Narrated by Stephanie Richardson, Black Truth, White Lies by Hailey Edwards is the third audio in the Black Hat Bureau series featuring Rue Hollis. She left the bureau ten years ago and carved out a quiet life in the small town of Samford. But trouble is in her backyard and she’ll have to handle it. Grab an iced coffee and see why I am loving this series….
by Hailey Edwards
Series: Black Hat Bureau #3
Narrator: Stephanie Richardson
Length: 8 hours and 6 minutes
Genres: Humor, Paranormal, Suspense, Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.3x
When one of Santa's reindeer meets a grisly end during the annual A Downtown Dickens Christmas Festival, Rue realizes her enemies are closing in on her location, and Samford will pay the price.
But when one creature turns into two, and two into three, and then three into four, Rue knows the problem is bigger than a singular threat to her new hometown. And that's before a holiday shopper strolls into Hollis Apothecary claiming to be a long-lost relative. Of her father's.
As old loyalties are tested and new relationships threaten to unravel the fabric of her identity, Rue must choose either the family she was born into or the one she created for herself, and the losing side might not survive her decision.
Contains mature themes
The holidays have come to Samford and the annual Downtown Dickens Christmas Festival ends on a sour note when one of Santa’s reindeer meets a grisly end. Rue’s home and business the Hollis Apothecary, are in jeopardy. If her enemies discover where she is, none of them will be safe.
Rue, along with Asa, Clay and Colby, fight to protect the life she has carved out and before it’s all over, she’ll confront her grandfather. Woo-wee, this was a fantastic installment. Edwards shares more of Rue’s backstory while giving us an intense case and collecting more strays.
I love the small-town and motley crew Rue calls family. The banter, shenanigans, and love they have for one another feels genuine and continues to endear me to them. Clay makes me belly-laugh and a new character brings excitement.
The romance between Rue and Asa deepens as she shares her past and strengthens their bond. It almost feels like a threesome with Asa’s demon side, but Edwards had me laughing as Rue bargained with the demon exchanging shampoos and hair-braiding for good behavior.
The creatures killing animals in town were creeptastic and all Edwards. She vividly brings them to life and created an intriguing story around them while enhancing and strengthening the overall series arc. Danger, suspense and action-packed moments put our characters in jeopardy. Each character played a role in stopping the threat, even our newest stray. Edwards managed it all while injecting moments of humor, sexy times and more.
Rue continues to grow as she struggles to be a good witch. She works hard to play by the rules, but make no mistake, she is a serious threat when you try to hurt one of hers.
Stephanie Richardson does a stellar job with the narration. She has brilliantly captured these characters from Colby’s curiosity to Asa’s focused demon-side. Her performance enhances the story as she captures the tone Edwards intended for her characters.
Humor, suspense and characters you’ll root for make this series worthy of your tbr pile.
* Kindle Unlimited
Black Truth, White Lies by Hailey Edwards narrated by Stephanie Richardson was a fantastic installment in the Black Hat Bureau urban fantasy series #audiobook #audiobookreview #TantorMedia Share on XAbout Hailey Edwards
Hailey Edwards writes about questionable applications of otherwise perfectly good magic, the transformative power of love, the family you choose for yourself, and blowing stuff up. Not necessarily all at once. That could get messy. She lives in Alabama with her husband, their daughter, and a herd of dachshunds.
About Stephanie Richardson
Stephanie Richardson records audiobooks from her professional home studio near the mountains in Utah. She places a special emphasis on bringing positive and wholesome content in the world and records work in a variety of nonfiction and fiction genres, including self-development, memoir, children's and young adult, and cozy mystery. She has trained with award-winning narrators PJ Ochlan and Sean Pratt and was awarded the ABR award for best mystery in 2020. While not enjoying a book, she can be found playing zoo-keeper to her four rambunctious children, playing nerdy board games, or talking to her plants.
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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
Bookworm Brandee
I love this author but haven’t read this series. I’m adding it to my tbr though. It sounds like a lot of fun!
Nadene
This sounds delightful. Glad to see you are enjoying the series.
Sophia Rose
I keep saying I need to try her books especially after reading your reviews. 🙂
Kimberly
All of them are in KU. This is the first series I have done on audio.
Ethan
This sounds like pure escapism and fun! I’ll have to add this to my list of listens for the holiday season.
Debbie Haupt
hmm, Kim I must have missed the previous of this series, but like looks seriously fab. Thanks I love the premise of this and I know it’s worthy of my tbr pile but should I start with #1?
Wendy
I love stories with humor and banter. Lovely review, Kimberly
Melliane
I took the first book and now I really need to read it!