Audiobook Review: Familiar Angel by Amy Lane

One hundred and forty years ago, Harry, Edward, and Francis met an angel, a demon, and a sorceress while escaping imprisonment and worse! They emerged with a new family—and shapeshifting powers beyond their wildest dreams.

Now Harry and his brothers use their sorcery to rescue those enslaved in human trafficking—but Harry’s not doing so well. Pining for Suriel the angel has driven Harry to take more and more risks until his family desperately asks Suriel for an intervention.

In order for Suriel to escape the bindings of heaven, he needs to be sure enough of his love to fight to be with Harry. Back when they first met, Harry was feral and angry, and didn’t know enough about love for Suriel to justify that risk. Can Suriel trust in Harry enough now to break his bonds of service for the boy who has loved his Familiar Angel for nearly a century and a half?

Listening Time: 6 hrs 50 min
Narrator: Gomez Pugh

Amy Lane’s paranormal books always have an epic feel to them. ‘Familiar Angel’ is no different, delivering a grand story of adventure and action, angst and pain, family, and romance.

Gomez Pugh did an excellent job with the narration. I’ve listened to his work before, so I knew I’d be in for a good listen!

‘Familiar Angel’ tells the story of Harry, a boy forced into prostitution and abuse, who did what he could to protect his brothers, Edward and Francis. Escape from their horrible situation came in the form of a sorceress, a demon, and angel.

The brothers were transformed into shapeshifters, and gained magical longevity. With a new family and home, they decided to use their new lives to help other victims of trafficking.

I would say this book is first and foremost an adventure tale. There is a lot of page-time given to the brothers’ rescue efforts, and interacting with other members of their network.

The addition of paranormal aspects to a modern-day issue, and the connection of the major conflict to Harry’s backstory, made for an interesting read.

There’s also a lot of focus on family. The brothers, and their adoptive parents Emma and Leonard, aren’t related by blood. But their bond stems from something deeper.

Through Harry’s POV, readers see what family means to him, and how it became his lifeline after being freed from the brothel. The book also leaves room for sequels for Edward and Francis, which I wouldn’t say no to!

That’s not to say the romance here isn’t strong. Through the decades, one being captured Harry’s heart and never let go. Suriel, an angel, has loved Harry for over a century.

But neither of the two admitted their feelings to each other. Instead, they captured fleeting moments together when they could.

Suriel and Harry have all the classic hallmarks of an Amy Lane romance. They’re absolutely devoted to each other, with a fatalistic edge. While readers are more so told than shown the build-up of their relationship, there’s no doubting that the two are meant for each other.

The big stumbling block in their union are Suriel’s status and responsibilities as an angel. It added a fair dose of angst to the relationship, but made the happy ever after all the more sweet.

Overall, this was an entertaining MM paranormal read, and an excellent audiobook, which leaves a lot of potential for a series!

A review copy was provided.

Audiobook Review: The Starving Years by Jordan Castillo Price, Narrated by Gomez Pugh

Imagine a world without hunger. In 1960, a superfood was invented that made starvation a thing of the past. Manna, the cheaply manufactured staple food, is now as ubiquitous as salt in the world’s cupboards, pantries and larders.

Nelson Oliver knows plenty about manna. He’s a food scientist—according to his diploma, that is. Lately, he’s been running the register at the local video rental dive to scrape together the cash for his exorbitantly priced migraine medication.

In a job fair gone bad, Nelson hooks up with copywriter Javier and his computer-geek pal Tim, who whisks them away from the worst of the fiasco in his repurposed moving truck. At least, Nelson thinks those two are acquainted, but they’re acting so evasive about it, he’s not sure how they know each other, exactly. Javier is impervious to Nelson’s flirting, and Tim’s name could appear in the dictionary under the entry for “awkward.” And with a riot raging through Manhattan and yet another headache coming on, it doesn’t seem like Nelson will get an answer anytime soon. One thing’s for sure, the tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife...even one of those dull plastic dealies that come in the package with Mannariffic EZ-Mealz. 

