AUDIOBOOK ➯ THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE

BY CYNTHIA HAND

NARRATED BY ERIN SPENCER

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 5

❐ Scrooge Retelling

❐ That's uniquely different

❐ The Ghosts of Christmas

❐ YA

I put this book off for way too long. The perfect Christmas book for someone who doesn't do Christmas books...because working in retail has killed my Christmas joy. A fun, modern twist on an old Christmas favorite that was a pleasant surprise. I actually really enjoyed this, from the Scroog-y beginning all the way to the terrific ending. If you like YA sometimes, or all the time, and you want a fun Christmas retelling of Scrooge...give this a try.

❐ Hoopla Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H

❐ Plot ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 5/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE UNRAVELING OF CASSIDY HOLMES

BY ELISSA R. SLOAN

NARRATED BY BRITTANY PRESSLEY, NATALIE NAUDUS, JAYME MATTLER, PIPER GOODEVE, CAITLIN KELLY, MEGAN TUSING, & STEPHEN GRAYBILL

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 3½ | Narration 5

❐ Contemporary

❐ The rise and fall of a Pop Star/Pop Quartet

❐ TW: Suicide, eating disorders, physical abuse, rape, & the difficulties of coming out to the world

The narration is performed superbly in this...with each member of the band having their own narrator and a male voice doing the media bits and each of them gave a fantastic performance.

While the book deals with many topics, showing the shady side of show-business and puts a lot of focus on what happened between this group of girls to bring about the unraveling of Cassidy Holmes it ultimately lacks closure. Not only for the main thread of her suicide but also for some of the other threads at play in the story.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 12h 1m

❐ Plot ➯ 3/5

❐ Characters ➯ 3.5/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 3.5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 3.5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 2/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ HEART BONES

BY colleen hoover

NARRATED BY ANGELA GOETHALS

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 5 | Narration 5 ❐ Contemporary Romance ❐ New Adult ❐ Single POV ❐ Bolivar Peninsula, Texas Setting

I'm a fan of anything Colleen Hoover writes. She always seems to effortlessly evoke real emotions for me. Beyah and Samson's story was no exception. From the ocean setting to their heartbreaking backstories to the perfect ending...I was absolutely hooked.

❐ Audible Listen

❐ Length ➯ 8H 12M

❐ Steaminess to Story Ratio ➯ 15/85

❐ Plot ➯ 5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 5/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 5/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ THE INHERITANCE GAMES

 BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES

NARRATED BY CHRISTIE MOREAU

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 3½ | Narration 4½

❐ YA Contemporary Mystery

❐ With a splash of romance...that was slightly awkward and confusing

❐ Poor to Rich in the blink of an eye

❐ Let the games begin...

What if someone you've never met leaves you billions of dollars and leaves a pittance of that to his actual family members...you would want to know why?  Why you? Why not them?  Everyone in the family is up in arms...fired up to sue for their share, eventually, even attempted murder comes into play.  

All in all, this was an interesting premise that hooked me right from the start.  It was engaging and I flew through this audio in no time.  When I look back at it, though, I can find a couple of issues with the story from the awkward love triangle to the less than satisfying ending...but maybe there's more in store for everyone in the second book.  

The narration was performed swimmingly by Christie Moreau and she set the tone for this perfectly.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H 45M

❐ Plot ➯ 4/5
❐ Characters ➯ 3.7/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 3.5/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 3.7/5
❐ Ending ➯ 3/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ TEN BELOW ZERO

 

BY WHITNEY BARBETTI

NARRATED BY NATASHA SOUDEK

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4 | Narration 4

❐ Stand-alone with mostly single POV

❐ Contemporary Romance

❐ Sex-plicit

❐ One has cancer

❐ One has a traumatic past

❐ Both of them have forgotten how to live

I'm always happy when I can find a romance that can actually make me feel something.  This one did...with indelible characters whose stories felt unique. Also, the ending completely came through for me, too...I was worried it was going to be another one of those books.  It was also on Kindle Unlimited.  Double Bonus.

The narration wasn't great per se, it was very monotone...and yet, she felt perfect for the voice of the heroine since she proclaims to not feel much at all...she is just existing.  Good for this story doesn't necessarily mean she is good for any others and I don't know if she sounds this monotone in everything she performs because this is the only book I've listened to her in...so...for all I know, she could be amazing.

