Collected by Shawntelle Madison
Narrator: Audio Élan
Series: Coveted #0.5
Published on: August 16, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Length: 1 hour & 27 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author
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Natalya Stravinsky, the charmingly neurotic werewolf from Coveted, is featured in this prequel novella. Before Thorn Grantham returned to South Toms River, New Jersey, Natalya lived alone with her stash of holiday trinkets. Her life takes an interesting turn when she faces a difficult challenge: to find a stolen figurine she'd recently won from a magical creatures auction website. It should be simple, just demand for it back from the pesky thief. But a set of events occurs that puts not only her life at risk, but her family's as well.
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I wasn’t a huge fan of Coveted, the first installment in this series, because I didn’t particularly enjoy Madison’s OCD heroine. So imagine my surprise when the very things that annoyed me about book 1 actually endeared me to Natalya’s character in Collected. This audiobook is a prime example of how some stories are just better when read aloud. Audio Élan does a great job of capturing the essence of Stravinsky’s disorder and giving it form through her tone and rhythm. Her version of Shawntelle’s protagonist is way better than the one I originally had inside my head. What a great way to spend an hour and a half!
I enjoyed the triviality of this novel’s plot line; it’s a cute story about a nutcracker gone missing and what lengths Natalya is willing to go to in order to retrieve it. Those of you who’ve read this series know how much this girl LOVES her Christmas ornaments and for those of you who haven’t met Stravinsky yet, this novella is a great introduction to the quirky heroine. The ridiculousness of Natalya’s mission continues to escalate as this tale progresses; one minute she’s making deals with dangerous supernaturals and the next she’s breaking into the leprechaun factory! The hilarity of her using her werewolf senses to help track down her missing treasure wasn’t lost on me either. If I had preternatural powers I certainly wouldn’t waste them on something as mundane as nutcracker sniffing!
I’m glad that Shawntelle Madison gave readers another opportunity to better understand Natalya; I disliked her in the beginning but she’s been slowly growing on me with each new installment. The Collected audiobook is a fun listen that’s sure to leave you with a wolfish grin on your face!
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Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book (the heroine was a bit too much for me) but it sounds like the audio worked out better for you this time around. I might have to check this one out, thanks!
I really didn’t care for the first book but this series definitely gets better from there. It’s worth a second try.
I’ll keep this in mind, nothing wrong with a quick listen 🙂
I don’t know anything about the first book, so I hope I’m not lost.
I never heard of this narrator, I’m always happy to discover new talents.
This can probably be read as a stand-along as it’s a prequel to the actual series.
I wonder if there is plans to record the other books in the series on audio?
No idea. I’m thinking this novella was a test-run. I guess it’ll depend on the sales/reviews?
You know I’ve been seriously contemplating listening to audio books on my drive to/from work…a quick listen like this might be just the test listen I need…and it sounds like one that will make me smile.
Hope you have a great weekend Carmel 😀
I’m not sure how long your commute is but you could definitely tackle this one easily.
This sounds like a fun little story. I haven’t read any of her books yet, but I think I have bought some for my stepdaughter.
I like breaking things up with fun, short novellas every once in a while.