Audible

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Review: Love in the Time of Zombies

Love in the Time of Zombies Love in the Time of Zombies by Jill James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yep, It’s a story about zombies and love, I know, I know mention the word love or romance and some zombie book aficionados, hold their nose and run off like… well… a zombie hoard was at their doorstep!

If you’re one of those I’m here to tell you that you’re missing out on one great audiobook. This book has everything you expect from a great zombie listen, graphic descriptions of the horrifying carnage wrought by zombies, exposing the flaws of man under stress causing the rise to power of wicked men and a team of kick ass heroes who won’t go gentle into that good night.

A virulent strain of influenza is wreaking havoc on the world population and a grieving, US President orders the vaccine to be sprayed into the water and food supply, a great way to throw gasoline on the fire Pres!

Soon the dead are rising and two people from disparate lifestyles before the zombie apocalypse, Emily Gray an unhappy trophy wife and Seth Ripley a long distance truck driver discovers they have what it takes to survive in this harsh new world.

I enjoyed Jill James’ writing style and there were small sprinkles of humor at just the right times and I always appreciate that especially in this genre.

The audiobook is narrated Maxwell Zener and this is the first audiobook that I’ve listened to from him and he does a wonderful job voicing most of the characters in the story, sometimes though I did lose track of which character was narrating the scene, there wasn’t enough variation in tone for my ears between Emily’s character and Seth’s. That aside, I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to another audiobook with him as a reader.


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Sunday, November 27, 2016

Review: Dangled Carat

Dangled Carat Dangled Carat by Hilary Grossman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this humorous, heartrending and ultimately triumphant memoir of navigating a relationship with someone who has commitment issues. It has to be a painful experience in retrospect to tap into your emotions and feelings, I’m not that brave, nor would I have the patience of Job that Hilary had.

The story centers around Hilary a 27-year-old woman who meets Marc the man of her dreams and a confirmed bachelor, but what happens when the confirmed bachelor begrudgingly falls in love too?

Sometimes I felt as though Marc’s character was needlessly cruel, but I couldn’t see him as mean-spirited but probably just completely oblivious in some ways to other people’s feelings, although on the other hand, you could tell he was a caring person to those he deemed worthy of sharing his inner circle. The big question in the story was whether Hilary was part of that inner circle or just flitting on the periphery.

Would I suggest this as a playbook for young women who find themselves in a similar situation? Not likely, but for every Warren Beatty, there’s an Annette Bening out there somewhere!

Lisa Beacom did an excellent job narrating Dangled Carat and she also narrated Hilary Grossman’s first audiobook Plan Bea, which I recommend also. The audio quality, for the most part, was top notch there were a couple of areas where the audio was a little breathy, but it was corrected quickly.


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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Review: Into the Storm

Into the Storm Into the Storm by Melanie Moreland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this romantic thriller! The story begins with a badly beaten Elizabeth on the run from her abusive husband, her bad luck is compounded when she heads straight into the worst snow storm of the season. Lost and in pain, she loses control of her car in the storm and ends up crashing headlong into a tree.

Author, Joshua Bennett lives in a self-imposed exile, refusing to leave his remote property since a vicious attack almost ended his life, when he hears the crash his dog Bear races off towards the car, Joshua reluctantly follows and begrudgingly rescues Elizabeth.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, which is almost 12 hours in length and the time flew by, this story never, ever lagged and was filled with suspense, heartbreak, and is a tender love story.

Into The Storm is a dual narration production by John Lane and Tatiana Sokolov, it's mostly narrated from Joshua's point of view and John Lane did a wonderful job fully voicing all the characters in this audiobook and of course, Tatiana Sokolov always does and awesome job, she's one of my favorite narrators and does an amazing job voicing male characters.

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Monday, November 21, 2016

Review: Shopping for a CEO's Fiancée

Shopping for a CEO's Fiancée Shopping for a CEO's Fiancée by Julia Kent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fun and spirited audiobook, since this was my first listen to in the Shopping Series I felt a little like I dropped in late to the party. But that's ok because unlike a party I get to go back and listen to all the previous stories.

If you want to listen to an audiobook that will make you smile and guffaw out loud give Julia Kent's series a try, it's a hoot!

Sebastian York narrates this 7 1/2 hour audiobook and his voice style suits this lighthearted tale and you know when you see his name, the audio production quality will be excellent.

This audiobook was given to me to me at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review, thanks, Audiobook Boom!

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Friday, November 18, 2016

Review: Ruined Wings

Ruined Wings Ruined Wings by Ashley Fontainne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

17-Year old track star Callie Novak has been living a charmed life until reality comes crashing down when her twin brother Colton and her father are both killed in an auto accident. When it’s determined that Colton was the driver and under the influence of drugs, Callie goes in search of answers, but the answers just bring further heartbreak.