Some things just go together  - ice cream and jelly, gin and juice, Derek and Stiles, and Jordan Castillo Price and Gomez Pugh. Her words and his narration are magical together. MAGICAL. And there is nothing more that this unicorn likes more than magic. Gomez Pugh is definitely one of my favourite narrators. He doesn't just read the book he becomes the characters. So, so, good.

I'm a verified JCP fangirl - which makes me oddly nervous when I pick up a new (to me) story of hers. I mean what if this is the one I don't like???

Yeah. Like that's going to happen.

I mean the five big blue hearts at the top of the review kinda gives it away that I loved this story, so I'm not surprising anyone by proclaiming the love I have for it. Right???

With JCP's trademark intriguing characters, sharp humour and well written plot  I was hooked from beginning to end. I loved how Nelson, Tim and Javier were so different and how they gelled so well together. Nelson was perhaps my favourite. Perhaps. I loved his observations, his sarcastic good guy persona and the hero he denies he is. He's a genuine good guy who does the right thing precisely because it is the right thing. He does it without turning into an obnoxious twat though, laid back and cool precisely because he doesn't try to be. I loved him. To me he was the main character, with Javier and Tim close seconds.

Javier's suspicious nature and Tim's almost naivety were perfect counterbalances to Nelson. The plot unraveled well in a world that is close to ours but not quite the one we know. In a riot stricken city where lives are in danger these three, and the two others who ends up in the chaos with them, work so well together. I liked the familiarity of the world and the way JCP twists it just a little.  

Then there's the relationship(s). Menage doesn't always work. Or it becomes a three way mess of sex, sex, sex. JCP does so much better than turning their relationship into a just there for the shagging thing. There is mistrust - genuine, not manufactured for the state of it - lust, feels, uncertainty and raw emotion. Simply put, for me she nails it completely. My only complaint is that I could read (or listen to, as the case was here) so much more about these guys. 

 A great story from a great author.

A copy of this audiobook was given in exchange for an honest review.
For more information see Goodreads.

Review: GhosTV (PsyCop, #6) by Jordan Castillo Price, narrated by Gomez Pugh

For the past dozen years, Victor Bayne has solved numerous murders by interrogating witnesses only he can see—dead witnesses. But when his best friend Lisa goes missing from the sunny California campus of PsyTrain, the last thing he wants to find there is her spirit.

Disappearing without a trace in a school full of psychics? That’s some trick. But somehow both Lisa and her roommate have vanished into thin air. A group of fanatics called Five Faith has been sniffing around, and Lisa’s email is compromised.

Time is running out, and with no ghosts to cross-examine, Vic can’t afford to turn down any offers of help. An old enemy can provide an innovative way to track Vic’s missing friend, and he enters into an uneasy alliance—even though its ultimate cost will ensnare him in a debt he may never manage to settle.

Narrator: Gomez Pugh
Listening Length: 12 hrs 6 mins

Audiobooks - they have their pros and their cons as far as I'm concerned. They're in that strange middle ground between reading books and watching TV. I have to admit, an avid reader, I was slow to see the plus sides to audio stories. My children are HUGE audiobook fans but it was Stephen Fry and his wonderful narration of the Harry Potter stories that convinced me sometimes an author and narrator just go beautifully together. 

For this to happen (particularly if I've already read the book) - and it's a damn tricky line - the narrator needs to match the images I have already created in my head of the characters. Not an easy task, because I am infinitely certain that no two readers perceive characters and their nuances in the same way, in the same vein I imagine each reader reads each character differently from the author's own vision. For a narrator to capture the character I hear/see/read is a marvelous thing, and like Stephen fry, Gomez Pugh does it perfectly. To me his voice is Vic's, and that made listening to this fabulous story a wonderful experience.

This series is one of my favourites. I am especially drawn to Vic, he is so...normal. Well, for someone who sees ghosts. He has this strange mix of confidence and self deprecation that just wins me over. He's not pretentious, he's not a big buff *insert hero stereotype here*, he is just Vic. A man made up of his experiences, completely fallible, stupidly brave at times and - well just wonderful. I have  a huge not-so-secret crush on him.

