Death and Relaxation [Dramatized Adaptation]

Ordinary Magic [Dramatized Adaptation] #1

by Devon Monk, Colleen Delany (Narrator), Henry Kramer (Narrator)

Monsters, gods, and mayhem....

Police Chief Delaney Reed can handle the Valkyries, werewolves, gill-men and other paranormal creatures who call the small beach town of Ordinary, Oregon their home. It’s the vacationing gods who keep her up at night.

With the famous rhubarb festival right around the corner, small-town tensions, tempers, and godly tantrums are at an all-time high. The last thing Delaney needs is her ex-boyfriend reappearing just when she's finally caught the attention of Ryder Bailey, the one man she should never love.

No, scratch that. The actual last thing she needs is a dead body washing ashore, especially since the dead body is a god.

Catching a murderer, wrestling a god power, and re-scheduling the apocalypse? Just another day on the job in Ordinary. Falling in love with her childhood friend while trying to keep the secrets of her town secret? That’s gonna take some work.

Performed by Colleen Delany, Henry Kramer, Amanda Forstrom, Karen Novack, Nick DePinto, Matthew Bassett, Terence Aselford, Richard Rohan, Jason B McIntosh, Holly Vagley, Lolita Horne, Michael Glenn, Chris Genebach, Jessica Lauren Ball, Faith Potts, David Jourdan, Kimberly Gilbert, Michael John Casey, Joy Jones, Scott McCormick, Tony Nam, Eleanor Todd, Jonathon Church, Ken Jackson, Lise Bruneau, Zeke Alton, Chris Stinson, Elizabeth Jernigan, Bradley Smith.

Genres: Audiobook, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy, Magic, Mythology

7 pages, Audiobook

Published October 17, 2020

About the author

Devon Monk is a national best selling writer of urban fantasy. Her series include Ordinary Magic, House Immortal, Allie Beckstrom, Broken Magic and Shame and Terric. She also writes the Age of Steam steampunk series, and the occasional short story which can be found in her collection: A Cup of Normal, and in various anthologies. She has one husband, two sons, and lives in Oregon. When not writing, Devon is either drinking too much coffee or knitting silly things.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy urban fantasy where god’s vacay in a coastal town with supernatural creatures alongside unsuspecting humans. And the Graphic Audio dramatization format made this into lovely listening experience.

In the beach town of Ordinary, Oregon, the Reed family has always been the peacekeepers because they are uniquely immune to any god’s powers. Delaney Reed is the new sheriff after succeeding following the death of her father last year. Her two sisters are also police officers. Ordinary is not a place where crime happens, just the typical mild conflict like with the local festival’s food competition. But a dead god’s body on the beach is an unusual situation. Add in Delaney’s ex unexpectedly returning to town and her developing feelings for her childhood crush, Delaney’s got her hands full.

While the murder mystery is rather basic, it’s the world building and character arcs that held my attention throughout. This book introduced the three Reeds (likeable and assertive), a handful of gods on vacay, the various factions of supernatural beings that live in town, Delaney’s ex Cooper; and her childhood crush that returned to town a year ago, Ryder, who appears to be hiding something. The system in which the gods ‘deposit’ their god powers temporarily while they are in town is a concept that was fresh. And since the gods are entirely mortal while in town brings up the question about what happens to a god’s power if they die while in the mortal state; all of this was intriguing.

This was an entertaining start with strong mystery (what’s going on with characters) vibes. I hope the nine-book series will continue to build a greater story arc about the Reeds and their personal relationships and the special residents of the town. I am thrilled that this entire series is available in Graphic Audio format.

Note: There is a free prequel available on the author’s website: https://www.devonmonk.com/freestory/. While this may hold useful information, I don’t think it hindered my reading book one without it.

[Silver James · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun. While there's the hint of a romance, this is still firmly in the realm of UF rather than ParaRom at the moment. The MC and her love interest have issues. That's okay. It should keep the reader/listener guessing. Delaney Reed is the police chief of Ordinary, Oregon. Thing is, for such an ordinary looking town, there is absolutely nothing ordinary about the place. Ordinary has long been a santuary for gods and supernaturals to live and vacation, among a small group of unaware mortals. It's fun, a little sassy, and a different take on the paranormal world. I really enjoy Graphic Audio's dramatized versions and this book is not different in that regard. Well done both in story, characters, and narration. 4.5 stars. (It would be a 5 but I figured out one of the key elements pretty early on. Truly enjoyed the book despite that.)

[Megan Riverina Romantics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
Narrator Performance: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

Nice enough story but in all honesty other than the basic premise of the town of Ordinary and its “vacationers” I doubt I’ll remember much about the book. It simply didn’t resonate with me.

