Gather Her Round

By: Alex Bledsoe, Claire Bloom - director

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Love and tragedy are not strange bedfellows among the Tufa. Young Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. When her half-eaten remains are discovered, the blame falls upon a herd of wild hogs, a serious threat in this rural community. In response, the county's best trackers, including game warden Jack Cates and ex-military Tufa Bronwyn Chess, are assembled to hunt them down.

Kara's boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend, Adam Procure. Seeking revenge, Duncan entices Adam to participate in their own boar hunt. Later, Bronwyn and Jack stumble across a devastated Duncan, who claims a giant boar impaled Adam and dragged him off. As this second death rocks the town, people begin to wonder who is really responsible.

Determined hunters pursue the ravenous horde through the Appalachians as other Tufa seek their own answers. Between literal beasts in the woods and figurative wolves in sheep's clothing, what truths will arise come spring?

©2017 Alex Bledsoe (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Bronwyn back, more Mandalay at last

If you could sum up Gather Her Round in three words, what would they be?

Strong entry in Tufa series

Any additional comments?

It was good to have a story where Bronwyn played a larger role again, and I was happy to see more Mandalay present.

An interesting fantasy series.

I thinlk, I maybe hooked to this series, but I can't say that like or love the series. In each book, there is mystery, romance, music, and paranormal fantasy.

Great narration

Good story. Great voice. Only a few bigoted comments. This author really hates people from Tennessee. it must suck to have that anger in your heart

I love ALL of the Tuffa stories

This story had it all! Love, death, drama, sex. You name it, it’s got it! Alex Bledsoe keeps you locked in and wanting more about these characters in every book!

Great addition to one of my favourite series

This is a series that I go back and listen to once a year.

Bonus points for sneaking in a Buckaroo Banzai comment.

I'm on a Tufa binge., can't get enough!

looking forward to the next one in the series. Thank you Alex, and Thank you Stefan!

Great story.

I won't say much about the plot, other than I love the twist that Alex Bledsoe gave to this one. It was kind of hard to initially follow, but once I got started, I was immersed and eager for more. The ending was a bit of a letdown compared to the other books in the series. Even with that, I highly recommend this series. I can't wait to tackle the final book.

Hear the Nightwinds...

This is another powerful addition to the Tufa saga...  I love the way Alex weaves his story together, combining music, magic, locale, and fae, with love and tragedy... Mandalay, still trying to fill the shoes that she was born into, has her work cut out for her in trying to resolve the conflict and fear created by the deaths of two of Cloud County's residents...
Will the nightwinds accept the song played on the one, perfect instrument?  You're gonna need to read the book to find out! 
This work is reminiscent of Charles de Lint's stories, but also of Alex's own delightful little series of the Firefly Witch stories...
Some of the new creatures introduced in this story even made me think about Princess Mononoke... There's  an injured/possessed pig, and a Forest King... Amazing Stuff!   Now, I must needs wait for the next book ( Sad-face)...

4 Stars from us. We loved it, but it was VERY sad.

Challenging, dark, mysterious, reflective, VERY sad and tense
Slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0 Stars

There is a LOT of good in this story, but it felt very heavy.

As we were reading it (together), we were discussing possibilities...and Marie told me that the end would be a sad one. We wanted it NOT to be sad, but we KNEW it would be...and it was.

It could've been a whole LOT sadder, and thankfully the author had pitty on us, but still.

The idea of the music and the power it holds, especially by a Tufa, was prevalent in this story. That was one aspect that we wish could've changed the outcome, but nope.

This was just not our favourite story, but it does NOT mean it wasn't good. We are loving this series and the importance that it is instilling in us readers.

We are excited to move on to the next story...now.

Great series!

Really enjoyed the series, each book stands alone or can be listened to as a single book.
Stefan Rudnicki did a excellent job narrating