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A fluffy Cozy Contemporary Fantasy Mystery with some dark undertones.

BOOK DETAILS:

Baehrly Breathing by Elizabeth A Reeves, read by LE Scott, published 2013 / Length: 5 hrs 8 min / Available exclusively from Audible (& Amazon)

SERIES INFO:

This is Book #1 of 5.5 so far in the "Goldie Locke and the Were Bears" series. The first 3.5 books are available on audio.

SUMMARY:

Simple & fluffy, with a heroine who is more than a bit of a Mary Sue, this is nevertheless a fun book that I enjoyed and occasionally listen to again.

I won't be reading any further in this series, however, since I am not a fan of love triangles; plus I have read that the books get darker after this. But I don't regret reading this one.

Note: Shifter are a minor part of this first book (just in case that is what you are looking for.)

CHARACTERS:

Goldie: Plagued by a cute name and cute looks, she wants to be fearsome. She can wield a sword and hit you with the law too.

Donovan: Despite the bad first impression, I liked him. I like that he isn't gorgeous, although her opinion on his attractiveness does change. (That could be from seeing him outside of his detective role, or it could be the result of developing feelings.) And that he has insecurities and is kind.

Kodi: I didn't dislike him as a person, but as a romantic interest he's a no go as far as I'm concerned. She gave him 3 years; he doesn't want a commitment yet, but expects her to just continue as they were until he's ready. (Beyonce would have something to say to him.)

The book actually takes place over too short of a time for me to judge the potential of her relationship with Donovan; Kodi, however, would have to grow up a lot for me to consider him a real possibility.

WORLDBUILDING:

This is a spin off, so many readers may come into it with knowledge of the world already. It seems to be a standard parallel societies situation. There are magical creatures & people, but the "Ordinaries" don't know about them. It appears that there is also a Faerie realm that is separate.

PLOT:

This is a pretty fast paced book. It starts with a scene that shows Goldie doing what she does (law enforcement), then gives us a scene about her home/personal life before jumping straight to the mystery.  The plot/mystery is wrapped up, but the book ends with a large character cliffhanger.

HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:

• A magical portal through a truly disgusting gas station bathroom (because, Who would ever go in there?)
• Donovan telling Goldie what's great about her

I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: The love triangle (as always)

NARRATION:

It was acceptable but not great. Her voice was very "cute" (like the character). However it wasn't very well suited to the male/gruffer characters; she didn't actually differentiate the voices much anyway. It also occasionally struck me as a bit over-dramatic. There were some mispronunciations as well. It especially bothered me when she pronounced Aria (a variation of my niece's name) as "Area."  I listened on 1.25 speed, my usual.

BOOK DETAILS:

Baehrly Breathing (Goldie Locke and the Were Bears #1) by Elizabeth A Reeves, read by LE Scott, published 2013 / Length: 5 hrs 8 min Buy Now | +Goodreads

Talk to Me (pretty please)

• What's your favorite Cozy Mystery series that features Magic or other Paranormal aspects?
• Do you ever read spin-off series when you haven't read the previous books?

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