What do you think?
Leveling Up [Dramatized Adaptation] #6
Magical Midlife Challenge [Dramatized Adaptation]
The signs are unmistakable, Momar isn't just targeting Austin's brother.
When one of Momar's grunts breaks into Austin's territory looking to grab Jessie for questioning, Jessie and her crew realize they are under fire. In order to protect themselves, it becomes obvious they need backup.
Thankfully, the basajaun's people have invited Jessie and her crew into the basajaunak lands. This is their golden opportunity to seek their help.
The problem is, a host of mages and mercenaries are following them. Once they take Jessie this time it won't be just for questioning, and she won't be coming back.
To omit this detail to the basajaunak would result in punishment. And everyone knows "punishment" with basajaunak is synonymous with an unmarked grave. But to tell them would get their visit canceled and force them to face the threat alone. Either way could mean certain death.
Decisions, decisions.
Welcome back to O'Briens, where the only certainty is that nothing is normal.
When one of Momar's grunts breaks into Austin's territory looking to grab Jessie for questioning, Jessie and her crew realize they are under fire. In order to protect themselves, it becomes obvious they need backup.
Thankfully, the basajaun's people have invited Jessie and her crew into the basajaunak lands. This is their golden opportunity to seek their help.
The problem is, a host of mages and mercenaries are following them. Once they take Jessie this time it won't be just for questioning, and she won't be coming back.
To omit this detail to the basajaunak would result in punishment. And everyone knows "punishment" with basajaunak is synonymous with an unmarked grave. But to tell them would get their visit canceled and force them to face the threat alone. Either way could mean certain death.
Decisions, decisions.
Welcome back to O'Briens, where the only certainty is that nothing is normal.
10 pages, Audio CD
Published April 18, 2025
About the author
K.F. Breene
125 books15.4k followersFollow me!
K.F. Breene is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Amazon Most Sold Charts and #1 Kindle Store bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and fantasy novels. With millions of books sold, when she's not penning stories about magic and what goes bump in the night, she's sipping wine and planning shenanigans. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and out of work treadmill.
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Join her mailing list to receive BONUS CONTENT, free stories, and hear about the crazy goings-on of her life. Sign up here ➜ http://bit.ly/KFBContent
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K.F. Breene is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, Amazon Most Sold Charts and #1 Kindle Store bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and fantasy novels. With millions of books sold, when she's not penning stories about magic and what goes bump in the night, she's sipping wine and planning shenanigans. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and out of work treadmill.
Click FOLLOW for notification of new releases.
Join her mailing list to receive BONUS CONTENT, free stories, and hear about the crazy goings-on of her life. Sign up here ➜ http://bit.ly/KFBContent
Check out her chat group on Goodreads!
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 26, 2025
The Leveling Up series has been fun. I like that the Heroine of the story is in her 40s and starting her second life, be it a magical one. She has history and knowledge, along with a little baggage, but if you are in your forties and don't you probably aren't living life.
I liked that we are finally back to focusing a little more on the magic and how Jesse is going to survive against Momar and a big upcoming battle. Jesse is really coming into her own and finally having a good mage teacher should help in getting her to where she needs to be. Even if said teacher definitely has an agenda of his own, that is a bit unclear at this point.
Finally we get to see the basajaun's lands and learn some of their customs. Definitely interesting to see where our basajaun came from and how he is different than most of the basajaun there since he was willing to stike out on his own.
The rest of the plot is pretty much the same. Lots of quirky happenings with Jesse's hodge podge of a crew until the big battle. This was the hardest for them so far, but we know they are going to come out the other side with most of the team still intact. That said Jesse does make some progress on the acceptance of her Gargoyle aspect.
Overall these are fun stories that can be a little predictable, but satisfying overall. I do enjoy the team's shenanigans and how they tease and trick one another. The part with the gnomes vs dolls was also funny to imagine.
Nothing new here, but if you have had a good time with the story so far you shouldn't be disappointed.
I liked that we are finally back to focusing a little more on the magic and how Jesse is going to survive against Momar and a big upcoming battle. Jesse is really coming into her own and finally having a good mage teacher should help in getting her to where she needs to be. Even if said teacher definitely has an agenda of his own, that is a bit unclear at this point.
Finally we get to see the basajaun's lands and learn some of their customs. Definitely interesting to see where our basajaun came from and how he is different than most of the basajaun there since he was willing to stike out on his own.
The rest of the plot is pretty much the same. Lots of quirky happenings with Jesse's hodge podge of a crew until the big battle. This was the hardest for them so far, but we know they are going to come out the other side with most of the team still intact. That said Jesse does make some progress on the acceptance of her Gargoyle aspect.
