Ascension

Wardens of the Rift, Book One

By: Jay S. Scott

Narrated by: Michael A. Montgomery

As a child, they tell you monsters aren’t real. That you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark. As a teenager, Marek Tomlinson learned it was bullshit—Monsters were real. And they loved the dark.

Now a New York City detective, Marek thought his worst days were behind him—until a string of brutal murders leaves him questioning everything. The evidence defies logic. The bodies are unrecognizable. And the deeper he digs, the more something inside him begins to stir—something ancient, volatile, and not entirely human.

Enter Agent Kaycee Gordon: fearless, brilliant, and assigned by the FBI’s secretive Special Crimes Unit to take over the case. She’s seen things most people couldn’t handle. But Marek isn’t like most people, and when they begin working together, sparks start flying.

As they unravel the truth, Marek and Kaycee uncover an ancient conflict being waged in secret—between violent realms determined to conquer Earth, and Wardens sworn to stop them. With the barrier between worlds failing and supernatural creatures slipping through, Marek must confront the truth about who he is—and what he’s becoming.

He didn’t ask for this. He never wanted to be special. But the conflict is building towards all-out war, and Marek may be the only one who can stop it.

Perfect for fans of Ilona Andrews, Sarah J Maas, and Jim Butcher, the first book in The Wardens of the Rift series delivers epic battles, slow-burn romance, and a gritty, supernatural world on the brink of collapse.

©2025 Jonathan Jones (P)2025 Jonathan Jones

Twists and Turns

Loved this book!! A well written in depth plot with completely unexpected twists and excellent narration. Normally I prefer books with individual character narration but this... THIS was a solid homerun for a single narrator. Each character was portrayed with an individual voice from 1 narrator! Can't wait for book 2!!!

Exciting fantasy with excellent narration

Exciting fantasy plot with excellent narration. Battles and world building blended with romance.

Also some very funny bits, the narrator was spot on and captivating, I laughed out loud a few times.

Fun thrilling listening.

loved it. The perfect combination of Sci-Fi and detective mystery. And the character voices were great

Awesome narration - So many unique voices

Just all around awesome story and narration. Sometimes you get a story that reads well but the narration is bad, but this Michael guy gives these characters a life that I hadn’t expected.

Great world building, with a long list of engaging characters and plot twists!

I’ll admit I had no real idea what I was signing up for when I first got into this book, but it was great! The pace, the characters, the narration, the writing…all of it was so enjoyable and entertaining. I love when authors create this huge worlds, with lots of history and detail, and I love it even more when they pick and choose when to reveal information about said world. Jay S. Scott does an excellent job at both. The characters all feel much deeper than surface level tropes, and it’s clear he has a story to tell, and he tells it well. The narrator of this audio book also deserves some praise, as he effortless weaves between character voices, and storytelling. Well done! Looking forward to the next books in this series (hoping there are more as we were left with quite a cliffhanger!)