Stalked by Shadows

A Simply Crafty Paranormal Mystery, Book 1

By: Lissa Kasey

Narrated by: Tyler Kent

A missing girl, ritual murders, and a shadow stalking every footstep.

Alexis Caine survived an attack in the deserts of Afghanistan. An attack the government denied and discharged him for, leaving him broken and in a mental institution. What Alex saw that day in the desert continues to haunt him.

When a new job working as a bodyguard for a New Orleans ghost tour guide, Micah Richards, opens Alex’s eyes to a world of paranormal possibilities, he’s not sure he can believe his eyes. What if he’s not crazy after all? When a ritual murder in which two fellow tour guides die and a tourist vanishes, Alex wonders if he brought a curse down upon them all.

A shadow from the desert rears its nightmarish head offering Alex something he wants more than anything, but at what cost?

©2020 Lissa Kasey (P)2020 Lissa Kasey

A thrilling paranormal mystery!

This was so good! Filled with magic and mayhem this book is definitely a treat!
I must admit that I enjoyed the audio version way more than the ebook though.
Tyler Kent performs a gripping, engaging and thrilling audio delivery and narration.
I was intrigued by the world building right from the beginning and the Paranormal elements added to it made it all the more interesting.
I'm definitely looking forward to listening to the next one in this series.

DNF

First, the narration is not terrible but it’s kind of robotic and the accents jump all over the place.
Second, nowhere in the blurb does it mention that porn and sex work are a major focus of the story, which is a trigger for some people including me.
Third, it’s just not believable. The anti police bias in a story with a major cop character doesn’t work for me, and the treatment of the mc by the police makes even less sense given his brother is a cop in that precinct.
Finally, I don’t know the race of the writer but it’s written like a white person writing nonwhite characters without a sensitivity reader. It feels kinda ick.

A good paranormal mystery with a side of romance

I loved the paranormal aspects of Lissa’s storytelling, the exploration into the unexplained and the aftermath of what the characters went through. While I enjoyed Tyler Kent’s performance, I didn’t feel as though he was “Alex enough”. Great portrayal of Micah, though.

New Orleans and missing persons...

I like Lissa Kasey's books.
That said, I like her more fantastical stories (hidden gem, dominion, Witchblood) better than her real life (model citizen) series.

This is... In between.
It's real life with some fantastical elements that aren't really explained - and could be shared hallucinations, or actual paranormal activities.
And while you're definitely led to beloved it's paranormal, the book doesn't really commit to it and force the fantastical on you.

The series may in the sequel.
And it may not. It could go either way.

This book felt a little too.... Neat... To me. The main couple doesn't really have a warming up period. They're just instantly on.
Which is a nice change - but also feels a little too easy, and makes their growth throughout the book almost secondary to the development of the tertiary characters (who do change more dramatically).

So... I don't know.
It's a fun book. The mystery is fairly compelling, and you get a good tour of New Orleans.
But I want a bit more.... Some resolution/conclusion that the crazy is real. In either direction. Mental illness or paranormal.

But that's me.

I'll keep going with the series. I haven't had a book by Lissa that I've DISLIKED yet. And the potential for some crazy magic stuff is definitely here.
But at the same time, the series could split from the majority of her work and focus more on mental health and always leave you questioning what's real and what isn't.
Either way, I'm stuck wanting to know more.

kinda slow and flaccid

Only ok for me. Not going to continue on with the series if and when

Great performance, enticing mystery

Sometimes, monsters in nightmares seem able to chase you when awake...
Alex Caine is a survivor. Back from serving in Afghanistan, he knows the bombs and bullets are not the most terrifying thing in the dessert… But most people deem him crazy, and only his twin brother Lucas is willing to offer him a home, a job, and the support he needs to continue. In an attempt to help Alex recover his balance, Lucas introduces him to Micah Richards, another survivor of things unknown. As Lucas had planned, Alex and Micah soon click together, but their budding relationship seems to empower the darkness surrounded both of them, threatening to end in tragedy…
So… I like the premise of the book, and I loved the background (New Orleans) and the mystery is enticing. My problem is that the story seems to drag along, and I did not really liked the main characters that much. Specially Micah, his attitude and apparent detachment make him difficult to like. Also, there is too much pondering about metaphysical issues which kept interrupting the action… Fortunately, the narration is superb and it makes up for the carences and excesses of the story. Tyler Kent’s performance draws you in and keeps you hooked, so you want to keep on listening although not much is going on. I really enjoyed it.

Entertaining Listen

Really enjoyable story. Really entertaining mystery and start to romance. So much was left unanswered with this one. Looking forward to listening to next book and learning more about characters past and paranormal elements. What really happened when they went missing? Hope to learn more in future books in series.

Received copy of audible book from author for a review.

Good but don't like to be continued book

interesting recommendations feom Audible. i asked for paranormal romance wasn't expecting a LGBTQ+ but it did add some spiciness to the tale since I wasn't expecting it.

Disappointed it didn't have an ending only a to be continued and nothing really got answered. Which for me made the story was good enough I didn't give up on it part of the way through, but I thought about it. The new romance of a new relationship and all the self doubts was believable,. Healthy adult relationships are not always in romance novels so that was a nice change.

The reader was adequate neither good nor bad just not fabulous.

enjoyed it - good series start.

📖 Lissa Casey is a new author for me and I went into Stalked by Shadows having only read the publishers summary (and not any of the reviews). The story was very different to what I was expecting and I very much enjoyed it - it was fun and had just the right amount of creepy to keep my interest. The main characters are unique in their back stories and work well together, it has good supporting characters, smart dialog and a reasonable pace.

♦♦ BE WARNED: The story does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger and setup for book 2. ♦♦

🎧🎧 Tyler Kent is a new narrator for me, and I think he's done a good job with the narration of Stalked by Shadows. He has good rhythm, is expressive, and brings life to the characters and their stories. There is enough difference in each characters personality that they are clearly distinguishable, His voice for Micah perfectly suits his personality, but I would have liked Alex's voice to be a little deeper (this is only a minor critique and not enough to detract from the story),

✔ Overall I enjoyed Stalked by Shadows and look forward to the next in the series.

I Love Alex

Great beginning to the series. Fun characters, good story. I like Alex a lot. Looking forward to more.