Reviewed by Larissa

 

TITLE: Devil’s Dance

SERIES:  Rebel Kings MC, Book 1

AUTHOR: Garrett Leigh

NARRATOR: Dan Calley

PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio

LENGTH: 9 hours and 29 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  February 21, 2023

BLURB: 

Opposites attract. The outlaw biker and the accountant. Straightlaced vs straight to hell. Or heaven, depending on how you look at it.

And you can look at it any way you like, doesn’t mean it’s true. Either way, falling for snarky Alexei Ivanov is the lightbulb moment I’ve been waiting for my whole damn life. Or at least since my head got turned by someone else. A man I call brother, but he’s so much more than that.

I’ve loved Saint Malone for years. My loyal wingman has owned my heart so long I figured it had died of yearning for him. But Saint is as fragile as he is deadly. I don’t know how to help him until Alexei brings me to life in ways I can’t describe.

He opens my eyes, and I see them both.

I love them both.

With the weight of the underworld bearing down on me, I just gotta stay alive long enough to tell them.

Contains mature themes.

REVIEW: 

Garrett Leigh’s Devil’s Dance is a book I wish I could read again for the first time. Cam, Alexei, and Saint’s journey starts in this story, and its unfolding is riveting, heart-pounding, and incomparable to other books I’ve read.  Stated simply:  Devil’s Dance blew me away.  It’s an unputdownable, crazy ride with a found family of rough and tough, macho bikers with hearts of gold.  The characters are fascinating, and Cam and Alexei together are an inferno. And can we talk about Saint?  *swoon*  The plot is riveting and the writing is phenomenal. I could expound on all of the nuances of what makes this story a top-notch book, but the less you know about Devil’s Dance before reading it, the better.

As wonderful as the book is on text alone, it’s even better in audiobook with Leigh’s go-to narrator, Dan Calley, at the mic.  He’s invested, technically precise (with one exception), and disappears into the story so all you hear are Cam, Alexei and Saint, not Calley as Cam, Alexei and Saint. The exception is the first chapter which feels more tentative than what follows. It sounds like Calley is doing a trial run, learning his characters and finding the right way to express Cam and Alexei.  He has a tendency to inflect upwardly at the end of his words and phrases, even when it’s not called for.  For example, contrast a statement with a downward inflection “It went well.” with a question with an upward inflection, “It went well?”  The upper inflection of the latter conveys uncertainty – asking rather than telling.  Cam and Alexei are rarely uncertain so it’s a noticeable mismatch which is particularly evident in the first chapter. In this chapter, Teddy’s posh British accent stands in counterpoint to Cam’s Irish accent.  Calley makes the distinction but it’s more subtle than it should be.  After the first chapter, though, Calley sinks into the role and is pitch-perfect and on-point.  I can’t speak to the authenticity of the various accents Calley uses, but Cam’s Irish accent and Alexei’s Russian accent sound natural and believable, and they convey what they need to and leave a lasting impression.  Calley consistently delivers them with clear distinction and he differentiates between the myriad voices of the Rebel Kings, even in crowded active scenes, with aplomb.  Most importantly, he captures the emotions and tension, the desire and conflict as the plot unfolds.

The hallmark of an exceptional audiobook lies not just in the production quality and the superb source material, but in a vocal performance that transcends the story itself.  Its vibrant characters are made real – the sounds in your ears conjure images behind your eyes, like experiencing a play with your eyes closed. An exceptional audiobook creates a different experience.  Calley undoubtedly achieves that here.  His characterization of Cam, Alexei, Saint, and all of the side characters are voices indelibly printed on my mind, so I hear them when I read and see them when I listen. Devil’s Dance was one of my best of 2022 books, yet Calley incredibly elevates it to something more. Something unforgettable.  I give this audiobook my highest recommendation.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

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