Kelly

Story: 4 stars. Performance: 5 stars (if I could give more, I would)

This book is full of twists and turns, some obvious and some not, it's difficult to really talk about it without ruining any of it. So let me just say that it is a great story. A little on the short side but I can see why. It kept me captivated and wanting to know what was going to happen next. Now, I would have liked a little more at parts, especially the end, I would have liked to have seen a switch in POV to see how a certain character reacted and felt about the revelations. But I can also understand leaving it where it did. I'm a conflict of opinions lol.


Jason Clarke as a serial killer is new for me and once I got over the ‘WTF? No, this is my flowers and chocolate romance guy' moment, and could really appreciate him in this role. Hank and Claude are so different and the way he performed them was fantastic. It was obvious which character was which and this performance is just more evidence to Jason being the most versatile voice actor in narration right now.

The production was brilliant with no issues.

Every single time I see or hear something from Erin Mallon, I think this is the time she's not going to have my full attention. This is the time that she isn't going to captivate me. Not because I don't have faith in her, but because I'm a firm believer in not every book or play being for every person. The thing is, Erin has yet to let me down. Every time I listen to something she has created, I am blown away with her mind and skill.

Branched was quite the mind-trip. It was funny and thought-provoking, classic Erin, but it was also weird as hell. I have no idea where Erin comes up with these ideas. I listened to it once to take it in, a second time to pick up on all the subtleties I missed, and a third to just enjoy and bask in the awesomeness of talent. This is a must listen audio play that will have listeners scrunching up their faces, laughing out loud, and doing a double-take before leaving them wondering what the heck they just experienced. Five stars!


The cast was everything. Erin Mallon, Lance Greenfield, and Carly Robins were fantastic but Joe Arden stole the show with his performance of five-year-old, Ben. Each of them brought something special to the role they played and the interactions were just everything I needed.
Zachary Webber's violin skills were showcased beautifully. Nick Long did an amazing job with the sound effects. If you've read any of my reviews or talked audiobooks with me at all, you'll know that sound effects are not my thing, but Nick does such brilliant work that it didn't overpower the dialogue. And Tyler Whitlatch worked his usual magic for a seamless production.

A relisten of my favourite guy is always a good idea. William has my heart. He is such a fantastic character and his and Jenna's story is so beautiful. I love that this book tackles things you don't always see in romance novels. Autism. PTSD.
I'm not usually a fan of virgin heroes but it worked so well for this story that it made perfect sense, and I couldn't imagine it without it. The struggles William and Jenna face are so unique to them, each of them struggling for their own reasons and then coming together for a goal and building not only their friendship but their relationship. The sexual tension was off the charts. And the grand gesture? Wait? Which one? There is one than one grand gesture in this book and they're all swoon worthy. Give this story and read and try not to fall in love with my guy.

Kirsten Leigh and Jason Clarke were phenomenal in this book. You'd think, then having done the rest of the books in the series, that this would just be another book, same ol same ol but it was so much more than that. The way they performed some difficult and emotional scenes really took the book to the next level. I loved everything about their performances.

Finishing up my relisten with Worth Any Cost was so good. I love that we got another Adam and Mia book, looking at were their relationship is and how it's progressed. The little tidbits from the first book that made their way into the story to give it that feel of coming full circle. Of course, nothing is smooth sailing were this couple are concerned but thankfully, nothing gut wrenching. We also get to see peeks at Jordan and April, and William and Jenna and that was such a delight. Of course, this book had me cursing Jordan again, but he came good, in the end. A must listen series.

Jason Clarke and Kirsten Leigh were fantastic. It's been a joy to listen to them throughout.

This was such a fun book. If you're a fan of the 80s you will love all of the references. Jeremy Robinson has this brilliant way of blending action and humour that is showcased perfectly in this story. It's fun sci-fi that will keep you captivated until the very end.


RC Bray was fantastic as usual. The way he brings these characters to life and gives them each a unique and entertaining voice is astounding. That being said, and no disrespect to Bray because like I said, he was brilliant, but I would have liked to have seen some diverse casting with this audiobook since the premise of the book is that Dark Horse, the main character, is the last black man. A part from that, it was a wonderful listen with no production issues.

