Nelson & SharonSkinner

Audio Length 58 minutes



This is a very exciting and fast paced story. I loved the opening scenes where Tavara has a meeting with the queen. I loved the whole idea of Tavara and her team having a secret mission to do for he queen and I can't wait to see what happens next. 
This is a short listen which means it is perfect for listening to in one go.



Melanie Fraser consistently produces a high class performance. She brings a sophisticated voice to the story and is very easy to listen to. I enjoyed the accents and I particularly liked the sounds effects. They heightened the performance without being a distraction. In fact I found the effects to be quite helpful as the story itself is very fast paced and the sound effects helped me create a sharper image in my head.


This book is quite short and so I would like to see any subsequent stories be a bit longer and maybe for the pace to slow down just a little bit so I can get to know the characters better.
So much happens in this story and at such a fast pace it would be easy to miss something if you get distracted.

I will enjoy listening to this book again!

I received a copy in return for my honest review.


Available now from Audible

Monday 3 October 2016

Muffins and Mourning Tea (Oxford Tearoom Mystery #5) by H.Y. Hanna (2016)




Publisher's informatiom

Cotswolds tearoom owner, Gemma Rose is excited to join the May Day celebrations in Oxford... until the beautiful spring morning ends in murder. Now, she's embroiled in a deadly mystery--with four nosy old ladies determined to help in the sleuthing! Before she knows it, Gemma finds herself stalking a Russian "princess" and keeping up with the Old Biddies in Krav Maga class, while still trying to serve delicious cakes and buttery scones at her quaint English tearoom. And that's just the start of her worries: there's her little tabby, Muesli, who is causing havoc at the local nursing home... and what should she do with the creepy plants that her mother keeps buying for her new cottage? But the mystery that's really bothering Gemma is her boyfriend's odd behaviour. Devlin O'Connor has always been enigmatic but recently, the handsome CID detective has been strangely distant and evasive. Could he be lying to her? But why? ** Classic Banoffee pie recipe at the end of the story! This book follows British English spelling and usage. Clean read: no graphic violence, sex, or strong language. Genre: humorous culinary cozy mysteries, cat cozy mystery series / women amateur sleuth / British detective mystery OXFORD TEAROOM MYSTERIES A Scone To Die For (Book 1) Tea with Milk and Murder (Book 2) Two Down, Bun To Go (Book 3) Till Death Do Us Tart (Book 4)



Review 

Another great adventure for Gemma and the 'Old Biddies.' This is one of the better books in the series. What I love most about The Tearoom Mysteries is that they are so funny. I love the humour; in this installment the Old Biddies doing Krav Maga provided plenty of light relief. Muesli also has his fair share of excitement and I couldn't help but laugh at his antics at the nursing home.
On a romantic note Gemma is worried about her relationship with Devlin as he works non stop and acts strangely around her. This story line kept the romance interesting for me. Lincoln, one of my favourite side characters, makes an appearance in this episode as well.
The mystery was fun but complex and it had me eagerly following the clues along with Gemma who seemed to be doing a better job of investigating than the police.

I love this series and I highly recommend it to all fans of cosy mysteries.

Available now at Amazon

Saturday 1 October 2016

Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #1 by Nikki Jefford (2012) Narrated by Em Eldridge (2016)


Publisher's Information

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it's to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn't hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora's life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically she's a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job... by hand.

Now Aurora's only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire.

(Mature YA, new adult series that becomes progressively more mature. Underage drinking, sexual situations, mild language and blood sucking.)





I loved this modern twist in the vampire genre. The characters are full of life, energy and attitude which makes it very relevant for young adult readers.

I loved Aurora and how she dealt with her trauma. She isn't given any choice in the matter of becoming a government assassin/vampire hunter but she faces it head on and deals with it in her own way.I felt that Aurora's emotional transformation after her accident was very well written and I thought that it made her seem more realistic. I could understand why she would grow apart from her normal friends and start hanging out with a more rebellious crowd. Her change in personality made the story line very interesting and the way she toughens up with each new experience with vampires makes her seem very believable as a vampire hunter.

I also loved the supporting characters and I look forward to seeing how Aurora deals with the conflicting task of hunting and killing vampires in general whilst being in love with one of them. The story was fast paced and the narration was excellent. I will definitely be checking out the rest of this series.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This first book in the Aurora Sky series is free to download for Kindle