REVIEW BY: Christie

TITLE: Absinthe of Malice

SERIES: Sinners Series, Book 5

AUTHOR: Rhys Ford

NARRATOR: Tristan James

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 6h 49m

RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2016

BLURB:

“We’re getting the band back together.”

Those six words send a chill down Miki St. John’s spine, especially when they’re spoken with a nearly religious fervor by his brother-in-all-but-blood, Damien Mitchell. However, those words were nothing compared to what Damien says next.

“And we’re going on tour.”

When Crossroads Gin hits the road, Damien hopes it will draw them closer together. There’s something magical about being on tour, especially when traveling in a van with no roadies, managers, or lovers to act as a buffer. The band is already close, but Damien knows they can be more brothers of sorts, bound not only by familial ties but by their intense love for music.

As they travel from gig to gig, the band is haunted by past mistakes and personal demons, but they forge on. For Miki, Damie, Forest, and Rafe, the stage is where they all truly come alive, and the music they play is as important to them as the air they breathe.

But those demons and troubles won’t leave them alone, and with every mile under their belts, the band faces its greatest challenge overcoming their deepest flaws and not killing one another along the way.

REVIEW:

So, Rhys Ford wrote a thing. Then came Tristan James who narrated the thing. And, said thing turned out to be Absinthe of Malice, book 5 in the Sinners series. Holy wow it was great! I don’t know about you, but I love it when these two pair up. The combination of her magnificent writing, and his fantastic narration make me a very happy camper indeed.

Okay, so as a quick recap: Sinner’s Gin is dead (quite literally. Well, half of the band at least). Crossroads Gin is now a thing. Micki, Damie, Forest, and Rafe have now gone on tour with all new music in order to promote their band. Also, Damie has decided to book the shows and accommodations for said tour, as well as get a van as their means of transportation. This means that the four members get to travel cross country whilst crammed together in a van, with all their equipment and little to no leg room. It also means that their hotel rooms are quite a bit of sub-standard, and the venues are even worse.

As the boys travel across the country and play show after show, one thing is clear: disaster basically follows them wherever they go. One venue hasn’t even been wired to allow for musicians to play, much less a liquor license procured to sell alcoholic beverages. Another show ends up with people in the hospital. And, before one of their shows, the boys’ equipment is stolen. Well, technically the van is stolen with the equipment inside it. But, I think you get my point anyway: the tour is one disaster after another, with stress upon stress, upon stress for the musicians.

Can our foursome make it thru one disastrous situation to another and finish out their entire tour, without breaking up or much worse, dead? Can Rafe handle being on the road? What about his addiction? Can he make it thru the whole tour without using or being approached by someone wanting to “party”? How about Micki, Damie, and Forrest? Things have a tendency to blow up or die when they’re around. Please do get the book, to find out for yourself!

In true Rhys Ford form, Absinthe of Malice is packed full of action, romance, and a bit of comedy. There is even a surprise or two along the way. Each of the four relationships has their time in the spotlight in the book, so no matter who your favorite couple is, we get to spend a bit of one on one time with them as their tale is continued to be woven within the tapestry that is Rhys Ford’s Sinners series.

And, bonus for all of us audiobook addicts, Tristan James kills it in Absinthe of Malice. His voice is dreamy, and accents told die for. And, let’s not forget his spectacular acting ability! The way he played everyone is amazing. Well done, Tristan!!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Audible

Amazon