Full cast narration is where it’s at! I love that each character has their own voice. The guy who played Ryder had this one part where he went from normal to seduction in an instant and it was so good!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Shenanigans surround an otherwise Ordinary (Ordinary, Oregon, that is- home to gods on vacation, vampires, werewolves, and a host of other supernaturals) rhubarb festival, and police chief Delaney Reed must investigate both murder and mayhem, while dealing with an ex-boyfriend and an old love.

I thought that the concept of this book was intriguing, and the book was on Nook sale for 99 cents, so I grabbed it and am definitely not sorry. Ancient gods give up their powers to vacation in a small town as ordinary members of the community. Odin does chainsaw sculpture, Hera runs a bar and grill, and apparently, Thor likes to sing. Fun stuff. There are also vampires and werewolves, but they play a much more minor role in the book. Delaney Reed and family are tasked with the job of keeping everyone in line and keeping the god powers safe while they are not being used. They run the local police department, and Delaney, our protagonist, is the Chief of Police. Luckily, Ordinary is a small town. The name of the town led to many funny puns suitable for T-shirts worn by Thanatos (DEATH) of all people.

There was enough complexity to the plot to keep me intrigued, and it never really felt overburdened, even with all of the stuff going on. I was slightly disappointed by the fact that I figured out where Heimdall's powers were supposed to go almost immediately, and it took Delaney over 100 pages more to figure it out. That was annoying for me. I also have a problem with lack of communication between romantic partners/prospects and that leading to major problems. I hate that. Those problems aside, though, which are really more personal pet peeves of mine, the book was very solid. I liked the characters- the sisters and their relationship were really well done. It was fun.

[Thomas Tymstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆☆ SPOILER ALERT ☆☆

I liked it I will continue

The fact that the sisters love each other and support each other is a big plus.

There are some inconsistencies in the story, but there often are.

>If you get shot in the side and break even one rib, you're going to have trouble breathing raising your arm to deck someone the same day.

>The sisters are still working out who they are and the oldest is in her mid-20s or so.

>You take on a new employee and no one does a background check, even after there are suspensions?

I'm going to listen to the next book soon.



✌🏾

[Nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story wasn't what I was expecting but the audiobook was entertaining.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story: Compelling, entertaining, fast-paced, intriguing. 4 stars

Narration (Dramatized Adaption): Absolutely wonderful. Appropriate, delightful, and entertaining. 5 stars

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was mostly okay but... I can't deal with a stupid MC. I may be a bit biased and I know that in an investigation, you find the truth, well, last, but this still felt like... incompetence? Or, no, not exactly, more of a... she's not really a cop, she is a special kind of paranormal who happens to be take the office after her father dies. And she is... weak? I may be spoiled by all the other urban-fantasy but this is not the kind of badass I expect and yes, I do expect a badass to manage a whole town of various paranormals. I get it! BLIND. She feels so blind. Her sisters and their relationship is one of the more redeeming qualities but not enough to save it.

The romance killed any remaining goodwill I might have had. The love interest was... interesting, but their interactions, the development... I don't want to be so hung up on it but seeing as the rest of the story was so... Meh-kay, I can't actually ignore it. Even listening to the Graphic Audio version didn't make it better.

It's not a bad story or book but it just doesn't really have anything that would keep me going.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting premise and very intriguing twist to the fantasy small-town murder-mystery. The story follows Delaney Reed, Ordinary's police chief, who is the bridge between gods and the mortal world. In Ordinary, gods have the opportunity to put aside or pause their powers and go on vacation, Delaney facilitates the escort to Ordinary. While the gods are in Ordinary for vacation, they are mortal and have a contract that outlines the rules and guarantees. If a god dies while on vacation, the powers are transferred to Delaney for keeping for a week while she finds the next person to become the god.

This was a very interesting book and I am definitely hooked.

[Ilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an entertaining first book in a series (Audible-plus catalogue). The world building does not come down heavy; there are a lot of creatures living in Ordinary unbeknownst to most of the human residents and the police chief has to keep everyone in order including the gods that choose the town for their holiday. The graphic audio required a little time to get used to but I liked the writing and the banter/witty responses of the main and peripheral characters.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good audiobook. The story showcases the inhabitants and town of Ordinary. Was the mystery solved? Not completely.

I don't usually listen to full-cast graphic audios. I find the studio sounds of doors closing, character steps, etc. rather distracting instead of immersive.

I will listen to the next book, but not as a graphic audio.

[Andrea Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this about a woman sheriff that is charge of paranormal Gods coming to her town for vacations. All the narrators did a great job.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

graphic audio is always a great listen while doing chores. It was incredibly obvious who would get the god power, I’m usually bad at guessing mystery things but that was so painfully obvious.