Bombshell: An Ava Romantic Mystery

What Doesn't Kill You, Book 9

By: Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Narrated by: Chanté McCormick

Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

A musical career in the making. A murdered childhood friend. One chance to catch the killer.

Ava dreams of building a better life for her daughter through her island pop songs. Her new temp job leads to a once-in-a-lifetime shot at a record deal, but before she can pack her bags for New York, she discovers a dead body outside her office building. Horrified, Ava recognizes the murdered sex worker as her childhood friend.

The single mother finds herself torn between pursuing her life’s passion or justice for her murdered friend. When another friend is killed, she worries the deaths are connected to a shared trauma that she’s been running from her whole life. After dumping her cop boyfriend, she realizes the pain she keeps locked inside could be sabotaging her shot at lasting love. Before Ava can move on to a bright future in music, she must confront the truth behind her dark past to catch the murderer or she'll be next on his kill list.

Bombshell is the first audiobook in Ava’s trilogy within the What Doesn’t Kill You romantic mystery saga. If you like sexy single moms, shocking suspense, and journeys of self-empowerment, then you’ll love Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ award-winning series.

Buy Bombshell to get into the rhythm with a fast-paced pop murder mystery today.

©2017 Pamela Fagan Hutchins (P)2018 Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Enjoyed the Narration

The narration on the book, with the Caribbean accent (when appropriate), gave this book the little extra something special to the book. The book had a great story line, although I do feel as if the main character, Ava, maybe could have been portrayed a little different (not so much as a whole, a mother that rather party than spend time with her baby, mooching off of her parents, having an abortion, sleeping with best friends brother, and possibly even hit on best friends husband (mentioned first part of book).....really puts a black light on her morals and ethic), however, I suppose then if the main character would have changed, then we would not have the story that we do have. I also did not enjoy the author talking negative about our current president-it was distasteful and lacked grace. Political opinions are best left to ones self

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Sassy, Spunky, Strong, Sensual, Steadfast

Ava was found to be sassy, spunky, strong, sensual, and stedfast. She was a woman that once on a mission she was like a dog with a tasty bone. I loved her for a few reasons. She took charge of her life. She was a single parent. She did what was needed. I didn't like the lack of backbone when it came to her suppose-to-be-boyfriend.

The intensity of the mystery had you going forward wanting to know more and how and why Ava was so connected. As the pieces unfold you find that you have more to connect with Ava than in the beginning. I have not read or listen to any of the other books of this series, but that may just change. I very much enjoy murder solving with Ava.

Narrator was on point. I found her voice very much matched the Ava that I was picturing in my head. The genre was a match for her voice also. This was a clean, clear, easy to follow along narration.

*****
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Audiobookworm Promotions on behalf of various authors, narrators, and publishers. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Twists and turns galore!

Bombshell fits this book perfectly! Not only the title of debut album of aspiring songstress, Ava but she is beautiful, smart and full of spunk! Ava is a single mom, taking care of her aging parents and finds herself in the midst of several mysteries. Trouble seems to follow her, and quirky characters too! This fast paced novel has twists and turns you will not see coming. Ava proves to be quite the woman, from caring daughter, loving mother to stage singer we get to travel her path of life. She runs into some tough situations but never stops to find the answers. I love her spunk and drive. Pamela Fagen Hutchins weaves a web of deceit and murder, includes romance and humor for a fun, excellent whodunnit!

Narrated by Chanté McCormick, we are treated to a Caribbean accent beyond compare. I loved when she would slip into the island mode and give us that sound. She also can belt out a song beautifully while in the next breath give Ava the view of a murder with fear and sadness. She brings Ava to life, along with the array of supporting characters like Colin and Samuel. A great performance for an entertaining book!

Hold on to your microphone, this one is quite a ride

Ava is running from her feelings for Colin, because she is in love and figures she will eventually hurt him because of her perceived lack of control when it comes to other men. She is back on her home island working for a temp agency. Finally landing a well paying job is just the beginning of the circumstances that she runs into. Totally worth the read.

The Narrator was the Bomb, the Story not so much.

Unfortunately, this book did not go the way I expected. The narrator asked me to provide an honest review for this title. I was hesitant at first but the things that influenced my decision were the protagonist is a West Indian woman and the genre a romantic mystery.

The story took me days to get through. I put it down several times before finally completing it. I enjoyed a few aspects but unfortunately; the issues overshadowed them.

I enjoyed the mystery arc. It took a while to develop, but when it did, it was exciting, twisty and unpredictable. I could never figure out who the villain’s identity and when it was revealed it was a jaw dropping moment.

My issues lay in:

1. The protagonist: Sadly, I did not like Ava. I had difficulty connecting with her. I found her to be shallow and self-centered. I especially did not like how she treated the man she claimed to love. Even her relationship with her parents seemed forced. I also had issues with her interaction with her daughter. From what I saw, she barely spent time with her, always leaving her with parents while she goes about gratifying her desires.


2. The portrayal of the book: The book is advertised as a romantic mystery. Well, I am still waiting for the romantic element of this story. There was absolutely no romance. I do not consider Ava’s hookups with her ex and Samuel, her co-worker romantic.


3. Pacing: The slow pacing made it difficult to get through the story. Majority of the story focused on Ava’s job, her interaction with Samuel and her struggles with Colin, the guy she recently dumped. It was not until around the sixty percent mark that the story improved where the pacing and the mystery were concerned.

