Audiobooks

The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott & Giveaway (US/Canada)

August 17, 2015 by Darlene

Having read and really enjoyed Jason Mott’s debut novel The Returned I was really excited to read his newest The Wonder of All Things. Mott’s storytelling leaves the reader questioning themselves as to what they would do in the same situation and I like that. He also writes of strange phenomena and that intrigues me. In The Returned it was dead people coming back to their loved ones and in The Wonder of All Things it’s a young girl who has the power to heal. I love books like this – books that give me a shiver up my spine.

It’s a normal day in the small town of Stone Temple and Ava and her best friend Wash are at the air show when a plane crashes into the crowd of people gathered there. Ava and Wash are trapped underneath a pile of rubble and while Ava is ok Wash is seriously injured. Ava can hear her father Macon telling her that help is on the way but Ava knows only one thing – she can’t let Wash die. As Ava lays her hands over Wash’s wounds he is miraculously healed.

What follows comes as no surprise. People go crazy, both in Stone Temple and throughout the world as the news spreads of this young thirteen-year-old girl and her healing powers. People and reporters flood into the town. Of course everyone wants to be healed and the doctors want to test and test Ava to try and determine how she even possesses this gift. People think it is a sin for the girl not to help people if she’s able to. The thing is though that every time Ava uses this gift it takes a horrible toll on her body and she refuses to do what everyone wants her to… she will only use her gift if it is her choice to do so.

I felt for Ava. What a choice to be faced with – help people suffering or don’t help them and with her being so young she had to depend on the adults to help her and that help wasn’t always the best. I think the choice would be made easier for me if I became ill myself doing it. Wash was such a little gentleman and always taking care of Ava and the blossoming love between the two young people was sweet. As with Mott’s first novel, this one too leaves you asking yourself what you would do and has you wondering about miracles in themselves.

I listened to The Wonder of All Things which is narrated by Julia Whelan who is a favorite narrator of mine and she did a great job bringing the characters and this story to life. The Wonder of All Things is a beautifully written novel about love, loss, and the deep love we carry for those closest to us. Highly recommended!

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GIVEAWAY – OPEN TO US & CANADIAN RESIDENTS
1 paperback copy up for giveaway
*CLICK HERE* and fill out the form to enter
Draw Date September 2/15

Source: Digital copy received for review from the publisher in return for an honest review. Audiobook personal copy. No compensation was received.

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Woman With a Secret by Sophie Hannah

August 7, 2015 by Darlene

Woman With a Secret is the newest from Sophie Hannah. I’ve never read anything by Sophie Hannah and this one apparently has characters from a long running series she has but can stand alone and I found it did. Woman With a Secret is a dark novel of secrets, lies, and deceit.

Nicki Clements is married with two children. It all seems pretty normal but it isn’t. Nicki has secrets and not just your run of the mill kind. She carries the kind of secrets that have the power to destroy the family she cares about. Only one person shares her secrets – a man she initially met online on a site called Intimate Links. She knows she’s playing with fire but can’t help herself.

One day on the way home she encounters a huge police presence on a road very near her home. They are stopping everyone and while Nicki is waiting she sees someone she had hoped to never see again and she knows she has to get out of there and quick. So she does and in doing so sets off a chain of events that she never could have imagined and it starts with her being arrested for a murder. As the detectives investigate Nicki has no choice but to lay her secrets out before everyone and hope to be forgiven, not to mention cleared of murder.

I’m very on the fence with this novel. I found the part of Nicki and her foray into a website such as Intimate Links very intriguing but soon enough the novel started going in other directions with the detectives and numerous other characters that were introduced and it basically lost me there. I listened to the audiobook and I have to give kudos to the narrators David Thorpe and Julia Barrie because they did do a great job. Even though Nicki isn’t a character anyone will like if the novel had stayed more focused on her and her past and present life I would have liked it more. I think this is one of those novels you’ll either like or not like – I’m in the middle.

Recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.

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Source: Digital review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. No compensation was received.

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The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster (Audiobook)

August 5, 2015 by Darlene

Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite authors, both in her memoirs which are always great and her forays into fiction. I adore her sarcasm and sense of humor and sitting down with a book of hers is a treat for me. Her newest The Best of Enemies was such a good listen for me and I enjoyed every minute with my only issue being that it ended too soon. The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan and Emily Rankin and both of these ladies are amazing narrators and I always enjoy listening to them. They do a great job of portraying the characters of this story perfectly!

Jacqueline (Jack) has been besties with Sarabeth (Sars) from the time they are kids. Branching out in college Jack decides to room with someone else and that ends up being Kitty. While they start out on the right path to becoming best friends they manage to derail that friendship big time and while they are both still friends with Sarabeth, they are sworn enemies of each other.

While Jack becomes a journalist and travels to some of the most dangerous places in the world Kitty becomes a mom and devotes herself to her husband, kids, and her blog. The two of them have absolutely nothing in common but when they learn that Sarabeth’s husband has died they both rush to her side. Despite the two disliking each other as much as they do they both find they agree that his death seems suspicious. They decide to put aside their differences to do some investigating. After all they’ve both got to protect their best friend Sarabeth. To solve the mystery Jack and Kitty set out on a road trip. The big question is can the two of them survive each other?

I really loved this book and the twist at the end was good too. Jen’s humor shines through in this story and I found myself laughing over and over again throughout the book. In all seriousness though, while the story has its humorous side there is also the very real side of forgiveness and moving on. Another fabulous read from Jen Lancaster! Highly recommended!

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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. No compensation was received.

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If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison (Audiobook)

July 31, 2015 by Darlene

If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison is the perfect book for summer reading! Seriously how many of us haven’t thought of what we would do differently if we could turn back time? Well thirty-seven year old Ramie Phillips gets just that chance when on a boat with friends she takes a dive off the diving board and the next thing she knows she is waking up as her eighteen-year-old self.

