Once Upon a Crime by Brynn Kelly – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: Once Upon a Crime by Brynn Kelly
Lana is working as an extra on the set of the highly popular Gods and Mortals TV show where her sister, Vivian, was a production manager. Vivian has gone missing and Lana wants to find out why. Griffin Hart is the god-like actor playing the lead, Achilles. He is a stratospheric star with a reputation of being an ass. But when Lana and Griffin are both stranded on the remote set, Lana realizes Griffin is a good guy who is willing to help her out.
Once Upon a Crime is such a fun story. I needed a romantic suspense story for bingo and this was free in the Audible Plus catalogue. I’d call it a rom com suspense; there is high action and tense moments, but the underlying feel is light and fun.
I love Lana and Griffin together. Although they are put together due to bizarre circumstances, they realize they fit. They know that if it hadn’t been for the circumstances, they never would have gotten to know one another. I love how they quote poetry and make each other feel seen.
The mystery plot is solid. I figured out some pieces but not all of it. I like how the author introduces each piece of the puzzle over the course of the story. There is a bit of “bad guy monologuing” towards the end, but it isn’t cartoonish or over the top.
Narration: The story is shared via the third person, alternating POVs of Lana and Griffin. Ross has strong voice, youthful and fitting for the spunky Lana. Ross utilizes a range of volume for emotion and alters dialogue based on gender and personality. Ross does a fantastic job creating unique voices. Brown’s voice for movie star Griffin is a bit raspy, which suits his introverted and cautious personality. Brown does a good job creating unique voices in most cases. While each narrator does a great job, their voices don’t match, so it was a little jarring with the POV changes, until I got used to it.
In the end, Once Upon a Crime is a highly entertaining romance with thrilling action and a few suspenseful moments.
My Ratings
Story: A-
Narration: B+
Jen
About the Book:
he’s a librarian. He’s a movie star. Someone wants them dead.
Lana Fleming’s sister has vanished from the set of TV’s hottest show, and no one seems to care. Desperate for answers, Lana sneaks in as an extra, only to get stranded with Griffin Hart, an A-list action star with a reputation for good abs and bad decisions.
Though Griffin didn’t expect to be cast as a librarian’s sidekick in a real-life thriller, he’s weirdly into it—and into her. Even more unsettling—she sees right through his playboy persona. But their meet-cute soon turns deadly when they uncover a Hollywood scandal for the ages.
Caught in a high-stakes cliffhanger, it’s up to the leading man and his unlikely love interest to save the day, defeat the bad guys and maybe—just maybe—earn their own happy ending.
Lights. Camera. Run for your life.
Author: Brynn Kelly
Narrators: Chase Brown, Rebekkah Ross
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Audiobook Release Date: March 6, 2025
Publisher: Audible Originals
Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
Source: Audible Plus membership
Audio Speed: 1.3x
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