Tag: Audiobook

Author: Charissa Dufour

Narrator: Ian McEuen

Length: 3 hours 57 minutes

Series: Echoes of Sol Series, Book 1

Publisher: Charissa Dufour

Released: Nov. 28, 2018

Genre: Science Fiction, Space Opera

When space freighter pilot Calen Macleef accidentally wins Larissa “Bit” Earnest in a lucky hand of poker, his main concern is what his gruff and uncompromising brother, Jack, will say about it. Jack Macleef is the captain of the ship in a world where space travel has only recently become the norm and space piracy abounds.

Painful memories of prior abuse surface for Bit as she finds herself on a freighter full of rowdy, ungentlemanly merchant marines. Jack works to find a safe place for frightened Bit among the ungentlemanly crew, but good looks and innocent ways continually charm the men.

With tension and danger running high, each begins to wonder: Will they survive the pirates…and each other?

My journey to becoming a writer began in 8th grade when I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and pulled from school to recover. During this time, I was left alone for hours on end and it was then that I discovered new friends within the pages of books. I also learned the blessing of creating my own friends by writing down the stories that plagued my lonely mind–as demented as that sounds. Therefore at the ripe age of fourteen, I wrote my first novel. It sucked! But I kept going and now I am an Indie Author with numerous books out. I never imagined that first horrible novel about a man who crashlanded on his long-lost homeworld would turn into a lifelong passion.
I now live in Chicago, IL with my amazing husband and two rambunctious cats, Groot and Rocket.

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Ok, short, with enough action to last for many more pages the author gives us an interesting story about how a servant girl manages to survive a ship full of men.

After being won at a poker game (yup, you heard that right), Bit learns that not every guy is a bad guy. Having to deal with all the guys on the ship, receiving their attention, not in an offending way, leaves our main character quite surprised and impressed. Her life has not been easy and she has had to deal with quite a lot. I will not get into the details now. Suffice to say there is a lot to uncover and a lot to read about.

The plot is very entertaining, there are plenty of things happening and for almost 150 pages, there are many things happening and there is not one moment of boredom. I loved every page and I would have wanted to read more.

The narration was amazing! Ian McEuen did a great job keeping the story and the characters alive. The quality of the audiobook was great as well and I would love to hear his voice on the next books in the series.

All in all, this book was great. I would have wanted much more from our main character and her issues, but this is something that probably will be explored later on. 4 stars and I do hope you’ll give it a try J

 

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Charissa Dufour. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

 

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Trust & Treachery Giveaway: 3-month Audible Membership

Mar. 19th:

Lone Tree Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Nerdy Dirty and Flirty

Mar. 20th:

Adventures Thru Wonderland

Mar. 21st:

Dab of Darkness Book Reviews

Mar. 22nd:

Lilly’s Book World

Mar. 23rd:

Jazzy Book Reviews

Mar. 24th:

Book Addict

Smada’s Book Smack

Mar. 25th:

T’s Stuff

The Book Addict’s Reviews

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Author: Mark Hosack

Narrator: Mark Hosack

Length: 10h 19m

Publisher:Wide Awake Audio⎮2017

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Release date: Jan. 19, 2017

Jake Boxer, investigative journalist and host of the conspiratorial news show Bullseye, is in serious trouble. Not only is his soundman murdered by Russian intelligence agents while reporting on a secretive New World Order, but his network cancels his show, leaving Jake humiliated and spiraling into a deep dark depression.

Years later, a condemned murderer, who claims he was abandoned by the CIA, and who starred in an early episode of Bullseye, is finally executed for killing two supposed Soviet spies back in the 1970’s.

Jake Boxer, still trying to piece his life back together, is on his honeymoon in a posh ski resort in the Alaskan mountains when he gets word of the inmate’s execution . . . and the old killer’s final words: “The good spy dies twice.”

Those five words, seemingly meant for Jake, draw the ex-reporter from his forced retirement and into a complex and deadly global conspiracy involving his newlywed wife, the secretive New World Order, and the hotel’s hundred or so “guests.”

Everyone is a suspect.

Described as James Bond in a Stephen King novel, THE GOOD SPY DIES TWICE is the explosive first book in the Bullseye Series. Part spy thriller, part whodunit, this fast-paced novel introduces an exciting new hero, the intrepid, conspiratorial journalist, Jake Boxer.

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Limited time only: Get the ebook at a special price and add the audiobook for just $1.99 on Amazon

Mark Hosack is the author of THE GOOD SPY DIES TWICE (Book 1: The Bullseye Series, nominated for the 2016 RT Source Award), and IDENTITY (Simon & Schuster). He also wrote on the web series SEQUESTERED for Sony Crackle, the screenplay for GIVE ‘EM HELL, MALONE (Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames), and he both wrote and directed the award winning independent film PALE BLUE MOON. Mark lives in Los Angeles with his wife and a brood of gremlins who insist on calling him Dad.