This was such a fun relisten. Having done the earlier books in the series and being reminded how much I disliked Jordan and April, it amazing me how Brenna managed to not only turn my opinion of them around but make me fall completely in love with them. I love a good office romance and add in an a-hole hero, and I'm there. This book not only has all the elements I love in a good story but it also lets us have a window into Adam and Mia's lives after the original trilogy. There is so much more to April than I even thought, and I loved that. Finding out why she did the things she did and the person she is really made her one of my favourite heroines. And Jordan. Swoon. Who doesn't love a bad boy turned good?

Kirsten Leigh and Jason Clarke were fantastic. I especially loved how Jason made every character sound how they did in the trilogy. So Adam sounded just like Adam did throughout the trilogy. I'm so pumped to listen to William's story next. He's my favourite.

Continuing with my relisten of this series, and man, I forgot how gut-wrenching this book is. How I forgot, I don't know.
Adam and Mia are such a fantastic couple that have a lot to deal with in this book. I love that even when they were breaking my heart and making me feel all the feels that there was also funny moments. I really did not like Jordan in this trilogy but by the end, I was ready to give him a maybe.

Kirsten Leigh is fabulous and taking nothing away from her but Jason Clarke absolutely stole the show with his emotional performance. I felt ALL the emotions.

I just did a relisten of this book and it is as heartbreaking as the times before. Even though I know what happens and how things progress for this couple, it still had me shouting at my phone and wanting to shake Adam and Mia. And chapter 20? I dunno how I survived it again, so much emotion. I loved that we got to see Adam and Mia's lives after they got together and how they were learning to be a couple. If you've not read it yet, know it is a cliffhanger and the next book is already available to dive into. And trust me, you're going to want to know what happens next.

Jason Clarke narrates this book to perfection. When I heard this was one of his first audiobooks, I had to do that whole, are you sure? thing. Because his performance is absolutely brilliant. He delivers the story in a way that is consuming and the emotion, man, I just can't. The scene between Adam and Heath at the end of the book is gut wrenching. And left me in a puddle of tears.

I've just done a relisten of this book and even though I loved it, I forgot how much. Maybe it's the geek in me that loves all the geeky references, maybe it's the swoony hero of Adam or the sassiness of the heroine, Mia. I loved their chemistry and interactions, especially at the beginning. It such a sweet story with some serious topics as backstories. Definitely one to add to your TBL.

Kirsten Leigh narrates and does a fantastic job of voicing these characters and bringing this story to life.

I started listening to this with very little expectation. I hadn't read/ listened to any other books in the series, so I really didn't know what to expect. Well, I can tell you that I didn't expect to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. That's for sure. This was most definitely a ‘one more chapter' situation and then before I knew it, we were at the epilogue and it was 3:30am.

It's a second chance MM romance that will tug at your heartstrings and make you swoon. There were times when I wanted to hug Tucker and Sam, and times when I wanted to slap them upside the head. Their relationship was all the things. They're so good together. The tension is real folks and it leaks from the page (earbuds) and has you needing to know what is going to happen next. And the sexy time? Insert shock and heart eyes emoji here.

I loved Sam's family and can't wait to dive into the other books to get to know their stories better.

Aaron Shedlock & Teddy Hamilton performed the heck out of this book. It's in duet, my favourite narration style, and it did not disappoint. Stella Hunter also pops in and voices the female characters like a champ. The southern accents were on point for this Brit. Swoon-central. The emotions in this story were performed to perfection. I was so lost in their performances that I lost track of the time and just wanted to keep listening.


The audio also included Hard Love a bonus prequel. Performed by Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter. This was such a sweet insta-love story. I loved getting to know how the Ryker parents came to be. They're so perfect for each other. I adored their story. What a wonderful addition. Aaron and Stella were fantastic. Their voices complemented each other and blended really well. The transition from one to the other was smooth and enjoyable.

