Poison or Protect Written by Gail Carriger Narrated by Suzanne Lavington

Lady Preshea Villentia is an Assassin who was trained at an unuual finishing school that no longer exists. (If you’ve read some of Ms. Carriger’s other series, you’ll know what I’m referring to here.) And she has one last assignment to complete before she will be released from her indenture. After that, her future and any assignments she takes on will be of her own choosing. But before that can happen, she must complete this one. It seems an easy enough assignment, though this one does not involve any killing. But what happens when she meets a Scotsman during this assignment who both sparks her interest and causes her to fear the desire she begins to feel for him.

I listened to the audiobook version of this novella while I was working in my garden and enjoyed it. Having read several other books in this universe, I was already familiar with many of the characters mentioned in this story, and knew the background behind how Preshea had been trained. The character voices were well done and easily distinguished from every other character in this audiobook, I enjoyed listening to the story as I worked in my garden.

I do need to warn you that this story involves some sexual encounters, and thus may not be the most appropriate of books for younger readers. It does involve both men and women as well as women who prefer the company of other women. So you will have to decide if you feel this book is right for you. While not extremely graphic, there are a few scenes that may not be appropriate for younger readers/listeners..

I enjoyed seeing the main character, who had a very colorful background story, begin to discover that not all men were only interested in their own desires, and that some men actually cared whether or not their partner was enjoying their time together as much as they were. This book was set during a time period where women were often married off by arrangement rather than for love. Actual love was something she, and many other women were not fortunate enough to find. It was simply not a consideration when it came to arranged marriages.

If you have read (or listened to) any of the other books set within the Parasol Protectorate universe, then you will enjoy this book. I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys steampunk romances with more than a little bit of a “spicy” nature to them.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

TimelessWritten by Gail CarrigerNarrated by Emily Gray

A member of the Kingair werewolf pack has gone missing after being sent to investigate the advancing plague of humanness that is happening in Egypt, where werewolves and vampires in an increasing area are rendered completely mortal/human while within its borders. Alexia, her husband Connell, and their daughter Prudence have been summoned by the oldest of the vampire queens to visit the Alexandria Hive. And such a summons cannot be ignored. At the same time, it gives them the perfect opportunity to investigate what is happening in Egypt.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story and greatly enjoyed it. There is a lot going on in multiple plotlines within this book, with the narrator doing an excellent job of differentiating the character voices so that there is no confusion as to who is supposed to be speaking. The story was entertaining and held my interest throughout. The twists and turns taken, along with the outcomes of those decisions will keep you wanting to know what happens next.

I believe that anyone who enjoyed the previous books in the series, whether reading or listening to them, will enjoy this story. It was a great ending for this series and left me looking forward to reading the series about Alexia and Connell's daughter Prudence. This is a fun series that is easily enjoyed as either an audiobook or a physical book. And either way, this series always keeps me coming back to enjoy other books by this author, whether in this same series or in another. I do, however, recommend either reading or listening to the previous books in this series before beginning this one if you don't wish to feel a bit lost when reading this one.

Amazon requires me to state that I have an Amazon Associates account that I use to generate the links to the books on their website. Purchasing something after following those links will earn a few pennies for me off the sale, though as of yet I have not earned anything from my Amazon Associate links.

"Heartless" written by Gail carriger, read by Emily Gray

It appears that the only solution to keep the vampires from killing Alexia, was to allow the vampire, Lord Akeldama, to adopt her baby after it was born. This was not a solution that Alexia particularly liked, but it was the only thing that would keep them all safe and alive. So Alexia & her husband bought the house next door to Lord Akeldama so that she could always be near her child. They also made arrangements with him whereby she & Connell would turn one of Lord Akeldama's closets into a room where they would secretly live so that she could have some say in the raising of her baby.

Add to all of that a ghostly warning about a threat to the queen & you have a very busy and chaotic remainder of Alexia’s pregnancy.

I listened to this as an audiobook rather than read it. The narrator once again did an excellent job of differentiating the voices and manner of speaking so that there was never any confusion about which character was talking. I enjoyed listening to this book a great deal and would assume that as a book to read it would be just as enjoyable. Anyone who has read (or listened to) the previous books in this series will want to continue on and read this one as well. I know that I enjoyed it.

"Blameless" written by Gail Carriger, read by Emily Gray

Alexia has been thrown out by her husband after he assumes that there is no way that he could be the father of her baby due to his being a werewolf. And once the news that her husband believes her to have been unfaithful spreads, her family also tells her to leave their home. And having lost the protection of the Woolsey werewolf pack, the vampires begin in earnest to try and have her killed. It can only be assumed that they know something about the child she carries that no one else does, and for some reason it causes them to want to destroy her unborn child, and they will do everything they can to make that happen.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator, as with the previous two books, did an excellent job of differentiating between each of the characters, allowing no accidental confusion as to which character is speaking at any point in the story. The only real complaint that I have is that there seems to be unusually long pauses between the segments of this story. Several were long enough that I had to  check to make sure my book was still actually playing and not become paused somehow.

But that issue aside, it was a good story and I feel that this is an audiobook that should appeal to anyone who has either read or listened to the previous books in the series. It should also appeal to those who enjoy vampire and werewolf stories, and in particular to those who enjoy a bit of steampunk.

"Changeless" written by Gail Carriger, read by Emily Gray

In this, the 2nd book in the parasol protectorate series, Alexia Tarabotti is quite happily married to the alpha Werewolf, Connell Macon. Now that she is married, as a soulless she has been appointed to the position as mouja to the crown. And as such, she is often called on to help solve problems that cannot be solved by werewolves or vampires alone. In this case, there seems to be something happening that renders vampires and werewolves human and exercises any ghosts caught within its boundaries from existence. But whether it is a plague or a weapon of some sort remains to be determined.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator did an excellent job with differentiating between the characters. The story was fun and entertaining with a dramatic ending that left me dying to see what happens in the next book. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the first book, as well as to anyone who enjoys werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and the paranormal. And anyone who enjoyed the first book in the series should also enjoy this book as well.