Short and Sweet Audio Book Reviews #43 - Shadow and Flame by Gail Z. Martin, Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble by Ann B. Ross, Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Shadow and Flame by Gail Z. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally Blain and friends fight the battles that bring the series to a close. Shadow and Flame is mostly about the battles that have to be fought to keep the kingdom free. I listened to this as an audio book and enjoyed reconnecting with the characters from the previous three books. The narrator did a good job with the story. The male voices were very good. The female were just so so but that is often true when only one person does the story. Start at Ice Forged and read in order. That lets you get to know all the action and all the characters.


Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble by Ann B. Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Miss Julia continues to grow on me. I did not like the first Miss Julia book I listened to but with each additional book my opinion has changed. Miss Julia just cannot let well enough alone. It is such fun listening to her talk about what the people around her do never realizing she is just as bad if not worse about interfering. This time she is going to save Hazel Marie's marriage. Of course she is the only one who thinks it is in danger. Along the way she does indeed stir up a lot of trouble. I listened to the book on CD. The narrator of the book does a great job on the voices adding to the enjoyment I get from the series.

View all my reviews Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a very hard time classifying this one. I listened to it on CD and found it to be a very busy book. At times it read like a paranormal romance, at other times it was a mystery and then it would change into a fantasy. I understand this was Sanderson's first published novel and it seemed that he wanted to include every trope he could. That is part of what made it such a busy book. I think if I had been reading it I would have never finished. There were just too many moments when everything seemed to be going great only to have everything crash and burn. Having said that I did enjoy here the story unwind and I was not surprised when our two main characters ended up with a HEA. This is a stand alone story so there were no cliff hanger - everything was solved in the end.

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Short and Sweet Audio Book Reviews - Fair Game by Patricia Briggs, Possession by Kat Richardson, Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great series. I started this with book three and quickly went back and read the first two books.  Charles and Anna swiftly became two of my favorite characters. The story is good, the action exciting and there is enough tension for several more books.  Since I need to rest my eyes I picked this up in audio form and loved the story just as much as the first time.  The reader does a really good job.  Hope for more Charles and Anna Soon


Possession by Kat Richardson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am having to rest my eyes so picked this up in an audio book. The Greywalker series is one that is best if read in order but the last one I read was #3. I did not feel the lack of any backstory or world building. It did help that I had read the first books in the series. Harper is still a great character and she is supported by a great cast of supporting characters. The story has a great plot that allows a lot of danger and suspense as the story progresses. The reader does a good job of different voices and keeping the story flow going.


Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Like the other books in this post I checked Miss Julia out from the library in audio book form. I read the first book in this series several years ago and was not that impressed. This time I picked for fun listening and Miss Julia filled the bill. The book is read in a southern accent and sometimes it does get old but it fits the characters and the story. Miss Julia (who is not a miss) once again finds herself with a job she does not want. It is fun to see her working toward a solution that will please everyone. If you want something lighthearted, full of fun characters and a bit of a mystery pick this one up. while it is book 18 in the series it can stand-alone.

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Stacking the Shelves - July 30, 2016

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books I added to my shelves this week. They may it be physical or virtual. I include books I buy in a physical store or online, books I borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!  Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews.  Follow the link to see what others have on their shelves. 

I hit the audio books at the library this week.  I have been reading so much I decided to rest my eyes a bit.  Even so I also added to ebooks.  Fatal Deception and Fatal Mistake by Marie Force are the next ones in the Fatal series.

On the audio side I got

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs - This is one of my favorite series and I read the book when it came out.  Enjoyed visiting with Charles and Anna again.
Possession by Kat Richardson - Another series I have followed.  This one is out of order but I am not having any trouble following the story.
Miss Julia Inherits a Mess by Ann B. Ross - I listened to another one in this series.  Miss Julia is a little over the top but she is a fun read.
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore - Started this one but it did not hold my attention.  I sounded like fun but that just did not come through.