Hot Listens (Romance Audiobooks): February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Captive by Carrie Jones (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Carrie Jones

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Published by: Brilliance Audio 01/2010

Warm

Need Series Book # 2

8hrs

Sample

Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

Reviewed by Cassie

The second book in the Need series picks up right after the first, Zara, Nick, Grandma Betty, Issie, and Devyn are taking turns keeping the pixies locked up in the woods. But with the pixie king locked up and losing control, up and coming pixie kings are sending scouts and showing up themselves to try and take over his land, his people, and to claim Zara for themselves. Zara stumbles across one of these pixie kings—Astley—and feels an immediate attraction, one she doesn’t want to feel and one she cannot hide, since she turns vivid blue from head to toe any time she is near him. On top of the influx of pixies, there is also a valkyrie in the area that is swooping in and taking dying heroes to Valhalla to prepare for an upcoming war. Zara saves Astley from being taken, which could be a good or bad, the vote is still out on that one.

Cut to a second rival king who shows up and frees the trapped pixies, which has some dire consequences for Zara and Nick—who do not end up on the winning end of the battle—as Zara is left alone to fend for herself after Nick is taken by the valkyrie. Instead of curling up and giving in Zara decides to take the ultimate step to save Nick. Only heroes who are not human can get into Vahalla, and Zara has a plan to turn into a pixie, become a hero, and save Nick.

I have to say this was a typical sophomore title, it developed the storyline and introduced a lot of new characters, but besides one main fight scene there is not much action. However, Jones is definitely laying the ground work for an epic battle later in the series if she stays on course.

Julia Whelan continues to carry a variety of characters in this series, and I can easily tell from tone and inflection who is speaking without getting lost.

3.93 · rating details · 10,432 ratings · 982 reviews on Goodreads

The Author

Carrie Jones

Voices behind the books

Julia Whelan

Monday, February 27, 2012

Darker After Midnight (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Lara Adrian

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Published by: Tantor Audio 01/2012

Hot

Midnight Breeds book# 10

13 hrs and 6 mins

Sample

In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After existing in secret for many long centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike—to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire at the center of the conflict, before his push for domination can explode into catastrophe.
At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, once a morally rigid enforcer of Breed law, now a warrior fallen from grace, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him toward eternal darkness, Chase’s path to redemption has never seemed more out of reach. But when his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild, a beautiful witness who identifies him at the scene of a mission gone terribly wrong, Chase finds himself drawn to the woman—and convinced she is something much more than she seems.
Pulled into a vortex of intrigue and danger, she can neither resist nor understand, Tavia is uncertain whom to trust. And while everything sane and logical warns her against getting close to Chase, she cannot deny that the handsome, deeply haunted male stirs something primal and ravenous within her. But even as she surrenders to her cravings, nothing can prepare her for the shattering truth of who—and what—she truly is.
As the Order’s enemy mobilizes for the battle of the ages, Dragos and his Minions unleashing a hell on Earth like nothing ever seen before, Chase and Tavia are thrust into the heart of the violence. With time running out and the streets running red with the blood of innocent lives, both Breed and human, together Chase and Tavia must find a way to defeat Dragos once and for all—or die trying.

My Thoughts

When I first started to read (no Audio book then) the Midnight Breeds I couldn’t help but to think of the similarities to The Black Dagger Brotherhood, but by the second half of the first book the series had taken a life and feel of its own with original characters and a thrilling, suspenseful and sensual world that keeps you turning the pages until you reach each installment’s conclusion. Now 10 entries later Ms. Adrian and the Order of the Midnight Breeds are not showing any signs of slowing down, becoming stale or repetitive.

The story of Starling Chase had everything I hoped for; Lara Adrian continues to amaze me with her ability to weave all the elements together while nicely developing the romance, and once again delivers an enthralling (I think the best) story with action, suspense romance and now politics that make Darker After Midnight a “must get now” novel for any fan of this series , and for any fan of paranormal romance or Urban Fantasy a “ must hurry” and start enjoying this ride with the first book Kiss of Midnight.

Chase was left in the middle of a crisis in the last installment, and to say that I was highly anticipating the outcome would be an understatement.

The ride begins pretty much where we left off, and as you might have imagined, Tavia Fairchild does have the main lead in this installment as well as in Chase’s life.

Again I have to mention that for the second time in this series I highly enjoyed this entry more so for the plot, action and suspense than I did for the romance..... Let me rephrase that; I equally enjoy all aspects of this book. Chase and Tavia are a fantastic, romantic lead with great chemistry and are the perfect counterparts. We learned some secrets that reveal how strong and powerful Tavia really is, with that, her likeability and decisiveness we get a terrific heroine worthy of our tormented and sometimes outsider, Sterling Chase.
The twist in turns, continuations and updates from the rest of the Order and characters that I have come to care for, as I’m sure you have also, made this book a lot more than just a romance novel.

The war with Dragos continues, and the stakes are getting higher when the Order is forced to go on the run.
Will Lucan and the Order give our lost hero another chance and welcome Tavia with open arms? Will they find in Tavia another incredible and helpful fighter in the battle against the evil Dragos?

I won’t tell you much and let you discover on your own how skillfully Lara Adrian is developing this series.

All I can say is that you’ll find yourself completely satisfied with this story, and you will be highly anticipating the next novel. New events and hints to where Ms. Adrian might be taking us next are promising very exciting things to come.

In conclusion, another super fantastic addition and I dare to say the best in the series thus far.

4.40 · rating details · 1,720 ratings · 364 reviews on Goodreads

The Author

Lara Adrian

Narration

After 10 novels and a fantastic job with all of them, Hillary Huber has become the voice of the Midnight Breed series.

Once again she does a terrific job with all the characters by giving an excellent rendition of female and male characters alike. She expertly conveys each of their personality and very accurately brings them to life.

What I enjoy the most about her work with this series is the ideal tempo and timing, this gives the story the perfect ambiance, and it lets you experience the suspense sensuality and danger very vividly.
Ultimately, this was an excellent performance by Hillary Huber.

Voices behind the books

Hillary Huber

Nice reviews

By Book Monster and GraveTells

Monday, February 20, 2012

Barely A Bride (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Review

By: Rebecca Hagan Lee

Narrated by: Virginia Leishman

Published by: Recorded Books 02/2005

Warm

Free Fellows League Series # 1

11 hrs and 12 mins

Sample

The noblemen of the Free Fellows League have vowed to "avoid the inevitable leg-shackling to a female for as long as possible." But when Viscount Abernathy is called off to war, he must obey his father's wishes that he marry-and fast.

Abernathy is lucky to find Lady Alyssa as agreeable to a marriage of convenience as he is. But, two years later, scarred to his soul from the war, all Abernathy wants is love. And now he must win his wife's heart, by wooing the bride he left behind

Reviewed by Lisa Kay

This book, the first in the Free Fellows League, wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I expected the hero, Griffin Abernathy, AKA Viscount Abernathy, to hastily do his duty and marry to please his father. Then he would happily hurry off to war, leaving his bride, Lady Alyssa Carrolton – also equally delighted by the arrangement – behind to do as she pleases. I assumed the story would then be about these two strangers getting to know each other after his return from war.

Instead, over two-thirds this story is about the courtship, wedding, and honeymoon that ensue once Griff sets his sights on Alyssa. I eventually realized this author was in no hurry to tell this pleasant little tale; then I was able to sit back and relax. Another surprise: after it got going, it a little hotter than I was expecting – given the sweet cover and the story up until then – which was also fine with me. A little sugar and spice is just my cup of tea. I will even admit to shedding a tear or two near the end. All together a GoodRead.

As far as I know, only the first three books on are audio. I enjoyed listening to Ms. Lee’s story set in Regency England and Ms. Leishman’s lovely narration and look forward to the rest of this charming series.

Lemon Tree

Narration

This is a review of the audiobook, narrated by Virginia Leishman. I’ve never heard this reader before, and she does a nice job of it, doing the accents and voice inflections – English and Scottish, male and female, children and adults – quite nicely.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Corsets, Kisses & Kleypas Blog Hop/Giveaway

Corsets, Kisses & Kleypas

In celebration of one of my favorites Author upcoming new release,

Rainshadow Road

I will be giving away one copy of the audio book to one lucky winner.