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This is an audiobook that was very much to my taste. It was very well realized, with sounds that amplify the intensity of the actions and with a narrator that was very much involved in the events. With twists at every step of the way, “The Good Spy Dies Twice” deserves 5 stars, if not more.

In regards to the action, we have Jack Boxer in the center of attention, always trying to uncover a mystery, to solve a puzzle. More so if the said puzzle is his new wife. After years of being an investigative journalist, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, face to face with the powerful players of the world.  I was captured from the start and could not believe how many changes happened to our main character.

Jack’s determination to find the truth is admirable. I like him as a character – he is funny, smart, and ready to sustain his point of view with arguments. His fears or the emotional changes that happen to him are very well detailed and pulls the reader closer to the action.

As for the narration, I can only say that the narrator (who is also the writer of this great book) did a great job when telling the story. I felt closer to his way of interpretation for the other characters as well. His voice is clear and easy to understand, so I did not have any issues on this aspect.

All in all, I do recommend this book, especially in audio version. The experience is unbelievable and with all the music that we have, it really creates the special atmosphere. With a complex action and a great character, this would make a great lecture so put at bay any dull moments.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

The Good Spy Dies Twice Giveaway

 

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Author: Donna Galanti

Narrator: Chase Bradley

Length: 10h 8m

Publisher:Auspicious Apparatus Press⎮2017

Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller

Release date: Jan. 10, 2017

Evil comes in many forms…

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next.

Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together.

But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

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Donna Galanti is the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna enjoys teaching at conferences on the writing craft and marketing and also presenting as a guest author at elementary and middle schools. Visit her at www.elementtrilogy.com and www.donnagalanti.com.

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Chase was born and raised in a quiet town in upstate New York. He concentrated on musical pursuits through most of his younger years, excelling in anything that had to do with using his voice. He attended college in Potsdam, NY, where he studied Wilderness Leadership, Sociology and Vocal training at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Chase’s dream since he was a kid was to be a voice over artist and professional musician, but after college he decided to spread his wings and explore the world a bit first. He worked as a mountain guide in Alaska, leading Ice Climbing, Mountaineering, and Backpacking trips. He traveled all over North and South America for work and and pleasure, climbing and skiing everything that stood in his way. After meeting a beautiful woman (in Alaska of all places!) and falling in love, he settled down in Lake Tahoe California, where he currently resides with his wife and two children. Chase has finally returned to his roots and works as a full time voice over artist, and plays weekly shows with his band. Things have come full circle, and the dream has been fulfilled. Chase does commercial voice over work, but has found that his true passion is narrating audiobooks. He has narrated 14 audiobooks to date, with more to come! Chase is constantly looking for ways to improve his narration, and deliver the best possible performance for the authors and listeners.

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A Human Element is a story beyond its actual topic.  It covers a lot more issues than the alien – human contact. I loved every chapter, as the action and the characters are very complex and well developed. The structure is as well very interesting – presenting how the lives of our main characters change in a parallel way. Ben, Laura and X-10 have a common source: the meteorite that fell when Ben was only a child, the incident in which his parents were killed, but same incident that gave life to X-10 and Laura. Their paths will intersect at one point, for sure.

Ben has had to live a life in foster care, being abused even. He has had to learn to be strong the hard way. Even later, he has had to endure abuse and violence. He has always feared coming back to the place where it all started, though he still feels this attraction.

X-10 is the unlucky alien half that has to suffer the consequences of being different. After his birth, he was raised by a man whose only intentions are purely experimental: to harvest his DNA, maybe even create super humans. His life is one full of hate for mankind, deprived of freedom and happiness. His only comfort is killing and the idea of revenge. Revenge on his better half.

Laura, as opposed to X-10, has been luckier. With a family that loved and cared for her, she has learned the beauty of life and what means to offer kindness. She discovers her unique abilities at a young age and since that moment she has only used them for good. She will soon discover she is not alone and that will have to face X-10.

As I mentioned in the beginning, we follow the life of each of the characters. The reader can understand the tension, the struggle each of them has. And this is very well captured in the book. Except that, we have several themes like accepting the ones that may be different, offering a smile before judging or even homosexuality, as part of our society.

Regarding the narration, I must admit I did not quite enjoy it as much as I would have expected. The voice was more or less flat and the emotions were not very well transmitted with a proper intonation. It felt… read. On the bright side, the words are spoken clearly and I had no understanding issues.

