Risk It All Audiobook

By: Katie Ruggle

Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu

Published by: Tantor Media 01/02/2020

Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters #2

8 hrs and 39 mins

Risk It All Audiobook Sample

Risk It All Audiobook

4 Hearts

This is the second book in the Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters series. The series follows five sisters who are bounty hunters and struggling to make it as their mother seems to throw roadblocks in their path every chance she gets.

Cara Pax never really wanted to be a bounty hunter. She’s actually in school to be a teacher. She always helped out as a researcher, never in the field. However, she really feels like a burden on her sisters and wants to carry more of her weight. So she decides to take on a bounty by herself without her sisters’ knowledge, because they all have a lot on their plate trying to find their mother. However, Cara takes on more than she can really handle with this bounty.

Henry Kavenski has a bounty on his head as he skipped bail for murder. He is trying to prove his innocence. However, the people after him want to use Cara to get to him. They kidnap her and he comes to her rescue.

This is a pretty fast paced story as there are kidnappings and car chases. The attraction between Kavenski and Cara is strong and really is from the beginning, but both have more concerns on their minds.

I continue to have a great time with this series. I can’t wait to read the other stories of the sisters and see where things go with their mother.

Risk It All Narration

4 Hearts

Callie Beaulieu continues to do a great job with the narration of this series. I like all the voices and tone she uses for each character and scene. I’ve only listened to her with Katie Ruggle books, but I would love to listen to her more. I would recommend her.

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Netherfield Rogue Dragon Audiobook Spotlight Tour

Audiobook Sample

For our leg of the tour, we’re spotlighting the third and final book in the series, Netherfield: Rogue Dragon, sharing an excerpt to tickle your earbuds, and a series-wide giveaway.

Synopsis: Elizabeth Bennet thought she was prepared to do anything to make the Dragon Conclave accept her beloved young dragon Pemberley into the Blue Order, but she had not anticipated it would leave her banished from her ancestral home and betrothed to none other than Mr. Darcy. But before Elizabeth and Darcy wed, they must find a dangerous rogue dragon before it provokes a war amongst the dragons and brings the fragile peace between dragons and mankind to a catastrophic end.
Nothing written in the annals of dragon lore has prepared Elizabeth to manage a dragon not governed by the Blue Order. Dragons have always loved her, but this one finds her arrogant, selfish and insensitive to others. With only her instincts to guide her, she must convince the rogue of her good intentions before the Blue Order loses patience and decides on more drastic measures.
Called away to the other side of the kingdom, trying to settle the dragons’ unrest, Darcy learns the nature of the force poisoning the rogue dragon against Elizabeth. One nearer and dearer than they could have imagined.
Can Elizabeth and Darcy convince with rogue dragon to cooperate before darker forces turn it against them, without destroying the fragile bonds uniting the couple?

By: Maria Grace
Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan

Publisher Maria Grace 2020

About the Author: Maria Grace
Five time BRAG Medallion Honoree and #1 best selling Historical Fantasy author, Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.
She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.

About the Narrator: Benjamin Fife
Benjamin Fife has always had a passion for learning. With a mind that remembers all sorts of numbers and useless trivia, he regularly wins local radio shows and enjoys confusing people with sci-fi quotes.
Fife grew up in Southeast Idaho. He attended college at Idaho State University, where he met his future wife in their music theory class. They have been married nearly 20 years and now have six children and a whole menagerie of animals. When their oldest daughter was three or four years old they started reading aloud from novels every night at bedtime, and have continued the tradition ever since. The family loves exploring various worlds and topics through Fife’s wonderful reading skills, which get better every year. They all have his Christmas Carol voices memorized (and the older kids are known to quote along with portions), since he has read it to them every December.

Benjamin enjoys all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy – both books and shows, is an extreme eclectic music lover, and prefers his chocolate to be of the 90% cocoa variety. Above all, he loves to be with his family. He loves recording audio books, and is delighted to tell people, “I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up!”

And, before we go, Maria Grace would like to offer our listening readers the opportunity to win a custom statue of cute baby fire dragon, Pemberly
Runs Jan. 30th-Feb. 20th⎮Open internationally

A Ghostly Undertaking Audiobook

By: Tonya Kappes

Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan

Published by Tantor Audio 12/10/2019

Ghostly Southern Mysteries Series #1

5 hrs and 39 mins

A Ghostly Undertaking Audiobook Sample

A Ghostly Undertaking Audiobook

4 Hearts

I spotted this series a while back in reviews at Braine’s Talk Supe blog and I always meant to try it because it sounded like my favorite type of cozy mystery with the southern charm, paranormal and romance elements added in. I finally got my kick in the pants when the audio edition came out recently and I was ready to give author, narrator, and ghost-seeing undertaker a go.

Emma Lee Raines has been able to see, hear, and speak to ghosts since an unfortunate incident when a full-size Santa decoration fell down and hit her in the head. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the presence of mind to hide the fact that she talked to the dead so people in her small Kentucky town think she’s a loo loo. They chalk it up to her being among dead bodies too long as she grew up in the funeral parlor business and took over as the undertaker when her folks retired leaving it to her and her sister.

