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Marisa Calin

Narrator

marisacalin.com

6.03.2025

What A Ride!

I didn’t have much to update as this book went along. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying it, it’s just that there wasn’t much to say about each section that I was going through. This is a mystery so there isn’t much to say without giving it away … and it’s a mystery with a clear sequel so it ends with actually nothing being solved and just things left for the next book. Not a cliffhanger … just more a … what was the point of all that if I just have to wait for the next book kind of feeling.

I enjoyed the book because of Marisa Calin’s narration and also because I love heroines like Hecate. I have experienced a lot of novels about women of a certain time who are wanting more than to just be wives to some awful men and who wish to carve out a name for themselves doing REAL work and having REAL careers and using their actual skills and education to do something REAL in a world where men want to keep them quiet and useless.

Hecate Cavendish is a woman supported by all the men around her and held back and discouraged by all the women in her life – even her best friend. All the men want to see Hecate become everything she wishes to become and they allow her to grow and WORK in her field even though it’s frowned upon. Her mother thinks she is selfish not to want to marry, she considers Hecate a burden even though Hecate makes a salary. Hecate’s friend only talks and thinks about men and getting married and it’s boring and eyerolling and sad that only the MEN want Hecate to be exactly what she wants to be … especially her father who believes her, supports her, encourages her, and whom she has the same career as.

All in all I loved the story and I look forward to more.

5.24.2025

New Author and New Narrator

Chapters 1 thru 7

It took me a minute to get used to the way Marisa Calin reads. Initially I really loved her voice. In fact, I thought she was a Black British woman before I saw video of her reading the first few lines of the book. She reads VERY quickly and she has a very unique cadence to her voice that I find beautiful and lyrical. I had to slow the book down though significantly to have it sound like normal speech to be able to follow it and enjoy it. Once I did that I was able to fall in love with the story and with Marisa’s wonderful voice.

I love everything about Hecate. Everything from her name to her independent attitude, to her relationship with her father, and her incredible and natural sense of compassion. I love characters like her.

I knew what was happening immediately but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Rarely do I experience a book where I am actually surprised by some plot point. It feels very much like most things are very obvious in most books but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them. The story, the writing, the characters, the voice … it all is incredibly enjoyable and I desperately want to see how everything is going to play out.

If you are considering listening to this audiobook do not judge the narration by the default speed like some of the reviewers did. Slow it down to about 0.80x and try that instead. It sounds much more normal.

I LOVED the first 7 chapters enough that I stayed awake for a few extra hours this morning between 3 and 5 just listening to the story.

Paula’s writing is wonderful but Marisa really brings everything to life perfectly. She is going to be a narrator that I seek out more work from.

Story this session: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Narration: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0