Overall these are fun stories that can be a little predictable, but satisfying overall. I do enjoy the team's shenanigans and how they tease and trick one another. The part with the gnomes vs dolls was also funny to imagine.
Nothing new here, but if you have had a good time with the story so far you shouldn't be disappointed.
May 20, 2025
The battle scene was EPIC! Go Edgar!
April 28, 2026
This series is a favorite. I adore the graphic audio narrations. It is such a great combination of fantasy, spice and comedy. I laugh out loud throughout. I also love that the main character is a middle age woman … she isn’t perfect, but the chaos is!
May 19, 2026
Magical Midlife Challenge was another absolute winner in a series that somehow just keeps getting better. At this point, I am completely invested in Jessie, Austin, and this wonderfully chaotic magical world, and this book delivered everything I love about the series. Watching Jessie continue to grapple with, question, and ultimately embrace her monster side added so much depth to her character, and I loved seeing that journey unfold. It made her feel even stronger, more layered, and more relatable despite all the supernatural madness around her.
And then there is Jessie and Austin. Their relationship continues to grow in such a satisfying way, and I really appreciate how natural their connection feels through all the chaos, danger, and humor. They have become one of my favorite parts of the series, and every book makes me more attached to them.
But honestly, the GraphicAudio version takes this story to another level entirely. Reading these books is already a great experience, but listening to them with the full cast, sound effects, and performances makes the world feel completely alive. The humor lands harder, the emotional moments hit deeper, and the action feels so immersive. This is one of those rare series where the audio experience genuinely elevates an already fantastic story.
Easy 5 stars. I love this series more with every book.
And then there is Jessie and Austin. Their relationship continues to grow in such a satisfying way, and I really appreciate how natural their connection feels through all the chaos, danger, and humor. They have become one of my favorite parts of the series, and every book makes me more attached to them.
But honestly, the GraphicAudio version takes this story to another level entirely. Reading these books is already a great experience, but listening to them with the full cast, sound effects, and performances makes the world feel completely alive. The humor lands harder, the emotional moments hit deeper, and the action feels so immersive. This is one of those rare series where the audio experience genuinely elevates an already fantastic story.
Easy 5 stars. I love this series more with every book.
June 5, 2026
***vrijdag 5 juni 2026 | audioboek: GraphicAudio***
Narrators: Karen Novack as Jessie, Rayner Gabriel as Sebastian, Danny Gavigan as Austin, Kay Elúvian as Niamh,
⭐⭐3 - neutral / it was okay
This series fills a very specific mood for me. I keep listening to the GraphicAudio adaptations because they enhances the story in a way that keeps holding my attention enough. Without that I would have DNF'ed this series a long time ago.
The story has a new bad and some internal conflict finally get resolved in a way. What was unexpected in this book was the misogyny against women in a very specific way. We have not seen that before. It was a bit unnecessary though. The Big Bad was already Bad enough.
The shenanigans were enjoyable. Which is the main attraction for me.
Narrators: Karen Novack as Jessie, Rayner Gabriel as Sebastian, Danny Gavigan as Austin, Kay Elúvian as Niamh,
⭐⭐3 - neutral / it was okay
This series fills a very specific mood for me. I keep listening to the GraphicAudio adaptations because they enhances the story in a way that keeps holding my attention enough. Without that I would have DNF'ed this series a long time ago.
The story has a new bad and some internal conflict finally get resolved in a way. What was unexpected in this book was the misogyny against women in a very specific way. We have not seen that before. It was a bit unnecessary though. The Big Bad was already Bad enough.
The shenanigans were enjoyable. Which is the main attraction for me.
May 9, 2025
Basic Plot: Jessie and crew head to see about allies among the bassahaoun.
I think this was the first of these books that I only listened to, not actually read first. I found myself zoning out a few times. The quality of the recording wasn't the issue, that is still excellent. The issue is that the plots are getting repetitive across pretty much all of Breene's books, and I've been reading so many that I'm really noticing it right now. There are still unhinged surprises, like murderous garden gnomes and both Edgar and Niamh showing hidden capabilities, but all the buildup to a giant battle at the end feels overly and artificially delayed at this point. I still enjoy the series, don't get me wrong, but it's for the oddball character moments more than the actual plot right now. Good thing there are plenty of oddballs.
