Category: Audiobook

All’s Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols

On By TracyIn Audiobook, Contemporary, First Person Narrative, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's Reviews, Young AdultLeave a comment

All’s Fae in Love and War: Fae Isle Trilogy, Book 1 by Lee Nichols

Tracy’s Rating: 2/2.5 of 5 stars

Series: Fae Isle Trilogy #1

Release Date: May 28, 2026

Pandora Voss is a fairykin on the verge of turning thirty, returning from Boston to her childhood island community with the pressure of manifesting her inherited gift before a looming deadline changes her life. Leo Carter, an antiquarian bookseller with a rare-book-focused gift, comes back to the island on a search that pulls him into Pandora’s orbit despite their unresolved high-school history. Around them is a tight-knit network of family, friends, and townspeople whose everyday routines are intertwined with small enchantments, along with a rotating cast of mischievous fairytale creatures—pixies, gnomes, brownies, and other beings—that complicate life when magic slips its leash.

The story is set on an enchanted island off the coast of Maine where fairykin live with an accepted undercurrent of magic, each person expected to come into a distinct gift by age thirty. Those who do not awaken their power begin to lose their connection to enchantment as memories rewrite themselves into mundane explanations, and extended exposure to magic can have harmful physical effects for the ungifted. When a spell misfires and releases chaotic enchantments and storybook creatures across the island, Pandora and Leo are pushed into an uneasy partnership that sends them through the town’s libraries, boathouses, and community landmarks to contain the fallout, track down the source, and restore balance before the situation escalates.

For me, this landed as a middling listen: the premise and whimsical magic-by-deadline hook kept pulling me along, and I liked how the island’s gifts and creature chaos created a steady sense of motion, but the emotional vibes didn’t always feel as earned as the setup promised. I appreciated the audiobook’s energy—especially the alternating perspectives and the narrators’ commitment to keeping scenes lively—though the production choices and character-voice consistency occasionally took me out of the moment. Overall, it felt like a book with a strong concept and a cozy-romantasy surface that didn’t fully come together in execution, I am sure there are readers who would enjoy this book, but sadly, I am not one of them.

Maybe 2.5 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an ARC / Audiobook that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Murder on the Rocks by T.E. Kinsey

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Murder on the Rocks (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery #13)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #13
Publication Date: 5/26/26
Period: 1913 (Devon, England)
Number of Pages: Audiobook (Book has 296 Pages)

This book is filled with a wicked good mystery, witty banter, interesting characters, and excellent narration. You definitely cannot go wrong if you decide to read or listen to this book.

The inimitable Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Flo have been invited to spend a quiet weekend on the small private island of an American friend. Had they a choice, they might have chosen to visit in the summer rather than mid-winter, but they still looked forward to the adventure – and goodness what an adventure it was.

Lady Hardcastle and Flo thought the other guests were an interesting mix of characters and looked forward to getting to know them. Then, there were thefts, then a dead body, then a storm cutting them off from the mainland. Oh! My! They are trapped on an island with a thief and a murderer. Can they solve the crimes and apprehend the criminal before more crimes are committed? As always, the unstoppable duo is on the case, and those criminals don’t have a clue what they are up against.

The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, is excellent. She delivers a well-paced narration with distinctive character voices. She also does an excellent job handling the witty banter between Flo and Emily – you can hear the humor in her voice as she narrates.

I recommend this book, this series, and this author.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews