Audible Book Review: Roman Holiday, The Chronicles of St. Mary's. Book 3.5 by Jodi Taylor

This series and these short novellas are always fun listening.
Roman Holiday
The Chronicles of St. Mary's
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 3.5
Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 04-07-15
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Adventure, Humor, Fantasy, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Another rollicking short story from the Chronicles of St Mary’s author Jodi Taylor.
Question: What sort of idiot installs his mistress in his wife’s house? Especially when that mistress is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, queen of Egypt and the most notorious woman of her time? Answer: Julius Caesar - poised to become king of Rome. Or as good as.
Question: At this potentially sensitive point in your political manoeuvrings, who are the last people you’d want crashing through the door, observing, recording, documenting...? I think we all know the answer to that one.
Roman Holiday - an epic, standalone tale set in Ancient Rome, 44 BC, featuring, in no particular order: an attempted murder; stampeding bullocks; Cleopatra, queen of the Nile; a bowl of poisonous snakes; a smallish riot; Julius Caesar; and Mr Markham’s wayward bosoms.
Jodi Taylor is and always has been a history nut. Her disinclination to get out of bed for anything after 1485 can only be overcome by massive amounts of chocolate and sometimes, if it's raining, not even then. She wanted to write a book about time travel that was a little different and, not having a clue how difficult this would make her book to classify, went ahead and slung in elements of history, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and anything else she could think of. Her advice to booksellers is to buy huge numbers of her books and just put one on every shelf.
©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Review:
Max (Madeleine Maxwell) and four of her historian comrades (Peterson, Van Owen, Guthrie and Markham) visit Caesar and Cleopatra. They were there, as always, to observe, NOT to go in the house or get involved. But, as usual, they stumble into trouble and hope that their actions don’t change history! As noted in the blurb: this quick adventure includes “in no particular order: an attempted murder; stampeding bullocks; Cleopatra, queen of the Nile; a bowl of poisonous snakes; a smallish riot; Julius Caesar; and Mr Markham’s wayward bosoms.”

This series has wonderful humor, interesting technology (time traveling pods) and always include fascinating tidbits of history. The characters always stumble into trouble and have to use their knowledge of history and quick witted insight of human nature to escape capture --- or sometimes they just have to run fast. These novellas can be read out of order but it is best to at least read the first novella, The Very First Da**ed Thing or the first full book, Just One Da**ed Thing After Another, so you get to know the primary characters. I recommend this for readers who like history, adventure, time travel and zany fun.

Audio Notes: Zara Ramm does a great job narrating this series. She captures the voices and personalities and delivers the story with on point pacing and energy. I will continue to listen to more in this series.

Source: November 2015 Audible Free title. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.

Audible Book Review: When a Child Is Born A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story by Jodi Taylor

I like this series for quick, fun listening.
When a Child Is Born
A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 2.5
Length: 32 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 04-07-15
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
The time-travel series that everyone's talking about.... Jodi Taylor's The Chronicles of St. Mary's is back with a short story.
It's Christmas Day 1066, and a team from St Mary's is going to witness the coronation of William the Conqueror. Or so they think.... However, history seems to have different plans for them, and when Max finds herself delivering a child in a peasant's hut, she can't help wondering what history is up to.
Jodi Taylor is and always has been a history nut. Her disinclination to get out of bed for anything after 1485 can only be overcome by massive amounts of chocolate and sometimes, if it's raining, not even then. She wanted to write a book about time travel that was a little different and, not having a clue how difficult this would make her book to classify, went ahead and slung in elements of history, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and anything else she could think of. Her advice to booksellers is to buy huge numbers of her books and just put one on every shelf.
©2013 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Review:
Max and a team were sent back to 1066 to witness the coronation of William the Conqueror and determine why a riot disrupted the ceremonies. The team figures it will be a straightforward assignment but of course things start off on the wrong foot when they arrive in not quite the destined spot. Before they can make their way in the cold and snow to the proper destination they come across an injured man lying bloodied in the snow. They hear a woman crying a short distance away….

What to do? Help the man and check on the woman? Or leave them there while they move on to their mission?

Well, Max rarely stays out of trouble. As she says in the first lines of the story: “I was in trouble again. No surprise there. It’s my default state.”

I truly enjoy the glimpses of history shared in these imaginative and fun stories. Yes, Max tends to steer a bit off course. And delivering a child on Christmas Eve was not the assignment. But then again, history has its own way of asserting itself even if Max doesn’t know it at the time.

I do recommend reading at least the prequel and first book in this series so you know the characters and understand their goals. That will make reading the quick short stories so much more fun. This series is fun reading for history and time travel buffs.

Audio Notes: Zara Ramm does a great job with these characters. She captures the sass and personality fitting Max and her cohorts. I enjoy listening to the series.

This was a TBR Audible from 2015. It finished off 2017 and my Audiobook Challenge and TBR Challenge.

