Audio Book Review: Easy Magic by Kristen Proby

Easy Magic
(The Boudreaux Series, Bk 5)
By: Kristen Proby
Narrated by Zachary Webber & Rachel Fulginiti

Blurb: 
Family. Responsibility. Stability. As the co-CEO of Bayou Enterprises and the eldest of the Boudreaux clan, Beau is the epitome of these. Now that his baby sister, Gabby, is happily settled down, Beau has moved into the company loft in the heart of the French Quarter to be closer to his office while his own home is built. He doesn't have time for anything but the family he adores and the company that drives him.

If only the bewitching owner of the herb shop downstairs from Beau's loft weren't so damn tempting.

Mallory Adams is living the life. The good life. The best life for her. After years of hiding who she is and the gifts she's been cursed with, Mallory opened her little shop in the French Quarter, offering herbs and lotions for anything from soothing a sunburn to chasing those pesky ghosts New Orleans is known for out of a client's home. Some call her eccentric, and some say she's simply odd, and that's okay with her. She is a bit odd, but in her experience, all of the best people are.

When an old pipe bursts in the loft above her store, flooding her storeroom, Mallory comes face to face with Beau Boudreaux, and she doesn't need the clairvoyant abilities that have been passed down through generations to know that she'll never be the same. Beau is her exact opposite: serious, straitlaced. He wears suits, for Pete's sake, and probably wouldn't know the difference between arnica and flaxseed if his life depended on it. But when he touches her, the electricity is through the roof, and she's smart enough to know that a chemistry like theirs doesn't happen every day.

Can two people so very different possibly find their way to happily ever after?

Available for purchase at 

    

Viviana's Review:

I've enjoyed the series and when I read the blurb for EASY MAGIC I was intrigued as to how Kristen would share their story, specifically with the whole "physic' thing. As the series is set in NOLA, a city full of old ghosts, its not far fetched that the a paranormal element would be included.

Throughout the entire series thus far, Beau has always been the reserved, quiet, and head of the Boudreaux business and family as the eldest brother/son. The siblings we've met throughout the previous books have always described Beau as a workaholic and a man dedicated to and protective of his family. He also came across a bit standoffish. While he has a wonderful relationship with his siblings, he never gave others the 'warm and fuzzy' feelings. So imagine my surprise when listening to EASY MAGIC and 'seeing' Beau be the complete opposite and out of his usual character. Okay, let me clarify.... I would expect things like wanting to spend time with her which would reduce the number of hours he spends working. What I mean it was such a QUICK, heck almost INSTANT change that just made me blink and go "huh?". He falls so fast and with LITTLE interaction between them. I get that if they spent more time with her, he'd fall for her. I guess its part of the insta love thing I tend to go "ugh" about BUT when a personality change occurs this fast.... I don't know.

Without giving away spoilers, the PNR storyline goes into a "a bit much" territory, remembering that this is a contemporary story. Not sure if the author was trying to send out feelers to her readers about a possible PNR book in the future or didn't have another way of having the heroine accept who she truly is. However, if the latter, there were a few different ways the "acceptance" could have occurred. The good news is the part goes by fast and doesn't drag the story. It can however have the opposite affect if the reader wasn't expecting this level of PNR in a contemporary.

I loved seeing the previous heroes and heroines interact with each other, Beau and with Mallory. The guys are hilarious and the ladies, are all fun! The sibling bantering is hilarious and showcases how much they loved each other, what family means to them and how they were raised.

Narrators Review: 
Listening and learning it was Zachary, I had a twinge of disappointment as I was expecting a different (rather the original) narrator. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised. Zachary has a different style and technique. I enjoyed his interpretation of the characters. With Rachel, her performance in EASY MAGIC was better than in the previous book, though there are still instances where accents are or are not used, tones for the same character vary and the inconsistencies do detract from the story.


Overall, it was a good story and I'm glad that Beau got his HEA. If you've read the previous books, I believe you'll enjoy this one, especially knowing that the next book will feature Ben who has been a fan favorite since the beginning.

