5 stars for After Midnight: Can Dreams Pierce The Realm of Reality? by @CasiMcLean #audiobookreview
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5 stars for After Midnight: Can Dreams Pierce The Realm of Reality? by @CasiMcLean #audiobookreview



Title: After Midnight: Can Dreams Pierce The Realm of Reality? (Destiny Book 3)

Author: Casi McLean

Narrator: Amanda Stribling

Genre: Fantasy Suspense, Magical Realism


Book Blurb:


Sabrina Wentworth's life ran like a fine-tuned clock, precise, calculated, and completely predictable. With shrewd instincts, gifted intellect, and an inquisitive nature, she landed a prime position in the Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange, where the pulse of the stock market endlessly spins billions of dollars through cyberspace. Her fast-paced profession left little time for superfluous relationships that would probably end in disaster anyway. Aside from occasional carnal trysts, she had written off men completely - until she received a bewildering gift, an antique clock that seemingly swept her into the sensuous arms of a dream lover. Every night, sometime after midnight, she slipped into a fantasy, an illusory world drenched with passion. Aidan aroused her deepest desire. His embrace, his kiss awakened something inside of her that she thought had vanished forever, but she knew he was just a dream.


So when the handsome, seductive Derek Mills snaked his way into her department, he had a little trouble luring Brie into his illicit web. It wasn't until she found her aunt's diary that she realized the power of the unusual clock, and time was running out. Can Brie find the key to Aidan's world before Derek's plot plays through? And in the final hour, will she realize the sands of time run out after midnight?


My Review:


Summary –

When the clock strikes midnight, everything Brie has ever wanted will disappear unless she finds the key to unlock Aiden’s world. Brie lives a very predictable life. Everything is structured accordingly, and she likes it like that. She doesn’t have time for romance due to her fast-paced career. When she receives a strange gift of an antique clock, she doesn’t know what to make of it. Every night after midnight, Brie is swept up in the magic of the clock and into the arms of a handsome man named Aiden. He awakens her deepest desires and she doesn’t want to awaken from the dream. This goes on night after night, almost like Cinderella, and Brie is caught up in the fantasy with Aiden. When Brie discovers her missing aunt’s diary, she reads about the power of the clock. She’s running out of time and needs to find the key to Aiden’s world before disaster strikes. Can she survive to be reunited with Aiden forever or will time run out?


Narrator’s overall voice –

She has clear command over her voice and uses intonation to express emotion, action, different characters, and more.


Does the narrator fit the characters?

Yes, Amanda Stribling fits the characters and creates apparent distinctions between the characters.


Narrator’s reading style –

I quite savored Amanda Stribling’s reading style. Partnering with Casi McLean, Amanda Stribling gives the story new life.


Narrator’s impact on reading experience –

Amanda Stribling has a staggering talent for narration. I closed my eyes on more than one occasion and let her whisk me away. Listening to her narrate is like going to the theater without leaving your home, office, or vehicle.


Narrator’s pacing –

Amanda Stribling’s pacing is brilliant, with just the right amount of tension without going too far.


Audiobook flow –

The flow is smooth. It was a delight to listen to.


What makes this audiobook unique –

I think what makes this exceptional is that Amanda Stribling creates a unique listening experience, all through her voice.


Would I recommend this audiobook –

YES! It’s an intoxicating listen. Perfect for fans of fairy tales.


My Rating: 5 stars


Buy it Now:







Author Biography:


USA Today & Amazon Best Selling Author, Casi McLean, pens novels to stir the soul, crossing genres from ethereal captivating shorts with eerie twist endings to believable time slips, ghostly encounters, mystical plots, heart-pounding thrillers, and sensual romantic suspense––all dusted with a sprinkle of magic.


Known for enchanting stories with magical description, McLean entices readers with fascinating hooks to hold them captive in storylines they can't put down. Her romance entwines strong, believable heroines with delicious, hot heroes to tempt the deepest desires, then fans the flames, sweeping readers into their innermost romantic fantasies.


With suspenseful settings and lovable characters you'll devour, you'll see, hear, and feel the magical eeriness of one fateful night. You'll swear time travel could happen, be mystified by other worldly images, and feel the heat of romantic suspense, but most of all you'll want more.


Newest on the horizon, A Switch In Time, is a time travel stunner where Casi teams up with her mother's never published manuscript in a unique novel that spans sixty-years in the making––creating a story ripped from today's headlines.


Twins unite when a cutting-edged medical mystery merges with high-tech crime solving, creating a pulse-pounding thriller in Virtually Timeless.


Casi's Deep State Mysteries series enters the realm of political thrillers, combined with NCIS Military and a hellastrong ghost you'll root for in Reign Of Fire, and The List––Alyssa's Revenge. Her newest work in progress completes the three-book series and is scheduled for release Spring 2021.


Watch the trailers on this page or on her YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/Casi_YouTube


Casi's signature series, Lake Lanier Mysteries, features a unique spin on romantic suspense time travel. Inspired by freak accidents, strange phenomena, and eerie lore attached to Atlanta's man-made Lake Sidney Lanier, Casi weaves together page-turning suspense and star-crossed lovers in this three-book series. Toss in an almost believable time portal and Lake Lanier Mysteries will draw you in and hold you spellbound.


What if the excavation created more than a lake? What if explosions triggered a seismic shift, creating a portal that connected past to future?


Lake Lanier Mysteries Book #1

A RONE AWARD Finalist, Beneath The Lake

Won 2019 PRG Reader's Choice Awards for Best Time Travel

2016 Best Romantic Suspense

2016 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence


Watch the trailer on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvf0IC4ndBw


Beyond The Mist, book #2 in Casi's romantic time slip treasure chest, is a stunning tribute to the victims and first responders of the 911 World Trade Center terrorist attack. Here is the trailer link: https://youtu.be/Bj6ySTh_7xI


Between The Shadows brings the saga full circle with an amazing time slip to 1865 and a search for the Confederate gold. Don't miss this trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voa2qbtqATY

Find your Destiny in Casi's Destiny Collection––five short stories with twists you'll never see coming. myBook.to/DestinySeries


Uniquely qualified to write self-help and inspiration, Casi tops the scale with her powerful memoir, Wingless Butterfly: Healing The Broken Child Within, sharing an inspirational message of courage, tenacity, and hope, displaying her unique ability to excel in nonfiction and self-help as well as fiction.


Find out for yourself why readers love to Discover The Magic Of Casi McLean's Books.


Social Media Links:



Reviewed by: Mrs. N

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