Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: True Blue
SERIES: Prosper Woods Chronicles Book 2
AUTHOR: Patricia Logan
NARRATOR: John Solo
PUBLISHER: Westburg Publishing Corp.
LENGTH: 7 hours and 19 minutes
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2021
BLURB:
Strange things are happening in Prosper Woods, California. Ever since moving here a few months ago, my life has turned upside down. Some things have been amazing, like falling head over heels for Vincent Lasco, a gorgeous 700-year-old vampire. Other things have been weirder than I could ever imagine.
I’ve learned a fundamental truth about myself. Needless to say, it came as a massive shock. Of course, most of the town residents have quirks of their own. Let’s just say, nothing is boring about this bizarre place.
Supernaturals flourish here!
Falling for Sheriff Romeo Harmon wasn’t something I expected when I relocated to a quiet town in the sequoias. He makes me happier than I’ve ever been. He’s kind and funny and honest to the core, just the kind of man I used to be, centuries ago.
I have a new lease on my very long life. Things could go on just the way they are, but there’s something I’ve been asked to do before that happens. I need to help Romeo find a sweet little boy and finally lay him to rest.
Who knew ghosts could have broken hearts?
Vincent and Sheriff Romeo are my chance to find peace, at last. I’ve been waiting for someone to notice I’m gone for a long time. Until the vampire showed up, I wasn’t sure anyone could help. All I want to do is move on to the next step…and I really need to rest.
Vincent and Romeo, you’re my only hope.
REVIEW:
** The Prosper Woods Chronicles series contains a continuing storyline and must be read in order. This review contains spoilers for the prior books. **
* * *
With True Blue, Patricia Logan ushers us back into the very unique small California town of Prosper Woods, where it seems anything and everything goes. Like the prior book, True Mate, and the prequel True Knight, True Blue is overflowing with supernatural, WTF craziness contained in a fictional landscape that comes to life through Ms. Logan’s astonishing imagery.
The stakes rise in each successive installment in this absorbing series. In True Blue, the fate of Blue, the forlorn, abandoned, trapped-between-two-worlds ghost, rides on Vincent and Romeo succeeding in their mission to find his body so he can be put to rest. Finding his killer rapidly becomes an equal part of the quest.
The lens widens in True Blue to bring within its view new additions to an already diverse cast of supernatural characters. The story borders on unwieldy with too many different stories, motives, plots, schemes, and action happening at one time. For example, the relationship between the new Alpha Greg and his BFF Sam suffered. It didn’t keep my attention even though I like both characters. The culprit is likely the combination of distraction due to the myriad plotlines, and some character implausibility (Greg can’t really be that stupid … can he??)
Luckily, there’s no detracting from the inferno that burns between Vincent and Romeo. Put these two in the same room and they command all the attention. Their sex scenes are hot AF – like scorching, visceral, carnal lust. Vincent and Romeo serve as the backbone for the Prosper Woods series and Ms. Logan expertly uses them to captivate and titillate her audience.
John Solo returns to narrate True Blue and he continues to impress me with his highly invested vocal performance. As the cast of characters expands, so does Mr. Solo’s challenge to consistently distinguish between all of these characters. He doesn’t entirely succeed here, but to be fair, it’s a tall order. He makes up for it in large part through the demonstrable thought and care he puts into his interpretation of each character.
For example, Vincent is liquid sex. He exudes confidence, otherworldly power, decadent, sultry sexiness … and Mr. Solo nails his portrayal. Greg’s stupidity, as annoying as it is, comes through stunningly on point through Mr. Solo’s narration.
But as more vampires, wizened old men, and growly, nasty shifters join the fray, Mr. Solo’s differentiation between characters through pitch, tone, and delivery mostly disappears. He does, however, set them apart, albeit subtly, through his intonations and pacing, imparting the unique attitude and emotion of each character. His vocal performance veers towards melodramatic at times with too much breath or pop at the end of words or phrases. But it’s forgivable in the context of what he accomplishes with this audio.
Whew … that’s a lot on Mr. Solo’s plate here and on the whole, he rises to the challenge and creates an enjoyable, immersive experience for the listener. You must read this series in order. The storyline continues from book to book and True Blue ends with quite the cliffy. *frowny face* But our True Prince arrives soon and I for one can’t wait.
RATING: 
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