All in all, I give the story a 5 out of 5 stars, but the narration will not receive so many from me – my apologies. This was a great audiobook, with a strong well-structured plot and also well-developed characters. Congratulations to both the author and the narrator and thank you for bringing us this lovely audiobook.

 

A Human Element Giveaway #1
A Human Element Giveaway #2

 

 

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Author: Jennifer Kincheloe
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Length: 12h 44m
Publisher: Jennifer R. Kincheloe, Ltd⎮2016
Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller
Release date: Nov. 14, 2016

It’s 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels, but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era’s rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself. If the police find out, she’ll get fired; if her father finds out, he’ll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he’ll cancel the wedding. Midway into her investigation, the police chief’s son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity, and shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose – either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

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Jennifer has been a block layer, a nurse’s aid, a fragrance model, and on the research faculty at UCLA, where she spent 11 years conducting studies to inform health policy. A native of Southern California, she now lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two teenagers. She’s currently writing book three in the Anna Blanc Mystery series. Book two, THE WOMAN IN THE CAMPHOR TRUNK, is coming out in Fall of 2017 from Seventh Street Books.

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Moira grew up in teeny-tiny Rutland, England’s smallest county, which is fitting as she never managed to make it past five feet herself. Moira’s work spans the pantheon of the voiceover world: plays for BBC radio, plays for NPR, video games, commercials, television promos, podcasts, cartoons, movies and award winning audiobooks. She’s won Multiple Audie Awards, Earphone Awards, as well as Audible’s prestigious Book-of-the-Year Award. She has lately set foot in front of the camera again, appearing in “Pretty: the Series” and the Emmy-winning “Dirty Work.”

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Songs selected by Author Jennifer Kincheloe

All Tomorrow’s Parties by Nico (for the Pink Ball)

Sucker by Tori Amos (for the sting operation in Boyle Heights)

Doll Parts by Hole (for when Anna’s getting ready in the brothel)

Everybody Hurts by Patti Smith (for the scene when Joe bails Anna out of jail)

Kamikazi by PJ Harvey (for the showdown with the villain)

 

I was provided the audiobook for this story in exchange for an honest review and as part of this lovely blog tour.

The story captivated me from the very beginning. The first few chapters can offer an idea of what type of character Anna really is and the narrator definitely did an amazing job to give voice to these traits. What is absolutely fabulous about the book is that not only the story is great and keeps you focused from start to end, but also the setting, the character and the writing style (+ in my case, the narrator).

The action is quite present throughout the pages, since Miss Blanc has a tendency to always start trouble, or better to look for it. She plans to elope, she gets mixed with women that can only ruin her reputation, she wants a man’s job at a police station and, as if these weren’t enough, she starts her own investigation. I just love this woman! There are twists all over the pages and there just isn’t one moment of boredom! So from plot point of view, it has all my points J

What really made me give 5 stars to this book was actually the character. The author did an amazing job at creating Anna Blanc – a strong woman, one that knows her values and believes she can do anything she sets her mind to. All these while trying to maintain a reputation of a decent lady. In a time where women were regarded as inferior to men, in time where they started challenging for voting rights, Anna is a great symbol of what means to be determined, what means to fight for your dreams and not feel beneath the people around (be those men or women).

As for the narrator, I was mentioning in the beginning that she is absolutely great! Her voice is intelligible and she does a great job at making the difference between characters. But to top that, I believe she is fit for Anna’s character. I don’t know, but Moira has that voice I imagined for a person like Anna (not sure if this has much sense). Oh, and the emotions are also very nicely captured!

All in all, I loved this audiobook and I am lucky to be part of this tour. This is one of those books that can be an inspiration. For me at least it was. I’ve been having some tough days lately and Anna reminded me that we can me strong, we can still follow our dreams. Although I am not a convinced feminist (as I do believe men are better at some things), the story has more to it. I recommend it and I hope you like it at least as much as I did!

