FIRST BITE

Veronica Muench narrates this appealing paranormal romance, which, nevertheless, has noticeable production weaknesses. Though Muench's voice sounds as if she suffers from a head cold, she gives a realistic portrayal of Neva's panic as her sadistic sister forcibly changes her into a werewolf. Neva's love interest, Travis, is equally compelling as portrayed by Muench, and the couple's dialogue emerges naturally, with light touches of humor. Listeners will race to hear the outcome of Travis's kidnapping by Neva's sister. Muench succeeds in conveying the dramatic climax, although her tone is sometimes too matter-of-fact to match the characters' emotions, and there are obvious volume changes and sound edits. Better production values would have resulted in a stronger audio experience of this dynamic series opener. C.A. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2013]