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Audiobook Review – Only One Life – Sara Blaedel

24 Oct

Only One Life
Author: Sara Blaedel
Series: #3 in the Louise Rick series

Narrator: Joyce Bean
Run Time: 9 hours, 23 minutes

Audiobook provided for review by AudioGO and Audiobook Jukebox

Book Description
It was clearly no ordinary drowning. Inspector Louise Rick is immediately called out to Holbaek Fjord when a young immigrant girl is found in the watery depths, a piece of concrete tied around her waist and two mysterious circular patches on the back of her neck.

Her name was Samra, and Louise soon learns that her short life was a sad story. Her father had already been charged once with assaulting her and her mother, Sada, who makes it clear that her husband would indeed be capable of killing Samra if she brought dishonor to the family. But she maintains that Samra hadn’t done anything dishonorable. Then why was she supposed to be sent back to Jordan? Samra s best friend Dicte thinks it was an honor killing. A few days later Dicte is discovered, bludgeoned to death, and Samra’s younger sister has gone missing.

Review
One thing I have learnt over the last year or so of reading Nordic Noir is that the most obvious solution is never it – so I had to keep my mind open as the mystery played out in Only One Life. This is the third book in the series, although only the second one had been released in English prior to this. That being said, I didn’t feel like I was missing all that much having not read/listened to the previous book in the series. Although, I will be reading it in the near future, as well as looking forward to book 4 that is due out in December.

If I was going to compare Sara Blaedel’s writing to other authors from the area, I would put her somewhere in the middle of the ranking when it comes to the darkness that is prevalent in the genre. The crime was dark, and there was lots of society influences that contributed to the crime, but at the same time, she was able to focus on some of the interpersonal relationships that made the crime all the more real. The book also made me want to pick up some other books that deal with honor killings – whatever the setting. I did identify the killer early on, but then I completely dismissed the person because I didn’t believe that it could be them. You think I would have learnt to not do that by now…lol!

This isn’t the first book I’ve listened to that Joyce Bean has narrated and it won’t be the last. There is something about her voice that just sucks me in. Her range of voices continues to surprise me – having listened to her narrate Urban Fantasy (the fever series), mysteries (Karin Slaughter) and now Scandinavian crime fiction. I found myself driving long routes home just so I could finish up a chapter, or sitting in the parking lot at work. For me, I find that listening to these mysteries helps me to pronounce many of the names that I would normally massacre if I was trying to say them.

Overall, I’d give the book 3.5 stars and the narration 4 stars with a 4 star rating overall. I hope others who read/listen to Only One Life enjoy it as much as I did.

 
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Posted by on October 24, 2012 in Book Review

 

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Audiobook Review – Animal Magnetism – Jill Shalvis

18 Sep

Animal Magnetism
Author: Jill Shalvis
Series: #1 in the Animal Magnetism series

Narrator: Karen White
Run Time: 10 hours and 32 minutes

Book Description:
Co-owner of the town’s only kennel, Lilah Young has lived in Sunshine, Idaho, all her life. Pilot-for-hire Brady Miller is just passing through. But he soon has Lilah abandoning her instincts and giving in to a primal desire.

It’s Brady’s nature to resist being tied down, but there’s something about Lilah and her menagerie that keeps him coming back for more.

Review:
Jill Shalvis is a name that commonly comes up in romance forums for people looking for contemporary romances to read, but for the life of me, prior to listening to Animal Magnetism, I couldn’t read if I had read anything by her. I don’t think I had, or I have just forgotten (which is entirely possibly, since I am always making jokes about my mind being as leaky as a sieve). So I was looking forward to picking up Animal Magnetism and listening to it and overall, I have to say that it was an enjoyable listen.

