Tuesday, May 19, 2015

See No Evil, My Pretty Lady by Miss Mae (Audiobook)



Blurb:
New maid Dorcy Edwards flees the scene of where her employer's body is found. His murder sparks a chain of macabre events. Cloistered on a remote island with five strangers, including Gareth Davenport, her late employer's brooding, but darkly handsome heir, Dorcy encounters baffling questions with what she fears may be terrifying answers. Who cut the telegraph lines? Who left a mutilated animal carcass outside her bedroom door? What is the reason for Gareth's black gloves and eye patch? Can he be "Jack the Ripper", the madman suspected to be Mr. Davenport's killer? Dorcy must solve the mystery, and soon, or her growing attraction for Gareth could be her very death sentence.

Excerpt:
Dorcy rushed through the doorway, grabbing the hand railing to keep from falling down the slippery steps. Swirling fog cocooned her, the impenetrable moisture abruptly halting her frenzied flight.

Mr. Davenport!

The scream resonated long and loud inside her mind. With stunning clarity the image she’d seen rammed into her consciousness—a figure sprawled on the library floor, white shirt soaked with blood, the hilt of a knife stuck in his belly.

Numb with shock, she stood unmoving as the air erupted with noise. Hooves clattering against the cobble-stoned street signaled an approaching rider. Through a parting in the shifting fog she stared toward the corner gas lamp. Beneath its arcing light trotted a snorting gelding, a shrunken visage of a man hunched over the animal’s neck.

“A body’s been found in Mitre Square.” Raising his prune wrinkled face, the old man shrilled out his warning. “Lock yer doors. Stay inside.”

He spurred the horse down the street and the pair disappeared into the mist. His high, thin cry merged with the fading echo of the steed’s departing hoof beats.

Dorcy inhaled a shuddering breath, the sudden odor of human body sweat alerting her to someone’s presence. A deep, unfamiliar voice said, “Madame, I have some business with you.” 

Gasping, she whirled to flee. But a strong hand gripped her arm and flung her against the wall of the house. Knocked breathless, she opened her mouth to scream.

“Oh no, my pretty lady.” Vise-like fingers clamped on her throat, preventing sound. “I think you’ll be telling no one that you saw me.”

Review:
I'm going to take this review in sections since it's an audiobook. The first part will be the actual story itself and the second will be the audiobook.

See No Evil, My Pretty Lady is set in London, England during the late 1800's, which is at the same time that Jack the Ripper was roaming the streets of London. Usually books build up to the mystery and drama, which can sometimes be frustrating. I am impatient when reading because I want to jump right to the mysterious part of the book. I believe what draws me to Miss Mae's work is her ability to open the book at the height of mystery and it works, every single time. I don't want to give away any of the plot line or the characters, but Dorcy finds herself in the middle of a predicament in the first chapter. The reader is left questioning who is the mystery person and what will happen next?

The characters throughout this book are very well developed. Although this audiobook might be a little on the shorter side, I am amazed at all that was covered from the beginning of the book to the very last page. I loved Dorcy, but I believe my favorite character was Gareth. His character was difficult to figure out. Is he the good guy? Maybe the bad guy? Of course you find out soon enough but in the beginning I couldn't see him being a main character that stood out, but then, before you know it, you're rooting for Gareth. He seemed rather dark and intense at first. When you find out how he really is, you realize that he couldn't have possibly been any other way. The dark and brooding works for Gareth.

At one point during the book, they are all sent to an island to stay the night. It had a very "Clue" sort of feel to it which I could relate to since I love Clue. I could play that game all day. As in Clue, See No Evil, My Pretty Lady has an ending you don't see coming. Just when you think you have it figured out, think again! There were so many things throughout the book that had me falling in love with it. The character development was outstanding. The trials and tribulations had me chuckling at some and saying "oh no" at others.

Now on to the audiobook portion of it. The narrator had a distinctive voice that worked well as he changed the tone of his voice to speak as other characters. Not one voice sounded like the others which led to a first-rate performance throughout the entire book. See No Evil, My Pretty Lady was a book that I could both lose myself in as well as lose track of time. I enjoy a book that can do that. I felt invested in this book and look forward to the next audiobook that will be released by Miss Mae. Speaking of, I will be doing a blog post when her next book is about to be released.

I love the range of writing Miss Mae possesses. Every book is a different kind of mystery or romance or even a book that is geared toward kids of all ages. Each story is also descriptive and vivid. I feel as though I am actually a part of the story which is what I love at the end of a hard day. I wanted to escape and thanks to Miss Mae, I've now visited London. Whatever book I choose to read, it will be an outstanding and fun read. If you're on the fence about buying this book or not, I would highly suggest that you do purchase it. You won't be sorry. You will find a new to you author that knows her craft and knows it well.

You can buy the audiobook version of See No Evil, My Pretty Lady by clicking here.

Click here for the link to Miss Mae's site. I know you will find other books that you will enjoy!

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