❐ Audible Listen through KU

❐ Length ➯ 9H 44M

❐ Steaminess to Story Ratio ➯ 20/80

❐ Plot ➯ 4/5
❐ Characters ➯ 3.8/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4.3/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ RED HOOD

 

BY ELANA K ARNOLD

NARRATED BY JANUARY LAVOY

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ CONTEMPORARY MIXED WITH FANTASY

❐ METAPHORICAL/ALLEGORICAL

❐ 2ND PERSON POV 

❐ GIRL POWER/FEMINISM

❐ LOOSELY BASED ON RED RIDING HOOD

❐ VIOLENT TO THE POINT OF POSSIBLY GOING TO FAR

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 14 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

There are plenty of readers/listeners that didn't really care for this...and I can see their points of contention.  It does graphically expound on the very worse parts of having a period...not to say that they have good parts.  It was weird, uncomfortable even, and probably could have been toned down quite a bit.

The other element of this story that many couldn't deal with is that it's told in second-person.  It's funny, I tried listening to this a couple of months ago and couldn't deal with that aspect at all.  When I picked this up again, I never even noticed it.  It must've been the perfect moment for me to pick this book up.  

Overall, there are many ways to look at this story...because it's deep, with layers (you know like an onion or an ogre).  While it does venture into a place that is filled with vengeance and violence...I think it did that to make a point but also, for me personally, by the end...I think they may have gone too far to get that point across.

Last but not least, I'm quite positive that the elements of this book I did like were made possible due to the fantastic narration by January LaVoy.  Sometimes, I'm slightly underwhelmed (she is always good, though) by her performances, and on others, she freaking nails it.  This is one where she nailed it.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 3.7/5

Characters ➯ 4.3/5

The Feels ➯ 4/5

Pacing ➯ 4.3/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4.3/5

Theme/Tone ➯ 2.7/5

Originality ➯ 3.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4.2/5

World-Building ➯ 3.5/5

Ending ➯ 2.5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 3¾ STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE COMEBACK

 

BY ELLA BERMAN

NARRATED BY SASKIA MAARLEVELD

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ TIMELY REALISTIC CONTEMPORARY FICTION

❐ WHICH FEELS ALL TOO TRUE

❐ TOLD IN PAST AND PRESENT TENSE

❐ CHILD ACTOR'S RISE, CRASH, & BURN AS SHE TRANSCENDS TO ADULTHOOD

❐ DIRECTOR WHO DISCOVERS HER MAKES HER HIS MUSE & MUCH MORE

❐ GRAPPLING WITH HER TRUTH AND COMING CLEAN

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 10 HOURS, 21 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

Saskia Maarleveld was superb in this role...her narration brought out the atmosphere of this story perfectly of which the author has set the stage for most superbly herself.

A well-written story about a girl who is sort of mistakenly discovered at a casting call at her high school and how when someone she should've been able to trust takes advantage of her in the worse way possible...that started when she was only just a child.  Of how it screwed with her head...turned her into someone she never met to be and made her feel like she could never dig her way out.  All while being famous and having the whole world watching and waiting.  

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 5/5

Characters ➯ 4.7/5

The Feels ➯ 5/5

Pacing ➯ 4.5/5

Addictiveness ➯ 5/5

Theme/Tone/Intensity ➯ 5/5

Originality/Believability ➯ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 5/5

World-Building ➯ 5/5

Ending ➯ 5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¾ STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ BLOOD AND SALT

BY AUTHOR KIM LIGGETT

NARRATED BY CHLOE CANNON

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ BLOOD AND SALT #1 OF 2

❐ GOTHIC HORROR ROMANCE

❐ TOLD FROM ONE POV

❐ A UTOPIA...OR IS IT A CULT

❐ SECRETS, LIES, BETRAYALS & MYSTERIOUS DEATHS

❐ WTF IS UP WITH THAT CORN

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 23 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON HOOPLA THROUGH MY LIBRARY

Since I'm woefully behind on my reviews lately...this is going to be super quick.  Take some forbidden romance, a set of fraternal twins, one of which sees dead people or one dead person, a creepy cornfield in Kansas, a little bit of alchemy, and a bit of sketchy immortality mixed with one weird little "town" where everyone thinks they are living in some kind of utopia and that is Blood and Salt in a nutshell.  

Chloe Cannon felt like she was the perfect narrator for the MC, Ashlyn, and brought out the atmosphere of the book quite adequately.