 

Mar. 1: Chapter Break (Review, Spotlight, Dream Cast, & Interview)

Mar. 2: Candid Ceillie (Review & Author Interview)

Mar. 3: The Bookworm Central (Review)
Rolo Polo Book Blog (Spotlight & Music Playlist)

Mar. 4: Lilly’s Book World (Review)

Mar. 5: The Desert Bibliophile (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 6: A Bookaholic Swede (Review)
terriluvsbooks (Review & Dream Cast)

Mar. 7: Working Mommy Journal (Review)
Jorie Loves A Story (Narrator Interview)

Mar. 8: The Maiden’s Court (Review)
The Bookworm Lodge (Spotlight)
A Literary Vacation (Review)

Mar. 9: Babs Book Bistro (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 10: Dab of Darkness (Review)
Desert Rose Reviews (Review, Music Playlist, & Dream Cast)

Mar. 11: Literature Approved (Review)
Spunky ‘n Sassy (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 12: History From A Woman’s Perspective (Review)

Mar. 13: Jorie Loves A Story (Review)
Bound4Escape (Review)

Mar. 14: A Page To Turn (Review & Dream Cast)
XOXO Book Blog (Music Playlist)
Ronelle Antoinette (Narrator Interview)

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Author: Terry Maggert

Narrator: Erin Spencer

Length: 6h 56m

Publisher: Terry Maggert⎮2016

Genre: Paranormal

Release date: November 10, 2016

Welcome to Halfway; where the waffles are golden, the moon is silver, and magic is just around every corner.
A century old curse is broken, releasing Exit Wainwright, an innocent man trapped alone in time.
Lost and in danger, he enlists Carlie, Gran, and their magic to find the warlock who sentenced him to a hundred years of darkness. The hunter becomes the hunted when Carlie’s spells awaken a cold-blooded killer intent on adding another pelt to their gruesome collection: hers.
But the killer has never been to Halfway before, where there are three unbreakable rules:
1. Don’t complain about the diner’s waffles.
2. Don’t break the laws of magic.
3. Never threaten a witch on her home turf.
Can Carlie solve an ancient crime, defeat a ruthless killer and save the love of her life from a vampire’s curse without burning the waffles?
Come hunt with Carlie, and answer the call of the wild.

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Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Nine books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.

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Erin loves audiobooks! As an actress, they have allowed her to creatively stretch by playing all kinds of characters, all kinds of ages and all kinds of accents! She voiced roles in the Audie award winning title, Illuminae and was also nominated for a Voice Arts Award in the romance category. She has narrated over 100 titles and as an audiobook director has worked on at least 100 more. She has worked for most of the major publishers and also enjoys working with indie writers who are some of the most talented writers out there! Follow her on Twitter @ErinSpencerLA or find her on Facebook, Erin Spencer Actress.

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I liked this book more than the previous two. To be honest, I finished the entire series in 4 days. I’ve read book number one and books number two and three were in audio format. All courtesy of Jess from the Audiobookworm. I can say that this last one was the best, mostly because the action did not feel as dragged as in the previous two and also the maturity of the characters is quite visible.

To get a little bit more into the details, the action happens in the same town of Halfway, having Carlie in the center of attention but this time trying to help Exit Wainwright who appears to be a time traveler. This time the action is far more complex and threats raised against her and her loved ones.

Also presented from Carly’s point of view, the plot evolves nicely, in a steady pace, with an increasing amount of suspense. The writing is very natural, the dialogue as well. The author has managed to keep the natural feel of the characters, even if we are in the world of vampires, witches and many other unworldly beings. The atmosphere at the diner is welcoming, all the descriptions and mentioning of it makes it a sanctuary to all the people in Halfway, locals or visitors. I loved how the warmth of this place manages to capture the reader or listener.

The characters have matured enough to show strength and Carly takes some decisions of her own. She can tap into some great magic. She will be faced with many difficult situations in this last book. The complexity of it all will make her a great character.

As for the narrator, I did enjoy her voice; I enjoyed the easy way in which she made everything feel natural. She could really connect with the main character but what I would have wanted is maybe a better way of changing her voice when interpreting some of the other characters.

So without adding too many unnecessary words, I’ll give my 4 stars to book number 3 in the Halfway Witchy series. It is the best of the three in my opinion. I’ll be posting my review for the other two books these days so stay around!

 

 

Halfway Bitten Giveaway #1
Halfway Bitten Giveaway #2
Halfway Bitten Giveaway #3

Jan. 30: terrilovesbooks (Review)
The Book Junkie (Spotlight)

Jan. 31: Chapter Break (Review & Author Interview)

Feb. 1: Dab of Darkness (Review)

Feb. 2: The Book Junkie (Review & Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 3: Collector of Book Boyfriends (Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 4: The Desert Bibliophile (Review, Spotlight, Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 5: Totally Addicted to Reading (Spotlight & Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 6: Guilty Indulgence Book Club (Review & Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 7: Que Sera Sara (Review & Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 8: Rolo Polo Book Blog (Spotlight)

Feb. 9: Jorie Loves A Story (Review & Author Interview)

Feb. 10: Mama Reads (Review)

Feb. 11: Lilly’s Book World (Review)
Up Til Dawn Book Blog (Spotlight & Audio Excerpt)

Feb. 12: Book Lover’s Life (Review)

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