Hit and Miss

This was my first story with Michelle M. Pillow. There was a mixed bag of things I liked and weren't as fond of but overall a solid supernatural cozy mystery. It was an easy enough listen with some interesting flavor but I found myself much more interested in the secondary characters of the crazy Aunt Polly and her Gnomes, which I frankly wanted more of and less of the main character. The concept of the overall theme that the Goode family is somehow cursed with bad luck making the whole town dislike the family and any descendants while interesting creates some problems in and of itself. When main characters have too many antagonists and hardly any allies it feels hard to continue or feel an investment in developing the characters there. The curse on Lilly is so virulent at times it makes it almost unbelievable that a character who is already established as a drifter would want to stay in what appears to be a hugely inhospitable environment. I craved more details and explanation surrounding the developing magic and understanding of Lily and her brother Dante's abilities but it was more passing information. Again I have listened to much worse, and there were things I loved as I mentioned above, but I could also see where the story could have been pushed to the next level. I think that speaks to some seeds that the author has planted, but I think I was also struck by how many characters have the archetypal chip on their shoulder and aren't very invested that the audience themselves can start to feel confused about investing in the characters and story. I always love the narrator B.J. Harrison but with the large cast of characters in the story I noticed some of his female voices being recycled for different characters. Overall I think this is a promising start and I am interested to see if further development of characters and town will occur in the next installment.

2 people found this helpful

Entertaining....

A little dragged out at times but still kinda fun. Loved the characters: Lily, Nolan, Dante, and especially Polly, she was so crazy.

A G-rated read.

As always B.J. Harrison was great.

2 people found this helpful

I loved it!

I enjoy listening to it and I can't wait until the next book to come out. The book reminds me of Kristen Painter style of writing, so if you love her writings you'll love this book.

4 people found this helpful

Enjoyable cozy mystery

Lilly and Dante find themselves in Lucky Valley after discovering that their mother Marigold Goode had property there. The arrive in Lucky Valley where the find themselves in situations they normally wouldn’t be in. In a flurry their eccentric Aunt Polly settles in with them and I think that a lot of laughable moments happen around Aunt Polly. She’s a quirky witch and she is just fun! This is a fun read with a cozy mystery and a slow burn romance. I truly enjoyed listening, and laughing at the mess that Lilly, and Dante are in. The narrator B. J. Harrison is fantastic. His voice is distinctive and I enjoyed his tone for all of the characters be portrayed.

1 person found this helpful

Quirky witches, shifters, ghosts, & gnomes, oh my!

B.J. Harrison does a good job narrating & brings to life this clean, fun romp, starring foster-raised young adults, Lilly & Dante Goode. They have travelled to a small town in Lucky Valley, Colorado to investigate an inheritance from their estranged mother, Marigold Goode. Separated from her for over 15 years, and not truly wanting anything from her, what Lilly finds herself inheriting is a dilapidated mansion/ex-boardinghouse in desperate need of costly repairs, surrounded by garden gnomes. In waltzes "Aunt" Polly, an eccentric, flamboyantly-dressed, cauldron of bubbly personality & magic. Polly is thrilled they are there, & inserts herself right in the middle of their new dilemma, spouting gibberish-sounding magic spells and cryptic history. The local city code inspector/enforcer is a wolf shifter with a secret task, a stack of violations to fix... and eyes for Lilly. The townsfolk want them gone, asap! Lucky Valley turns into (UN)Lucky Valley the instant the Goodes arrive, and all make their fear & displeasure known, for Lilly & Dante have powers, though they are just discovering this themselves... hilarious misfires & all. Lilly is bound and determined to make this place her & her siblings new home, if they can get the gnomes & ghosts to behave... since they are quite mischievous! Throw in the slow-burn romance along the way, & this makes for a wacky tale, and a fun series starter.

1 person found this helpful

interesting

Aunt Polly is a rare gem and a great core character to the story and I wanted more of her.
Humorous intriguing, entertaining, and fast paced storyline. Ghosts, gnomes, shifters , and magic are fun and entertaining. Old biases make it difficult to be a Goode and get a fair shake. Enjoyed it. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a good job.

1 person found this helpful

Welcome to WitchWay

Cute and entertaining.Un-Lucky Valley has all the fun. Werewolves,witches,ghosts,etc...plus an ever expanding gnome colony the tend to be in the strangest places at the most in opportune times.A pet lobster and a crazy aunt Polly,never a dull moment.The narration was great,he was capable of doing all characters voices wonderfully.

1 person found this helpful

QUIRKY, PARANORMAL, COZY MYSTERY, ROMANCE

BETTER HAUNTS AND GARDEN GNOMES is the first book in the (Un)Lucky Valley series. I believe you’ll need to read them in the order of release.

Perfectly quirky, paranormal, cozy mystery romance. This is fun and entertaining with a cast of characters with an amazing array of powers. I thought it was a great start to this new series, and there were tons of belly laughs.

Narration: B.J. Harrison does a beautiful job of providing the voices for the different characters – I especially loved Aunt Polly.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy via Audio BookCrave, my opinions are my own and are given freely.


Title: BETTER HAUNTS AND GARDEN GNOMES
Series: (Un)Lucky Valley #1
A Happily Everlasting World
Category /Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers, Cozy Mysteries
Recommended for: 16+ due to mature matters
Listenability: OK for ears
Received from: Michelle M. Pillow (as an Audible gifted copy)

1 person found this helpful

Terrible book!!

Stupid. Worst I have listened to in a very long time. Not even good enough for a pre-teen. I love paranormal and cozies for this was a terrible example of both. I did not like it and definitely would NOT recommend it.

5 people found this helpful

Always fun to read Michelle

I love any Michelle M. Pillow’s books. They’re always a fun read. This one is too with a crazy bunch of characters to make you laugh and say OMG! A little frustration at some character antics but that’s what keeps me wanting more.