Audiobook Review: Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Author: Ali Hazelwood
Narrator: Ellie Gossage & Teddy Hamilton

Title: Mate

Series: Bride #2

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 7, 2025
Where I Got It: Library


Summary: 

Serena Paris is orphaned, pack-less, and one of a kind. Coming forward as the first Human-Were hybrid was supposed to heal a centuries-long rift between species. Instead, it made her a target, prey for the ruthless political machinations between Weres, Vampyres, and Humans. With her enemies closing in on her, she has only one option left if he'll have her.

As Alpha of the Northwest pack, Koen Alexander commands obedience. His authority is so absolute, only a fool would threaten his mate. It doesn't matter if Serena doesn't reciprocate his feelings, nothing will stop him from keeping her safe.

But power-hungry Vampyres and Weres are not the only threats chasing Serena. Sooner or later, her past is bound to catch up with her and Koen might be the only thing standing between her and total annihilation…

Review:

Been meaning to read book 2 for a while now. I enjoyed book 1 so much. But you know how it goes...things get...well...forgotten and put on the back burner. 

Okaaaayyyyy. Here we pick up around-ish where we left off, but now we are following Serena. She is a half-human, half-were. She didn't know it until now. She is the first of her kind, and people either see her as a threat or a way for relations to heal between the species. She wants to be left alone in her cabin, but with her enemies closing in around her...Koen brings her to his pack. 

Awwww I adore Serena sooooo much. I feel so bad for her. She has not had a good time of it in her life, but she is so kind and loving. 

OooooOooo Koen is a rough one, but he will worm his way into your heart, especially after....a certain scene LOL. 

This world is sooo fun. I want to learn more, but it sounds like we are only getting these two books....not even a spin-off! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!? AUTHOR NOOOOO! I want more. There are some friends I want to see find love. Find happiness. GAH. 

I loved watching the progression of this love story. It is a super, duper slow burn because Koen can't and won't allow her to get close. Rules are rules, baby. No further explanation/spoilers coming from these lips...aka fingers....

The narration was fine. I wasn't crazy about the formatting. It is all in Serena's POVs, but we get like a sentence or two of Koen's POV at the beginning of each chapter. And the male voice reads all the male dialogue. Mmm. Not crazy about it for sure. MORE KOEN PLEASEEEE.

But yes, I enjoyed this, and I want more of this world and these groups of people. I feel like there are sooooooo many stories that could be told. Sadly, there isn't a Book 3 anytime soon or at all. Maybe the author will hear my prayers. 

4 stars from me. It would be 5, but the narration format didn't sit well with me. I read a physical book for book 1, so I have zero idea what they did with that. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #46

- Library Love #27

Book Review: When the Dead Speak by Clay Wise

Author: Clay Wise

Title: When the Dead Speak

Genre: Mystery, Horror

Format: Ebook

Pages: 302

Published: August 9, 2025

Where I got It: Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 

When Ally Hawkins sees her late husband’s ghost, she’s drawn into a deadly conspiracy behind his death. Hunted by dangerous enemies both living and dead, she must uncover the truth before she becomes the next target.

Review:

While looking for scary books for October, I found this one, and it was freeeee then. Love a freebie. 

Here we follow Ally and her crew. When Ally sees her late husband's ghost, she is drawn into a deadly conspiracy behind his death. They are hunted by the living and dead as she uncovers the truth to help her husband's ghost find peace. 

Whelp. I guess this is technically part of a series even though it wasn't made clear on Goodreads. I realized this after I felt like I was missing something. I read a few reviews and WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Yeah. I mean - it did find as a standalone, but there were moments that I felt like a new person at the party. 

I was entertained by this and was curious about what was going to happen. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next and how they were going to find the truth. Lots of bad people covering stuff up, for sure. 

I feel for Ally...I wouldn't want that power, especially seeing a dead loved one. EEEE.

But yes, I enjoyed this, but I did feel like I was missing some stuff. It did well enough as a standalone, but I think going back and reading previous stories might have helped me like this a touch more. 

I'm going to stamp this with a 3. 

