What a fun preview to the full novel, Tar City, to be released on July 29, 2026. This short excerpt had me hooked and wanting more. I will be impatiently waiting to jump back into this dark and sexy world.

I could listen to Jason Clarke read the Cheesecake Factory menu for hours and not get bored. It's perfectly raspy and he's fantastic in conveying heightened emotions.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Short. Salacious. Sultry. Swoony. Moody. Mysterious. Elegant. Enjoyable. She walks into his bar and he knows she’s the reason he’s stayed in town…Absolutely swept away in 15 minutes and I. Want. More. Also, Jason Clarke as the narrator?! 1000+% the right choice. 4.5 stars

This is a little snippet of a book called Tar City coming out in July. It's going to be good!

4 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and Leblon Publishing for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this was SO GOOD!! I’m so glad to hear we are getting more of their story because this little novella has me absolutely FERAL!!! 👹

Narrator is fantastic. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book narrated by him before, but I will definitely be seeking more.

I am so excited to see where this story goes and learn more about this world and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

~A short story~

A ballerina walks into a bar..
They're already "acquainted" and I really want to know what magic this bartender has.

Jason Clarke is the perfect narrator for this story. 

I NEED THE WHOLE BOOK PLEASE! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Thank you to #LeblonPublishing and #NetGalley for the ALC of #TheBartendersBallerina by #BlairShadows

5⭐5 🎧

More of a teaser trailer than a short story, Tar City is a rat-infested, intolerable city of rot and wrong people. 

The bartender, Jax, owns a bar in this cesspool city, and he has an obsession. Sisk. There is nothing he wouldn't do for her. She will not leave, so he stays in this city that makes hell seem like a vacation spot only for her. 

This little intro is narrated by the velvet voice of Jason Clarke and gives a peek at what is in store when Tar City releases July 29th 2026.
A dark fantasy paranormal romance filled with sin, forbidden magic, and darkness. I cannot wait to hear the whole story.

Woooow the narrator was gorgeous and The pitch of his voice tickles the senses.
The story in short give me the vibe of this song
"what can I say?no I don't pray but for your body I'll worship
Girl don't be afraid my loves a grenade
Just be a good girl you can take it... "
Damn, I'm curious to learn more about this world.

Amazing snippet!!! Looking forward to the full novel! The narrator had me hooked wishing that there was more!

Prequel does what it supposed to: builds an mystery and has the reader intrigued. The chemistry between the two can be felt really well, so I'm looking forward to the book release..

I received an ALC from Net Galley!

Holy heck! This was a 30 minute listen and I did not want it to end!!!

I don't know if this is going to be a dark or contemporary, but I'm leaning toward dark and I can't wait for the full novel!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥

As far as previews go, I will say this definitely makes you want the full story. It gave just enough to draw you in. The male narrator’s voice alone is tempting.
It was hot and spicy with magic and enticing.

Excited for the full book!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook Arc. This was just a short story taken from the full length book. While it did capture my attention, I wish it was longer. I’m definitely very intrigued. The narrator did a fabulous job and I could have that man’s voice in my ear all day long! I can’t wait to read the whole story.

Update after listening to the audiobook: This Audiobook is PURE GOLD. I will never picture Jason Clarke as anyone OTHER than Jax from here on out. ABSOLUTE PERFECTION 👏🏻

Okay WHAT!!?? Five stars for a SHORT STORY!!?? Abso-friggin-lutely!!! Need more IMMEDIATELY!

A very short story that was so fun to listen! I'm looking forward to the full book. The narrator was excellent with his grave voice and mysterious demeanor.

Jason Clarke is one of the reasons I love immersive reading. He delivers like he always does with this short story. His narration of Jax was perfection and leaves you craving more from him and Sisk. His voice narration for Sisk was great as well. He has a way of drawing you in until the story consumes you and makes the characters come to life.
I love when an author gives us a teaser to set the tone of what's to come. Blair M. Shadows gave us a quick and spicy world building and introduction to our main characters Jax and Sisk in a short 30 minutes or less.
It leaves you wanting more and counting down until the release of Tar City
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op/ Leblon Publishing for this ALC audiobook.

3.75 rounded up to 4

A 23 minute preview of an upcoming paranormal romance novel, narrated by the fantastic Jason Clarke.

This was such a tease oh my godddddd, short and spicy and it’s left me so incredibly intrigued about the full book itself! A bartender and a ballerina, in the setting of a gritty city, with little mysterious hints of magic and darkness sprinkled throughout. I’m very curious to see what the backstory between these characters is like, and find out more about the lore of this city!

Thank you so much to Netfalley for the ALC ❤️

Jason Clarke's voice is alarming in a fantastic way. I almost gasped when I heard it.

This was such an enticing introduction to Tar City. For something so short, just a preview, it felt packed. Fully loaded.

I definitely want to follow along and learn more about Jax and Sisk.

