Audiobook Review: Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase

This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland….

Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other.

Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.

Listening Length: 7 hours and 8 minutes
Narrator: Joel Froomkin

I loved, loved, loved this audio-book! Not only did I love it, but I could only listen to it when my 14 year old daughter was around as she overheard part of it and loved it too. it's a thing to be treasured, I think, a story that crosses generations and enjoyed by different age groups. The Harry Potter books are a great example of this, and whilst this book is very different from Harry Potter it has that same generational appeal.

A sequel to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass, Dakota Chase captures the eccentric nature of Carroll's writing whilst retaining a fresh uniqueness that is all her own.

Many familiar characters appear as Henry, Alice's younger brother, falls into Wonderland and starts his own adventure. The voices of the previous characters feel very authentic despite the new aesthetic to this story, the burgeoning romance between Hatter and Henry. Caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire cat, Tweedle-Dum and Dee and of course Hatter are all completely recognisable as Carroll's character's but they aren't tired flagging copies, they are just right to bring this story to life.

The adventure was fun, the narration excellent - in fact I have only one point of dislike about the book. When Henry and Hatter come back into our world, it is a modern day world and this felt out of sync to me. I also wished that Henry and Alice had remained English rather than becoming American - but that's the English in me coming out! These two points would have retained a little bit more truth to the story, but neither were enough for me to knock off a heart.

If you like quirky well written stories then please, please read this one. Actually - the narration is so good, don't read it listen to it! One of my top audiobooks for narration and content, definitiley and all time favourite.

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

Review: Heat (Salisbury Stories, #1) by RJ Scott and Chris Quinton

Serving up passion, family, love and hate, with a side order of arson.

Lewis has lost nearly everything, and now it seems that Devon is here to take the last thing he has left - working in his beloved restaurant, Laurels. But when an arsonist threatens everything Lewis loves, he realises sometimes everyone has their ghosts, and he discovers an unexpected ally who is prepared to risk everything for him.


* * * * *

Set in the small cathedral city of Salisbury, Master Chef Lewis Mandineau no longer owns the Laurels, the restaurant that had been in his family for generations. Betrayed and robbed by an ex-lover, he's had to sell to Trelawney Enterprises, an American corporation. That isn't all Lewis has to contend with. Rachel, his beloved younger sister has been left severely hurt by the car crash that killed their parents, and taking care of her has to be his priority.

Enter Devon Trelawney III, sent to assess the viability of the restaurant and its staff. Devon knows all about family tradition. But he also knows sentiment has no place in business matters, and the Laurels' potential is swamped by the debts it has accrued. Devon is a hardheaded businessman, first and foremost, but Lewis and Rachel test his resolve in different ways. Soon Devon is forced to admit that what seems like an impossible love can sometimes become something very real.

First of all I owe a HUGE apology to RJ Scott and Chris Quinton. I read this book waaaaaaaaay back in October of last year and had fully convinced myself I had already reviewed it here. Then I realised i hadn't. And I loved it. LOVED it. It is one of those books that had me grinning from beginning to end. Now I've read...bear with me while I have a quick count up on Goodreads....whoa, I need an intervention...100 books since I read this one. That's right ONE HUNDRED.

And yet I can still remember it - and remember it with a smile because I really enjoyed it.

Lewis - the man who has lost everything, pretty much, is giving over control of his business. Except it's more than a business, it's his heart and soul. Devon, the arrogant American who has just bought the restaurant couldn't really care less about the heart of it, if the numbers don't add up then it needs to change.

I have to admit, from the start I was prepared to love Lewis and hate Devon. Was my alliance with the Brit because of his nationality (no, I promise) but because I'm a sad sap who love those who don't give up in the face of adversity. There was very little Lewis had left but he still held his head high and tried his best. Where many would say fuck it, he didn't. Not even when Devon came in throwing his weight about. Nasty individual.

Except he wasn't. Not really. He was just trying to prove himself as much as Lewis was. It made for an interesting partnership. It worked. It made my heart beat a bit faster. Because you know what - Lewis may not have been a damsel in distress, but it turned out Devon was a knight in shining armour. I feel all squishy inside thinking about them.

Salisbury is a beautiful place for this book to be set and I love how the city is a part of this story. The timeless cathedral city adds an atmosphere to this book, it sets a tone, a backdrop that gave this story more...more...

...just more.

I have to mention Rachel, Lewis's younger sister. I love the positivity portrayed in this disabled character. She is a strong person in her own right, not just there for a sympathy vote and I really enjoyed her role in the story.

An excellent story I would recommend to all.

A copy of this book was received for an honest (but thank god not timed) review.

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