Caffeinated Reviewer

Narrated by Stephanie Richardson, Crazy as a Loon by Hailey Edwards is the first in the Yard Birds paranormal women’s fiction series. Hilarious with lots of magic, suspense and mischief, you’ll want to start this series on audio today!

Ellie Gleason has protected the town of Samford, Alabama for decades. It’s not as glamours as her glory days as the WitchLight Hub, but it keeps her active during her golden years.

Life is good.

Well, it’s okay.

Fine.

It be bloodier with a smidge more gore, but retirement is meant to be low-key. It’s not like her fragile bones could handle the strenuous hunt for monsters anymore, even if her current duties are dull as dishwater.

But when her great-nephew shows up on her doorstep in tears—or is he her great-great nephew?—begging for help, Ellie straps on her beloved shotgun, Bam-Bam, and gets the coven back together.

Sure, Betty just had a hip replacement, and Flo would rather flirt than fight, and Ida is busy with her anniversary plans, and Joan is…Joan. But Ellie is certain she can whip the girls into shape in time to defeat the creature preying on kids at a nearby summer camp. She might even have them home in time for dinner.

This was such a fun start to the Yard Birds series featuring retired witch, Ellie Gleason. Ellie lives in and protects the town of Samford, Alabama. It’s not as exciting as her position in the WitchLight Hub. She’d be the first to admit she is bored. All that changes when her great nephew arrives on her doorstep. The tale that unfolds mixes magic, mystery, humor and suspense.

I loved Ellie and her posse. From cursed husbands to forgetfulness, these gals were fun and all business with the mission. I laughed and devoured this in a single evening. While just four hours long, the story did a great job of introducing us to the characters and delivered an interesting mystery affecting the children at a local camp.

With an urban fantasy vibe, lots of snark and elderly characters, this tale will delight fans of humorous fantasy, cozy mysteries, and paranormal women’s fiction.

For fans of Hailey Edwards, you’ll be familiar with Samford, Alabama. These stories took place before Rue, the protagonists in the Black Hat Bureau series, moved there!

Stephanie Richardson narrates and does a lovely job of capturing the characters and tone of the story. I highly recommend listening.

Amazon* | Audible

*kindleunlimited

About 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.

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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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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2024 Audiobook Challenge

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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