Narrated by Amy Landon
When I first picked up Bitter Spirits, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. The heroine can summon the dead, and I have a real problem with books that focus too much on ghosts. However, this first installment in Ms. Bennett’s Roaring Twenties series proved to be quite enjoyable.
Aida Palmer is a spirit medium. She’s currently doing a stage show in San Francisco’s China Town. Unlike many others in her field, Aida is no fraud. So, when wealthy and notorious bootlegger Winter Magnusson needs help banishing a ghost who wishes him harm, Aida seems like the perfect person to help him.
Winter has no use for ghosts, or for the people who interact with them. However, after meeting Aida, and finding her more than a little intriguing, Winter comes to realize there’s more to life than running booze and making money. Before he can explore this revelation, he needs to find out who has made him the target of several rather unsavory spirits. Once again, Aida is called in to assist.
Their attraction is mutual and incredibly strong. Each comes up with countless reasons to be in the other’s presence. They make quite a believable couple, especially once you learn about their pasts. I found myself hoping they could reconcile the differences they had and make a good life together.
In my opinion, this is one of narrator Amy Landon’s best performances. There were a lot of characters in the story, and Ms. Landon did an excellent job of making each of them stand out from the rest. Her depictions of Aida and Winter were amazingly accurate. I felt like I knew them by the time I finished listening to the book.
Ms. Landon employed a wide variety of accents when voicing the characters. Winter’s staff is made up of quite a few Swedish people, and he has a Chinese assistant. Aida’s boss speaks with a very noticeable southern drawl. Ms. Landon managed to pull all of this off without slipping out of character, and her accents sounded quite authentic.
From their first meeting, it’s clear that quite a bit of sexual tension exists between Aida and Winter. As the story progresses, the tension increases. Ms. Landon does a wonderful job giving life to what our hero and heroine are feeling. When they interact, I found it very easy to tell that both were finding it difficult to ignore their feelings.
Although I’m not a fan of ghosts, I was able to enjoy Ms. Bennett’s story. Sure, Aida can summon and banish spirits, but that’s all she does. She does not become personally involved with the recently deceased. She understands that the dead need to remain dead. Sometimes, they need help crossing to the other side, and she assists them. The story focused on Aida and Winter’s attraction to one another, and on Winter’s need to find the person who cursed him. These very compelling plot elements, combined with a host of quirky characters and a fascinating historical setting make Bitter Spirits well worth the listen.
Shannon
Narration: A-
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: For your burning ears only
Violence: Escalated fighting
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Bitter Spirits was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.