Narration
I thought Chante McCormick did a great job with the narration. For someone who is not from the West Indies, she captured the accent and the island patois well. I loved how she seamlessly switched between the West Indian and American accent. I loved the voices she used for the characters, which helped to make listening to the story bearable.

Conclusion/Recommendation
The story received quite a few rave reviews, but I am in the minority. It did not work for me. It is book 9 in the What Doesn’t Kill You Romantic Mystery series and the first book in the Ava trilogy, but it can be read as a stand-alone. I am not sure if I will continue the trilogy, but I may try the books from the other series.

So happy to finally get Ava's story!!!

I have always loved the character that is Ava! She has always been sassy, sexy and naughty but there has also always been something about her, something deeper. I finally got the chance to discover all that is the bombshell Ava and she did not disappoint! When she goes to interview for her latest temp job she doesn’t anticipate finding a dead girl, a girl she once knew and now she feels committed to bringing her justice. All she has to do is deal with dumping her on again off again fling, keeping the new job she loves, mother her daughter, care for her ailing Mom & Dad and oh yeah, try to break out as the next big singer! Nothing an island girl can’t handle, right?! Wrong! One more girl is dead, another is missing and Ava seems to be at the center of it all and she has no one she can turn to! Bring on the action and cross your fingers that she survives!

I am so happy that they changed the narrator for Ava's book! Chanté McCormick does a fantastic job!

Earns 5/5 Caribbean Conundrums…Clever!

Ava Butler, a thirty-something, single mom, is very excited about her new temp assignment with a virtual currency company, but her first day doesn't go smoothly. A run in with a pothole forces her to get a lift to work which leads to a side trip down an alley and the discovery of a dead body. Although a few years apart the murder victim attended the same Catholic school. The memories of her own time there reopens old wounds about her tragic “Me, Too” experiences she believes the dead girl shared. Then more young women are dead, her employer has issues, law enforcement has issues, a possible record deal is dangled, and another tragedy is more a horrific déjà vu memory…this can't be happening!

As an all-time multi-tasked, I greatly enjoy audiobooks, and “listening” to Pamela Fagan Hutchins’s book was the perfect opportunity to go a bit outside my “cozy” comfort zone. With a lot to unpack in Pamela Fagan Hutchins’s story, the plot is engaging addressing contemporary themes, edgy with sexual innuendo and a few adult situations and language to match. It is less mystery in a “cozy” sense and more a suspense thriller expanding into different directions with rich characters including a jumbie spirit? But it all links with more than a few perilous situations and a “Wow!” ending that made me eager to read the rest of Ava’s trilogy.

Chanté McCormick is quite the narrator. She went beyond a traditional reading enriching Ava’s first-person narrative with a pleasant natural voice, but it's the fun and very entertaining dialogue for the “Calypso” accent of Ava and the other island residents, southern drawl from Ava’s BFF, and variants in common American that Chanté did well. For female narrators mastering the male voices is quite a challenge, but Chanté did more than a satisfactory job. I found the audiobook very entertaining, and well-worth picking it up.

A Good Story. An Even Better Performance.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Ava is a troubled soul. That is the bottom line. She is a series of "want to be": a good mother, a successful singer, a supportive daughter, a worthy girlfriend, an appreciative friend, a model employee. At the end, she just struggles to be herself. She depends too much on others, and gives herself freely as an overcompensation for her internal demons that have made her the tormented woman she has become. It is not easy to live a normal life with a childhood that was anything but normal. She is beautiful, has a great voice, knows how to charm, has supportive parents and a sweet daughter, even a man that loves her for what she is. But that is not enough, it's never enough to be able to drown memories that hurt too much to be faced. Then the bombshell receives her own bombshell... The way the story unfolds brings us to the islands and back to New York City accompanied by the powerful and masterful narration of Chanté McCormick. She is truly the reason this audiobook is so successful and soulful. The mystery is not the main point of the story, just a small part of it. To me it is all about Ava's struggles and expectations. Well written, and even better narrated.

First time audiobook! Loved it!

This was the first audiobook I’ve ever listened to and was referred to it by a friend. The story had many twists and turns and was very engaging. I really enjoyed the narrator!! How she was able to do so many different dialects and characters was really amazing to me. It was a fun book to hear and definitely kept me on the edge of my seat towards the end. I was definitely ready to hear the next one by the time I reached the end!! Truly an interesting story and amazing narration!! Since then I’ve listened to two other audiobooks- I’m hooked!

Entertained and Intrigued!

I've listened to a handful of audiobooks over the years and what I'm used to is the narrator casually reading a book to me. Well, this audiobook is anything but that. Chante McCormick lured me into the web of Ava's complicated, whirlwind of a life! Whew, you have to put your running shoes to keep up with Ava! While Ava is spunky and unreserved, enough to gain interest with a listener, what made me continue to press play for a continued listen was McCormick's style and talented narration. She has a very nice and soothing voice for starters, but she did an outstanding job of literally acting out a significant number of characters. It seems to me that she would have had to develop a voice for each character, keep them all together in her head, and act out each scene, and she did so beautifully. A well-written story and narration leaves to the listener with a visual of what is happening, and there were many times when things go so good that it felt like I was there. I also appreciated McCormick's Carribean accent and number of other accents, I think New York and Texan may have been a few. If that weren't enough, she was put to the task of becoming a few male characters as well, and she met the challenge quite well. This is a narrator that I will follow simply because I can appreciate that on my car ride to and from work, I know what I'm getting: someone who is invested in making sure that the listener is entertained and fully engaged. Winner!