In GhosTV, we see this strangely mixed up, yet utterly normal, bag of character traits at its finest.  Although I love his relationship with Jake, it is his interactions with the secondary characters that perhaps interest me the most. Crash is another favourite, and though he doesn't feature for the main of this story, the way he and Vic interact is so different from the dynamics of Vic and Jake (because Vic has Jake on a bit of a pedestal) that it helps fully round out Vic. Gives him more depth and dimension and let's us, the reader/listener, see more of him.

One character who is in this book a lot, who truly gives Vic another edge, is Dreyfus. I, like Vic, do not know whether to trust him or not. Vic blatantly doesn't - yet there is something there. The man spies on Vic, for his greater good. It creeps me out as much as it does Vic... yet his reasoning does make sense. UGH. Dreyfus just adds another layer to the whole psycop story, and his importance in this book is significant. Jordan Castillo Price knows how to write characters and a  great storyline and Gomez Pugh delivers it seemingly effortlessly.

I have to mention, hopefully without spoiling the storyline, a particular scene at the airport. I won't go into details, but I absolutely felt for Vic. His fear. his panic. I felt it when I read the story, when I listened to it though, Gomez Pugh made it even more real, I could feel my heart beating faster and Vic's fear lodged in my throat. THAT'S how you narrate a story.

I can't believe there are many people out there who've not tried this series; it is firmly one of my favourites and one I would highly recommend. I can say without hesitation as well, that this audio version is well worth listening too. Price and Pugh are like peanut butter and chocolate spread, they go amazingly well together. (Okay, I know over the pond the classic is peanut butter and jam jelly, but really I can't even stomach the thought of that combination. Sorry. PB with chocolate spread though... it's like melted Peanut Butter Cups on toast or in a sarnie. Heavenly.) 

Completely and utterly recommended.

For more information see Goodreads.

Review and Teaser: Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary by Jordan Castillo Price. Audio Version: Narrated by Gomez Pugh

Michael is a waif in eyeliner who's determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Wild Bill's got the hots for Michael and will stop at nothing to go home with him. Forget about moonlit castles and windswept moors. These bad boys haunt all-night diners and cheap motels, cut-rate department stores and long, lonely stretches of the interstate. Ride along with Wild Bill and Michael as the twists and turns of Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary unfold in America's heartland.

Channeling Morpheus Teaser:
I slid my tongue over his and caught it on his fang, and the taste of my blood mixed with the taste of Bill’s mouth. He made a small sound that could have been pleasure or pain.

He flicked his half-smoked cigarette out the window with stunning accuracy. His fingertips brushed my face, gentle touches I could hardly feel. I slipped my arms around him and pulled him closer. I was tough. He didn’t have to worry about breaking me.

He pressed his body against mine, and he kissed me. He threaded his fingers through my wet hair and explored my coppery mouth. My tongue bled.

We both gasped for air when he finally broke the kiss.

“Just a little taste,” he said. “That’s what I keep telling myself. I can stop any time.” He pressed his forehead into mine and breathed carefully. “Any time.”

“Drink,” I said. “I can spare it. She didn’t take much.”

He smiled, I think. He was hard to read in the near-dark, and so close. “I’m not talking about blood.”

Review:
Everyone has a go-to, auto-buy author, and Jordan Castillo Price is one of mine. And her audio-books are one of my favourites because I REALLY love Gomez Pugh's narration. Even with that in mind I was a tad unsure about this one, it's not that I don't like vampires, I do, even the sparkly ones but they felt so done. I didn't want to listen to something that I've heard before or read before. I should have learnt my lesson with Magic Mansion, I think I've got to accept that if Jordan Castillo Price writes it, I'm going to love it.

This book (or these books, as this audio is actually a collection of the first five stories in the Channeling Morpheus series) are sexy. They are gritty, interesting, funny at times, and (I have to mention it again) sexy as hell.

