#FraterfestRat Audible Book Review: Dead Acre by Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle

This is a quick listen with a demon hunting "hand of God".

Dead Acre
By: Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle
Narrated by: Roger Clark

Series: Black Badge Series, Book 0.5
Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins
Publisher: Audible Originals
Categories: Fantasy, Supernatural, Western
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

About This Audible Original
The Witcher meets the The Dresden Files in this Weird Western tale by the Audible number-one bestselling duo, performed by Roger Clark (Red Dead Redemption 2’s Arthur Morgan).
James Crowley met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire. Now, he finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away.
His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm.
This time, the White Throne has sent him to the middle of nowhere: a western town called Dead Acre with a saloon, a moldy church, and little else worth talking about. There isn’t even a sheriff. But the local cobbler has gone missing at the same time as a number of graves were desecrated.
Crowley must follow the clues, all while dealing with a cutthroat gang which treats Dead Acre like they own it, an extraordinary woman who makes it hard to focus, and locals not keen on strangers.
Life isn’t simple for a Hand of God.
©2020 Aethon Books (P)2020 Audible Originals LLC

Review:
James Crowley was a rough cowboy outlaw… but he was still a good guy who tried to save a woman and child. That is how he died. But he didn’t go to heaven or hell. Instead, he was given a ‘second chance’ to avoid hell. He is asked to be a Hand of God to fight evil and unholy enemies of a demonic nature. Crowley has a strained relationship with his supervisor angel. This is partially the result of Crowley being sent to a location with only limited knowledge. He just knows he will face trouble, without knowing who the bad guys or demons are.

Crowley has been sent to a town called Dead Acres. The name fits the tone of the town, and few people welcome the man they perceive as a lawman. Crowley soon learns that a husband of a beautiful woman has gone missing. While he wonders if this is his assignment, Crowley quickly makes enemies of the local gang when he interrupts them when they begin to harass the lady. Then his angel tells him that Dead Acres borders demonic territory and there is more danger to expect.

Crowley’s investigation takes him to a dilapidated church and a cowering preacher who is doing nothing to help protect the community. Crowley may find the missing husband, but before he can complete his assignment, he will face creatures he hasn’t faced before.

I liked Crowley’s character and the tough western setting. I also enjoyed the clear writing and first-person view. I look forward to more in this series. I recommend this to fans of western and fantasy.

Audio Notes: Roger Clark does a good job of narration. He captures and portrays the dark nature of the characters and story. I totally enjoyed this audible experience.

Source: December 2020 free Audible Plus Catalog. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals. This is my second listen for #FraterfestRat.

Audible Book Review: Baron Steele by Rhett C. Bruno, Jaime Castle

This is a quick, fun story about a retired superhero.
Baron Steele
By: Rhett C. Bruno , Jaime Castle
Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Series: Raptors, Audible Original Stories
Length: 47 mins
Release date: 10-22-20
Publisher: Audible Originals
Categories: Fantasy, Science Fiction & Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.0; Narration 4.5.

About This Audible Original
Paul Steele, known to the world as Baron Steele, isn’t your average masked crimefighter. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even wear a mask. And he doesn’t even fight crime anymore. That’s for the guys with too much brawn and not enough brain.
No, Steele works in consulting. After having his license revoked by the Guild of Masked Crimefighters, he decided he would scout talent instead. Match up heroes with their villainous counterparts, help the young bucks and buckettes discover their talents and abilities. That sort of thing.
It’s all going fine and well until Steele gets a bad cup of coffee. No. Seriously. Day after day, the same little twerp gets his order wrong. From there, it’s a downhill spiral into chaos, and Steele finds himself fighting for his freedom in a court of law. Did he really kill a barista over a cup of joe?
Don't miss this hilarious spin on the superhero genre from the number one Audible best-selling duo of Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle.
©2020 Aethon Books (P)2020 Aethon Books

Review:
Paul Steele, formerly known as masked crimefighter Baron Steele, retired from active crimefighting after he ran into problems with the superhero guild. Now Steele operates a consulting business, scouting new crimefighter talents. He interviews would-be-heroes to determine if they have appropriate skills and if they do, he helps to train them in preparation of facing a matched villain.

