Overall, I am simply Whelmed.

This was a light and fun listen, presented by an enjoyable narrator, but overall was nothing especially memorable. The mystery felt like an excuse for the author to introduce the courting, but together they werent compelling. Don't get me wrong, the romance was cute. I almost wish this was purely a romance without the unsatisfactory mystery element. I kept waiting for a twist with the mystery, or for some interesting motivation, but the resolution of the "whodunnit" was boring. I liked the important characters, I liked the dynamics between the protagonist, love interest, and allied characters. The descriptions of food were some of the best I've ever read, but beyond that the writing was simply serviceable. The humor was very "2010 Sherlock Fan," in the sense that it was dated and did nothing for me personally. The "creamy mounds" joke was severely over played and wasn't funny the first time. I really enjoyed the magic system, though.

A nugget of a great idea that is swamped by too much irreverent story and some questionable choices.

The author can write. Her descriptions are great, this magical system she's created is fantastic, I was enthralled by the different styles of magic, how some can hear, some see, some taste it were wonderful, and I wanted to know so much more about magic in this world. Why did some people have it, and others not in a family. How did people who didn't have magic cope? There were so many questions about the world.

But why do we need minute after minute of description about every morsel of food they ate? And god help us if its a multi-course meal, then we have to find out every dish, in great detail. The whole book is full of meals, and drinks and outfits. It would have benefited from an editor who could have cut some of those without changing the plot at all.

Some of the wording made me very uncomfortable. The way 'Masters' and 'Consorts' were discussed, the weird cut between the modern world and this creepy talk of winning someone, keeping them, owning them. It's very much down to personal taste, but I would find this deeply problematic if it was a M/F pairing, and it isn't any better just because its men. Every time it was brought up, I was thrown out of the story and found myself cringing. Not to mention some of the... yeah, some of the other terms... if I ever have to read the words 'creamy mounds' again, it will be a thousand years too soon.

I enjoyed the narrator, he did a good job bringing the world to life, and creating characters that were distinct enough that I knew who was talking.

The murder mystery plot was good, although Julian got over loosing his love really quickly. But that was all hand waved away with magic, so its cool, which- I just. I can't.

Yes. This book wasn't for me.

found this to be an interesting read with a likable premise, but it felt overly long for the story it was trying to tell. There was a lot of focus on mundane details things like changing pajamas, endless meals, and repetitive daily routines which took up too much space and slowed down the pacing. I often wished those pages had been used to deepen the supernatural mystery, which felt underdeveloped by comparison.

The relationship between Alex and Julian could have used more tension and buildup as well; it felt a bit too easy and lacked the emotional stakes that would have made it more compelling. Overall, there were strong ideas here and some genuinely enjoyable moments, but the story was bogged down by unnecessary minutiae and missed opportunities for richer conflict and suspense.
I did enjoy the narration.

Fan-flipping-tastic book! I really have no words to describe how fast and irrevocable this grump MMC stole my heart. Friends, if Maxantarius Farlione is your jam, Alex will do LAPS around him!

✨ Plot and worldbuilding
Step into a murder investigation that turns into a season of The Bachelor. The case moves slow but oh do we have some amazing 6 course meals planned while we solve it! The atmosphere of the story is very much cozy and sweet, even against the backdrop of a police investigation.

Alex is called on to solve the case and finds himself participating in the formal courtship of Julian, the late victim’s fiancee. Fine, twist his hand, the complete professional that he is! If going on dates and spending time with the lovely Julian is what gets this job done, he’ll do it. And for no other reason whatsoever.

Much to the Benedict family’s delight, the courtship includes dates with several high society suitors, shopping for presents and a masquerade ball which make the perfect excuses to treat Alex as the family project and bring him back into the fold.

✨ The MMC
He's not the title character, but Alexander Benedict is the main character which the book is following. He's the 30+ year old mage version of Sherlock Holmes. His wardrobe is "bespoke and bespelled" and he's ready to consult the Agency on investigations while doing his best to avoid the attention his family (and several waitresses).

He's full of contradictions and it makes me love him even more. He's a grump but also the office flirt and the one who gets hit on the most on outings. He’s intelligent, competent and so very perceptive (when it comes to magic and investigation clues, not so much social ones).

His weapon of choice is bribery (by pastries) and his duels are fought over spicy meals at hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

✨ The couple
Alex’s love interest is clearly Julian but I kept wondering if they are going to end up together. Spicy is a word that best describes the food in the story rather than the romance but I *ate* this book up nonetheless.

The romance aspect was slow burn and took a second spot after the slice-of-life storytelling. The vivid descriptions of the world, food and time the characters spend together were so worth it and gave me a super cozy, mellow relaxed feel.

✨ Side Characters
Some many good and lovable side characters, they all care about Alex and their friendships are wonderful to see. I loved the guardian side characters (and how they take care of Alex and become his friends by the end). And how fun were Alex’s sisters, Flora and Fauna, whose weapon of choice is gossip!

