Length: 13 hrs & 46 min
Dixon Penn's family wasn't terribly shocked when he announced he was gay, but they were devastated to learn he's the only one without the gift of Spellcraft. Fortunately, that doesn't stop Spellcraft from reaching out to him.
Dixon's prospects have gone from bad to worse, but a contest at the biggest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to turn his luck around. So what if he's not technically a Spellcrafter--he's been scribing pretty words and phrases all his life. How could anyone possibly write a better verse than him?
Yuri Volnikov, the taciturn Russian security guard at Precious Greetings, is determined to keep the charming contestant out. But Dixon has always been a sucker for big guys with exotic accents, and he won't take no for an answer.
Whether or not Dixon wins the prize he hopes for, when he and Yuri work their magic together, it's clear that luck is on their side.
The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where M/M Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you'd expect.
This collection contains the first five stories in The ABCs of Spellcraft series: Quill Me Now, All that Glitters, Trouble in Taco Town, Something Stinks at the Spa, and Dead Man's Quill.
Overall Series Audiobook February 2020:
The brilliance of Dixon and Yuri, who shouldn't work on the surface but are a perfect fit once you see them together, is brought to life in this audiobook collection of the series. There really is nothing new I can add to my original reviews for this delightfully fun series other than it is quite possibly even more zany and romantic the second time around.
Since there isn't anything new for me to add let me just comment on the narration. Often when it comes to audiobooks, I rarely find the narrator's renditions match the voices I heard in my head when I originally read them(I should mention to those new to my reviews that I very rarely listen to audios that I haven't previously read as I tend to zone out here and there as I find myself concentrating on what I'm doing and by having read the story first then I'm not "lost" when I zone back in) but Nick Hudson's version of Dixon was spot-on. The nuances of Dixon's zany-ness & peppy-ness was pretty darn perfect to how I "heard" him originally, now Yuri was slightly different but I found his take on the character even better than my own. Could someone else have done as good a job? Sure, but now that I've heard his Dixon and Yuri I can't imagine anyone else bringing the guys to life.
One last note, I mentioned in my review for Something Stinks at the Spa how these stories made me nostalgic for the movie serials of the 30s & 40s my parents collect. That still rings true but having listened to them on audio now they also make me nostalgic for the old radio shows of the same era that I collect. I kept expecting to hear Harlow Wilcox, Bill Goodwin, or Harry Von Zell break in with a sponsor's commercial and that is all down to the incredibly amazing meshing of Jordan Castillo Price's storytelling and Nick Hudson's narration.
Quill Me Now #1
Original Review February 2019:
We all know what happens when it comes to wishes, it is all in the wording well in Quill Me Now, magic and spells is all about the wording too. Who knew the extent of the headache it would be when no one ever wants to leave a restaurant because of the slogan? Dixon knows but unfortunately for him, spellcrafting that runs in his family doesn't seem to run in his veins but he can spot a poorly thought out one a mile away. Having been summoned after sending in an entry to a greeting card contest, Dixon meets Yuri when he warns him to stay away but needing the money a winning entry would bring him Dixon is not easily kept away. That's it about the plot you'll get but let me tell you, Quill Me Now is a lovely holiday gem that I would love to see more of but if this is all we get then it is absolutely delightful. Magic, love, humor, good guys, bad guys all brought together by the writing style of Jordan Castillo Price, what more can a person ask for?
All that Glitters #1.5
Original Review June 2019:
This free short story is an absolute delight! Yuri's fears about meeting the 'rents and Dixon's hope of everyone liking each other is rom-com 101 with Jordan Castillo Price's flair that makes All that Glitters anything but cliche. A real treat for this series and an awesome look into the growing connection between Dixon and Yuri.
Trouble in Taco Town #2
Original Review June 2019:
I was hoping that the author would continue Dixon and Yuri's story when I finished Quill Me Now back in February so when Trouble in Taco Town popped up in the "recommended for you" section on Amazon I one-clicked and read it immediately. Well, I was not disappointed or wrong in my hoping. The ABCs of Spellcraft is already a fun and delightful series that I can't wait to read further. Between Dixon's eager and unending "up-ness" and Yuri's quiet "don't-jump-in-ness", they really don't seem like they could be any more opposite if they tried but as the saying goes: opposites attract. They may not appear as they match on paper but the minute you see them together you just know that their opposite-ness not only balances each other but it helps bring out their strengths. Don't get me wrong, how Yuri doesn't throttle Dixon a dozen times a day is beyond me, I think I'm a pretty positive person but HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! Dixon's peppiness would really make me pull my hair out😉😉. So Yuri may not seem like he's a patient person but Dixon is living proof that he is and you can't help but love them for their balance.
