Audiobook Review: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker
Narrator: Ella Purnell, Jonathan Bailey, & full cast

Title: Dracula

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Classic
Format: Audiobook

Published: October 1, 2026 (this rendition)
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

When her fiancé vanishes in Transylvania, Mina pieces together letters, diary entries and chilling testimony to hunt the predator stalking those she loves — only to discover he's already hunting her. Dracula lurks in shadow, slips into dreams, and casts no reflection. To nearly all, he defies beyond what the eye can see, and what the mind can comprehend. When her closest friend Lucy succumbs to his thrall, the enigmatic Professor Van Helsing is summoned to wage war on this unfathomable threat. But it is Mina; her intellect, her resolve, her gift for drawing the unseen lines between clues, who may hold the key to stopping this ancient scourge. If he hasn't already found his way inside her mind…

Review:

Love me some Dracula. Esp Dracula remakes. And when I heard the cast of this one, I couldn't resist checking it out!

Mina's fiancé vanishes, and she is trying to piece together the letters, diary entries, and chilling testimony to figure out what happened. He returns, but he isn't the same. At the same time, her childhood friend is dying, and they do not know why. They bring in Professor Van Helsing to combat the threat. However, it is Mina who will connect all the dots and figure out that they are being hunted by an ancient scourge. 

The original story is good, but man, was this cast amazing. They really did a wonderful job breathing fresh air into this story. Fabulous. I was so invested. I listened to this during a long drive down to Florida, and I was in Tennessee by the time I finished it. I was surrounded by trees and darkness. Such a great way to listen to this. I was so scared by the end. I ran to the hotel to check in. 

I would listen to this rendition again. It really just flushed out the story and made me love the story all over again. I haven't read the original since 2012, and I remember it seemed to drag on and on. I didn't feel this way with this narration. They just brought this to life so well. 

5 stars, 100%. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #43

Book Review: The Last Seance by Agatha Christie

Author: Agatha Christie

Title: The Last Séance

Genre: Thriller, Anthology, Paranormal, Mystery, Classics

Format: Ebook

Pages: 353

Published: September 24, 2019

Where I got It: Library

Summary: 

For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling stories from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Fantastic psychic visions, specters looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, a man who switches bodies with a cat—be sure to keep the light on whilst reading these tales.

The Last Séance gathers twenty stories, some featuring Christie’s beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, in one haunting compendium that explores all things occult and paranormal, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.

Review:

Yayyyy more Agatha Christie! She really is a great read for the Spooky season!

Here we have twenty shorts. There were a couple I have read in the past, but a lot I have never read before so it was nice to check them out!

The Last Séance

This one was spooky! A nice way to start off the collection. 5/5

In a Glass Darkly

Another spooky one. I liked this one a lot. 5/5

S.O.S.

Loved the atmosphere. This was a nice one. Not sure about that ending. 4/5

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

Such a good one! I've read this one before. Nice! 5/5

The Fourth Man

Oof. This was a rough one to read for a few reasons...still a good read but man. 3/5

The Idol House of Astarte

Miss Marple!!!!! This was entertaining! I want more Marple. 5/5

The Gipsy

I wasn't sure how this was going to end! EEE! 5/5

Philomel Cottage

I was meh about this one. 2/5

The Lamp

Sooo bittersweet. So nice though. 4/5

The Dream

I feel like I read this one before....maybe not. Maybe it was something similar. But still enjoyable. 4/5

Wireless

I LOVED this one. I think this was on my top 3 of this list. 5/5

The Wife of the Kenite

Ooooo this was a good one. I had no idea what was going to happen. 5/5

The Mystery of the Blue Jar

Mmmmm. It was okay. Not sure how I feel about the ending. 3/5

The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael

This was weird but entertaining!! 4/5

The Blue Gernaium

I...barely remember this one. Whoops. 2/5

The Call of Wings

Awww I liked this one. It was good. 4/5

The Flock of Geryon

Another goodie. I really liked this one. 5/5

The Red Signal

Oooooooooo. Such a good one. Top 5 for sure. 5/5

The Dressmaker's Doll

Super horror with this one. Spooky. Creepy. Fun. 4/5

The Hound of Death

I wish I had liked this one more. It just didn't get me as much as I wanted. Still a nice read. 3/5 