The first thing that drew my attention to the book, even before I bought the audio was the cover. I am a sucker for dogs and the eyes on the one on the cover just made my heart go awww (very similar to what my German Shepherd does to me most days – and which is he actually doing right now, since I am typing and not playing Frisbee for the 10 millionth hour today…). And the fact that there was a hot guy holding the puppy, even better -lol – what can I say. There was something about Brody, after I started reading AM that just drew me in. I think it is the guy who is a nomad, trying to find out who he is and ending up back where he began that just draws me in. Although, I will say that Lilah did kind of bug me. I understand the whole wanting to be independent, heck, I am very much like that. But at the same time, there is a difference between being independent and being stupid, and I feel that she definitely bordered on the latter, not the former.

Looking back at my audio listening, I also couldn’t believe that I had never listened to anything done by Karen White prior to this – so it was a two-fer of newbies for me. I’d chatted with her several times in one of my goodreads groups, and after listening to her narration, I know that it won’t be the last time that I listen to anything done by her. I liked her range of voices for the different characters and she was even able to pull off 3 distinctive male voices, which is something that I often find female narrators have a hard time doing (and the same can often be said for males voicing females). As I was listening to her narration, I could see all the characters in my head.

The production of the audio was excellent and I had no complaints about the quality of the download from audible. Overall, I’d give both the book and the narration 3.5 stars, but rounding up to 4 for the consistency between the two.

 
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Posted by on September 18, 2012 in Book Review

 

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Review – Scored – Lily Harlem

06 Sep

Scored
Author: Lily Harlem

Book Description:
Okay, so I eat, sleep and breathe football and reporting the beautiful game is my dream career. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have time for a major crush on the England captain, Lewis Tate. The bloke is sex on legs, hot with a capital H. Add in his awe-inspiring talent, his brooding good looks and what’s not to lust after?

So my excitement is sky-high as I set off with the official press team to cover England’s battle for the European Cup. But when a series of unfortunate, or as it turns out fortunate events, attracts Tate’s attention my way, who am I to say no?

Add in a misogynistic manager, an over-zealous colleague, two blue silk ties and some incredible ball-handling skills and it becomes clear the road to victory, for me, will be an intensely erotic journey. Determined to savor every moment, I hang onto my sanity as best I can while living the fantasy and wondering if it can ever become reality. Because once Lewis Tate has taken me to heaven and back, its clear no one else will ever compare.

Review:
This is the first time that I’ve read anything by Lily Harlem, but not the first time I’ve heard of her. One of my good virtual friends on goodreads, loves her stuff and so her name has come up in recommendations several times. So when I was looking for a book featuring soccer and her book showed up on the Amazon listopia, I figured it was time to give her a try.

I almost immediately fell in love with Nicky – she reminded me a lot of myself when it came to sports, because there were some that I used to follow passionately. Although, I can’t say that I do so much anymore…unfortunately. She also works in pretty much a male dominated career field, not so much the journalism, but the sports writing, the same as me (mine being the military) and she managed to get herself into insane scrapes…yea, well, we won’t go there for me…lol! I loved the passion that Ms Harlem was able to put into her writing and you could also tell that she had done her research into various soccer tournaments because there was an air of knowledge portrayed that seemed genuine.

And Lewis…oh Lewis…ummm, yeah, I love a man who can handle balls…(snerk!). Not going to say much more on that topic, otherwise we might hit an x-rating (well, not quite, but the possibility exists). Either way, I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future and hope others check her out. 4 stars.

Unfortunately, for you non-kindle readers, it is only available electronically right now – but hopefully will be in print in the future
Scored (Kindle)

 
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Posted by on September 6, 2012 in Book Review

 

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Review – Ride with Me – Ruthie Knox

15 Jul

Ride with Me
Author: Ruthie Knox

Book Description:
When Lexie Marshall places an ad for a cycling companion, she hopes to find someone friendly and fun to cross the TransAmerica Trail with. Instead, she gets Tom Geiger—a lean, sexy loner whose bad attitude threatens to spoil the adventure she’s spent years planning.