3.5 stars

I was a little torn on how to rate this book. It's performed by some favourites, and the premise had my attention. Business partners that pretend to be married for a week? Sign me up! But the story just didn't hit all my favourite spots. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace for it or maybe because I expected something different?

I thought this book was going to be more like Lauren's romcoms than her After Dark series based on the cover and branding, but it felt much more like an After Dark book. The characters had been introduced in the series which adds to the feel, I think. And the focus was very much on the sexual journey of this couple than their relationship. Now, I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I just didn't expect it and felt the book left me wanting. Wanting more of them building their relationship—it felt like they went from business partners/ friends to f**k buddies to being in love with very little buildup in between. Wanting more humour—like I say, I thought this was going to be more on the romcom side of things and it ended up dealing with some pretty serious issues.

That being said, it was an enjoyable listen with interesting characters. A fun premise. And I loved that they were traveling around and getting to visit all these places with them.

If high heat, insta-love is your thing, you should most definitely pick this book up as I think you will love it.

It's performed by Vanessa Edwin and Shane East (with a few other voices thrown in here and there - it's a multicast) and I thought they did an amazing job with it. Vanessa is all the things. I love her voice and was so excited that she was the heroine in this story. She brought so much to Scarlett and her experiences. Shane is obviously the go-to British male voice, and for good reason, he was wonderful as Daniel and really brought a lot of emotion to the things the character had experienced in his past.

At the end of the audiobook was a novella prequel to Lauren's next book. That was performed by Erin Mallon and Teddy Hamilton. I enjoyed listening to it, a football team owner and a baseball player - sounds like fun, right? I look forward to finding out how their story unfolds.

You know how sometimes you read a book and it is exactly what you need? This is that book for me. I eagerly turned every page (yes, paperback, baby!) and read late into the night. Mabel is the sweetest person ever and it was so brilliant to see her grow. Wally, man, I thought I was in for a grumpy, sexy guy that was going to push my buttons and annoy me—in a, I need more of this way lol. Instead, I got the swooniest guy ever, and I was here for it! He's going on my top book boyfriends list for sure.

Erin's writing is captivating and funny—I'm talking laugh out loud hilarious—but it is also heartfelt. There were some underlying things happening or discussed that really had me high-fiving, nodding, and shedding a tear or two.

As a non-bug lover, I wasn't sure how I was going to do with this book, but I was surprised that not only was I not creeped out but the info on bugs was really interesting in the way it was presented and part of the story. It blended really well with the character and her quirks.

This book hits quite a few tropes. But not in the sense that it's a huge part of the story but in that something happens and you sit there and think, oooh, that could fall into this trope or that.

This is a must read. In fact, in a day or two, I'm going to listen to the audiobook. That's how much I loved it. Plus, I gotta hear Erin perform some of these scenes.

Side note: Dearest Mabel, I am with you on the C word. I got you, girlfriend!

This is a second chance romance, although, for this book, there isn't much about the romance, it's more them reestablishing being in each other's lives. I'll admit, I felt this book probably would have worked better for me as one book, had they cut out a lot of the childishness between the characters and had the heroine made smart decisions.

Sometimes, you meet heroines that you fall in love with and sometimes, they drive you crazy. Unfortunately, Gemma is the latter. Her inability to think for herself drove me to distraction. I kept waiting for her to end things in her current relationship and she just didn't, not matter how manipulative or emotionally abusive he was. Then, to make matters worse, she keeps pushing Tyler away when she is clearly still in love with him, and acting jealous when he looks to be moving on. Honestly, both characters were frustrating and acted a lot younger than they were. Which was disappointing because their chemistry was fantastic.

Overall, it was an interesting story and part one of a duet, the cliffhanger was a good one and leaves the listener wondering what is going to happen.

Lia Langola and Tor Thom narrated and did a good job. Although, at times, it felt like the accent was inconsistent. Production-wise, it was fine with the exception of one line that was repeated twice, but I don't know whether that was an audio issue or a book issue.

Note: If cheating isn't your thing, this book probably won't be to your liking.