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 4½ STARS

Plot ➯ 4.3/5

Characters ➯ 4.3/5

The Feels ➯ 4/5

Pacing ➯ 4/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.3/5

Originality ➯ 4.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4/5

Romance/Chemistry ➯ 3.8/5

Ending ➯ 4.3/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¼ STARS

I LISTENED TO THIS FOR THE SQUARE

FOR HALLOWEEN BINGO 2020

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ REVOLUTION

 

BY JENNIFER DONNELLY

NARRATED BY EMILY JANICE CARD & EMMA BERING

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

THE DETAILS✎

❐ PARIS SETTING BOTH 1790'S AND PRESENT DAY-ISH

❐ DUAL POV'S --ONE PRESENT (ANDI) & ONE PAST (ALEX)

❐ A SENIOR THESIS PROJECT

❐ FRENCH REVOLUTION

❐ MUSICALLY INFLUENCED BOTH MODERN & CLASSICAL

❐ TIME-TRAVELING OR JUST A REALLY VIVID DREAMSCAPE

❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 15 HOURS, 4 MINUTES

❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

MY REVIEW IN ONE SENTENCE ➯ A historical story immersed within a modern story with a dollop of romance, plenty of music references, time-travel, and one broken family trying to cope with the pain of losing someone they love.

The narration by Emily Janice Card & Emma Bering was very well performed.  I did struggle sometimes with comprehending the french words and accents, but that's on me.  It's funny though after I finished this and went to sleep, throughout my dreams I kept hearing french accents.

This started out slow...with a lot of inane teen drama and chatter...but once the MC goes to Paris with her Dad...things get a whole lot more interesting.  It was like a history lesson on the French Revolution with a bonus of music history.  I really enjoyed this aspect and even tried to look up the composer that she was doing her thesis on...but alas, I think he was made up.

There is some time-traveling of a sort, which for others could be a turn-off, but it really only enhanced the history aspect for me and I really liked it.  Overall, I found this to be an entertaining story, and since the narration was so excellently performed I readily recommend the audio version...especially for those slow parts of the story...listening always makes this so much easier to power through than actual reading.  

BREAKDOWN✎

Narration ➯ 5 STARS

Plot ➯ 4.3/5

Characters ➯ 4/5

The Feels ➯ 4.3/5

Pacing ➯ 4/5

Addictiveness ➯ 4.3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➯ 4.3/5

Originality ➯ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4.2/5

World-Building ➯ 4.3/5

Ending ➯ 5/5

SUMMATION ➯ 4¼ STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ● PERVERSION TRILOGY

BY AUTHOR T.M. FRAZIER

NARRATED BY STEPHANIE WYLES & AIDEN SNOW

●SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE●

❱ REVIEW FOR PERVERSION TRILOGY

❱TWO POV'S --HERO/HEROINE

❱ CONTEMPORARY-ISH DARK ROMANCE

❱ BEDLAM BROTHERHOOD...

❱ RAPE, AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

❱ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 16 HOURS, 4 MINUTES (COMBINED TOTAL)
❱ I LISTENED ON LIBBY & HOOPLA THROUGH MY LIBRARIES

MY THOUGHTS⇣

These eye-catching covers are what initially drew me into reading something I don't usually read.  I mean, I use to read exclusively romance at one point in my life...but found out eventually that I did not like MC(biker club) romance, at all.  Although, in this particular series, it is stated that they are not an MC...because most of them don't own bikes.  Plus, I hate riding on motorcycles...so I would make a terrible biker chic.  Seriously, I have to be in a certain mindset to enjoy these types of stories. The other thing that drew me in, is my quest to find a dark romance that can pull me in and make me feel.  This 3 book series came pretty close to doing just that...despite the insta-love feeling I got from it and the fact that I hate book series that could and should be one book or two at the most.

While I found some elements to be unbelievable or just plain awful...by the end I still found myself feeling a little something for these characters.  They got under my skin and I wanted a happy ending for them or happiest as they could get, anyway.  

The fantastic narration by Aiden Snow and Stephanie Wyles made a huge impact on my overall enjoyment of the series too.  I really had to finagle to listen to this whole series on audio.  I got the first book from overdrive through my local library and the second on Hoopla through my local library...and the third from the library that I pay for an out-of-area eCard too.  

