AN AVA ROMANTIC MYSTERY
WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU, #9
Narrated by Chante McCormick
Publisher: SkipJack Publishing
Published: June 18, 2018
Run-Time: 9 hours, 2 minutes
Adult / Suspense / Mature Content
Rating: ✪✪✪✪
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HALL
WAYS REVIEW: Audio book review. WOWSA. Bombshell is the ninth book in the What
Doesn’t Kill You series by Pamela Fagan Hutchins (and the fourth for me), and
it’s the first of three books in the Ava stories. Now back to the WOWSA. Ava is
a fabulous (and fabulously flawed) character and there is a lot of train wrecks
going on to keep you engaged. But be warned: there are graphic scenes that have
left scars on my face from the heat! Use headphones!
“Repression
is my friend. And no, I don’t let anyone
blame women for the bad things men do.”
If you like your characters
flawed, then Ava is your gal. In Ava’s world, there are a whirlwind of plots
and sub-plots and side-stories galore. Based on the other books I have read in
this series (all the Emily books), I think the chaos of lives fully lived must
be a trademark of Hutchins’s stories. And let’s face it: the chaos of living is
very realistic thing. I mean, who do I know (self included) that doesn’t have a
million things happening in her life? A million fires to put out? Doesn’t deal
with “when it rains it pours” on a regular basis? No one. That’s why even
though Ava is about as different from me as can be, she’s still me in a lot of
ways. It makes reading Bombshell feel
more personal.
Bombshell is
categorized as “romantic mystery,” but I don’t think that’s quite right. While
the ending of the book hints at a romance to come, the relationships in Bombshell are far from my definition of
romantic. They are more about lust than love and pining for someone other than the
person you’re getting nasty with doesn’t qualify as romance. As for the mystery
label? Maybe. The murderer is obvious early on; however, another story branches
off, and it may or may not be related to the murders, so there is some mystery
there and plenty of suspense. An interesting addition to the story is a
paranormal element: the influence and ghost of Annalise, who returns from the
first books in the series.
Author Pamela Fagan Hutchins
writes characters and scenes that feel authentic and jump from the page. Her
descriptions of the island of St. Marcus, the island life, and the rich cast of
characters put readers right in to the setting. Everything in the story is
there for a reason, and that’s one thing I have enjoyed in reading Hutchins’s books.
Bombshell is no different, but a scene
with an intentional political statement felt awkward and unnecessary (though I did
enjoy the jab) plus including a specific current event will date the book.
“I
spent an idyllic Saturday with my daughter
and parents, and that s**t is hard work.”
and parents, and that s**t is hard work.”
I don’t love Ava, but Hutchins
made me feel invested in Ava. I want Ava to do better and be better; I want her
to stop sweeping everything aside to deal with later; I want her to take care
of her child and her parents. By the end of Bombshell, there are indications some of
what I want for Ava might happen, but there
is a lot that is unresolved and even unrealistic. Given this is just the first
of the three Ava books (Stunner and Knockout are the others), and despite Bombshell ending with a sorta-feel-good
scene, there’s no way there aren’t going to be sparks and tension and messes to
come that will likely entice me back to the series. (Just with a good set of
headphones and a fan.)
ABOUT THE NARRATION. At first, I was thrown by the narration by Chante McCormick. I had expectations of how Ava would sound (based on her appearance in the Emily audio books), so I had to sync with the new voice. As always, I found the narration pace too slow and I listened at 1.25x and even 1.5x at times. I really enjoyed McCormick’s smooth transitions into the Caribbean patois of Ava and other characters. There wasn’t a clear pattern for when Ava spoke in island voice – sometimes her internal monologue/narration/dialogue was in plain ol’ American English and other times it was island English – but it was always fun to hear and reinforced the setting. There are a few odd pronunciations, but overall, I’d say McCormick was an excellent choice for narrating a complicated person’s life and stories.
Thank you to Audiobookworm
Promotions for allowing me to adopt this book for review in exchange for my honest
opinion – the only kind I give.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the What Doesn't Kill You world of romantic mysteries. {By the way, to get free exclusives, first looks, and special deals, subscribe to my newsletter.}
When I'm not writing or riding, I'm passionate about hiking, always with a couple of rescue dogs (and an occasional goat and donkey), bear spray, a mountain lion knife, and my Judge. NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS LIFE ADVENTURE (but don't sneak up on me).
I've won some awards, yada yada. The 2017 Silver Falchion for Best Adult Mystery WINNER (Fighting for Anna), the 2016 and 2015 WINNERS for USA Best Books Fiction: Cross Genre (Hell to Pay, Heaven to Betsy), and others. With downloads of nearly 2,000,000 for the What Doesn't Kill You world, readers seem to enjoy my smart, sassy female sleuths--I think they have exceptionally good taste. {insert silly grin here} Lots of them follow my podcast, too, where I fangirl my favorite authors and interview them for your listening pleasure.
If after all that you still want to learn more about my books, my podcast, or me, then God Bless Ya, and head over to my website.
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