Blog Tour – Stolen Enchantress by Amber Argyle

**Disclaimer: I was given a free audiobook of the below in exchange for an honest review as part of a tour hosted by Audiobookworm Promotions.**

Click here to view the full tour schedule!

Title Stolen Enchantress (Forbidden Forest #1)
Author Amber Argyle
Format Audiobook
Narrator: Lynn Bradford
Length: 14 hours and 5 minutes
Audiobook Publisher: Starling Publishing 2020
Genre: Romantic Fantasy; YA
Release date November 11, 2020

Buy on Audible

Description

A beast. An enchantress. An unbreakable curse….

Deep within the sentient woods, Larkin uncovers a secret that puts her in dreadful danger. Worse, now that the beast has had his taste, he’ll never stop hunting her. But the forest has woken something inside Larkin; something that gives her the power to fight back.

Magic.

Using forbidden magic will get Larkin hanged. Not using it will leave her at the mercy of the beast’s enchantment. But there’s a third option; one that scares her more than anything.

She could fall in love with the beast.

Fans of A Curse so Dark and Lonely and A Court of Thorns and Roses will be spellbound by the fairytale re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper in Stolen Enchantress. Buy now to find out why listeners around the world are getting lost in the Forbidden Forest!

Initial Thoughts

This series has been on my TBR for a while but when I saw Audiobookworm Promotions had a tour for the audiobook, I jumped at the chance to join. The description gave me all kinds of fairytale and whimsical vibes and I couldn’t wait to see that come alive through narration.

Some Things I Liked

• Retelling. I absolutely loved the way the author wove the tale of The Pied Piper and Beauty and the Beast together to form this world and story. I have never read a Pied Piper retelling but I’ve read plenty of Beauty and the Beast. While there were familiar elements, the story felt wholly unique.
• The romance. I loved the romance plot. Denan and Larkin are officially on my list of favorite OTPs and I love their enemies to lovers banter.
• ACOTAR vibes. Seriously, I loved this. So much of this world reminded me of one of my favorite series but in the best way. I loved all of the dynamics between the characters.
• Dark themes. I’ll note this as a positive, but, please be advised, some of these themes are not suitable for all audiences. This story has descriptions of abusive relationships that all readers might not find appropriate. Disclaimer aside, I really enjoyed how the darker themes were included in this story. Many of the hardships that the characters faced propelled them forward and drove the plot. I found myself increasingly engaged and interested in their actions because of these realistic qualities.

Series Value

Full disclosure, I already started the second book. While it is terribly disappointing to have to read, instead of listening to Lynn Bradfords enchanting narration, I must know what’s next in this story.

I would most certainly revisit this series once the audiobooks of the next books become available.

Audiobook Value

I listened to this one a bit slower than I usually listen at 2.3x speed. I’m a 2.5x kind of gal normally. But, I slowed this one down to really capture the names, accents, and voice distinctions. I loved that each character had a unique voice.

Similarly, the mark of a great narrator is my ability to actually understand the names of the places and characters. After cross checking against the print book, I can confirm that I knew every character’s name and was even able to spell them (within 1 letter). I spelled Venna, Vena, but close enough. The narration was crisp even at an accelerated speed and I was able to understand every word.

Lastly, I loved the narrator’s voice. I will definitely be looking up the body of her work so I can download more of the books she has narrated. Her voice was the perfect blend of engaging and soothing and made for an incredible listen.

Final Thoughts

I adored this book. I am officially obsessed with this series. Just a few weeks ago, I was in a huge slump because I finally caught up on Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR series. But, finding this series was an amazing happenstance. For me to praise this as highly as I praise SJM is SERIOUS PRAISE.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

• A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas – if you enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast elements of this story as well as the romance, magic, and world building, try this super popular series.
• A Deal with the Elf King by Elise Kova – again, if you liked the Beauty and the Beast and arranged marriage elements, try this book by Elise Kova. It will be part of a series but each book can be read as a standalone.

About the Author Amber argyle

Amber Argyle is the bestselling author of numerous fantasy and romance novels. Her award-winning books have been translated into several languages and praised by such authors as NYT bestsellers David Farland and Jennifer A. Nielsen.

Amber grew up on a cattle ranch and spent her formative years in the rodeo circuit and on the basketball court. She graduated cum laude from Utah State University with a degree in English and physical education, a husband, and a two-year-old. Since then, she and her husband have added two more children, which they are actively trying to transform from crazy small people into less-crazy larger people. She’s fluent in all forms of sarcasm, loves hiking and traveling, and believes spiders should be relegated to horror novels where they belong.

To receive Amber Argyle’s starter library of four free books, simply tell her where to send it: http://www.amberargyle.com

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About the Narrator Lynn Bradford

Lynn Bradford is a graduate of Michigan State University’s theatre program. She has always loved YA and Beauty and the Beast retellings, like this one, are her absolute favorite books to narrate.  

In addition to her numerous stage credits, Lynn brings her experience from multiple diverse industries to her non-fiction narration with her background in computer programming, legal, medical, psychology, anthropology, and many others.

When not in the booth, Lynn prefers the great outdoors and loves running, traveling, and backpacking.

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