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating ⇢ 4½ STARS

Plot ⇢ 2.7/5

Characters ⇢ 4/5

The Feels ⇢ 3.5/5

Pacing ⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness ⇢ 3.8/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 3/5

Originality/Believability ⇢ 2.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 3.5/5

Romance/Chemistry ⇢ 3/5

Steaminess to Story Ratio 20/80

Ending ⇢ 4/5

SUMMATION ⇢ 3½ STARS

REVIEW ● THE LIFE THAT MATTERED ●

BY JEWEL E ANN 

NARRATED BY ANDI ARNDT & PAUL WOODSON

●SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE●

THE DETAILS●●●

● THE LIFE SERIES #1 OF 2

● CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE WITH A TWIST

● W/A HINT OF SUPERNATURAL/THE UNEXPLAINED

● A ROMANCE THAT FOCUSES ON LIFE MORESO THAN ACTUAL ROMANCE

● TWO POV'S --HERO & HEROINE'S 

● ENDS IN A SERIOUS CLIFFHANGER

● LENGTH OF AUDIO - 8 HOURS 38 MINUTES
● I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE

MY THOUGHTS●●●

MY REVIEW IN ONE SENTENCE:  The Life That Mattered is small parts Aspen Extreme, Final Destination, Vice Versa, and The Last Song that's been melded, molded, and mashed-up into something completely original.  

If you like romance but feel like most of them are just the same story recycled then this might be exactly what you need.  It does end on a cliffhanger though, so you might want to have book #2 ready to go.  To be honest, I dislike when an author splits a book up into two parts just to sell more books.  It's so not cool...but on the other hand, I would also hate to miss out on a story that I could love just because of my dislike.  It's really a catch-22.

I've only read two books by Jewel E Ann, this one and End of Day and so far, I would say her writing style is really unlike any other romance writer that I've ever read/listened to...it's edgy, lascivious, oddly funny, and intrinsically deep without feeling deep.  

I started this, in eBook format, back in March right before we went into quarantine...and for some reason, with everything going in the world I was unable to read anything...I was listening to audiobooks the whole time without any problem, though.  The other day I saw on Instagram that this had an audio edition, so I used one of my credits and finished it quite quickly after that.  The narration is very well performed by both...I always like Andi Arndt...and Paul Woodson's accent was just the right amount.  So, now I'm impatiently waiting on the second book to come out on audio, so I can finish this up.  

BREAKDOWN●●●

● Narration Rating ⇢ 5 STARS

● Plot ⇢ 4.3/5

● Characters ⇢ 4.5/5

● The Feels ⇢ 4.2/5

● Pacing ⇢ 4/5

● Addictiveness ⇢ 4/5

● Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 4.3/5

● Originality/Believability ⇢4.2/5

● Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 4.3/5

● Romance/Chemistry ⇢ 4.5/5

● Steaminess to Story Ratio ⇢ 30/70

● Ending ⇢ 4.2/5

● Summation ⇢ 4¼ STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ● SPARROW ●

BY L.J. SHEN

NARRATED BY MICHAEL PAULEY

●SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE●

THE DETAILS●●●

● CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

● WITH A LITTLE SUSPENSE

● ALTERNATING POV'S (HERO & HEROINE)

● TOLD BY ONLY ONE (MALE) NARRATOR

● SEXPLICIT --WITH A SIDE OF PAIN=PLEASURE

● LENGTH OF AUDIO - 9 HOURS, 23 MINUTES
● I LISTENED ON AUDIBLE THROUGH AUDIBLE ESCAPE

MY THOUGHTS●●●

My narration rating is influenced by the fact that I believe this should have had a second narrator.  Michael Pauley easily gave a five-star performance for the part of Troy...but, and this even despite him giving her voice a different tone, he shouldn't have been the one to perform Sparrows sections.  That sort of thing just throws off the entire story for me...I wanted to rate it lower because of this...but I had to give him props for trying.

I liked the heroine --she was shy but feisty and felt genuine. The Hero, not so much, he was supposed to be this dark mobster...but really he was just kind of dirty...and not really all that mobster-ly. I had a few issues with him and maybe I felt he didn't really deserve Sparrow...but meh what can I say...love is love and maybe he grew on me a little at least. The story did have some depth to it with the suspense element, despite how predictable it is, it helped to balance out the overabundance of sex going on.

 

BREAKDOWN●●●

● Narration Rating ⇢ 4 STARS

● Plot ⇢ 3.5/5

● Characters ⇢ 3.5/5

● The Feels ⇢ 2.7/5

● Pacing ⇢ 3.8/5

● Addictiveness ⇢ 3.5/5

● Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 3/5

● Originality/Believability ⇢3.7/5

● Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 4/5

● Romance/Chemistry ⇢ 3/5

● Steaminess to Story Ratio ⇢ 40/60

● Ending ⇢ 3.8/5

● Summation ⇢ 3½ STARS