I'm not sure if I liked Michael or Wild Bill best. I think probably Michael, he is very determined, I loved his spirit, his fight. He had an edge to him but also a naivety. He wasn't the seasoned vamp hunter who knew it all. He wasn't so fixed minded that he couldn't alter his thoughts and opinions but he also wasn't completely wet behind the ears. He could think on his feet, he didn't let himself get thrown by changes to situations he couldn't alter.

Wild Bill is almost his opposite. He seemed to be surviving, rather than living, to me. Something about Michael changed him though, brought out his protective side. It was kinda like trying to protect a hedgehog. I liked it though, I liked the dynamics between these two.

The story(ies) twists and turns. It manages to keep the physical storyline and the emotional one equal in importance. Both played an important part in what made this story great. Some of the scenes were strangely erotic - even when they weren't supposed to be. Well they probably were supposed to be, but not for the characters, just us readers. I mean, I should find Michael chained to the bath tub and - well read it, you'll see - it should be scary and I should be wanting him to escape (and I did), but it was also pretty damn erotic. Well, I thought so at least.

JCP has a way of writing characters that manage to be deadly romantic - without being at all romantic. I would much rather read these characters than a thousand super sickly sweet heart throbs stories, or a thousand sex-every-two-pages stories. To my mind the grittyness, the realness (yep, I know one's a vamp) of the characters is so much more...everything. Maybe I just even like my fantasy real? I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!! If you've not read this author yet, you really, really need to. She's amazing.

For more information, see Goodreads.


Want to know more?
gritty, urban vampire tales
These novelette-length stories are scary as hell and packed with freaky sex. Michael is a waif in eyeliner who's determined to wipe vampires off the face of the earth. Wild Bill's got his eye on Michael, and he's willing to do anything to go home with him. If the romance between Gomez & Morticia gives you goosebumps of delight, if you look forward to Halloween movie marathons all year long, if you've got a soft spot for fake fog and black lights, then Channeling Morpheus is the series for you!

On March 24, 2015 I’ll be releasing Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary Ebook Box Set, which includes novelettes 1-5 and correlates to the first paperback. A Bitter Taste of Sweet Oblivion Ebook Box Set will release later in 2015.

Book Info:
Title:Channeling Morpheus for Scary Mary Ebook Box Set
Author: Jordan Castillo Price
Length: 72,000 words
ISBN: 978-1-935540- 74-8
Publisher: JCP Books
Cover Artist: Jordan Castillo Price
Buy Links:  Amazon - Amazon UK - BN - iTunes - Smashwords - Kobo
Official Website: channelingmorpheus.com

Review: Memento - audio version - by Jordan Castillo Price, narrated by Gomez Pugh.

Seasons change, and so do fashion trends. But in this heartstring-tugging PsyCop short, what’s beneath the clothes matters most.

Do clothes make the man? Jacob Marks cuts an impressive figure in his tailored suits, but Victor Bayne is another story. Nowadays, Vic does his ghosthunting in off-the-rack blazers, polyester blend slacks and cop shoes with nonskid soles. But back before he was a PsyCop—or even officially psychic—he rocked combat boots and a beat up biker jacket…and lots and lots of punk T-shirts. When he finds a faded tee in the back of a drawer, he’s eager to lob it in the trash. Jacob, however, finds himself waxing sentimental about Vic’s younger, more carefree days.

This steamy 5000-word PsyCop short in Jacob’s voice takes place after PsyCop #6, GhosTV.

Victor Bayne is one of my all time favourite characters. I really love him. Most of the PsyCop stories are written from his point of view. He's self deprecating yet confident. The PsyCop with the talent to see ghosts, to interact with ghosts, yet who fears the shadows. He really is a string of contradictions - beautiful contradictions that make him so interesting (also the Victor Bayne cover model is gorgeous and exactly how I imagine Victor to look). I love reading the books from his POV... but I also love these little shorts from Jacob's opinion.

Victor sees the good side of Jacob; the muscles, the protectiveness; the hard-worker who everyone who is in awe of. The guy who is indestructible. We see him constantly through Victor's eyes and especially in the way he compares them. Jacob sees the wonder that is Victor. I think that is what I gain most from these short interludes into Jacob's head. Everything we know about Victor, about Jacob and Victor's relationship, is confirmed but in a way that is less biased as we have both guys thoughts at last.