Audiobook Review: A Very Good Bad Idea by Emma Chase

Author: Emma Chase
Narrator: Sean Masters & Brooke Bloomingdale

Title: A Very Good Bad Idea

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom Com
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 13, 2026
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

No loopholes. No backing out. No leaving for four months.

Damon Burke is intense, handsome and vengefully calculating—he's also certain he'll outlast his competitor.

Jade Buchanan is brilliant, ruthless, and absolutely not losing to him.

But the house seems to have a mind of its own. With faulty wiring, a leaking roof, drafty windows and the occasional wild-life infestation, it just might be trying to kill them. And the more Damon and Jade try to oust each other from the property, the more it brings them together.

Sparks fly, tempers clash—but eventually, all their walls come crumbling down.

It's a bad idea to get too close to your enemy. To care about them, need them, want them more than you've ever wanted anything.

But when rivalry becomes something more than they ever expected, Damon and Jade discover love can be a very good bad idea.

Review:

This randomly popped up as a recommendation while I was looking for something to turn on for one part of my road trip. SOOOoooOOoooo why not?

Man, I should've written this right away. EEEE.

Okay...Jade and Damon are enemies. They both want this house for their companies. The previous owner couldn't decide who should get it, so they made a clause in the will.....both need to stay in the house for 4 months. No phones and people bring food and other essentials every couple of weeks. They are alone with their thoughts and...each other. First to leave wins. 

I'll divide and conquer this review:

The Good

- I thought this was funny. I know some people didn't like the pranks, but I thought they were funny until they went to far. 

- The banter was great. 

- The smexy parts were lovely

- The ending was lovely. 

- I loved the side characters. They were adorable

- The narration was great! Both did well. 

The Bad and the Ugly

- I hated our two mains. They were assholes. Sure, it made for entertainment, but they need therapyyyyyyyyyy bad. 

- This felt unrealistic at times. Like...sure people are bad...but how is Jade's Dad NOT in prison?

- Jade forgave Damon for what he said about her mom WAY too quickly. 

Conclusion

This was a mixed bag for me. Loved some parts, hated some. And these two are hard to like. They are rough. Sure, they get better and the rough edges are smoothed down, but I would never want to meet these people in real life. 

I'll give this 3 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #45

Blodeuedd's Monday: Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Narrated by: Elena Rey

Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins

Release date: 12-01-25

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Paranormal

I did not know what to expect from this one, and this was not it. Ha, it was fun.

Selena is running from a relationship. She has anxiety issues, and he is holding her down. So she runs to an aunt in the desert. An aunt who is dead and now she has her house. But there are gods and spirits in the desert. And her aunt seems to have hooked up with one.

To help her she has her dog Copper, her neighbor Grandma, oh she was a hoot. And slowly gaining friendships she did not think she was capable of. Which is what you get from years of trauma by her mother and boyfriend.

There are scary roadrunners and a god called Snake-Eater. Selena is in for more than she bargained for.

I liked it. It took me somewhere I did not know I was going. The narration was great too. A good experience

With only a few dollars to her name and her beloved dog Copper by her side, Selena flees her past in the city to claim her late aunt’s house in the desert town of Quartz Creek. The scorpions and spiders are better than what she left behind.

Because in Quartz Creek, there’s a strange beauty to everything, from the landscape to new friends, and more blue sky than Selena’s ever seen. But something lurks beneath the surface. Like the desert gods and spirits lingering outside Selena’s house at night, keeping watch. Mostly benevolent, says her neighbor Grandma Billy. That doesn’t ease the prickly sense that one of them watches too closely and wants something from Selena she can’t begin to imagine. And when Selena’s search for answers leads her to journal entries that her aunt left behind, she discovers a sinister truth about her new It’s the haunting grounds of an ancient god known simply as “Snake-Eater,” who her late aunt made a promise to that remains unfulfilled.

Snake-Eater has taken a liking to Selena, an obsession of sorts that turns sinister. And now that Selena is the new owner of his home, he’s hell-bent on collecting everything he’s owed.