What a spicy intro to Jax and Sisk and the troubles in Tar City. The story was a small taste of Tar City and I want to know more like, today😅. I love the way Jax is down bad for Sisk; he's doing touch her and die / possessive obsession 100% right. And he's magic?! Yeah I'm definitely in for the whole novel.
The narrator sounded conventionally good. He was gritty and gravelly without being comical. His voice was great but not for me reminds me of an ex) , I am however still very excited to read the novel. I also think people who listen to romance audiobooks would appreciate his voice.

loved this little excerpt, can't wait to read the whole thing.
the spice was top notch; the magic aspect is super intriguing and the MMC was sooooo dark and dreamy sounding.

It’s short novella/ very steamy. Very spicy. We read Jax is in his club, fuming and angry, hungry to devour Sisk the pole dancer.
Since it’s a novella, it’s basically a just a scene but now im hooked.
Narration by Jason Clarke is outstanding.
“4 stars she's not like other puppets”

I requested this ALC via NetGalley because I am awaiting to see if I am awarded an ARC of the full book. In reading other reviews, I came into this ALC fully understanding that it was a very brief listen to set the tone for the full book.

- ☝️single POV
- 🤤 single delicious narrator
- 💪🏻 possessive MMC
- 😉 MFC knows she is in control of him
- 🌶️ he got a piercing, just for her (you know where)
- 🖤 unique world with tar
- 🍺 he owns a bar
- ⁉️he has mysterious magic
- 🩰 she’s a ballerina

First, the narrator Jason was fantastic. He really depicted this brooding, angry, possessive, masculine, powerful man. His vocalizations of this man made me fully believe that the narrator was the MMC of this book. The tone of voice, aggressive attitude, and various other vocal mechanics really brought this character to life. I felt the tension in this character because of how much tension the male narrator brought to the MMC. Again, Jason did such a fantastic job.

Now, in regards to the story, this was a 20 minute listen that I got through within 13 minutes due to me speeding up the pace. I will say, if the author’s intention of this brief audiobook was to hook readers in to want to read the full novel, she did a great job. The sexual tension was THICK, the masculinity was dripping, the MMC was losing control, and the female character was such a strong, seductive, and in control woman, she knew what she was doing to the MMC. She knew she held the power.

The MMC was also a very powerful person, but in a very different way from the MFC. He clearly had magic within him that was very strong and powerful, yet his woman was in control of him. We immediately knew from this brief audiobook that he was completely loyal to the MFC and would do anything for her, include sacrifice the world.

Why was I hooked? Again, beyond the tension between the MC’s and the individual characters themselves, I was left with so many questions at the end of the 20 minute listen. For example, why does the tar keep rising every year? Why is the MMC‘s power borrowed? Where did his power come from? Are these two MCs actually together or are they just fun buddies? It appeared that the MMC was fully invested into the MFC, but was she fully into him? He mentioned that he wanted her to be his, but he didn’t state she was actually his, even though they were intimate. He also commented that she could have anyone, yet she kept coming to him, but it still wasn’t clear if it was beyond sex for her. Again, I was wondering, who are these people to each other? What was their history? What was the larger world, because it appeared they were just in one city? Again, I was left with many questions and I definitely will be picking up the full book to get the answers!

Not too sure about this! I am undecided till I hear the rest. It really did start to tickle my interest. I recommend that I listen to the rest when it’s out!

Dark, spicy, and intriguing. Jason Clarke was perfect for this. I loved this and can't wait to read the rest of the story. I need to know what's up with this magic and city

Wow wow wow wow! I’m salivating for more!

This was such an intense short story that left me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I loved intensity of both characters. Sisk - confident, sexy, smooth as silk. Jax - Broody, dark, angry with a secret spot for Sisk.

And the narration! What a performance! Jason Clarke did a great job and his deep gravelly voice sent shivers down my spine. I was captivated!

This audiobook short story was super quick that I did my first immersive read and read along with it. Let’s just say my head was spinning and I can’t wait to find out the whole epic story with the release of Tar City!

This novella was so hot!! Like a spicy prelude to book with fierce protective MMC and the sweet FMC with a kinky side. It left me wanting to hear more.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Bartender's Ballerina
Blair M Shadows

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ok, when I spotted this and it said short story, I was excited.

The front cover suggests it could be a dark romance read maybe and I couldn't wait to dive in.

This was more like a chapter teaser and I was pretty shocked to see that it was only a 20 minute long read - but it's actually a teaser for the new novel, Tar City, which is due out later this year - and oh my, what a chapter to tease with!

This gives us just about enough information for each of the main characters, to really draw us in and I absolutely need to know much more.

I loved that there was some kind of magic at play here and I cannot wait to find out more about this along with discovering how the pair came to meet and become what they are.

The narrators have already managed to hook me - brilliant portrayal so far and I love a duet too.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for this book heading our way in July and I'm excited to get reading as soon as I can.




💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