   

Rating: 3,5 Stars - I Really Liked It

Disclaimer:

I  voluntarily reviewed this audio book from Audible. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Audio Book Review: Easy Kisses by Kristen Proby

Easy Kisses
(The Boudreaux, Bk # 4)
by Kristen Proby
Narrated by Sebastian York & Rachel Fulginiti

Blurb: 
The Boudreaux Series. Sexy. Intriguing. Easy.
Simon Danbury, an internationally sought-after motivational speaker, helps women from all walks of life with love, self-esteem, dating, and career building skills. Handsome, witty, and wealthy, Simon seemingly has everything a man could want. But appearances can be deceiving. While Simon may have the answers for millions of women all over the world, when it comes to his own love life, he's a giant, sexy mess. Divorced, and convinced that he'll never love again, the very last thing he expects is one Charly Boudreaux.

Charly doesn't want to be at this seminar in the middle of nowhere, but her sister made her go. She's the one who has her life together. Great career, amazing family, nice home, and loyal friends. So what if she doesn't have a man? She doesn't need one. If she's learned anything in her almost 30 years, it's that men are more trouble than they're worth. And they have a nasty habit of breaking your heart into a million tiny pieces. So she'll sit through all of Simon's touchy feely crap and go home and get on with her life. Except Simon isn't really spouting crap, and when he smiles at her, the butterflies are ridiculous.

Never mixing business with pleasure, Simon finds Charly, a bright spot in a universe that's been dark for too long. But will he be able to resist her? And why would he want to?

Available for purchase at 

         

Viviana's Review:
I have been anticipating this release for a while. Charly is smart and independent and I wanted to see how her story would evolve. At the end of book two we get a brief yet an idea of what's to come with an excerpt of this upcoming book. I wanted to see what Charly would learn and take away from such a seminar. I was also intrigued that her love interest would be the owner and facilitator of the seminar. Usually, this is a big no no. This leads to lots of tension between Charly and Simon! They have great chemistry and it shows through the page. 

Simon was intriguing. Here is this man who has created his business to empower woman. For woman to learn what their self worth is and have them acknowledge it. I enjoyed the message and even some of the topics discussed in the seminar. He seemed like a great guy overall. I wondered what would occur to create that moment when the couple struggles. There was a bit of a twist in who created the struggle but unfortunately, it was the same old, same old trope. I did role my eyes a bit as this had also been done in a previous book in this series.

As the title says "Easy" this is an easy read. There is conflict of course and a lot that you can see it coming a mile away, yet wonder how the characters do not. Or something that could have easily been fixed by talking. Its a trope. We must deal. There were some parts that were slow/dragged a little, but again, this is an easy and quick read. I do think the ending was fitting but we get the epilogue and there is a LOT of information that is crammed into a small amount of pages. This makes it feel rushed. 

Narrators Review: I read this series via audio book! HELLO Sebastian York! Need I say more? LOL. SO imagine my surprise while listening to that snippet I hear a British accent and NOT Sebastian York. Shocked! However, I thought the voice reading the snippet did a great job with the accent. Now flash forward and I'm seeing Sebastian York's name and woohoo its him narrating... but where is the British accent? Oh hell bells! He's not preforming with the delicious British accent. BUMMER! The thing is that Sebastian does use the accent but its more not than yes and when it is utilized its barely distinguishable. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised as I don't hear him do the accent of the other characters who are from NOLA....

As for Rachel Fulginiti, she has narrated all the previous books (like Sebastian as well), however, there was something always off and it comes through more and its more obvious in this book than in the other. Rachel does or tries to do the NOLA accent but there is something off about it. Its the mix of the tone she's trying to use for the characters as well as trying to include an accent. Regarding tones.... Rachel's performance comes across almost like a pouty teenager trying to be sexy at the same time. Yikes, I know, but its hard to describe it specifically. I enjoy her normal speaking voice and tone, there has been something off for me with these series....

Over all, if you've read the series I'm sure you'll want to continue with it as this is a good story. From an audio book, I wish the narrators were more consistent (i.e. Rachel does accents, Sebastian does not) within the same book. If you haven't read the previous books, you can start with EASY KISSES as it reads as a standalone. 

Rating: 3 Stars - I liked It

Disclaimer:

I  voluntarily reviewed this audio book from Audible. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.