This was like going on a holiday with my favourite group of people. Every time a Brenna Aubrey book releases, it's like a visit from an old friend. And this was no different. I loved that it was an ensemble story, featuring all four of her couples...plus Heath. Seeing them living their HEA and getting glimpses into that and seeing them working at keeping things going and connected.
Adam and Mia, they've been through so much, so it was such a joy to see them happy and making future plans. I had to laugh at Adam more than I should, but his control freak ways are just great.
Jordan and April, oh Jordan, I wanted to shake him so much, but I could help but laugh at him too. I loved that he was prepared to do something just because he thought it was what April wanted.
Katya and Lucas, they're so competitive and the way neither would give had me laughing and wanting to shake them at the same time. It was so great seeing them so soon after their story and getting to see them living their hea.
Heath, all I'm going to say is gimme gimme gimme. I NEED his story in my life.
William and Jenna, swoon. So many swoons. It's no secret Wil is my guy. My heart was so full spending time with him and Jenna again. The love they share and how the express it, it was just all the things. Not going to lie, I would adore another William and Jenna book. Maybe I should beg?

It was so good. A must read for fans of the Gaming the System series. I've lost all my articulation right now so I might rewrite this later.

I haven't read a lot of Stephen King, mainly because I connect him with horror and that's not my genre of choice. However, in broadening my horizons this year, I decided to dive into this collection of short stories and was pleasantly surprised. The stories felt more spooky than scary. They kept my attention throughout. His writing is so captivating. It may even have tempted me to try another of his books. If you like well written, intriguing stories, this is definitely a collection to try.

The narration was fantastic.

I had a hard time rating this book. It was really interesting and captivating. It held my attention but until the last 20% or so it didn't feel like a thriller. I feel like a good 15-20% could have been removed to quicken the pace. That being said, that's in no way about the book but the classification of thriller. I felt everything that happened was important, both in the story and in educating readers. I liked the build up and how everything tied together in the end. That last 20% had me gasping and turning sitting on the edge of my seat.
Some of the scenes in this book may be hard for some people to read/ listen to but they are important to the story and the impact they have on the reader/ listener.

The narration was great. Performed by Susan Dalian and Jay Aaseng. They both brought something unique and realistic to the performance. The production was great with no issues to note.

This was my introduction to Reacher, I know I know, where have I been? It's not that I haven't gotten other books or don't know who he is, the opportunity just hasn't arisen to dive in. I really enjoyed this book, it was everything that I love in a thriller. It was suspenseful with a mystery and interesting story threads and characters. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happening next and how everything was connected. Scott Brick performed the audiobook to perfection. Each character and emotion was given a unique voice and the transitions were smooth. There was a number of characters and it was always easy to ascertain which character's POV we were in. The production was great with no issues.

This book was a mixed bag for me. Whether it would have been better as an eyeball read, I'm not sure. I picked it up as I wanted to broaden my horizons, so to speak. In 2021, I wanted to read/ listen to books that were outside of my normal genres and also that had characters that were not primarily white. So this seemed like a perfect a choice. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. At times, it was hard to follow the story. To know whose head we were in and when. It felt like it was dragged out longer than it needed to be. That being said, it was entertaining, definitely creepy, and thought-provoking.

The narration was good, I felt the Shaun Taylor-Corbett had a lot to contend with, and he handled it well. His performance was engaging and he gave everyone a unique voice. I'd definitely listen to him again. Unfortunately, the production had some issues and I'm not sure how it got through QA there is static sound throughout the entire audiobook. It was distracting and almost caused me to DNF a few times, but I pushed through as I wanted to see how the story would end.

3.5 stars

I find the Audible Originals hit and miss. The good thing is that they are free with a membership. This one wasn't bad. I'm not always a fan of celebrity narrations but Kevin Bacon gave this story life! If you like things that are a little out there, you will probably love this. It is a little far-fetched, and at times, I found my thoughts drifting whilst listening, so it didn't keep my attention as I would have expected and wanted. But it was thought-provoking, and at times, funny. It's a quick and easy listen.