Emma Lee doesn’t see the ghost of every person who dies, but the recently departed Ruthie Sue Payne is insisting to Emma Lee that she was pushed down a flight of stairs at the B&B that she ran with Em’s granny. There is no love lost between those two old ladies since they shared the same dearly departed husband. Ruthie is the ex and Granny was the second wife and widow. Her high school crush, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, isn’t convinced it was an accident and, unfortunately, sees Granny as a prime suspect. Emma Lee has to jump in and play detective now with the ghost of town busy body as her partner.

A Ghostly Undertaking dips into cliché territory when it comes to the small town southern charm, but it was also fun so I forgave it. Emma Lee is the everyday girl misfit who has always been the odd girl and too weird for the rest of the town who might be crazy, but not that type of crazy. It takes her a bit to believe that she’s really seeing and hearing ghosts because she believes she is crazy because everyone, including her family, said she was. Her little blip has already cost the funeral home business and her sister rides her all the time. So, she has some stops and starts before she really gets going in the detecting and chatting with the ghost Ruthie. I felt sorry for her, but Emma Lee came into her own in this story which was great to see.

When Jack Henry came around, she was adorkable and she didn’t see that he was feeling just as awkward. He has to do his job, but he also was just as interested in her. He was so handsome that she didn’t realize that he was shy and found it tough to break the ice. They were cute and I loved seeing him in her corner when no one else was.

The mystery was actually both simple and twisting. The author dropped plenty of clues, but also there were several suspicious types and secrets to lay some false trails.

All in all, I found this fun and an easy listen. It set things up nicely for a series full of small town shenanigans, quirky characters, and interesting ghostly antics. Paranormal cozy mystery fans really must give this one a look see.

A Ghostly Undertaking Audiobook Narration

4 Hearts

 Tiffany Morgan is a well-known narrator, but I think this is my first time listening to her work. I thought she did great with the cast of characters, genders, ages, personalities, tone, and pacing. There was a bit of whine to her voice and occasional sing-song to her southern accent that would catch my ear, but not a huge detraction once I got used to it. I’m glad she’s voicing this series because I think it’s a good match.

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Shattered Justice Audiobook

By: Susan Furlong

Narrated by: Amy Landon

Published by: Brilliance Audio 12/31/19

A Bone Gap Travellers Mystery #3

9 hrs and 10 mins

Shattered Justice Audiobook Sample

Shattered Justice Audiobook

4.5 Hearts

This is the third book in the Bone Gap Travellers series. It follows Brynn Callahan who grew up in the pavee community that has “settled” in Bone Gap, Tennessee. Brynn wasn’t really part of that community. Her mother got pregnant with a “settled” person and left Brynn to be raised by her grandmother. She always felt on the outside of both communities. After something happened when she was a teen, she joined the Marines. She’s now out after her and her cadaver dog were injured in an IED explosion. Now they both have PTSD and she’s working for the county sheriff’s office as a deputy.

In this story, Brynn and the sheriff’s office are finding body parts with messages. They need to find the person doing this before they kill again. Their search takes a lot of twists and turns. They run into a group of backwoods people, then on to a survivalist/militia group. Hard to know where to look next. Brynn also struggles with her addiction and has joined an AA type group as a requirement to keep her job. This story is the toughest one yet for Brynn.

I don’t want to go into too much detail on this book because it spoils the suspense of the story, but know this is a great read. I really love the characters in this series. Not just Brynn and her dog, but also her grandmother, her cousin, and the other deputies. I also like learning about the pavee community. I would recommend that you start with the first book, Splintered Silence. Each story builds on the previous one, so best if read in order.

Shattered Justice Audiobook Narration

4.5 Hearts

I really love Amy Landon. This isn’t the first series that I’ve listened to that she narrated. It was her name that caught my eye and made me look at this series. She does a great job with a large cast of characters. She’s great with male and female characters. If you haven’t tried Amy Landon, I highly recommend her.

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Sense and Sensibility Audiobook

By: Jane Austin

Narrated by: Victoria McGee

Published by Trout Lake Media  05/12/2011

A Novel

12 hrs and 29 mins

Sense and Sensibility Audiobook Sample

Sense and Sensibility Audiobook

4.5 Hearts

I chose to listen to this Trout Lake Media production of Sense & Sensibility to participate in the Honoring Lost Friends Readathon for COYER in honor of Grace, a book blogger acquaintance’s passing in the last year, and also the Going Classic group read at Austenesque Lovers. I also enjoyed listening to this one as a Buddy Read with Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My! blog. And, now that you have my reasons for picking it up, I’ll get into what I thought of the book this latest go around.

Sense & Sensibility follows the lives of the Dashwood sisters and their extended relations and friends as they fall from wealth and status on the death of their father, Mr. Henry Dashwood, and must make their way toward an uncertain future that hopefully gains them a bit of happiness in the end.