You'll notice I haven't mentioned the plot or their quest to find Uncle Fonzo. I don't do spoilers as those of you who follow my reviews will already know but I don't think I've ever read a book(short, novella, or full length) that truly embodies the theory "you have to read to believe". What the boys find in Taco Town really needs to be experienced to appreciate the full magnitude of how important wording is to spellcrafting.
Trouble in Taco Town, the whole ABCs of Spellcraft series, is a delightful gem that may be short in quantity but it's overflowing in quality. This is a series that is best read in order and trust me you want to read this series. Humor doesn't often play a part in the paranormal genres but it is a perfect fit for Dixon and Yuri's journey.
Something Stinks at the Spa #3
Original Review July 2019:
Honestly I didn't think the author could make the adventures, or should I say misadventures, of Dixon and Yuri any more fun and zany than they were in Trouble in Taco Town. Boy was I wrong!
We see Dixon and Yuri continue their quest to find Dixon's Uncle Fonzo and this time they find themselves in a not-so-sweet spa in this entry so aptly titled, Something Stinks at the Spa. I won't go into details because it really is an adventure you need to experience to grasp the full effect of what these boys face. What started out as a find-the-lost-relative quest has become multiple stops on the find-him-and-clean-up-his-mess map. Trust me what the boys find themselves in may be one zany spell after another but it will grab you and not let go till they discover the next clue to Uncle Fonzo's trail.
As for the romance part of this series, well Dixon and Yuri really shouldn't mesh but they do and perhaps their relationship isn't growing by leaps and bounds from one entry to the next, it is deepening. I don't think anyone who has been reading this series doubts the connection between the two and even when their love story takes a backseat to fixing Fonzo's spells, it is still there and getting stronger with each page.
They say comedy is the hardest thing to write and I can certainly see how that can be true well, Jordan Castillo Price has not only written a novella series that is ripe with adventure and romance but is chock full of humor. I for one can't wait to see where Uncle Fonzo's spells lead Dixon and Yuri next.
So much goodness packed into so few pages that make The ABCs of Spellcraft a must read but it is most definitely a series that needs to be read in order. I realize that a short story series that has an ongoing plot isn't for everyone or that some might think the author should put them into one book instead of "spread out in small increments", perhaps some authors should. HOWEVER, for me these kinds of short story connected series bring to the table a bit of nostalgia for the old movie serials of the 30s and 40s that got the population through the Great Depression and World War 2. For that feeling of nostalgia(to be honest they were way before my time but my parents collect them on DVD/Blu-Ray so I've watched & enjoyed the simplicity of the genre) alone I salute Jordan Castillo Price for telling Dixon and Yuri's journey in this manner.
Dead Man's Quill #4
Original Review September 2019:
Here I thought all the entries in The ABCs of Spellcraft were brilliant(okay they all really are topnotch) but Dead Man's Quill is beyond brilliant, its . . . super-super-uber-brilliant😉😉. Everything we've learned so far makes sense, not that it didn't fit each story before but now everything is brought together and we see what got Uncle Fonzo's journey going.
Dixon and Yuri are as vibrant as ever and their relationship just keeps getting stronger. There have been moments in the series that I wasn't sure if I wanted them to find Uncle Fonzo but now that they did, I'm glad because he adds his own variety of wit to the mix. We see just why Dixon has been so focused on bringing his Uncle back to the fold and Yuri's glad to see his man happy but I think there might be a few times where he's not quite so sure finding Fonzo was the best decision😉, however you'll have to read for yourself if he sticks to that chain of thought by the end of Dead Man's Quill.
You all know I'm not going to divulge any spoilers and in a story like Dead Man's Quill every little tidbit has a purpose so no leaks from me, sorry-not-sorry😉. Just know that Dixon and Yuri's tale is not over, this isn't the end of the road for them, just the end of this story arc. So many possibilities, I can't wait to see where the boys' journey takes them next. If you wondering about reading order, yes each entry has its own plot, it's own series of mishaps but they are also part of bigger quest so it really does need to be experienced in the order that its released. Trust me, if you like quirky romantic mysteries bound together with magic and humor than The ABCs of Spellcraft is definitely for you.
RATING:
Quill Me Now #1
“Nothing good ever came of a valentine,” Sabina declared with great vehemence and utter conviction. “You hear me, Dixon? Nothing.”
I love my cousin. I do. But there’s opinionated…and then there’s Sabina. I said, “You haven’t even heard the details.”
“I don’t need to, either. Everyone knows those contests are a bunch of baloney.”
“Who’s everyone?”
She ignored the question. “And this ‘big prize’… what’s it even supposed to be?”
I squinted at the fine print. It was smudged with barbecue sauce, but if I held it up to the light, enough came through for me to get the gist. “A thousand dollars.”