Roped into the cycling equivalent of a blind date by his sister, Tom doesn’t want to ride with a chatty, go-by-the-map kind of woman, and he certainly doesn’t want to want her. Too bad the sight of Lexie with a bike between her thighs really turns his crank.

Even Tom’s stubborn determination to keep Lexie at a distance can’t stop a kiss from leading to endless nights of hotter-than-hot sex. But when the wild ride ends, where will they go next?

Review:
I was recently lucky enough to chat with the author of Ride with Me, Ruthie Knox, in a Ask an Author Q&A in one of my goodreads groups. Prior to that I had never heard of her as an author, but after reading Along with the Ride, I hope that it won’t be the last time that I hear from her and read something about her. Almost immediately after picking up Ride with Me, I knew that it was gone to be one of those books that once you start reading, it is hard to put down. I was drawn into the antics of Tom and Lexxie as they biked across the country.

One of the things I love about Ride with Me, aside from the setting being a TransAm ride (which is just cool in itself) is that Lexxie was a kick-ass female who gave as good as she got. There seems to still be an excess of TSTL heroines in romance novels and it was good to not see a typical one 😉 Reading about their adventures crossing the country, makes me want to drag my bike out of storage and start training for some long distance rides. Anyone want to join me? Maybe not on a TransAm, but maybe something short…lol!

I definately look forward to reading more by Ms Knox in the future and have already grabbed her other book that she currently has out. Can’t wait to see it 😉

 
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Posted by on July 15, 2012 in Book Review

 

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Review – Elijah – Jacquelyn Frank

07 Jul

Elijah
Author: Jacquelyn Frank
Series: #3 in the Nightwalkers

Narrator: Xe Sands
Running Time: 11 hours 16 minutes

Book Description
They are called the Demons, one of the elusive Nightwalker races living in shadow and struggling for survival against their human enemies. Their proudest warrior is Elijah, a man who bends for nothing and no one…until one woman brings him to his knees…

Some Feelings You Just Can’t Fight

He is known as the Warrior Captain–a master of every weapon, a fierce soldier sworn to protect his kind. Powerful, relentless, merciless, Elijah has always won every battle he’s ever taken on–until now. Ambushed by necromancers, he is left for dead only to be discovered by the woman who could very well deliver the final blow…Siena, the Lycanthrope Queen.

With three centuries of warring, little more than a decade of uneasy peace has existed between the Lycanthropes and Elijah’s people. Now, after a lifetime of suspicion, the warrior in Elijah is consumed with a different battle–winning Siena’s heart by giving her pleasure beyond all boundaries. What starts as attraction and arousal soon burns into a passion with consequences that will echo through the ages for both their people. And as would-be enemies become inseparable lovers, another threat approaches, one with the power to destroy them all…

Surrender to the night.

Review
This audiobook was a total guilty pleasure for me. I normally have all my listening scheduled out for a month in advance between my commute to work and my work listening, but towards the end of the month I realized that I had finished all the stuff that I had planned on listening to, so I went rooting through my files and found Elijah. I had previously read the first two books in the series, but picked this one up in audiobook format after heading goodreads friends rave about Xe’s narration. The first thing that I learnt was that I was totally saying the narrators name wrong 😉 (Sorry Xe!). The second thing I learnt – OMG, I will totally be picking up more books narrated by her in the future.

In the previous two books, we had seen Elijah in the background – he was the guy essentially in charge of the military of the Nightwalkers – the guy that everyone would want on their side if they were to go into battle. And yet, there was something about him that made me want to know more – it was like he was scared to love…and then you met Sienna – she has previously appeared in Gideon’s book, and was the Queen of the Lycanthrope’s – she seemed very cold and honestly, I wasn’t sure if Ms Frank was going to be able to pull her off as a character that I could connect with, but wow did she ever. I was immediately sucked into their story and really didn’t want to take any breaks while I was listening because I was so caught up in what was going on.

