Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Point Blank by Morgan Brice Narrator: Kale Williams
Series: Badlands #6
Published by Tantor Audio on May 21, 2024
Genres: Historical Mystery
Length: 6 hours, 55 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Sexy psychic Simon Kincaide and skeptical homicide detective Vic D'Amato are getting married—if the ghost of a murderous magician doesn't get them first!
Simon and Vic's wedding is just a few weeks away, and they're hoping for a little peace and quiet to wrap up work before their honeymoon, but nothing ever goes that smoothly.
Strange circumstances around the death of a retired stage magician suggest supernatural involvement, bringing Simon in on the case. The dark secrets of a long-ago resort hotel lead to a trail of unsolved cold cases that have a chilling similarity. Old scandals, malicious magic, and vengeful spirits expose a web of lies, deceit, and death that is headed for a reckoning.
Simon and Vic are about to tie the knot, but more than Simon’s cold mother wishes to haunt their wedding. Morgan Brice’s blending of romance, suspense, and a whole lot of paranormal for this series captured my attention from the first book. I’ve been dreading the moment when the series would wrap up and I really hope a wedding is no cause to close the book on it.
Point Blank is the sixth entry in the Badlands series. The series is the read in order type because of the romance and suspense arcs for the series both seeing significant growth along the way so it goes from enemies to lovers with Simon getting little belief from the local police to this book when it’s all hands on deck when some cursed ghosts are wreaking havoc and the cold cases surrounding the resort motel are similar and stacking up.
Simon, a powerful psychic who owns a psychic business on the Myrtle Beach wharf is a draw to ghosts in trouble and Vic, who had to start over after trouble back home in his old Philadelphia department is now settled at the Myrtle Beach homicide division with a partner who truly has his back. Their wedding is in final prep and the only fly in the ointment is Simon’s pain of a mother who wants in on the wedding celebration and they don’t want her there.
But, this case comes up at the resort hotel and it’s a whopper. Simon needs help and gets it from Vic, the police department, and other local magic sensitives and users, but also from some crossover characters from another of the author’s series featuring Simon’s cousin, Cassie.
The book was divided between psychic murder investigation and the wedding. I enjoyed both, but I will admit that I thought the details of the wedding part lost my interest after a bit. Point Blank feels like the final book, but there is room for many more ghostly cases for Simon and Vic.
The Badlands series are spicy hot romantic suspense with LGBT characters and a strong element of paranormal in the exciting Myrtle Beach setting. I can definitely recommend this series and the author’s entire backlist of other series including an Urban Fantasy under her Gail Z Martin pen name.
Narration:
Kale Williams has been the voice of the series and I really have enjoyed his work adding depth and character to an already strong book because of the quality work to each individual character, the tone and pace of the scenes. Everything became that bit more intense.
Listen to a clip: HERE
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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It sounds like a fun series.
Yes, it has a great blend of cop cases, paranormal, and spicy romance! 🙂
Oh, I do like an enemies-to-lovers arc when it’s a paranormal story. I will have to check this series out!
Yes, that was fun friction in the first few books. Of course, now they’re past that and working well as partners. Hope you get the chance at these, Victoria.
Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes.
They were quite the pair with all their fireworks at first. 🙂
Lovely review. I do have this series marked to read.
I’ll look forward to seeing what you think. 🙂
I’ve wanted to read this series. I have the first one on my Kindle.
How fun! I’m slightly envious that you have the first one to try and a whole series to look forward to. These are exciting and more like Urban Fantasies with a strong mystery and romance side.
Sounds like another strong story in this series! Hope there’s more to come!
It was a solid one. I really can’t tell from the book. It could end here or simply turn a corner and keep going.
Mmmmm. Sounds intriguing but I’m not sure.
She occasionally does short story or novella freebies in her series so maybe you can pick one up to see if her books are for you. 🙂