Synopsis and Book details: Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock. Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake. She wasn’t counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn’t possess. Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender. And don’t even get her started on the golems. Reluctantly partnered with her long-time nemesis Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community, Ash resolves to keep her focus on the clue trail and off their sexual tension because WTF is up with that? But with a mastermind organization pulling strings from the shadows and Levi’s arrogance driving her to pick out his body bag, can Ash rescue the captives and uncover the truth or will the next blood spilled be her own? Listening length: 8 hours, 45 minutes Published January 23rd 2020 by Deborah Wilde My thoughts:
Blood and Ash is the first book in Deborah Wilde's new urban fantasy series set in Vancouver, Canada. Ashira (Ash) Cohen has been pursuing her childhood dream of becoming the best possible private investigator possible. She inherited her love of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson fictional world from her father Adam Cohen who used to read to her Conan Doyle's books. Then one day Adam just walked out of Ashira and her mother's life never to be seen again. Ash went through a difficult time trying to accept her father's decision. She also vouched to herself never to be a victim or 'a mark' of somebody else's games or tricks. We meet Ash as she is doing a surveillance job on a rebellious teenager Charlotte Rose. The taskthat was supposed to be a piece of cake almost lands Ash herself in hot trouble as she discovers that her client hid her daughter's magic powers. Being a mundane, Ash is banned from working cases like that. She could lose her licence, but this is the least of her worries. During the fight she got a superficial wound on her head that damaged a magic tattoo that Ash didn't have any idea about. Keen to investigate her own case, Ash also makes a life-altering discovery- she suddenly develops an odd kind of blood magic that isn't even supposed to exist. Now she is in big trouble with the head of the local magic community Levi Montefiore. The world-building in this book was just brilliant. Based on Jewish culture references, it was original and kept my interest throughout the book. Ash is a strong protagonist. Snarky, independent, prone to dropping an occasional f-bomb, she is also a loyal friend and a decent person who has her heart in the right place. I adored Priya, Ash's best friend, flatmate and the only collaborator. Add steamy romance with tall, dark and handsome Levi who also happens to be Ash's childhood friend/nemesis. Hollie Jackson did a wonderful job of giving all these characters (and many others) their unique voices. From Ash's begging for morning coffee voice to Charlotte Rose's teen sulkiness, Levi's irresistible charm and Priya's unfaltering enthusiam, Hollie Jackson showed a great range of expression. I also found that I never wanted to listen at a slower or faster rate, The story had a great flow and at the end of every chapter I wanted to hear just another one, until I listened to the whole book. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and now I can't wait to find out what is going to happen in the next instalment of the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Te Da media for the audiobook review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
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Synopsis:
There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying. Anna Andrews finally has what she wants. Almost. She's worked hard to become the main TV presenter of the BBC's lunchtime news, putting work before friends, family, and her now ex-husband. So, when someone threatens to take her dream job away, she'll do almost anything to keep it. When asked to cover a murder in Blackdown--the sleepy countryside village where she grew up--Anna is reluctant to go. But when the victim turns out to be one of her childhood friends, she can't leave. It soon becomes clear that Anna isn't just covering the story, she's at the heart of it. DCI Jack Harper left London for a reason, but never thought he'd end up working in a place like Blackdown. When the body of a young woman is discovered, Jack decides not to tell anyone that he knew the victim, until he begins to realise he is a suspect in his own murder investigation. One of them knows more than they are letting on. Someone isn't telling the truth. Alternating between Anna's and Jack's points of view, His & Hers is a fast-paced, complex, and dark puzzle that will keep listeners guessing until the very end. My thoughts: I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of His &Hers by Alice Feeney. Once I listened to the first couple of chapters, I was totally compelled by the story masterfully delivered by the narrators Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine. There are three points of view: Anna Andrews, a BBC presenter who has just lost her dream position of a news presenter and has to go back to being a reporter, her ex-husband DCI Jack Harper, and a distorted voice of a murderer who goes on a killing spree in a little village Annna and Jack grew up in. Anna is sent to cover the story of a female body/ possibly murder victim being discovered in the woods. Jack is the police officer investigating the case. As the events keep unfolding and bodies start piling up, we see more and more links to both Anna and Jack and their past. There seem to be plenty of clues in the chapters told from the murderer's point of view to keep the listener guessing, thinking they have it all figured out only to hear another clue in the following chapter that would seem to point in the direction of another suspect. The two narrators did a wonderful job of rendering the emotions the characters were going through and made sure the secondary characters also sounded unique. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to all lovers of psychological thrillers who enjoy a dark suspenseful read. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. |