Overall! I liked this collection. Lots of wins. Lots of good reads. A couple I was meh about or honestly....couldn't even remember it. I consider this a win! It would be a fun Netflix collection to make hehehe *wink*

Doing complicated and Harvard level math...............................4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Library Love #26

Book Review: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig

Author: Lauren Willig

Title: The Seduction of the Crimson Rose

Series: Pink Carnation #4

Genre: Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Mystery, Chick Lit
Format: Paperback

Pages: 385
Published: January 6, 2008
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

A continuation of the series that began with The Masque of the Black Tulip and The Deception of the Emerald Ring finds Mary accepting a secret assignment from spy Lord Vaughn to infiltrate the Black Tulip's operation in order to prevent an invasion of England

Review:

I started this and then stopped for a while. September was a wild month. Buuuuuut this was set to the side and not forgotten. I love this series, and I wanted to keep going. I finally picked back up to finish. 

Here we are with Eloise continuing her research on the Pink Carnation and other fellow spies. This time we will step back and see Mary's and Lord Vaughn's story. Mary accepts a secret assignment to infiltrate the Black Tulip's operation to prevent plans for an invasion of England. 

Mary is a rough character to like, but she is one you can't stop being curious about. There is a lot more deep down. Same with Lord Vaughn. The two are a match made in snarky Heaven.

It was nice going back to this! It's been so long. I had forgotten sooo many things.

Eloise is adorable. I remember being not her biggest fan in my very first read-through of this series, but I've grown to adore her. 

Such a fun series. This isn't my favorite mainly because Mary is rough to like, but it's still an enjoyable read. Love the world. Love the characters. I can't wait to start the next one soon-ish.  

I'll give this a 4.

Audiobook Review: A Taste of Magic by Tricia O'Malley

Author: Tricia O'Malley
Narrator: Siobhan Waring & John Hartley

Title: A Taste of Magic

Series: The Scottish Charms #2

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Format: Audiobook

Published: August 25, 2026
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)


Summary: 

She’s hexed. He’s her ex. And if they can’t bake in harmony, Briarhaven’s big cooking competition might just go up in smoke.

Lyra MacGregor’s magic is as unpredictable as her love life—especially when her spellwork starts misfiring during the filming of Briarhaven’s favorite reality TV Bewitching Bake-Off. Even worse? She’s paired with Rabbie Campbell, her high school sweetheart turned heartbreak.

He’s never baked a thing in his life. She turns spoons into hedgehogs when he’s nearby. But with the cameras rolling, the curse deepening, and old sparks reigniting, they’ll have to cook up more than just a winning cake to survive. Because in Briarhaven, baking is spellwork, and love is the trickiest recipe of all.

Review:

I finished book 1, and I had to get my hands on book 2. I'm loving this town and this family. Plus...I had to know what the heck is up with Rabbie and Lyra. What happened between them the last time they were in town?

Lyra and her family have been back in town for about a year now. It is her turn to finally get her powers and lift her part of the curse. However, things are interrupted when a Baking Show picks Briarhaven to host the Christmas special. This is the chance Lyra has been dreaming about! She finally got a job at the bakery, but maybe this competition will help blast her Baking show to new heights. However, she is having issues with her magic, and now she's being partnered with her ex....

I really loved this one. I loved watching them go from enemies to baking partners to friends to being in love. It felt real. They finally are forced to TALK and hear each other out. *chef kiss*

Lyra is adorable. 

Rabbie is cranky and cute. 

Gimme all the hedgehogs. 

I just wanted to eat all the yummy desserts mentioned. 

This is a second chance, and I get scared of them, but the reason why they broke up was an easy fix once they matured, especially when they realized it was all a misunderstanding. 

The ending was lovely. 

The narrators were perfect. 

I loved this. So much fun. I want book 3!!!!

5 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #42

- Reading Romance Challenge #20 (MC Works in the Food Industry)