Absolutely loved this box set

I purchased this box set on a whim and I am so glad I did.
I was unsure I was going to like the narration at first but wow was I wrong!

I have listened to quite a few different books on audible but have not yet come across a narrator as talented in making a story come alive as Kelley Hazen, the different voices she can do really let you know who's talking and even does different effects like a voice on a tape recorder, I've never come across that before it was brilliant.
I loved the whole box set as a story too, very well written and there was always something going on, there was never a time where I think this is going on pointlessly as I have with other books.
I'm sad now that it's over, but very glad i found both this author and narrator, I will be looking at other books they've both done.

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Exceptional

The narration was excellent. The story teller brought what was an already amazing story to life.

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant police mystery adventure romance

Really lived this set of books, the characters are terrific love Gaby she makes me laugh with her crazy fads. The narration is really good can't wait for next book

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1 person found this helpful

Great box set

Hi everyone this box set was great could not stop listening.,story line are great with lots of twist and turns
Well Done

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Great series and great narrator

Loved the stories and Kelly Hazen is a superb narrator. She has the ability to bring all the characters to life.

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2 people found this helpful

love the stories and the reader

Just loved this book. I ended up wishing there were more. Kelly Hazens narration was brilliant, I felt like there were more people involved, but it was all her voice changing with each character. Well done!!

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1 person found this helpful

Sequoia, small town, big heart.

Small town Sequoia is used to tourists: the quaintly named shops depend upon them for survival. But it is the people who live there permanently who make it special. Zion Sawyer came to Sequoia when the birth mother who had given her up for adoption when she was still a baby, left her a cottage and the cafe, the Caffeinator, in her will. Zion liked what she found, and stayed.

M.L.Hamilton's ongoing stories from Sequoia get better as the series continues, not so much for the murder mysteries themselves, but in reconnecting with the inhabitants, watching as they grow and interact together, characters who really seem to have lives of their own. It is possible to read each as a standalone story but much more enjoyable if taken in sequence. And this box set is the perfect way to do that.

The five books included are:
i). Cappuccino
ii). Cafe an Lait
iii) Espresso
iv) Caffe Macchiato
v) Americcano
(Separate reviews have been posted for each individual book).

Narrator Kelley Hazen gives each of the numerous characters extra personality and life by voicing each seperately: she is astonishingly good at this, drawing on a cornucopia of voices to give individually performed renderings for male as well as female protagonists. There is emotion and laughter in these books, just as there would be in real life - romance, too, and, of couse, a mystery to solve.
For a light, immersive and enjoyable read, recommended

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3 people found this helpful

Brilliant

I just love this series. To have them all together in one set is fantastic. The characters and storylines are amazing and the narrator Kelly Hazen brings them all to life.
I highly recommend this set. ❤️🥰😍

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Not sure if this will work

I’ve only finished the 1st book - Cappuccino - so don’t know if this will allow me to write a separate review after each book. I’ll know after the next one...

So, you get introduced to the characters because of the protagonist, Zion, finds out that her birth mother dies and has left her a house and a Coffee shop (with staff).

Those are in Sequoia, she lives in San Francisco working a job that is leading nowhere... then it transpired that her birth mother was murdered, the journey towards solving the case is neat and unusual.

For a Cozy Mystery, it has a decent plot and has decent dialogue, enough to make the desire to go into the next story enticing and inevitable.

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5 people found this helpful

Living in the past

The narrator is great. She gives everyone a voice and is faultless with the prose, The book(s) I’m less sure about as the characters seem to be set in an alternate universe where 1950’s mores exist with the modern lifestyle and that the author was trying to make some kind of moral points along the way. It’s the only reason I can think of to have the characters start to swear and then have them pulled up like in an old tv show as in cosy mysteries the conceit is accepted that there is no bad language no matter what happens.
First book does a lot of heavy lifting with setting up the circumstances and the mystery seems to take a back seat although the mystery was enjoyable when it took centre stage.
The second and subsequent books introduces new characters, some of which, happily, remain for the remaining stories.
I’ve often wondered why cozy mystery books are only about 7 hours long and I have to say this box set has answered it for me, they don’t beat you over the head with schoolgirl romances. I often wished I was reading this in print to make it easier to skip forward but that’s personal taste. The mysteries were fine if you accept it’s twilight zone setting.
Overall I think I kept listening because of the narrator and while I don’t regret the purchase I did breathe a little sigh of relief when it came to an end and I won’t be going back to this little town.

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