I had touched Area 51! Not for long though, because there’s only so much clumsy teasing a man can take when he’s been single for four years.
Camilla Monk
Crystal Whisperer
Format:
ebook & audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Perpetually foiled romance heroine Island Chaptal and reformed cleaning expert March – or is it Mr. November? – are enjoying a pleasant break in South Africa, after brushing with death in the inhospitable and platypus-infested mountains of Liechtenstein.
That is, until a commercial flight disintegrates over the Atlantic, killing hundreds, and Island’s supervillain dad makes the news as the mastermind behind the attack. Old Lion Dries is now on the run, and he calls upon his last ally – and favorite disciple – March.
From the streets of Venice to the turquoise waters of French Polynesia, March and Island embark on a deadly race against the clock to find out what secrets lie behind Dries’s downfall, and stop the mysterious Crystal Whisperer before it’s too late. This time, though, there might just be no winning against futuristic weapons, CIA agents, Roomba cats, (reluctantly) evil henchmen, and dads who won’t let you get your groove on, dammit!
Point of view:
1st Person. Entirely from Island’s perspective.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
Cliffhanger! This series, in some respect, is like one big long story. However, at the same time each book has it’s own adventures, mysteries, suspenseful arcs, and resolutions. Except… this one, not so much. Well, it does have tons of enjoyable action scenes and adventures – but there is nothing satisfying about the ending. At almost 12 hours, Camilla Monk is not chopping a single book into tiny bits NOR needlessly (or painfully) dragging out the plot. This is a complete adventure and a truly enjoyable listen. Explosions, car chases, espionage, and sharks (or maybe not…) all make for a wild ride with our adorable heroine, Island and her dashing beau, March.
We are left unsure of both Island and March’s well-being at the end and I’ll be diving right in to Butterfly in Amber.
Narration:
Amy McFadden provides a full cast of characters from a variety of countries with discernible and consistent voices. This one had a few spots (the elevator scene) where her emotions brought tears to my eyes. Additionally, McFadden also gives each “outtake” from faux romance novels that serve as the intro to every chapter their own unique delivery.
P.S. My favorite chapter intro in Crystal Whisperer:
“I thought like, you can’t, like, get pregnant if you do it in an elevator. Because it’s made of metal.” —Broke Teen Moms, Reality Broadcasting Channel, 17 Sept. 2013.
Trigger Warnings (possible spoilers):
There’s some shoot outs, gun shot wounds, peril, and other action/mystery topics. Nothing too gory.
About the author:
Camilla Monk is a virtually unknown author who somehow tricked a bunch of people into publishing books about ostriches and killer platypuses.
A French native who grew up in a Franco-American family, she taught English and French in Tokyo before returning to France to work in advertising. After ten years spent building rickety websites for financial companies, she now lives and writes in Montreal, where she keeps a close watch on the squirrels and complains on a daily basis about the egregious number of Tim Hortons.
Her writing credits include the English resumes and cover letters of a great many French friends, and some essays as well. She’s also the critically acclaimed author of a few passive-aggressive notes pasted in her building’s elevator.
You can connect with Camilla Monk here:
About the narrator:
From Amy’s website: Hi! This part is all about me. Just me. It feels weird to write a bunch of stuff about myself but I don’t like pictures of me so I’ll have to use words instead.
I live in Michigan with my fiancé, Joe Anderson. He makes me laugh so much I never have to do situps. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t do situps anyway, but hey, it’s still a nice bonus to our love.
I’m an actress now, and I used to be a 2nd grade teacher. I loved that part of my life, but after doing it for a bunch of years, I was ready to move on to the next version of me. They’re not really very different versions-teachers and actresses both reach out and engage people through stories. I’m NOT a morning person, but waking up to tell stories makes mornings better-than-tolerable.
I love books and the Muppets and smart people and kind people (not necessarily in that order) and sleeping and chocolate and coffee and writers and learning and Oreo cookies and a bunch of other stuff-but I’m starting to make myself gag on all this love.
I hate a bunch of stuff, too, but who cares about that junk? It’s probably the same stuff you hate, so I won’t bore you. Except I REALLY hate listening to people eat bananas.
You can connect with Amy McFadden here:
My Favorite Quotes
I had touched Area 51! Not for long though, because there’s only so much clumsy teasing a man can take when he’s been single for four years. -Crystal Whisperer by @Camilla_Monk narrated by @amymcnarrator #Comedy #RomanticSuspense #Mystery
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I’d die a virgin and become a martyr for all nerds in the world. -Crystal Whisperer by @Camilla_Monk narrated by @amymcnarrator #Comedy #RomanticSuspense #Mystery
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Don’t worry, I piloted a cruise liner in Ship Simulator Extremes! -Crystal Whisperer by @Camilla_Monk narrated by @amymcnarrator #Comedy #RomanticSuspense #Mystery
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I used to sing the Queen of the Night’s second aria in my bathroom as a child, because that’s where artists of my caliber belong. -Crystal Whisperer by @Camilla_Monk narrated by @amymcnarrator #Comedy #RomanticSuspense #Mystery
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