I like Jacob's opinion of Vic. A lot. He sees the man I see - and that man is funny, sexy, intelligent...
He is the man I love. Memento is particularly about this, about how Jacob sees Vic and how it differs from how Vic sees Vic. I like Vic, the punk before the suits that is still at the heart of who he is, even if he is mellower in his older age!

I suppose I ought to mention the hot sex. Um, it's hot...

I have to say Gomez Pugh is one of my favourite narrators, and he does this short complete justice. If you like audio books, if you like PsyCops, if you like Jordan Castillo Price, then I'd say give this book a go.

For more information see goodreads.

Review: Body Art Audiobook by Jordan Castillo Price, narrated by Gomez Pugh

3 hrs 24 mins

Does everyone have a certain “type” they end up with…whether they want to or not? If Ray Carlucci’s ex is anything to go by, Ray likes his men gorgeous, rebellious, and chock-full of issues. But now that Ray is single again, he has a shot at a fresh start—a very fresh start, since his tattoo shop was gutted by repo men and he can fit all his belongings in the trunk of a taxi.

Ray’s shiny new chauffeur’s license lands him a job as a driver for an elderly couple on Red Wing Island. It’s a cold fall, and since the Michigan island is the summer home to snowbirds who fly south for the winter, it’s practically deserted—save for Ray’s new household and a sculptor named Anton Kopec, who works day and night twisting brambles and twine into the distorted shapes of macabre creatures. Compelling, bizarre, and somewhat disturbing…not just the sculptures, but the artist, too. Ray has a feeling Anton is just his “type.”

Despite their scorching chemistry, when a dead body is unearthed by some workers and a freak ice storm traps them all on the island, Ray can’t say for certain that his new flame isn’t capable of murder.

I'm a recent convert to audio books - what a great way to get housework done and not give up reading time. ;) I'm a fan, though they take longer to 'read', A)  because I'm quite a speedy reader (I have a fear of not managing to read everything I want to!!) and B) I can't always listen when the kids are around, so limited times to read. 

Body Art was a book I thoroughly enjoyed though, and I'm really pleased I listened to it as an audio book, because I loved Gomez Pugh's narration.

Ray, our protagonist, is a likeable character. Down on his luck, but not giving in without a fight, under his tattoo's is a man with a heart of gold. He's lost everything material that meant anything to him - his whole business (into which he'd poured his heart) was slowly filtered away from him by his layabout, greedy, good-for-nothing, ex. Ray would have had every right to be downright miserable - he still had bailiffs after him, after all, instead we see him making the best of a bad situation. This really endeared him to me. I mean, he's gorgeous, covered in tattoos but is thoroughly nice too. I know people turn their noses up at nice, but I like nice!

Anton, the other MC, is eccentric and definitely marches to his own tune. Something I thoroughly applaud - even though, sometimes, just sometimes, I wanted to hit him upside the head. Mainly when he was leading Ray a merry dance! Other than that, he intrigued me. The artist who sees the world just slightly differently. He was a character it was difficult to know whether to trust or not. Trust him or not though, Anton + Ray = scorchio sexy times. Just sayin'.

The crime and mystery part of this story came across really well in the audio version. I had no idea what had happened to the previous chauffeur's, or why. I did't know who to trust - in the small island community, where only one family and their staff stay over winter there were several unique characters, nobody seemed to be an open book. I truly felt each moment with Ray as he became more and more part of the household - and mystery.

Jordan Castillo Price is an author I'm going to be reading more from. I've enjoyed everything of hers I've tried and I'm very much enjoying her easy writing style and interesting characters. If you like audiobooks, I'd highly recommend this one - and if you're not sure, it might be worth giving it a go. Just know, if you're listening to it in a car the sex scene will be just as you pull through the drive through/get stopped for directions/halt at traffic lights with you window open etc. It's sods law.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

For more information try Goodreads.