Night Shift (Kate Daniels, #6.5)

by Ilona Andrews and Nalini Singh

[Melanie]

My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.

Overall, I enjoyed all the stories. All could be read very easily if you've never read the series that they belong to. With Psy/Changling and Kate Daniels stories, as those are the only two that I've read, are great additions to the series. Each story has great characters and an interesting world.

Secrets at Midnight - Nalini Singh - 4.5/5
This is the story of Mercy's brother Bastien Smith after he stumbles across the scent of his mate only to lose it again. Kirby was orphaned as a child and was never adopted. Foster homes didn't even want her. It has left her feeling like she didn't fit in anywhere. I loved seeing how Bastien was willing to do whatever was possible to make her feel wanted and part of the family, without trying to scare her off. Kirby's first interaction with Mercy was great, as Kirby shows Mercy her claws. While this wasn't the sexiest story that Singh has written, I thought it was very heartwarming and had the slight snark that you would expect from Mercy's family.

Magic Steals - Ilona Andrews 5/5
This story takes place while Kate and Curran are off trying to get Panacea in Europe. Jim is in charge of the pack. Going into this story, Jim and Dali are already dating, but they have been keeping pretty quite. We've always know what a badass Jim is. In this story, you get to see a much softer side to him. We also get to see Dali be kickass with her magic. She proves to herself that she isn't weak, even if she is a half-blind vegetarian tiger. Jim and Dali are tracking a person who are using people's worst nightmare against them. It is really funny to watch how Dali tries to hide Jim from her family.

Lucky Charms - Lisa Shearin 4 /5
This was a new to me series. We have Mackenna Frazier, a human seer, starting her first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations. She can see through all types of glamour. So when some leprechauns go missing, she is tasked to find them. We get to learn about several supernatural creatures in this world, many of which you don't see in other PNR stories. I will be looking up more stories in this series.

The Beast of Blackmoor - Milla Vane 3.5/5
This is a new to me author as well. This story is more fantasy that I normally read or listen to. It took me a little bit to get into the story. There is a warrior princess on a quest to prove herself. She gets there only to learn that the beast is as horrible as she thought. She also has faith in her goddess, but that doesn't make the quest any easier. While I felt the story was a bit slow to start, it ended really well. I do want more from this author.

Narration
I've always thought Angela Dawe did a good job with the Psy/Changeling series. This is the first time I've listened to her do anything else. I think she did a pretty good job. As always, the men and women both have very distinct voices. I think her speed and tone are great. I listen to her at the standard speed. I did have issues with her narrating the Jim and Dali's story. Renee Raudman is the normal narration for this series. I had a hard time listening to a different narrator do their voices. I felt it took me a little out of the story. It wasn't that Dawe did a bad job, it just didn't sound like Jim and Dali because I'm so used to Raudman.

I like to thank Tantor Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.