Audio Book Review: The Journals of Octavia Hollows: Books 1-6 by Stacey Rourke

This is a very fun listen!

The Journals of Octavia Hollows: Books 1-6
by Stacey Rourke
Narrated by: Brenda Scott Wlazlo

Series: The Journals of Octavia Hollows Series, Book 1-6
Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 10-22-19
Language: English
Publisher: The Audio Flow, LLC
Genre: Cozy Mysteries, Supernatural Thriller, Urban Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.

With a touch of her hand, Octavia Hollows can restore life. Yet, she couldn’t save the man she loved from the horrific accident that stole him from her. Octavia thought she could outrun the pain, but ghosts from the past refuse to be silenced. Out of options, she chooses to retrace her wayward journey across the country in search of answers. Surrounded by baffling mysteries of the undead, what she learns about herself along the way might become her greatest weapon.
This six novella series chronicles Octavia's adventures in:
Wake the Dead
Dead Man's Hand
Caught Dead
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Dead Ringer
Dead as a Doornail
"This is Rourke at her finest: sassy and completely unapologetic. Proving again why she's a powerhouse in this industry."
-USA Today Best Selling Author Rue Volley
"This book has it all: a kickass heroine, loads of action... and a pig named Bacon."
-NYT & USA Today Best Selling Author Karen Lynch
©2019 Stacey Rourke (P)2019 The Audio Flow, LLC

Review:
Octavia is a gutsy young woman with special gifts. She is a necromancer who can restore life and she has a little bit of magic learned from her witch coven friends. Still, she never felt like she belonged or had a family anywhere.

One of her special restorations is her sidekick and constant companion, a miniature pig she named Bacon. Octavia is distressed that she wasn’t able to save her boyfriend, Elba, from a tragic accident. But someone has hidden his body so she is retracing her steps to try to find him. In each episode, Octavia faces a challenge of death and learns more about herself along the way.

Wake the Dead
Octavia starts off in Seattle. She is surprised to be contacted by a couple desperate to hire her to help their baby son. Although waking the dead is frowned upon, Octavia uses the resources she has available and that means waking the nurse who was present in the hospital room when things went wrong for the family. Can Octavia banish the creature that has taken control of the children?

This story introduces the reader to Octavia, Bacon some of Octavia’s history and her friendship and strained relationship with her coven mentor, Dina. The snarky fun is obvious from the opening pages.

Dead Man's Hand
Moving on to Las Vegas Octavia visits her old boss to make inquires. They open a tool cabinet to discover a charred body and a huge stack of cash. Octavia thinks she can help by waking the man to ask him what happened. Soon she is dodging the law and hiding from the mob while she tries to figure out the mystery. This time she faces a monster who is willing to grant her deepest wish. Can she resist?

Caught Dead
Next Octavia stops in Galveston, Texas. By this time she knows that someone is shadowing her as he drops a burner cellphone in her lap and she learns a man has been asking about her.

While she tries to figure out who would stalk her, Octavia is witness to the arrest of a woman accused of murdering her husband. Octavia slips out in the dark to hunt for clues and is confronted by a strange creature from Davy Jones Locker. The creature is threatened when others start rushing to the area to investigate strange noises. Octavia manages to whisk “Squidface” away to hide him in her motel room. This becomes a sweet character but faces danger when Octavia confronts a Siren who is causing murders along the beach.

Drop Dead Gorgeous
From the blurb for book 4:

“Campsite; Middle of nowhere
Abducted by a pod of sirens claiming to hold secrets to her past, Octavia is forced into the hell that is the sequin and taffeta lifestyle of a traveling pageant circuit. But this tour is leaving a trail of deception in its wake. Stumbling onto a double homicide, Octavia must choose a side in a decades old rivalry.
Will she use her gifts to unveil the killer, if it means sacrificing her chance at freedom?”

This situation reveals alarming facts about Octavia’s birth parents. Octavia has to find a way out of her predicament before Squidface, Bacon, and Octavia herself lose their freedom, if not their lives.

Dead Ringer
Octavia returns to another former employer in Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Octavia is worried about the members of her coven who have gone missing. She fears they have been lured out by her stalker and she is close on his heels. But before she can find the stalker, Octavia meets a handsome boxer, Reid, who has a unique ability – he can’t die. As usual, Octavia steps into the ring (literally this time) to lend a helping hand, punch or kick.

There is fun chemistry and banter between Octavia and Reid to the point that she has to remind herself that she is still hunting the body of her “ex” boyfriend, Elba. Will Octavia allow Reid to tag along when she follows the next clues to find Elba and the stalker?

Dead as a Doornail
Octavia finally returns to Tallahassee, Florida where the love of her (Elba) life died. Time has come to face the stalking menace who is out for revenge. He is vicious and holds the tricks: he has the body of Elba and has kidnapped her coven members. Elba is materializing as a ghost trying to help protect Octavia from the stalker and maybe from Reid as the two “men” face-off.

Octavia will need all the help she can gather to fight this threat from her past. Octavia is willing to offer an apology and forgiveness as she continues to mature her emotions and confidence, standing firm to face the enemy.

Boxed Set:
The whole package is a great ride of snarky fun with lots of action and unusual paranormal characters. There is some language and a small bit of crudity that was unnecessary for me. But as stated in the Tour Blitz, if “you like urban fantasy and snarky heroines…. you'll want to meet necromancer Octavia Hollows and her sidekick Bacon.” Do you like urban fantasy and snarky heroines?

Audio Notes: Brenda Scott Wlazlo does a wonderful job delivery the energy and fun of these stories. I am thankful to have received the audio to enjoy the listening fun!

If you haven’t checked out THE GIVEAWAY yet, you still have today, November 6, 2019.

Source: Audio provided for Tour Blitz on 10/31/19 hosted by Caffeinated PR. This qualifies for 2019Audiobook goal.