I think this was the first of these books that I only listened to, not actually read first. I found myself zoning out a few times. The quality of the recording wasn't the issue, that is still excellent. The issue is that the plots are getting repetitive across pretty much all of Breene's books, and I've been reading so many that I'm really noticing it right now. There are still unhinged surprises, like murderous garden gnomes and both Edgar and Niamh showing hidden capabilities, but all the buildup to a giant battle at the end feels overly and artificially delayed at this point. I still enjoy the series, don't get me wrong, but it's for the oddball character moments more than the actual plot right now. Good thing there are plenty of oddballs.
April 29, 2025
DNF - as always enjoyed the dramatisation quality and acting, but this book feels like a fanfic.
The "and then" of all the things happening during the challenge in the first part was just chaotic. Like btw this person is now part of her gargoyle gang and we're using that to manipulate out her creature. AND on that, they keep painting her and strong and all powerful, but I hate how they keep making her manipulated to let her gargoyle out or to do this thing. Like everyone knows what's best for her and they treat her like a child.
I had to put it down ☹️
The "and then" of all the things happening during the challenge in the first part was just chaotic. Like btw this person is now part of her gargoyle gang and we're using that to manipulate out her creature. AND on that, they keep painting her and strong and all powerful, but I hate how they keep making her manipulated to let her gargoyle out or to do this thing. Like everyone knows what's best for her and they treat her like a child.
I had to put it down ☹️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2025
If Jessie took a second longer to fully embrace her gargoyle, the stars were going to start falling from this review quicker than wishes could be made.
I enjoyed this installment of the leveling up series though not quite as much as some of the others. This book focuses heavily on the basajaun, and it was fun to read about their culture and environment. However, it also felt like this book was a lot of waiting around for something to happen.
The production of this Graphic Audio series is great!
I enjoyed this installment of the leveling up series though not quite as much as some of the others. This book focuses heavily on the basajaun, and it was fun to read about their culture and environment. However, it also felt like this book was a lot of waiting around for something to happen.
The production of this Graphic Audio series is great!
September 9, 2025
I love this dramatized audiobook series.
It's fun and quirky.
Does the main character have longer than necessary diatribes about her self-doubt? Yes, sometimes.
However, you can't help but have fun with a stuffy gargoyle butler, a wily old shifter, a hot alpha polar bear, and an entire family of Bigfoot.
This book focuses on the meeting with the Bigfoot family as Jesse's crew is also getting ready to take on a group of mages.
We even get Jesse's Bigfoot's name.
Great read, and it's nice to have middle-aged characters!
It's fun and quirky.
Does the main character have longer than necessary diatribes about her self-doubt? Yes, sometimes.
However, you can't help but have fun with a stuffy gargoyle butler, a wily old shifter, a hot alpha polar bear, and an entire family of Bigfoot.
This book focuses on the meeting with the Bigfoot family as Jesse's crew is also getting ready to take on a group of mages.
We even get Jesse's Bigfoot's name.
Great read, and it's nice to have middle-aged characters!
November 19, 2025
Ok. So there was way too much 'my alpha' and powering for control language. It seemed like every other scene they were jumping each other or groping. It was just lazy and just was ick. It was just a lot and dialed up to 11 compared to previous stories.
If that wasn't so much in almost every scene this would have been a good plot. It was just too much. The side characters were the redeeming factor here.
If that wasn't so much in almost every scene this would have been a good plot. It was just too much. The side characters were the redeeming factor here.
May 10, 2025
I really enjoyed this series, and it pains me to rate it so low. However, this one just did nothing for me. I kept checking to see how much was left as I wanted it finished. Great voice acting, per usual.
July 18, 2025
This is everything that the whole series has been. Highly entertaining, funny and even a little spicy. The characters are lovable, the plot is plotting and the story is fun. I have been recommending this series to everyone!
May 15, 2025
Absolutely LOVE this series!
May 22, 2025
Fun read... need the library to give me more books in the series
June 30, 2025
I cannot get enough of these.
July 16, 2025
This graphic audio version of the book always makes me smile. Good comedy 👏
July 24, 2025
These books bring me so much joy which is greatly needed in these trying times.
October 14, 2025
Got too smutty DNF’d half way through.
November 19, 2025
This might be my favorite so far. I love graphic audio and it’s so fun to listen to Neve and Edgar!
December 1, 2025
Love this series with its older heroine and complex characters. I laughed out loud a lot.
March 22, 2026
An adequate series made charming by the full cast production.
August 8, 2026
I loved the field trip we got to take in this one!
July 5, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ the story is still great I just don’t enjoy the battling and the politicking as much as the characters relationships which were not so present in this instalment
Read
June 24, 2026Can't get into this for some reason.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews