ILONA ANDREWS

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Audio Sample of IRON AND MAGIC

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Behold! Hugh has a voice.

Close Up of Hugh and Elara

Finally.  Finally, finally, finally. Okay, so the audio file is amazing and it has already been submitted to ACX, meaning that in less than 14 days it should be up for sale.

The actor’s name is Steve West. Here is his website and Twitter.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • I listened to the clip twice. It was hard to focus on the words because I kept focusing on the voice 🙂

    • Same here. I usually have problems understanding the narrator unless I sit with eyes closed and hands clasped, listening intently to every word, which sort of defeats the point of listening while I do something else. Mr. West was a joy to listen to, every word enunciated. I’m a convert!

      • Ditto! It’s rare I buy audio books ( ebooks all the stuff) but this one I’m definitely buying this. His voice is brilliant!

        Also sexy sexy voice!!!

    • Me, too! I say Preceptor wrong, too. I’m sticking with it, though, since it works for me. Love this smoothy deep voice narrator though!

      • I had Preceptor right, but I was saying Hugh’s name with a hard “D”, like Dee Ambray, not Dam Bray.

        I like the guy’s voice, but I just can’t follow aiduo books. I keep drifting or thinking too long about something that was said and miss the next part. It’s easier to go back with a print or ebook.

        But for those of you who like audio books, I will say it’s a nice voice.

  13. Yay! Yay! And yay some more! I loved reading this, but I really can’t wait to hear it. Some about the voice just makes it more real for me.

  14. I love it!! He’s perfect for Hugh. And he does excellent without Elara as well.

    But I’ve just realized I’ve been pronouncing D’Ambray wrong for years!! ???

  15. That’s one of my favorite scenes… Steve West is amazing… and now I want the audio version!

  16. WOW ?
    Fantastic !!!!
    Excellent choice you and Gordon made with this guy!
    Audio is a buy, buy, buy ………..

  18. Wow! He has a gorgeous voice. Resonate, edgy, and a bit melty. Now if my heart would just slow down… : )

    • +1
      +1
      +1
      +1
      +1

      I was thinking the same thing. Please authorlords, please!!!! Make sure he does all of Hugh’s books in the future. Please!!!!!!!

  21. YES! Have thoroughly enjoyed Steve West’s narration skills in the past. Great choice!

  23. Another here with a YEA!! Also, I am another who mispronounced Hugh’s name. I was saying Dahm-brey. It is going to be an adjustment, but the narrator’s voice is great!

  24. I just listened to Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor last week and when I started listening to the clip, I thought, “Is that the same narrator?” And it is! I can’t wait to listen to Iron and Magic on audiobook!

  28. I am admittedly am a old cranky lady but he sounds a bit plummy and I would prefer a harsher voice for someone who is so damaged. I don’t listen to audio books so…… Thanks for the sample, love the story.

  31. I missed a discussion as to where the audio version will be available. Will Audible have it?

  34. I love his narration! He was fantastic in Ember in the Ashes, and honestly I kept thinking about how sexy his voice was while listening to that series. I’m looking forward to listening to this.

  36. OMG I love it! Great choice on the narrator. I’m pretty sure he’s the voice of Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer and at least one other series in my library. I’ve been dying to order this audiobook. The moment it’s up, it’s mine!!!

  38. Steve West sounds like the Hugh I imagined. Smooth and refined. He is the embodiment of Hugh d’Ambrey, in looks as well as voice. Seriously. Go to his website…he’s hot.

  39. Hugh finally has a voice! Holy freaking heck! I don’t usually buy audiobooks since I like to read the printed word (either ebook or “dead tree version”). Thank you for letting us hear that section of the book. I laughed the first time I read it, and keep laughing. Especially when, after the vamp is beheaded, she wants to punch Hugh in the face. 🙂

    Since Roland and Voron found Hugh in France (even though Kate mentioned he was in England), I can understand the accent.

    I also liked how Steve West handled Elara’s voice. Not too high of a pitch.

  41. This exactly how I imagined Hugh’s voice sounding when reading Iron and Magic. Definitely will be getting the audio now.

  42. Well I don’t hear anything when I click on play button. It shows progress but never any sound. Don’t have problem with you tube etc. Any suggestions?? Thanks

  44. Yes!! I’ve been hoarding my audible credit in the hopes this comes out soon. Can’t wait to be read a bedtime story by the narrator. 😉

  45. I think Renee Raudman says “dee-ahm-bray” while this narrator says “dahm-bray”. Nice voice.

  47. Loved this book and barely able to wait for the audio book. Great job choosing the narrator.

  48. Well he definitely got a nice languid sneer/smirk thing going in the “anything for my betrothed”. Oh!!! I just wanna smack him!!!!!
    Or maybe that was just the accumulated effect at that point? Good voice, enjoyed the reading.

  50. It is amazing to me that Mr. West can imbue such differences in gender and personality with his voice.

  51. Can you see the grin on my face?!
    I don’t usually listen to audiobooks but I enjoyed this sample: loved the voice, and then I realized I could also understand him! Without the text at hand! I think I found a very nice way to improve my English!

  58. Hope it will be only Audible in UK as only the first 4 KD books are

  59. Okay so I bought the ebook and the trade paper back and now I definitely need the audio book.Yes I am going to love my long commute to work with Hugh.

  65. Holy Moly! There’s a voice to send shivers down the spine! Looking forward to the audiobook. Great voice for Hugh!

  66. I prefer to read rather than listen to books, however I very much enjoyed listening to this snippet. I am now toying with the idea of listening to Iron and Magic. A great choice of voice actor.

  67. I’m pretty sure he did the narration for An Ember in the Ashes and I loved every hour of it. He’s got a great voice! Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to hear him read Hugh.

  69. Yes! I loved the narrator for KD but I LOVE this guy too! Awesome job guys! I cant wait to buy! XOXO

  70. Yes!!!! I love Steve West!! Recognized him from his narration of the Ember in the Ashes trilogy. Excellent portrayal of Hugh. 🙂 🙂

    • Same!! I don’t usually buy both the ebook and audio, but I am this time! The second the sample started playing, I thought “OMG, Steve West is Hugh. How soon can I buy this?”

  71. Whew! What a great voice! I was a little nervous, just because Renee Raudman has come to be the voice of Ilona Andrews in my mind. But I’m so, so pumped to get the audio version!

  72. Already preordered the audiobook as soon as it went up, a labor of trust as I don’t always enjoy the reader as much as the book. Looking forward to this! and it will be a very welcome addition to my collection, which is reasonably extensive. Thanks for the great choice of narrator and thanks for making it available as an mp3 cd too. Audible doesn’t need to be any more of a monopoly than it already is.

  75. Wow I usually don’t listen to audiobooks but he is quite tempting.
    He is articulate, has the right sound and timing.
    And yummy. He sort of makes your toes curl up.
    Mmmmmm!!

  76. Very good choice. He does not make the female voice sound like a Whitney child or breathless bimbo. I will have to check out his other stuff, see if he has narrated for some of other authors of choice. Thank you

  77. Love the choice of voice actor and will definitely buy the audio version of Iron and Magic.

    One question: Is Hugh’s last name pronounced correctly in Iron and Magic or is it correct in the audio versions of the Kate books? The Kate books are consistent in their pronunciation and that is the way I have said the name in my head.

    • Dambray is the correct UK/European pronunciation. Americans for some reason pronounce it as Dee Ambray. If we want to get French, it would be Dumbri, I believe. I had no idea Renee pronounced it as Dee Ambray sometimes. I don’t typically listen to our audiobooks, but Gordon and I feel that audiobooks are transformative. So if she wants to pronounce it as Dee Ambray, full power to her.

      • That makes sense. I adore her readings, though occasionally I’ll wonder about small details like that.

        REALLY looking forward to Hughs audio now! I even added some of wests other narations – The Thief series – to my audible cart.

      • I thought that the narrators are told the proper pronunciation of names. The change from the KD series bothered me a little but not enough to not buy it. Thanks for the lesson!

      • Thanks for the clarification! I’ve read Iron and Magic two and a half times (I’m in the middle of it in my Kindle late-night reading right now) and will love having it in audio format, too.

        Thanks also for all the HOURS of entertainment you bring to my life!

      • Most of us literate Americans know that an apostrophe is not pronounced.
        For the BDH who are trying to learn English, it must be difficult when even TV newscasters, whom we trust to get it right, have little regard for correct grammar. We know that they never use the verb “to be” in anything but the present tense, which is maddeningly hard to follow. But then, they confuse things like lie and lay constantly. They’ll say, ” lay down over there, or he laid on his back”, for example, which is absolutely cringe worthy. Lay is the past tense for lie (to recline).”He lay on his back”, or “the book lay on the table.
        The verb “to lay” is to put or place, as in “lay the book on the table”, or “chickens lay eggs”.
        How are you supposed to learn it correctly when people making their living talking on TV don’t care enough to use it correctly.
        While we’re mentally correcting their grammar, we loose track of what they’e saying.
        So, it’s lovely to hear the voice of the new narrater. He wouldn’t dare mumble, and is obviously well schooled in the “King”s Jive”.
        Great choice!

  78. This is the narrator for the Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. He’s good.

  80. So happy right now…, total happy dance right now right now…. just have to contain myself for the 14days will totally be stalking audible for my pre-order or order whichever just happy Thank you

  81. That’s a awesome voice, omg. I normally don’t listen to audio books but I just might for this! 😀

  84. Great choice! I liked Steve West’s reading of The Crown’s Game. He handled the many voices in that book well. I look forward to hearing his take of Iron and Magic.

  85. I do hope we can buy this in Australia. We can only get the first 5 Kate Daniels books although I did manage to import the CD’s of Magic Binds – VERY expensive!

  86. Yay! At last, Hugh’s name is pronounced correctly ?. Being a Brit, it was the one thing about Renee’s awesome narration that used to irritate me.

    Fabulous voice ❤️❤️❤️❤️

  87. Omg!!! So good! I need more! I love his voice. I heard it once before but I can’t remember when. It’s so perfect and husky and deep, and now I’m worried that I’ll actually fall for Hugh, instead of just finding him sexy but emotionally unavailable.

  89. Oh my gosh!!!! His voice is just perfect!!!!

    I don’t normally purchase audio versions of e-books but I might just buy this when it’s released. I love how Steve West brought Hugh to life with his deep voice. Can’t wait for this one!

  90. OMG one of my favs and what I thought he would sound like!!!!
    TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!

  94. Love love love Steve’s narrative voice! *squeee*

    Hugh sounds like an asshole. It’s perfect! 🙂

  95. Can’t wait. I have an Audible point saved just for this. I am thinking of joining the crowd doing the happy dance.

    How are your hands doing?

  96. Wow! What a great voice. Although I have to admit I liked his voice so much I missed half of what he was actually saying.

  97. I love him, I love his voice, I love this book and I love you guys. Thank you for making my life better.

  99. He does have a good voice, nice articulation and does good female voice too … the only thing that throws me is the pronunciation of d’Ambray.
    In my head, I pronounce it the french way d-umbrae … Renée Raudman says Dee-Umbray …. and now this guy says Dembray.

    I guess what I’m wondering is, don’t the authors give some kind of pronunciation guide to the narrators? For the sake of consistency at least?

    • Caramelia, the next blog post explains it.
      PS. The correct French pronunciation would not be d-umbrae. It would be close to Dumbri phonetically.

      • Thank you for replying.
        I didn’t mean to make “my” french pronunciation seem like the d was … extra? pronounced as dee or anything. I learned that d’something is like a soft d with a tiny pause after it and I have NO clue how to write that down phonetically 🙂

        • It seems very natural to have the hard D for an English speaker, I think. And Russian, as well. The first time I saw the way D’Artagnan was written in original, it blew my 8 year old mind. 😛

          • It gets incredibly confusing when you’ve studied a few languages (not that I can speak them anymore, just understand some of it) and theoretically know how to pronounce all of them and then you read a text with mixed languages and your brain kinda pingpongs … Me being Austrian and thus having german as first language doesn’t make things easier 🙂

  100. OMG, that was amazing! The voice of the actor is a perfect fit for how I imagined Hugh’s voice in my head! Thank you for the snippet!

  103. Exactly what I thought Hugh’s voice would sound like – excellent choice. I will have to check out some of his award-winning narrations.

  105. I was so excited when I heard you got Steve West- I loved his narration of Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief series. Perfect for Hugh!!!!

  107. Nice! I often don’t care for male narrators, both their general tone and the way they distort the voices of female characters. Steve is a delight to listen to, and I’m looking forward to adding this audiobook to my collection.

  112. Love his voice.
    Amazeballs … squee?

    Love this snippet too ❤?❤

    I’ve already got the book ❤❤❤ and the audios of your 2018 books are my Christmas presents from my children – if I can wait ?

  118. Whew. Is it warm in here? That’s a voice. I don’t usually do audiobooks of books I’ve read but might be worth it to buy this one…just to listen to that voice.

  119. Absolutely perfect choice. Thanks for the heads up!

    All the best for speedy recovery – no knitting & no video gaming – my husband would hate me.

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