I don’t know if it was the story, or the narration that made it for me. From previous experience with the author, I know that she can weave a tale that will suck you in, but when combined with Xe Sand’s narration – I was doomed (to not get any work done because I was soo absorbed in the story). I loved the various accents that were used, especially Sierra’s Russian-esque one and Elijah’s just made me go weak-kneed (thankfully, I was sitting down while I was listening). I highly recommend people who like Paranormal romance listen to this audiobook and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other ones in the series, or other books that Ms Sands has narratored. I think this is where I get to yell, give me more please! lol

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2012 in Book Review

 

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Review – A Book of Tongues – Gemma Files

20 Jun

A Book of Tongues
Author: Gemma Files
Narrator: Gordon Mackenzie
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

Review Copy provided by audiobook producer as part of Audiobook Jukebox Solid Gold Reviewer program

Book Description:
Two years after the Civil War, Pinkerton agent Ed Morrow has gone undercover with one of the weird West’s most dangerous outlaw gangs-the troop led by “Reverend” Asher Rook, ex-Confederate chaplain turned “hexslinger,” and his notorious lieutenant (and lover) Chess Pargeter. Morrow’s task: get close enough to map the extent of Rook’s power, then bring that knowledge back to help Professor Joachim Asbury unlock the secrets of magic itself.

Magicians, cursed by their gift to a solitary and painful existence, have never been more than a footnote in history. But Rook, driven by desperation, has a plan to shatter the natural law that prevents hexes from cooperation, and change the face of the world-a plan sealed by an unholy marriage-oath with the goddess Ixchel, mother of all hanged men. To accomplish this, he must raise her bloodthirsty pantheon from its collective grave through sacrifice, destruction, and apotheosis.

Caught between a passel of dead gods and monsters, hexes galore, Rook’s witchery, and the ruthless calculations of his own masters, Morrow’s only real hope of survival lies with the man without whom Rook cannot succeed: Chess Pargeter himself. But Morrow and Chess will have to literally ride through Hell before the truth of Chess’s fate comes clear-the doom written for him, and the entire world.

Review
It was like book serendipity when this book showed up as a review copy on AudiobookJukebox. The previous weekend, I had been at a get-together for one of my Goodreads groups and one of the people there was talking about this book and how she highly recommended it. I went ahead and bought it on my kindle and then as I was browing audiobook jukebox, I saw it up for review and thought what the heck, why not ask for a copy and see what happens.

The premise of the book itself was intriguing, the historical setting with the use of Pinkerton agents, mixed in with hex-slingers so the magical aspect and then the GLBT factor of the 2 main characters made for some entertaining listening. I have to say in all my time of listening to audiobooks, this is the first time that I have actually listened to anything featuring m/m romance and I’m pretty sure that my face was probably an interesting shade of red at some points during the listening.

The use of a character who had previously been a reverend and his use of biblical passages scattered through-out provided an interesting theme, and you could tell that the author had done her research and had picked what appeared to be appropriate passages for various phases of the book. However, towards the end, my mind was starting to wander and it felt like overall, some editing and maybe paring down of the book would have been good – even if it had only been a few pages to tighten up the storyline.

This was also the first time that I had ever listened to Gordon McKenzie narrated and I actually went into his narration cold. I tried looking on my normal sources for audiobooks to see if I could get a voice sample, but apparently on that day my computer just decided to not like me and wouldn’t let me do a preview. But I don’t regret it for a minute. I really enjoyed his narration and felt that I could easily identify all the various characters that appeared through-out. I loved the voice of Jess that he came up with and he was probably the most entertaining voice of all of them. I will definately be on the look-out for more books narrated by him in the future.

The production, done by Iambik Audio, was also high quality and I have no complaints about the product received. It was nice to see that the product was easy to download and nicely priced. I’m looking forward to getting the next books in the trilogy.

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2012 in Book Review

 

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