Soon Callie finds herself on the very same path that led to her brother’s death as she begins to self-medicate as a means to cope, this begins a devastating downward spiral that Callie is helpless to stop. Callie has to dig down deep to find the strength that her brother lacked to turn her life around.

This book is suitable older young adults because it deals with the gritty realities of drug addiction and contains violence, strong language, and sexual exploitation. Ashley Fontainne packs a lot of story into this relatively short, but well-written book. The audiobook is over 3 hours in length and the fully voiced, expressive narration by Andrea Emmes was perfectly suited for the age of the main character and the genre. The sound quality was clear throughout the production.

I look forward to seeing what’s in store for both this author and narrator! This audiobook was gifted to me exchange for an unbiased review!


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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Review: Coffee, Tea or Me

Coffee, Tea or Me Coffee, Tea or Me by Rich Amooi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s Official! Anytime I need a pick me up, forget about Xanax, I’m listening to a Rich Amooi novel, his stories never fail to put a smile on my face. This light-hearted rom-com is just what the doctor ordered.

Susie McKenna is the queen of scones and she opens her quaint little tea shop right next door to Jack Robbins coffee house! Her timing couldn’t be any worse, at least not from where Jack’s standing, he’s close to sealing a deal to take his coffee house brand to the next level, but falling sale due to that pesky little tea shop threatens to throw a monkey wrench into his plans!

Hilarity ensues as Jack and Susie compete to make a living and fight the growing attraction they feel towards each other.

Greg Tremblay narrates this quick listen and his voice is perfect for this type of story, his pacing is flawless, and his delivery definitely helped increase the comedy factor. The audio quality of this book, which clocks in at just under 4 1/2 hours, is excellent.


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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Review: SEAL Brotherhood: Lucas


SEAL Brotherhood: Lucas by Sharon Hamilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good SEAL romance and on the whole, I enjoyed this one! Lucas Shipley may be an ace SEAL able to make the correct decision when it can mean the difference between life or death, but when it comes to women he definitely skipped reading the book.
Lucas’ current situation consist of living in the equivalent of a SEAL frat house, sleeping on a couch and expecting a phone call any moment from his estranged wife Connie begging him to come back home, instead he gets served divorce paper and a call from his wife’s realtor Marcy Gelland who's tasked with liquidating their real estate, Marcy coolly requests his John Hancock on the dotted line.

When Marcy gets to know Lucas she discovers he’s nothing like the picture that Connie painted of him and when she and Lucas head up to Northern California, they end up in an ill-advised and poorly timed relationship.

When Lucas is summoned back to San Diego, he asks Marcy to retrieve some of his belongings from his remote cabin and a wrong turn close to a nearby terrorist training camp puts Marcy in the crosshairs of the terrorist organization. I really enjoyed the terrorist plotline in this story it was suspenseful, tense and kept my interest in the story high and that helped push this book to a 4-star rating.

What I didn’t like about the story was Lucas' soon to be ex-wife Connie’s character, she’s slightly unhinged and borderline abusive towards their child and it’s never adequately addressed by either Lucas or Marcy, in fact, I don’t recall there being any interaction in this story at all between Lucas and his child.

The production of Sharon Hamilton's audiobooks are always high-quality and J.D. Hart does an awesome job narrating, he really brings character and emotion to the story and his delivery is engaging in this 8-hour audiobook.


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Friday, November 11, 2016

Review: Worth the Fight

Worth the Fight Worth the Fight by L.D. Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was super stoked when I saw that L.D. Davis’ Worth the Fight was finally available in audio form, Worth the Fight is the final audiobook in the Accidentally On Purpose trilogy, and the first audiobook AOP was released 3 ½ years ago. Worth the Fight is Luke Kessler’s story and would I highly suggest you listen the AOP before listening to this book

Luke’s story starts off with my favorite passage from AOP, when a desolate Luke confronts girlfriend Emmy Grayne over her affair with boss Kyle Sterling, it’s the most heartbreaking part of their story and hearing it told from Luke’s POV loses none of its intensity.

We learn what Luke’s been up to since the breakup and before Emmy comes to town and drops a bombshell on is life. This is an emotional listen as Luke and Emmy try to rebuild basic trust and then rebuild their relationship, but it’s not easy because even though a year has passed Luke is still very hurt and Emma has come back into Luke's life a completely broken woman, the harsh words Luke spoke to Emmy when they parted end up coming to fruition in the most painful of way. Realizing just how deeply wounded and depressed Emmy is, Luke comes to the realization that for both their sakes he must help to heal Emmy's heart.

I loved this story and it's a satisfying completion to the AOP series. Joe Arden narrates and he did an awesome job voicing the characters and I found his delivery completely engaging, this audiobook clocks in at almost 11 hours and it went by way too fast, I never wanted to put the story on pause, it’s that entertaining.

