Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Gideon

SERIES:  Chosen Champions Book 2

AUTHOR:  Macy Blake

NARRATOR: Michael Dean

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  8 hours and 9 minutes

RELEASE DATE:   October 22, 2021

BLURB:

Gideon is a centuries-old vampire warrior with a broken heart….

Which is why he’s vowed never to risk it again. Instead, he’s channeled his passion and his legendary self-control into becoming a skilled protector – one who’s promised to wield his sword alongside a young wolf shifter leader on a mission from the mysterious Oracle to protect the human realm against the broken magic that threatens its very existence. He’s doing just fine without love, thank you very much…at least until his incubus ex reappears in his life.

Taj is an incubus without a home….

And that is every bit as unpleasant as it sounds. Banished to the human realm, Taj is learning the hard way that survival is for the fittest and, um…he’s not as fit as he thought he was. Not when his past keeps coming back to haunt him. Still, it’s only when another incubus is involved in a series of brutal attacks and Taj’s ex, Gideon, rides to the rescue that Taj learns just how dangerous this human realm might be to his life…and to his heart.

But although the fire between Gideon and Taj burns hotter than ever, they’ll need to break through the wall of secrets that divides them if they want a chance to set things right….

A second chance for the human realm.

A second chance at finding a home in the welcoming arms of their new pack.

And a second chance at building a future…together.

REVIEW:

I’m am loving Macy Blake’s Chosen Champions series.  What’s not to love?  It’s set in her immersive Chosen One Universe, so we get to enjoy her detailed world-building and also visit with beloved characters from the previous series books. It has all of the dynamics we love about Ms. Blake’s books:  sweet, sexy, steamy couples; crisp, witty dialogue; detailed, complex, endearing characters; and a glorious found family at the center of a fascinating, paranormal, action-adventure romance.

The first book, Logan, serves as a stellar start to this series, and this book, Gideon, picks up where Logan leaves off.  It focuses on the titular character, Gideon, the vampire shifter and packmate of Logan, the rest of the gang we met in Logan, and his ex-boyfriend Taj.  We saw Taj briefly in Logan, and we know there’s a story of deep hurt between them.  Gideon throws Taj into the middle of some sinister, paranormal craziness, and Gideon finds he can’t stay away.  

There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot (and I’m not telling you about any of them 🤣).  Suffice it to say, we see Bailey in all of his mother-hen, overprotective, bossy, alpha-mate glory, as well as tons of interactions between the packmates that are touching, reassuring, and at times hysterical.  Ms. Blake has done a phenomenal job in creating this found family.  I really can’t get enough of their antics.

As I’ve noted in all of my reviews of the audiobooks in the Chosen One Universe, for the best reading experience, read all of the books in the reading order Ms. Blake recommends.  (You can find it on her website).  However, if you don’t mind minor spoilers for the earlier series, you can just start with this Chosen Champions series starting with Logan.

Michael Dean’s narration of the Gideon audiobook is, not surprisingly, excellent.  I enjoy how he inhabits these characters so completely that when you read the words on the page without the audio, you still hear Mr. Dean’s voice in your head.  It is easy for us to attach the voice he creates with the character we envision as we read. That’s because his interpretation of Gideon, Taj, Logan, Bailey and all the rest is authentic, and he’s got the vocal chops to intuit what these characters think and feel and deliver it with thoughtful precision. In particular, Mr. Dean’s interpretation of Gideon is spot on, with his deep, sultry, smoky voice with a bit of a hiss and bite at the end of his phrases.  

Mr. Dean consistently distinguishes between a large number of characters, and his pacing reflects the narrative in a natural way.  I noticed on a few occasions that he used the wrong voice for a line or two during quick back-and-forth dialogue, but you may not even notice it unless you are listening closely.  In any event, a few slip-ups did nothing to decrease my overwhelming enjoyment of this audiobook.  

I highly recommend you embark on this Chosen Champions series, and Gideon is a worthy addition to it.  Chosen Champions is quickly becoming my favorite series in the Chosen One Universe.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible 

Amazon