✨ Tropes and vibes
What a nice break from a main character that snarls, growls, bites words out and hisses. This MMC is a total grump but not a shadow daddy and it's so refreshing to see!

✨ Unique aspects of this book
- the gloomy and broody MMC who is not a shadow daddy!
- Alex perceives magic as sound and makes magic using his tuning fork or flute
- the practical use of magic - no wrinkles on your pants, no cracks on your leather shoes (this increased the cozy feel, I was not in the mood for world-destroying type of magic in this story!)
- was so pleasantly surprised to find out that a murder mystery plot can be wrapped in such a cozy mellow vibe

✨ What I wish would have been different
Ooh, my sore point is that Julian seemed to have a damsel-in-distress vibe going on and not much else. I was also confused to hear the word Tesco and had to rewind a bit to make sure I heard correctly - had to revise how I imagined the victorian-era world of the story, but I didn't mind it too much.

✨ The audiobook
The narration was fantastic again! I heard about a million UK accents done by a SINGLE person and they were all distinctive enough, funny and immersive. I loved Julian's voice the most,

Oh, and after the end of the book? We get to hear not one but TWO short stories in the same universe, starring Alex. Julian and Marguerite. Loved that so so so much!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the absolute pleasure of listening to this book. Opinions are my own.

Audio ARC - DNF @ 30%

Nothing has happened and I don't have it in me to listen to 12 and a half more hours of this.

ARC provided by Netgalley

Title: The Courtship of Julian St. Albans (Consulting Magic, Book 1)

Author: Amy Crook

Narrator: Keval Shah

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Magical consultant Alexander Benedict has been called upon to advise with a homicide at the high-society home of Julian St. Albans. Julian’s fiancé has been murdered just as the official courtship for his hand, land, and titles was about to commence. Alexander, who has been attempting to avoid his own high-society family for some time, finds himself in the running for Julian’s hand, and a potential target for the murderer, in an attempt to uncover the killer.

Kerval Shah was excellent at narrating this book. There were portions I would likely have skimmed, or even skipped, had I been physically reading it. Kerval brought the potentially drier sections to life. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the vocal depth he chose for Julian, but I have heard posh young men sound like that, so it was in keeping with the character.

What I liked: This is a quirky, amusing, magical realism mystery with a romance flavour. I really enjoyed the plot and was kept guessing throughout. The cast of characters were utterly delightful, and Alexander was a great lead. The world created, our own but with magic being real and a normal part of life, was well developed, and I loved the use of the fairy folk.
The two novellas at the end were a fantastic addition to understanding Alexander’s background and world, especially the first one, set while Alexander is still at university and consulting on his first case.

What didn’t work for me: While I really did love so much of this book, there was often too much information regarding the minutiae of each day. I certainly didn’t need a breakdown of everything the characters ate! As I mentioned above, Kerval Shah made a valiant effort to make these portions interesting, but I did end up increasing the audio speed to get through them quicker.

Final thoughts: Overall, a brilliant take on the mystery genre that makes excellent use of magical realism.

Who would enjoy this: Fans of light hearted mystery, urban fantasy or magical realism, which incorporate romance.

I LOVED this book. Alex had me in a chokehold from the first page. The development of not only his friendships but also his relationship with Julian were heartwarming and hilarious.

The magic system is so neat. And the way magical creatures were worked into the story, I love it.

Julian was adorable from the very beginning and let's be honest. We all knew he and Alex were end game from the first meeting.

The murder mystery bit was so fun. I was on the edge of my seat. The magical construct bugs had me throughly creeped out. All in all this was a phenomenal book.

The narrator Keval Shah was AMAZING. He really brought Alex and co. to life.

I received an ALC of the 2025 audiobook from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 56%

I really tried with this, but even at 2x there are just too many hours left to put myself through. I like the writing style, the narration is good, and initially I was really into the story, but it's turning out to be much too long and too romance-focused for me. I think that with a thorough edit, the book could be good, but in its current form I just can't get through it. The main areas I think need strengthening are:

1. Worldbuilding - there's some cool stuff with the magic (I love the sensory element), but this has a weird timelessness and placelessness to it. I initially thought it was a Victorian or Regency setting until they started using cell phones. I couldn't wrap my head around the requirements and expectations of the formal courtship process in the modern world, except as a plot device for the romance.

2. Plotting and pacing - the mystery is absolutely pushed to the back in favour of the romance, and the courtship scenes go on forever. In those scenes and elsewhere, the endless descriptions of food are just too much. We hear about every bite of every course of every multi-course meal, while I am apparently the only one still concerned about the murder??

3. Out-of-place horniness - I got the ick every time Alex and the police characters made sexual jokes with one another, which was in every conversation they had. Sir, this is a workplace.