Ramie has been a little dissatisfied with her life even though she’s really successful in her career. She’s got everything she could want in terms of money, rich friends, and the material things in life but personally she has been feeling more lost than ever. While her friends are getting married or having families Ramie can’t even seem to find a suitable man. So when the conversation on the boat turns to these kinds of topics Ramie gets annoyed and consequently takes that fateful trip off the diving board.

When Ramie wakes up it is the eve of her eighteenth birthday and she can’t believe it, yet looking in the mirror she sees her nice smooth skin and knows it’s true and even better she still has all the knowledge from her thirty-seven year old self. As this all sinks in Ramie realizes that she has the chance to change all the things she regrets and even more importantly to be able to reconnect with those she has lost. So even while Ramie is wondering how she ended up time traveling she is also looking to see how she can right some wrongs of her past and just maybe set her future on the right path.

I really enjoyed If I Could Turn Back Time. I think we all wish we could go back in time with the knowledge we have now. I know I do and would I ever do things differently. I find these time travel stories fun and like I said they always make me wonder ‘what if’. I listened to the audiobook of If I Could Turn Back Time which is narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and she does a fantastic job. I always enjoy audios narrated by her because she always makes a story even better with her talent at different voice tones and just the emotions she puts into her reading. Loved it! Highly recommended for those who enjoy women’s fiction.

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Source: Digital review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review however audiobook from personal library. No compensation was received.

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The Passion of Marie Romanov by Laura Rose (Audiobook)

July 29, 2015 by Darlene

If you’re anything of a history buff you likely already know about the Romanov family and their horrible end and in The Passion of Marie Romanov, Laura Rose brings that history to life. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Lillian Webb and Travis Smith and they bring even more power and emotion to the story. The majority of the story is narrated by Lillian Webb as the narrative itself is told by one of the Romanov daughters Marie. The ending is narrated by Travis Smith who in a very realistic way brings the tragic end of the Romanov’s alive in our minds. Very well done by both narrators who kept me rapt throughout the telling of the Romanov’s story and the very beautiful writing of Laura Rose.

The story is told from the perspective of the third Romanov daughter Marie and is based on original diaries and letters written by her. It’s a fascinating although terribly sad accounting of what happened to the Romanov family as they were kept in captivity. When taken the Romanov’s were told they were being taken somewhere safe and so they assumed their privileged lives would carry on as they had. It wasn’t long until they realized it wasn’t so when they were unable to even get proper provisions such as food and were no longer treated to the finer things like butter and coffee. At one point the guards even whitewashed their windows effectively cutting them off from the world. As it is historical fiction there are some things like the romance Marie has with a guard brought into the picture. For me I can see a young girl of nineteen yearning for love but I’m not sure that within the time period that the Romanov’s would have lived that a well brought up girl would have carried the romance as far as she did or even had the opportunity to do so. That aside the story is so beautifully told but I will say that the ending is not for the faint of heart. The Romanov’s execution is brought to life in vivid detail and I think that’s to portray the unfairness and downright evilness that was done to this family.

I have read a bit about the Romanov’s in the past including researching them a bit on the internet because their story is so tragic. To imagine that people can kill others so brutally is so horrific to me. One has to wonder how history would have changed had they all been allowed to live. I found this account by Laura Rose to be rich in historical detail with a fictional story weaved throughout that will definitely entice the historical fiction fan. Highly recommended … especially in audio!

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Source: Review copy provided by ListenUp Audiobooks for an honest review. No compensation was received.

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Girl Underwater by Claire Kells (Audiobook)

July 28, 2015 by Darlene

It’s always exciting to discover an audiobook that you know from the beginning is going to make your favorites list and that is exactly what Girl Underwater by Claire Kells was for me. It’s narrated by Julia Whelan and if you listen to audiobooks at all then you already know what a fantastic narrator she is. I love the different voices she’ll use for her characters and the emotion she puts into telling the story really brings it alive for the listener. She’s one of my favorite narrators so I was thrilled to see she was narrating the story and then when the book turned out to be so good I was over the moon. It was like watching a good movie that you just can’t turn away from. Girl Underwater is a powerful story about survival – both in the most trying of circumstances and in life.

Nineteen-year-old Avery has always loved the water and is a competitive college swimmer. She’s got a great boyfriend and family with a father who has always taught her to take care of herself. She’s happy with her life so far … until the plane crash. On the way home for Thanksgiving break the plane she is on crashes in the middle of the Rocky Mountains and Avery finds herself one of only five survivors. One of those survivors is teammate Colin as well as three young boys. For almost a week they struggle to survive the snow and cold of the Rocky Mountains. As the story unfolds it alternates between the scenes of the plane crash with Avery’s life in present. We see her as she tries to do what she can for those she’s stranded with and her inner turmoil with the choices she needs to make in order for them to survive at all. In present we see how the aftermath of something so devastating takes its toll on an individual as Avery struggles just to get through each day and then there is the secret she is keeping, hiding it even from herself.

Avery is a great character. She’s smart and strong and she’s easy to like and to relate to. The author weaves a love story throughout the novel but it isn’t overwhelming – it’s just perfect as are the two male leads she has in the story especially Colin. As well she tackles the psychological side of such an event and it’s effects on those who survived. To be sure Kells certainly grabs your attention with the terror of a plane crash, the survival, and the aftermath in such a way that you can’t put down this book or in my case stop listening.

Girl Underwater is the debut novel from Claire Kells and it’s an awesome one. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Highly recommended … especially in audio – the production is fabulous!

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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review. No compensation was received.

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