The Silent Muse by Lauren Ling Brown @laurenlingbrown @laurenlingbrown.bsky.social @jessnahikian @brilliancepublishing #DeadlyAmbition #TheSilentMuse

the setup…
Hannah Brennan is a young artist trying to breakthrough the art community in New York City. An influential friend of her late mother is willing to give her a shot but the painting she submits for review doesn’t meet the woman’s expectations. A mysterious woman she meets at an estate sale gives her an unfinished painting by her late husband that Hannah finds mesmerizing, using it as inspiration for her project. But it’s the unfinished painting her mentor wants her to finish…and Hannah claims it as her own work. Uh, oh.

the heart of the story…
I tried not to judge Hannah’s decision as her heart was in the right place and she piled enough guilt on herself once she’d crossed that bridge. I also knew there would be a reckoning.

the narration…
This is my first listening experience of Jess Nahikian and she has a wonderful tone, great storytelling skills and mastery of voice distinctions. I enjoyed her performance.

the bottom line…
I liked Hannah and got caught up in her circumstances. The story sort of glides to that reckoning, one I saw coming, though there was a nice little surprise I hadn’t foreseen. While a little predictable, it was still highly entertaining. Ambition can indeed be deadly.

Book Info

• Release Date: April 1
• Series: Deadly Ambition Collection #5
• Narrator: Jess Nahikian
• Audio Length: 1 hour, 33 minutes
• Publisher: Amazon Original Stories

Listen to a Sample!

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy of the entire collection. All opinions are my own.)