A new series that's grabbed my attention

Where does Dragon Gate rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Towards the top. Jonathan Shade is a great character and the novel is well put together.

What did you like best about this story?

We have a very changed Jonathan. Haunted and serious but growing as a character. Really great story. I like the world which the author has created.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Avoiding spoilers. It starts really well. I like the way we begin the book then a good solid pace and story and a satisfying end to the book that leaves me wanting more.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yep. I did it in two during a very long journey and return trip. The time flew by!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com."

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1 person found this helpful

"...again and again until you are dead."

Would you consider the audio edition of Dragon Gate to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but cannot believe that this audio book could be bettered. The combination of Gary Jonas' text and Joe Hempel's narration fuse seemlessly to deliver an excellent experience.

Any additional comments?

This series continues to delight, in part because Jonathan Shade himself is an engaging character whose outlook on life changes as circumstances alter. Originally easy going and joking in volume one, his burden of guilt as the series continued has brought a.more capable but resigned Jonathan to book three. He still blames himself for not being able to save his first love and is haunted by the slaughter of his companions. His friends have noticed the changes but he can never tell them why.
Which all makes the this book sound very dark and brooding. Quite the opposite. It is filled with humour, danger and bright repartee somewhat along the lines of a John Scalzi dialogue. Plus the hunters persuing Jon's latest clients, although human, are from a different dimension and.bring with them some fabulous beasts. Jon's job this time is, with the help only of best friend Kelly, her partner Brant, and the ghostly Esther, is to keep alive the fatalistic brother and sister, Graham and Rayna Noble by defeating the vindictive Marshall Clan, a father and his many sons and their ferocious pets. Money is no object but the clients are strangely reluctant to accept help even when other family members are killed. Can Shade break the cycle and this time save the lady?

Jonathan is changing and so too is the format of the book. Dragon Gate is written in alternating chapters seen from the perspective of different protagonists which gives us a deeper insight into each one and it a joy to get better acquainted with both Kelly and Brant. This does make the.narrator's task more difficult however. Always the voice of Shade, himself, Joe Hempel now also takes on the characters of all of the other players. His dialogue voices were always superb, clear and distinctive, but in Dragongate he achieves the even more amazing effect of becoming those people too. A perfect performance, well timed and paced, inflection just right so that he almost disappears as the listener is absorbed into the pleasure of the book
Dragon Gate, though third in the series, is a stand alone novel which can be enjoyed at any time although it will be greatly enhanced. with the familiarity with the main protagonists gained in books one and two. Might as well start at the beginning, then, if you haven't already, as readers are sure to want more after finishing this book. As i do.
This review honestly reflects my feelings about Dragon Gate and the whole Shade audio book series. My sincere thanks to Joe Hempel who sent me a complimentary copy.

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A real life DRAGON

Now things start hotting up in this series.

The team is hired to protect a brother and sister who have come through the Dragon Gate, and the best part is, they have their very own DRAGON (seen on the cover of the book so no real spoiler there), they, like many of the characters in this series, have some special 'gifts' of their own and all of this makes for a most intriguing story. Very twisty, very turny... Very fiery in places too.

I am really enjoying the series at this point and it seems to me that Joe Hempel is enjoying the series more also as his narration sounds much more animated and more like the Joe we all know and love.

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A breath of fresh air, okay fire

Oh wow, I loved this book. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and didn't think the author could improve on the series but somehow he has created another master piece. The story continues from where book two left off (and I highly recommend listening to it as well) but this one is slightly different in the fact the the story isn't told just in Jonathan's perspective and each chapter starts with whos point of view it is. This really works well because with so much happening in the story it needs the multi levels of perspectives for you to keep up. I can easily see this being made into a film or for television and with so much action, back stabbing, secrets and even dragons it would surely be a hit. I liked the fact that for this book Jonathan and Kelly seemed to have switched opinions about life, they still make a great team but like Kelly I missed Jonathan's humour, don't worry he still has the power to annoy everyone tho. I can't wait to start the next book.
Mike from the DGI helped Jonathan on his last case and now he is calling in that favour. Stephen Noble has lost his head and the man responsible is after the rest of his family. Jonathan and his team are tasked with saving his son and daughter from a family clan of killers, who might or might not have the use of magic at there finger tips. But when dragons are at your beck and call who needs magic? Can Jonathan and his team keep them safe, despite not knowing everything? because the Noble family is keeping a very big secret. A secret that could very easily get them all killed.
I like the narrator and think he is perfect for this series, whether it's a male or female voice he brings them to life.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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You can't beat an inter-dimensional feud

Families stepping through from one dimension to another, their victims accepting death with honour and a warrior ready to surrender his powers for love; oh, and a dragon too. The core characters are all here and what starts out as a straight bodyguarding job soon turns into something evil. There are twists and turns all the way through, even right up to the end, but all's well that ends well.

This is the third Jonathan Shade novel; I've read the first three now and I'm looking forward to number four which is next on my reading list. The narrator does a good job.

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