My other reviews so far in this series:
Audible Review: Just One Da*ned Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1 by Jodi Taylor; Rating 4.25
Audible Book Review: The Very First D*ned Thing: An Author-Read Audio Exclusive by Jodi Taylor; Rating 4.5
Goodreads Review: Christmas Present, The Chronicles of St. Mary's #4.5 by Jodi Taylor; Rating 4.0

Audible Book Review: The Very First D**ned Thing: An Author-Read Audio Exclusive by Jodi Taylor

This was a quick fun listen that introduces the sometimes zany series.
The Very First D**ned Thing: An Author-Read Audio Exclusive
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Jodi Taylor

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 0.5
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-19-15
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Fantasy, Time Travel
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Audible is delighted to bring you an exclusive, author-read production of The Very First Damned Thing. Hear it here first, months ahead of the EBook publication.
Jodi Taylor reads the long-awaited prequel in her Chronicles of St Mary’s series, as Dr Bairstow struggles to set up St Mary’s as we know it in a world still scarred by the ravages of civil war.
Ever wondered how it all began? It’s two years since the final victory at the Battersea Barricades. The fighting might be finished, but for Dr Bairstow, just now setting up St Mary's, the struggle is only beginning.
How will he assemble his team? From where will his funding come? How can he overcome the massed ranks of the Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings? How do stolen furniture, a practical demonstration at the Stirrup Charge at Waterloo, students’ alcohol-ridden urine, a widowed urban guerrilla, a young man wearing exciting knitwear and four naked security guards all combine to become the St Mary’s of the future?
©2015 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible Ltd.

Review:
This is the prequel to the Chronicles of St Mary’s series. It is a quick introduction to the primary characters and how the time traveling troupe of St Mary’s began. Dr. Bairstow, the founder and head of the Institute of Historical Research, first has to convince his benefactors to provide the funding… such as it is. Perhaps giving them a demonstration in time travel observation is the best method to win them over? Next Dr. Bairstow has to recruit his staff, from security to cook to crazy scientists.

Once he is awarded the old campus of St Mary’s to house the organization, he has to manage to work around the Society for the Protection of Historical Buildings so that he can remodel the buildings for labs and travel base with all the necessary security and precautions. Since funds are scarce, the staff find an interesting source for furniture to help make the place a home.

I enjoyed the humor especially as Bairstow found just the right team and brought them together one by one. If you have read (or listened) to any of the series, you will get to find out how the Institute came to exist and how the staff came to join St Mary’s. If you have not yet experienced the fun of meeting the characters then this is a quick, enjoyable way to do it. I also enjoyed the bit of history that comes along with the story.

I recommend this as a quick, fun way to get a feel for the series. It is lovely that this is a free audiobook.

Audio Notes: I enjoyed the audio presentation by the author, Jodi Taylor. Her voice suited the tale and it was interesting to get her personal inflection on the characters as they were rounded together. Although I imagine the reading would be good too, I was glad to get to listen to this short beginning.

This was a free audiobook from my own library. It qualifies for my Audiobook Challenge and TBR Triple Dog Dare.

Audible Review: Just One Da**ed Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1 by Jodi Taylor

This is a zany fun story and a good audio listen.
Just One Da**ed Thing After Another: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1
Written by: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 1

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:04-01-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Time Travel

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
"History is just one damned thing after another."
Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. Maintaining the appearance of harmless eccentrics is not always within their power - especially given their propensity for causing loud explosions when things get too quiet.
Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document - to try and find the answers to many of History's unanswered questions...and not to die in the process. But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And, as they soon discover - it's not just History they're fighting.
Follow the catastrophe curve from 11th-century London to World War I, and from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria. For wherever Historians go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake....
©2013 Jodi Taylor (P)2014 Audible Studios

Review:
St. Mary’s is an institute for historical research, pursuing their goal in an unusual fashion. They investigate historical events by observing and documenting through ‘contemporary’ time travel. They must be scrupulously careful not to interfere and not to leave anything behind or try to bring anything back. Really, that doesn’t even sound easy --- and it isn’t for this mad cap group of historians and scientists.

The St. Mary’s team consists of several divisions working closely together (it is hoped) to manage safe expeditions. There are the security team, the IT team, technical, medical, R&D, costuming, and of course administration and house staff. But the lynch pins are the historians who travel in the pods to far away, long gone destinations and face the inherent dangers in places like the Cretaceous Period or the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria.

Madeleine Maxwell, better known as Max, is a young woman who earned her doctorate at St. Mary’s ‘sister’ school, Thirsk. A wonderful teacher, Ms. DeWinter, who changed Max’ school life years before, changes it again when she recruits Max to interview for a historian position at St. Mary’s. The candidates go through rigorous training to prove themselves. They work in teams, but some are more compatible than others. Max would just as soon work alone but instead she is paired with an arrogant fellow no one else wants to work with.

Max is a great heroine in this story. She is hard working as well as naturally bright and determined. Many find her impressive and likable, but others are jealous and contemptuous, especially since trouble and death seem to follow her even in (mostly) successful adventures. Max finds a romance interest for the first time in her life but may lose that due to separation and secrets.

This book contains great characters, wonderful action with danger, and creative interaction in historical settings. There is a bit of language, although it is limited. The overall impact of the story is fun entertainment. I recommend this to readers looking for a fun read/listen and especially those who like history provided with a flair.

Audio Notes: Zara Ramm does a fine job of narrating this. She captures the voices and nuances of personalities of the characters. The pacing is good and the narration added to my enjoyment. I will be getting more of this series in Audible to entertain me.

This is from my Audible Library, purchased in November 2014, so it is from my TBR shelves and adds to my Audio Challenge.