One morning Steele has had it with a local barista who keeps messing up his coffee. His tirade against the young man is witnessed by others and will come back to haunt him, landing him in trouble again with the Guild.

I really didn’t know what to expect, but this is a quick, fun story. Baron Steele is a gruff, realistic character. I appreciate the world-building and irony in the events, all of which are distributed in under an hour! Great for a quick listen and I will look forward to listening to more in the series. I recommend this to those who enjoy superhero, comic book type stories, and short stories.

Audio Notes: R.C. Bray does his usual spot-on narration bringing Steele’s character - the contempt, arrogance, and frustrations - to life. He also provides distinct voices and fitting emotion for each of the other characters. The narration contributed to my enjoyment of the story.

Source: Audible Plus Catalog October 2020. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals.

Book Review: The Circuit: Executor Rising by Rhett C. Bruno

This has lots of high tech, action and some interesting characters, but I found the plot a bit confusing.

The Circuit: Executor Rising
by Rhett C. Bruno

File Size: 4070 KB
Print Length: 276 pages
Publisher: Diversion Books (May 19, 2015)
ASIN: B00XAUYRY2
Genre: Sci Fi, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

"A hard-charging opener to a promising, if bloody, space-opera series." —KIRKUS
Centuries after Earth was rendered an uninhabitable wasteland, humanity was forced from its homeworld and founded the Kepler Circuit, a string of colonies throughout the solar system. These settlements provide resources to the remnants of humankind, the most important resource being the newly discovered element—Gravitum—found only in the Earth’s unstable mantle.
But a powerful religious faction known as the New Earth Tribunal has risen to preside over most of the Circuit. Though there is barely a faction left to challenge them, a string of attacks on the Tribunal’s freighters causes them to suspect their mortal enemies, the Ceresians, of foul play.
Tasked with solving the problem is Sage Volus: Tribunal Executor. Spy.
Sage quickly infiltrates the ranks of a roguish, Ceresian mercenary named Talon Rayne, seeking to discover the truth behind the attacks, but the longer she works amidst Talon and his squad, the more she finds her faith in the Tribunal tested.
While her quest for answers only unearths more questions, a new threat is on the rise, and it plans to bring down the Tribune once and for all.

Review:
Sage Volus is a Tribunal Executor who handles the necessary enforcement against those who violate the rules of the cult-like Circuit Tribunal. She also serves as a spy when so instructed. It is a rough job but she dedicated herself at a time when she had nothing else to live for.

Cassius Vale is a rare commodity. He is an Ex-Tribune and there are those who would prefer to see him dead. Cassius son, Caleb, was married to Sage. Seven years ago, Caleb died while exploring new growth on the husk of old earth. Sage was injured in the explosion too, but Cassius made sure she survived.

Cassius has broken faith with the Tribunal whom he blames for his son’s death. He has put into place a plan to circumvent the control of the Circuit, or at least to create chaos. After all, he is known as ‘creator’ to his Automated Dynamic Intelligence Mech (ADIM).

Sage is directed by the Tribune to investigate the attacks on the Circuit freighters. Some suspect their mortal enemies, the Ceresians, but one or two of the Tribune suspect Cassius. Sage manages to infiltrate the team of a Ceresian mercenary named Talon Rayne. The things Sage discovers begin to test her previously unquestioned devotion to the Tribunal. And facts have only begun to surface.

I really liked ADIM as an AI character, although he is a bit brutal in his approach to his tasks. Sage is a Kick-butt character and I liked that she has feelings even after years of trying to numb her heart. I liked Cassius but honestly, I am not sure if he is good, bad or simply mad.

The story moves at a good pace with lots of action and high tech. It is not one that can be read lightly as it takes concentration to follow what is happening. It didn’t seem totally clear what had happened to destroy earth and why the Circuit had to rely on the Gravitum from earth. Even when finished I felt confused as this seemed like the second book in a series that didn’t pull in all the backstory. There were numerous grammar errors plus the story ends without wrapping up either line of action, for Sage or Cassius. So – I liked the basics but it has some drawbacks. I noted that the reviews on book two are favorable so that is a good sign.

I received this from the publisher through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley Challenge.