Audio: The eye of the bedlam bride by Matt Dinniman

By: Matt Dinniman

Narrated by: Jeff Hays, Patrick Warburton, Travis Baldree, Annie Ellicott

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 6

Length: 26 hrs and 46 mins

Release date: 09-01-23

Publisher: Audible Studios

Categories: Science Fiction & Fantasy

This one was longer! It actually took me some time to get through it.

Donut and Carl ends up in Cuba, and there are monsters, zombies, crabs, seals, gods, nuns. Crazy times.

I do not really know how to review these anymore. Stuff happens, explosions happen, there is danger, near death experiences, more is learned about the crawl and well down with all those who Serve the crawl!

I liked it. Amazing narration a always

A pantheon of forgotten gods. An old grudge between a talk show host, an heiress, and the man they shattered along the way. A rapidly deteriorating AI system. An inconvenient tiara upon the head of a friend.

It is bedlam on the eighth floor.

As management reels from the unexpected conclusion of the seventh level, the surviving crawlers stumble onto the eighth and find themselves scattered. It’s a map based on Earth’s final days before the collapse, where ethereal, intangible ghosts of humanity go about their lives, oblivious of the impending doom. Living amongst these ghosts are monsters based in Earth lore. “Legendary” creatures tied to the geographical location they inhabit.

Each team of crawlers is given a find and capture six of these beasts. The captured monsters will be turned into cards. Cards that can be summoned into battle again and again. The stronger and deadlier the better.

At the end of the floor, the bad guys will also have decks, and they will have some of the most powerful cards available. So it’s crucial to assemble the toughest squad possible.

But like always, there is a catch. There’s always a catch.

As Carl and Donut know all too well, just because someone is captured, it doesn’t mean they have been tamed.

Her name is Shi Maria. She’s easily the most powerful monster in their area. If they want to survive, they must capture her. But she is no ordinary beast. She’s intelligent. She was once married to a god, a god who is now missing. Her special attack is known to drive one insane. They call her the Bedlam Bride.

“Beware, beware. Beware the eye of the Bedlam Bride.”

Carole´s Movie Monday: Enola Holmes 3

Title: Enola Holmes 3

Length: 1h 45m

Released: 2026

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Action/Adventure, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Where I Got It: Netflix

SUMMARY:

Detective Enola Holmes heads to Malta, where her aspirations merge in her most complex and dangerous case yet.

Trailer

REVIEW:

Number 3 babbbyyyy!

We are back with Enola and crew. This time they are in Malta, and Enola is about to wed. Gasp. But a kidnapping, murder, and many a mystery land on her shoulders to solve, so the wedding is postponed. 

Like the others, this was fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should the viewer. There is humor and a LOT of fourth wall breaking. 

My biggest issue with the film was the lack of mystery. Yes, it is "there," sure, but the first like 5 mins for sure ruins the mystery. Sure, our fearless detective doesn't know, but we know. I did not like that one bit. Like, come on. 

It was fun to uncover the what and why. Enola was on a clock and 10 steps behind for so long. Plus...fixing what she broke was nice to see. I think he was being a little.....dramatic. But it is what it is. 

Oh! I did like the serious tones near the end. It was nice to keep this from being too campy. 

In the end, I had fun with this. The local was fun, the mission was okay, and there were some nice serious tones attached that helped deepen the story. Yes, yes, I laughed a few times at the funny moments.

3 stars from me. 

The undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Series: Hart and Mercy (#1)

Format: 416 pages, Paperback

Published: August 23, 2022 by Orbit

Western fantasy/own

I just do not know. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did.

Mercy works at her family´s funeral home. In a western style fantasy world. Hart is a marshall because there is a portal to a place where old gods went and there are like...sort of zombies there that needs to die.

Anyway they hate each other for some reason and I kept waiting for something to happen. Instead it was these two getting to know each other through letters and I am done with a romance, just...the world was cool! I wanted more about the gods, the ghosts who wanted to live again and just this world you know. Instead we got a you have mail and then a bit of drama at the end. But that is a long time to wait, 350 pages for some action, and I do not mean the smutty kind.

So...ok? I am not reading more

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.  

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. 

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.  

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most—Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares—each other?

First time caller by BK Borison

Format: 448 pages, Paperback

Published: February 11, 2025 by Berkley

Contemporary romance/own

I am so behind on reviews!

Right, Aiden has a radio show, he comes in contact with Lucie who has a bad dating life and has given up. She is brough on air and there is banter there, and chemistry. But the whole point is to get her dates and Baltimore falls in love with her.

I liked Aiden, he had worked too long and did not believe in love anymore. While Lucie wants it, but does not have the patience or time for bad dates.

There was banter, some slow romance building. Then the obvious drama before it all worked out.

I enjoyed it. I will read more

Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstrings into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kid. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life—or lack thereof—she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome, temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her.