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Review: Enthrall Secrets

Enthrall Secrets Enthrall Secrets by Vanessa Fewings
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

First off, I'm so glad that authors, like Vanessa Fewings, who really know how to tell a story are starting to write erotica, one day soon I hope it becomes so commonplace that I won't be so deliriously happy when I find that rare author in the erotica genre that I like!

This story has suspense, heartbreak and hot sex! The heartbreak was a real surprise for me, I mean I actually teared up at one point In the story and I rarely do that!

Scarlet Winters is a dominatrix at a BDSM club, when she has a scene with reluctant sub Ethan, there's some serious chemistry between these two, but Ethan has ulterior motives. When it all goes terribly south, against her boss Cameron’s wishes she heads to Ethan house to apologize and instead ends up in a fight for her and Ethan's life. While cowering in a back office with an unconscious Ethan, Scarlet flashes back on her life with billionaire Danton Belfort.

This book is the first that I've listened to in the Enthrall series, but it's the seventh book in the series which makes me very happy because that means I have six more audiobooks to put on my list!

The audio quality excellent and the narrator Olivia Hart did a fantastic job, her pacing of the story and voice suit this genre well and I would not hesitate to purchase any book that she's narrating.

This audiobook was gifted to me exchange for an unbiased review!

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Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Review: Choosing Henley

Choosing Henley Choosing Henley by Anne Jolin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lennon Montgomery and Jamie Henley have a one night stand, unfortunately for Jamie, Lennon only sees their tryst as a one time deal, she refuses to believe that Jamie’s really into her and afraid of being hurt she rebuffs his attempts for their relationship to be more and send him into the arms of another woman, but the chemistry between these two cannot be denied and Jamie on mission to prove that Lennon is the one that he chooses.

This book suffers from my major pet peeve when it comes to romance novels, the conflict is contrived, Lennon’s constant questioning of Jamie even though he has made it perfectly clear he’s all in, is annoying, I mean I can understand needing a little reassurance but Jamie goes out of his way to prove his love for her but it falls on deaf ears. Still, it’s a decent listen and has a fair amount of heat and a fair amount of language too!

The audio quality of this production is flawless and Lucy Rivers is truly a professional and does a decent job, one problem though she repeatedly mispronounced the word “charade” not sure how that made to past QC.

This audiobook was gifted to me exchange for an unbiased review!




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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Review: Meet Me in the Dark

Meet Me in the Dark Meet Me in the Dark by J.A. Huss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the cover of this book, it says a dark suspense, and that's what it is and it's not an understatement! The story centers around Sydney and Merc, they first meet up when Sydney is seventeen, begging Merc to save her from bad guy boyfriend Garrett, but Merc is no hero and after roughing her up, he serves her up to Garrett on a silver platter, but he leaves an ominous message with her that he will be back, when she least expects it to finish her off.

Several years later, engaged to be married to a man named Brett, happiness is within her reach, but a feeling of dread overcomes her and she decides to run, unfortunately for her right into Merc’s clutches. Kidnapping her, Merc sets about breaking down Sydney and attempting to extract information from her about Garrett, who disappeared from her life without a trace years ago.

This book is a difficult listen and if you have triggers you’ll want to stay far away from this book, it’s a terrifying tale and there’s extreme violence, degradation, dubious consent, and explicit sexual content, this is more of a thriller/suspense novel but it does have romantic elements and an HEA, but you feel like you’ve been through war to get there!

The dual narration by Troy Duran and Anna Riordan was flawless, what they do really is acting and they both did a wonderful job. The audio production quality was first class and I look forward to listening to more from these narrators!


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Review: Hitched: Volume Two

Hitched: Volume Two Hitched: Volume Two by Kendall Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Just when things seem to be going right, Olivia has abandoned Noah at the Alter after her douche bag Ex threatened to release damning photos of her. What Olivia doesn’t realize is that she’s gotten under, cocky, foul-mouthed, and abrasive Noah’s skin in a big way and he’s her biggest supporter and secret weapon!


This is the second book in the Hitched series and while I haven’t listened to the first book, the author did a great job of bringing the highlights from volume 1 into this book, so pretty quickly I was able to glean what happened in the previous book. That being said, this book should not have been broken out into three books, volume 2 is under 4 hours and I think that listeners will have a problem spending almost $30 for 11 hours of audio.


I enjoyed this romantic comedy written by Kendall Ryan, but I’m kinda iffy on the narration by Alexander Cendese he definitely has the cocky bad boy vibe down, but there’s wasn’t enough variation in his tone when voicing multiple characters and several times I found myself confused who was talking, sometimes I couldn’t tell if it was Noah or Olivia talking! So, that took a story that was tilting into the 4-star category and toppled it solidly back to a 3-star rating.


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