This Blog hop and giveaway will run from 12:01 AM February 18 to 12:01 AM February 28

Again, I thank Under The Covers for hosting this great event.
Good Luck!!

4. 1/2 stars

I was one of the lucky fans that were given a copy of Rainshadow Road, this is my honest opinion of the book.

I love the way Ms.Kleypas delivers time after time real and relatable characters with a compelling back-story that brings them forward shaped by their experiences, and as a result we get multidimensional characters that inevitably captivate you with their story and drama.

As a child Lucy discovers a world of magic, magic that will come to shine in her darkest moments.

I love a slowly and well-developed romance! This is exactly what we get with Sam and Lucy. As they slowly realize how much they care for each other you will also find yourself partaking in their drama and living their emotions, and sometimes some of your own.

I loved the way the element of magic was flawlessly added to the story to give a touch of whimsical to this otherwise down to earth drama. In the end, without giving any spoilers; this is a fabulous read, the combination of very real human emotions, family betrayals, the challenging up-bringing of some of the characters, and the sensuality always so delicious of Ms.Kleypas' novels yield another engrossing and compelling story nothing short of fantastic.

I’m anxiously awaiting the audio book, so I can re-visit this fabulous read.

Audiobook Review: Jitters/with one copy to share.

Audiobook Review

By: Adele Park

Narrated by: Adele Park, Susan Paige Lane, Paige Allred, Kristen Henley, Desiree Whitehead, Garry Morris, John Gibson, Steve Coppola

Published by: Straight to Audio Productions 10/2010

Warm (adult content)

6hrs and 30 mins

Sample

Nancy Neptune loves to stir up trouble – it makes for awesome radio. But even the Queen of Obscene is amazed by all the twisted things that go down in the polygamist community of Zion Flats.

For Sandy Wyman, a one armed reporter, sharing a house with Nancy Neptune is like living in a dorm room on steroids. Seeking refuge from the chaos that comes from being within 20 feet of a person like Nancy Neptune, Sandy befriends a polygamist with a host of sketchy habits.

Nadine Mackleprang, a nosy neighbor, is trying to eat everything that isn't nailed down so she won't have to think about why her husband has left her for another man. When she learns that Sandy's polygamist pal is in danger, Nadine waddles to the rescue.

Join Nancy Neptune and her eccentric gaggle of girlfriends for an unforgettable tour through polygamist country in Jitters - A Quirky Little Audio Book.

Jitters is a full-length audio book told in first person narratives. Each chapter begins with a newscast on KNVL, the radio station headed by the notorious Nancy Neptune. Listen as a cast of 15 characters react to the events of the day in Jitters - A Quirky Little Audio Book

My Thoughts

Is not very often that I wander away from my favorite genre, but when Audiobook Jukebox placed this title up for review, and after I found out that it had won the Audie Award for Best Multi-Voice Performance of 2011, I was more than a little curious.

Besides romance, one my favorite thing in life is to laugh, and laugh I did.

This little ensemble of off the wall characters delivers 6 and 1/2 hours of hilarious entertainment.

This is my first experience with a multicast audio production, and wow! It was like watching a sitcom; the characters were real and fleshed-out beautifully. After all, the majority of the narrators in this production are actors, actors that very nicely and accurately brought the entire cast to life.

I loved the self deprecating humor of Nadine, and quick wit of Nancy.

The arrival of radio chock jock Nancy Neptune to a neighboring town of a polygamist Mormon community sets the humorous tone for the story, and with each daily broadcast we get introduced to a different character with an engaging and entertaining (funny) story of their own.

Although this is not a very long audiobook, the first person narration of each chapter truly gives you the feeling that you know the characters, and it adds enjoyment to the humor.

To whom I would recommend this book? To anyone with a sense of humor that can find without prejudice the funny side of all situations.

Once again I thank Audiobook Jukebox and Straight to Audio Productions for the opportunity to listen and to share my thoughts about this short but very fun listen.

I was given and additional copy of Jitters, and if you would like to experience KNVL radio and what I just described, leave small comment below, and I will draw a winner on 02/29/2012. I will notify the winner via e-mail.
Sorry! but I can only include US residents this time.

The Author and Producer

Adele Park