Sabina waded through the furniture we were saving for someday. She squeezed between two heavy oak dressers, veered around a massive roll-top desk, climbed over a pile of boxes, and worked her way into our kitchen. It was really just an old utility sink and a microwave perched on top of a mini fridge, but both of us liked to keep up the illusion that we still lived in an actual house, not just a hastily converted attic. She attempted to clatter some dishes to demonstrate how ridiculous she thought my idea was, but we’d sold the maple kitchenette on Craigslist to keep creditors off our backs. And since the only flat surface to slam her mug against was a vinyl card table, it just gave off an unsatisfying thwack. She filled the mug with water and stuck it in the microwave, then crossed her arms, turned to me and said, “A thousand dollars for a few lines of schmaltzy poetry?”
“The verse doesn’t have to rhyme.” I slid the ad across the table for her to look at.
Sabina ignored it. “There’s no possible way anyone could afford to pay that kind of money to produce a valentine.”
“But Precious Greetings is the biggest card company in the state.”
“Even if every lovestruck dope in the city bought one, they’d barely recoup their outlay. Plus, who spends money on paper cards anymore when everything’s digital?” She slammed down a box of hot chocolate with an even quieter thwack, then glared at the microwave as if it would heat her water faster. “You’re just the type to fall for this kind of scheme, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A soft touch. You’re always giving your spare change to that wino down by the underpass. And he probably lives in a cushier place than we do.”
Well, no argument there.
No one would ever take Sabina for a soft touch. As we were growing up, strangers usually thought she was a boy. The weird, too-short haircuts from my Aunt Rose and hand-me-down clothes from me didn’t help. Nowadays, the ratty denim vest and bleach-tipped fauxhawk tomboy look were entirely deliberate. Plainly female…and no one pegged her for a pushover.
Not like me.
Trustworthy. Sensitive. Nice. This was the opinion strangers formed of me before I even said hello. I guess I just had one of those faces.
“Nothing good ever came of a valentine,” Sabina declared with great vehemence and utter conviction. “You hear me, Dixon? Nothing.”
I love my cousin. I do. But there’s opinionated…and then there’s Sabina. I said, “You haven’t even heard the details.”
“I don’t need to, either. Everyone knows those contests are a bunch of baloney.”
“Who’s everyone?”
She ignored the question. “And this ‘big prize’… what’s it even supposed to be?”
I squinted at the fine print. It was smudged with barbecue sauce, but if I held it up to the light, enough came through for me to get the gist. “A thousand dollars.”
Sabina waded through the furniture we were saving for someday. She squeezed between two heavy oak dressers, veered around a massive roll-top desk, climbed over a pile of boxes, and worked her way into our kitchen. It was really just an old utility sink and a microwave perched on top of a mini fridge, but both of us liked to keep up the illusion that we still lived in an actual house, not just a hastily converted attic. She attempted to clatter some dishes to demonstrate how ridiculous she thought my idea was, but we’d sold the maple kitchenette on Craigslist to keep creditors off our backs. And since the only flat surface to slam her mug against was a vinyl card table, it just gave off an unsatisfying thwack. She filled the mug with water and stuck it in the microwave, then crossed her arms, turned to me and said, “A thousand dollars for a few lines of schmaltzy poetry?”
“The verse doesn’t have to rhyme.” I slid the ad across the table for her to look at.
Sabina ignored it. “There’s no possible way anyone could afford to pay that kind of money to produce a valentine.”
“But Precious Greetings is the biggest card company in the state.”
“Even if every lovestruck dope in the city bought one, they’d barely recoup their outlay. Plus, who spends money on paper cards anymore when everything’s digital?” She slammed down a box of hot chocolate with an even quieter thwack, then glared at the microwave as if it would heat her water faster. “You’re just the type to fall for this kind of scheme, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A soft touch. You’re always giving your spare change to that wino down by the underpass. And he probably lives in a cushier place than we do.”
Well, no argument there.
No one would ever take Sabina for a soft touch. As we were growing up, strangers usually thought she was a boy. The weird, too-short haircuts from my Aunt Rose and hand-me-down clothes from me didn’t help. Nowadays, the ratty denim vest and bleach-tipped fauxhawk tomboy look were entirely deliberate. Plainly female…and no one pegged her for a pushover.
Not like me.
Trustworthy. Sensitive. Nice. This was the opinion strangers formed of me before I even said hello. I guess I just had one of those faces.
Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price is the owner of JCP Books LLC. Her paranormal thrillers are colored by her time in the midwest, from inner city Chicago, to small town Wisconsin, to liberal Madison.
Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations. Also check out her new series, Mnevermind, where memories are made...one client at a time.
With her education in fine arts and practical experience as a graphic designer, Jordan set out to create high quality ebooks with lavish cover art, quality editing and gripping content. The result is JCP Books, offering stories you'll want to read again and again.
Jordan Castillo Price
WEBSITE / NEWSLETTER / KOBO / B&N
EMAILS: jordan@psycop.com
jcp.heat@gmail.com
Nick Hudson(Narrator)
The Complete Collection Volume 1
Series
Last but Not Least #5
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