Sandra Kirchner

The slowest of burns

Revisado: 06-05-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

After a summer apart, Augie and Theo both struggle to find their way. The central mystery is more emotional than the previous book, probably because I have a soft spot for Orlando now. Although I really want to be angry at Cart, I just find myself feeling sorry for him throughout the book. On the other hand, I didn't think I could hate Dylan more than I did while reading the book, but actually hearing his words spoken out loud made me physically ill. I screamed at the radio in the car a lot.

The audio performance is much better in the second book, with only a handful of the odd pauses.

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Even better in audio

Revisado: 06-05-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

North and Shaw find themselves visiting a gay romance convention in the first book of the next Borealis arc. Filled with every stereotype of the genre, this book is a riot without being mean-spirited. As always, the snark is on point and laugh-out-loud funny throughout. The tension is ratcheted up due to both the internal strife in their relationship and the external pressure from Uncle Ronnie's demands. The audio performance is top-notch. I especially love the way he voices Shaw.

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Practically perfect

Revisado: 03-05-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I love everything about this story. Despite (or probably because of) the way both men are so damaged, Tean and Jem borrowed into my heart. The central mystery is so well laid out and the relationship between them supports it without overshadowing it. This book contains my absolute favorite "make-up" scene ever. Laugh out loud and heart-wrenching at the same time.

The narration was also spot on, with clear and distinct voices and a great performance. As much as I thought I hated a certain character before, actually hearing his words spoken in "his" voice made me want to bash my phone off the table.

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Great mystery with a lot of heart

Revisado: 02-20-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Everything about Rufus makes me want to wrap him in a blanket and take care of him. Despite everything he's been through, he hasn't lost his belief that good things do happen and his desire to be loved. That's what made the ending even more heartwrenching.

Sam has a much harder shell around his heart than Rufus does, but I loved that we were able to see that shell cracking throughout the book.

The mystery plot was great, with twists and turns that kept me engaged even though I already knew the ending.

It was awesome to hear Sam and Rufus come to life and the narrator did a great job voicing them. My only complaint (and it's so incredibly minor) is that there were weird pauses throughout the narration. Sometimes the pauses were in the middle of sentences where you wouldn't normally pause and they went on so long that I often looked down at my phone to make sure it was still playing. It was annoying, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the performance.

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Excellent conclusion to the arc

Revisado: 12-23-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Suspenseful and gripping right to the end. Even though I read the book so I knew who the Keeper of Bees was, I was still caught up in every twist and turn. I cried during the final scenes while reading it, but the audio performance by Tristan James made it 100x more emotional. Absolutely worth it!

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Hot and emotional

Revisado: 09-23-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I immediately fell in love with these characters. Deen, especially, was funny and sexy and engaging, but Nico is just as sweet and entertaining. The chemistry between them is off the chart. My only complaint is that the resolution of the mystery of the fires felt rushed and satisfying. That's a minor issue that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. The audio performance was smooth with distinct voices. Overall, a very enjoyable read that made me immediately snap up the next in series.

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An emotional kick to the stomach

Revisado: 09-09-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I never thought I would come so close to wanting to murder John Henry Somerset. For the partner who is described as being the one who can read people, he was pretty much illiterate through most of this book. The strain between them was viscerally painful at times to the point where I would have to stop and take a breath before continuing. That being said, John redeemed himself in the end (even though Hazard would probably like to kill him for it.)

The central mystery was also well thought out and well-executed. The author is always great at providing a cast of unique possible suspects and this was no different. I was convinced the culprit was every one of them at some point!

As always, Tristan James brings Hazard and Somerset to life in a way that no other narrator could. His performance was top notch and he deserves an award for voicing Dulac.

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Another roller coaster

Revisado: 06-23-20

Another roller coaster split between heartbreak and laugh-out-loud moments. When Hazard's ex comes to town, it's clear from the beginning that things are going to go south, but the push and pull of all the ways both Hazard and John Henry are broken make it even more of a mess than I was expecting. The backdrop of the case is pretty standard Hazard and Somerset (with Dulac thrown in for fun), but it's the tender moments when they come together in the midst of all the craziness that brings the story to such a satisfying end.

The author has built such a rich world that there are moments when I'm convinced the places he describes are real, and I want to take a road trip to visit them. Having North and Shaw in town was like having my cake and eating it, too. Although Tristan James is amazing, I hear North and Shaw in my head with the voices their narrator gives them, so it kept throwing me off, but it's not something that can be avoided.

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My favorite so far

Revisado: 06-07-20

Declination is my favorite of the North and Shaw books so far. Watching them completely fall apart emotionally against the backdrop of the case is heart-wrenching, but it still had plenty of the snark and banter that makes me laugh out loud. My absolute favorite scene of the whole series occurs in this book (no spoilers, but it involves anime cosplay, lol) because the emotion is so raw for both of them. Great setup for the next arc at the end. A cliffhanger that makes me look forward to the next book without annoying me.

Charlie David's performance is wonderful. The way he gives voice to these two characters during both their banter and their emotional exchanges is excellent.

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Every book is a rollercoaster

Revisado: 06-07-20

With each successive book in this series, I keep waiting for Hazard and Somerset to settle into their stride. Both professionally and personally, they're both still struggling here, but the amount of work that goes into every step forward makes the success that much sweeter. As always, the core mystery is so well laid out that the "aha" moment at the reveal is completely satisfying.

Tristan James provides a superb performance. If he can make me want to adopt Gray Dulac rather than strangle him, his talent knows no bounds!

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