With the title of the book, we understand that we’re getting two people who embody two different traits. Elinor, the oldest Dashwood sister, is Sense and Marianne, the middle Dashwood sister, is Sensibility. It’s not a debate about which is better since there is something to be said for either trait, but more an example of not over-indulging one over the other. Both women fall in love with men who have secrets and are ineligible in their own ways, but it’s what comes after discovering that their love cannot lead to being with these men that differs greatly. Elinor was cautious and prudent when she fell for Edward Ferrars and it was not on her when her hopes are dashed, rather cruelly by both Edward and another person. Marianne rushes headlong into love with a man who epitomizes all she admires in a romantic figure. But, Willoughby, even more than Edward, is unworthy of the woman who loves him and gives her an icy dowsing in the reality of the world. Circumstances take a part and in the end both find their way to happy.

This is not my first go around with this book, but it has been many years since I read/listened through it entirely. The book felt relevant and engaging today even with the older words and turns of phrase as it addresses family, character growth, love, wealth, and more. Austen was a rookie writer when she penned this one and that does show somewhat compared to her later books, but still, her grasp of people and their motivations and her wielding of wit was superb.
When I was younger, I was focused on the romances of Elinor and Marianne and agonized with them. Now, I tended to notice the comedy of this piece. Even while one layer had the girls in agony of hurt hearts, there is another layer where Austen is poking fun at the situation (Marianne and her mother could be such drama llamas) and surrounding them with some amazingly absurd people. I love to hate more than half the surrounding cast from the Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwoods, the Miss Steeles, Mrs. Ferrars, Robert Ferrars, and John Willoughby, but at the same time, they played their roles well and were well-written characters.

I’ve always thought the open and generous spirits of Mrs. Jennings and Sir John Middleton (the Dashwood ladies’ neighbors at the great house) were great even if they tend to get nosy into everyone’s business and that didn’t change in this one. But, what did stand out to me about them was the role they played in showing the changes in the sisters as they grew and matured. At first, neither had much use for these people though Elinor was always polite even as she despised them while Marianne was open about it. Then as they learned about people and learned to distinguish the value of good-heartedness in spite of polish, the sisters began valuing genuine friendship and saw people like Mrs. Jennings and Sir John in a new light.

But, what also didn’t change was my irritation with the ending. I still had no desire to get an equal summary of all the various characters and would have much rather focused on the principle people more after all that happened.

As to production, the editing was terrible particularly in the latter half of the book. There were a few times that there were repetitions of phrases, but worse, was when it broke off near the beginning of a chapter and leaped ahead to a new chapter so a part of the story is missing. True, I didn’t pay much for my copy, but one should at least be assured that no parts are missing. I’ve listened to much better quality productions of the classics and would recommend Naxos if you’re dropping a credit to get this story.

In summary, I enjoyed this classic book with its timeless themes once again and appreciate why I love the author’s work. I think if someone is looking to read a classic that they would find Austen’s lighter comedy of manners a good start.

Sense and Sensibility Audiobook Narration

3 Hearts

The narrator was Victoria McGee. I thought she had a good voice though not a lot of fluctuation between genders, ages, and classes, and under different circumstances would probably enjoy her work like a contemporary story. However, I found her a mismatch for Sense & Sensibility. Her accent didn’t sound English to me and she mispronounced a handful of older words consistently through the whole piece. Why didn’t anyone in the process of production catch this?

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Couture and Curses Audiobook

By: Danielle Garrett

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Published by: Tantor Audio 11/26/19

Touch of Magic Mysteries #2

4 hrs and 10 mins

Couture and Curses Audiobook Sample

Couture and Curses Audiobook

3 Hearts

This is the second story in the Touch of Magic Mysteries. This series follows magical wedding planner, Anastasia Winters. After listening to the second book in the series, I can say that I don’t enjoy this series as much as the other books I’ve read from Danielle Garrett. I think it comes from my dislike of weddings. While this series is more about the mysteries, there is still a lot about the wedding stuff (as per usual for cozy mysteries). I’ve never liked weddings. I was never a girl dreaming of a wedding as a child and when I did get married, it was at the courthouse in jeans.

In this story, someone attacks the notable wedding dress designer, which puts her in a coma-like state. Anastasia not only wants to help her friend, but also needs to help her clients who need dresses from the designer.

Even though I wasn’t a fan of the wedding parts of the story, I did enjoy the mystery and the characters are a lot of fun. It was the other things that made me still able to enjoy the story. I also like seeing things inside the Haven where no one has to hide their nature, unlike all the other stories, which take place in our world, that doesn’t know about magic, vampires and shifters.

I still have one more book in this series, which I will listen to for sure. I’m not sure if I will request any more in this series (at least not right now). Not because I don’t like the series, I’m just limited on the number of books I can listen to right now and there are a lot that I want to get caught up on. I will also continue with the other series by Garrett. I do feel that my issues are more of a me issue than the story.

Couture and Curses Audiobook Narration

5 Hearts

Amanda Ronconi continues to knock it out of the park with the narration. It doesn’t seem to matter what you throw at her, she’s able to handle it I can’t say enough about her narration. Just try her if you haven’t yet.

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