Caffeinated Reviewer

Today I am sharing my thoughts on the first two audiobooks in the urban fantasy series, The Hollowcliff Detectives. Come check out my thoughts on To Kill A Fae and To Kill A King by C.S. Wilde. Narrated by Chris Dukehart Tim Paige.

Fae like to play dangerous games...

In detective Mera Maurea's experience, three things motivate a murder: secrets, convenience, or passion. But none of the three can explain why the Summer King is dead.

With a tight deadline hanging over her head, Mera has to figure out who's the culprit before the frail balance that holds the nation of Tagrad together crumbles into dust.

To aid her - or turn her life into a living hell, hard to tell which - is her fae partner Sebastian Dhay, a snarky detective with a penchant for the illegal. He's a volatile wild card who will do anything to solve the murder, even if it means his doom.

The clock is ticking. And Mera is hiding a deadly secret of her own.

A murder-mystery, an unwanted partner, and secrets drew me to To Kill a Fae by C.S. Wilde. Narrated by Chris Dukehart, the back-and-forth banter between our detective and a FAE investigator named Sebastian was a fun beginning to this series.

The first audiobook in the Hollowcliff Detectives, Wilde brings opposites together to solve a high profile case. The tale that unfolds has snark, sexual tension and more….

Mera Maurea and her partner are called to a crime scene. Where they discover that the male victim is the Summer King, they expect Tagrad (fae) detectives to take over and prepare to fight for the human case.

Instead, Mera discovers they will partner her with Sebastian Dhay, a snarky Fae who doesn’t want to follow human law. From their first encounter, the snarky barbs and underlying chemistry had me laughing.

These two are polar opposite. Mera likes to follow procedure and obey laws. Even if she is hiding a secret. As the listener, we learn her secret early on and even get flashbacks of her past. Sebastian is more of a “whatever it takes to catch the killer,” type of guy.

The two compliment each other and I loved the underlying sexual tension. The case and overall world-building are well-developed, keeping the listener engaged. The author shared the world and characters, without information dumps which allowed the story to unfold at a clipped pace.

While some aspects felt similar to other stories in this genre, the author offered some interesting twists with the two worlds working together.

I’ve enjoyed Chris Dukehart’s narrations before, and she was an excellent choice for the third person narrative of Mera. I thought she accurately reflected all sides of Mera. Chris has a wide range of voices and her males voices are delightful without being gruff. The story lends itself perfectly to audio and I felt Dukehart enhanced my enjoyment.

Overall To Kill a Fae was a solid intro to the Hollowcliff Detectives series, and I look forward to seeing what develops.

The Night King is dead, and his killer is on the loose.

When Mera Maurea goes to Lunor Insul to investigate the Night King’s murder, she knows bringing her partner Sebastian Dhay is a mistake, mostly because he’s the victim’s freaking son.

Things would be a lot easier if Bast’s relationship with his four brothers wasn’t so… explosive. As the culprit keeps attacking the Night Court, Mera and Bast will have to catch him before all remaining Dhays are dead.

Everything is connected, and solving this case might just bring Mera closer to Poseidon.

After the events of the first audiobook, To Kill A Fae, I was anxious to get back to more cases with Mera & Sebastian (Bast). This time they are headed to Lunor Insul to investigate the Night King’s murder.

To get there we will need to cross the water, and we gain knowledge about Mera’s murky past.

Meeting Sebastian’s family was interesting. He is a member of the Royal family with a price on his head. I adored his sister and understand his dilemma.

We see growth in the relationship which is turning into a slow burn, as they share secrets and heated moments. I am not completely onboard with some of Bast’s behavior, but there is room for growth and trust.

Poseidon is this hovering threat, but even this far in we don’t know why. The case however was stronger in To Kill A King. I appreciate the partnership forming between these two as an investigative team. They play well off each other.

Suspense mounted as the killer continued to attack the Night Court. It kept the momentum going as it hooked the listener.

Chris Dukehart once again narrated the perspective of Mera, but this time Tim Paige is introduced for the voice & perspective of Bass. I appreciated the dual narrative and as both narrators are stellar. They enhanced the overall story and character development.

Fans of suspense, snark, mystery and the Fae will want to grab the Hollowcliff Detectives on audio. You’ll want to meet these clever, flawed and engaging detectives.

• Books -1-3 are available in Kindle Unlimited.

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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