How to get Lucky by Lauren Blakely and debut author, Joe Arden is a fun and entertaining romcom. Told from the male point of view, which is a favourite of mine and not done enough in romance. I was both excited and nervous for this book. It had a lot of hype and that doesn't always transfer well. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how well this story read. It felt very cohesive. Lauren and Joe clearly work well together.

Teddy and London have an instant attraction and you can't help but share in their delight at it. However, nothing ever runs smooth in romance, and we soon find out that their blossoming romance needs to be put on hold. Cue all the will they or won't they moments. Which really built up the tension and made for an entertaining listen. I'll admit, the first half is what really captured my attention and heart, the second half seemed to fall a little flat. I think that's because I expected the book to have a little more emotion than it had. Seeing as that is what Joe excels at in his narration. It's more of a slow burn. The Star Wars and Jane Austen references were brilliant and just what I love. There are times when you can really see Joe's writing shining through and that gives the story the uniqueness of the male pov.

The female narrators were fantastic, Erin Mallon, Emma Wilder & Maxine Mitchell. They have small cameos throughout the story, and I enjoyed hearing them. Their scenes we're probably the funniest. However, I didn't feel that those scenes were necessary to the story. It doesn't advance it and feels more like it's them telling us what happened instead of showing us, which would have had more of an impact. The story would have been fine without it.

Joe narrates the book with his usual skill. Each character is uniquely voiced and the transition from one character to another is smooth. Unfortunately, there is an accent used a couple of times that didn't work for me. I don't know whether it was intentional to sound that way or it's just not an accent that he excels at. It pulled me out of the story and made me wonder why the character was written in with that accent. The production was great with no issues of note.

Erin Mallon is such an amazing playwright. I love her plays. They always bring more than you expect. Take these six short plays for example. You expect them to be funny and entertaining, and make no mistake, they are. But they are also thought-provoking, and at times, emotional.

We tend to have such singular views on what masculinity is and these plays give us chance to not only view it differently but actually think about how we view it and why. And how we can view it differently.

Performed by Joe Arden, Jason Clarke, PJ Ochlan, Lance Greenfield, Shane East, and Teddy Hamilton. These guys all bring something unique to the stories they are performing and these plays give them a chance to showcase skills we very rarely see from them on their romance narration. I laughed. I cried. I sat and thought about things. I jumped in a chat with my best girlfriends to discuss. Absolutely brilliant.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the instant attraction was done really well, and I could almost feel their attraction leaking off the page (or audio file in this instance). I liked that we were introduced to the supporting characters in a way that left me chopping at the bit for more. And that we also got enough background on the older generation, that it didn't matter if you hadn't read their stories but it whet the appetite to want to go and listen/ read anyway.

Riley was awesome. I loved him so much. It's been a while since I read/ listened to a cowboy story and now I'm kicking myself as to why I waited so long. If they're all like Riley, you need to sign me up! The accent. The swagger. The sweetness yet alphaness. It was all the things.

I liked Zoey for the most part. I did get annoyed at her repeatedly saying/ or internal monologue that she didn't have a choice. At times, I even started shouting at my phone. Yes, girl, you did have a choice and you made it. Own it and move on. Stop playing the poor me card. But otherwise, I liked her. I liked that she eventually stood her ground.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts. I liked that it started hot and heavy, then simmered down as they got to know each other, and then heated up again. The sexual tension, man, at times, I thought I was going to need a fire extinguisher.

There was a little production issue, and I don't know whether I misheard it or it was an inconsistency issue that wasn't picked up during edits but it took me out of the story a little. But it is probably something that others wouldn't have noticed. It wasn't enough to ruin the story, it just made me sit up and say, wait, what?

I thought the narration was fantastic. Lia Langola and Stephen Dexter were perfect for this book. Stephen's southern accent is all the things. The transition from one to the other was smooth and it wasn't jarring. Same as with the dialogue changes within a chapter, it felt like an easy shift. There voices complement each other well.

This story was all the things. I cried. I swooned. I laughed. It is sexy and emotional. I loved the banter between June and Burke and that the author didn't shy away from emotions with both of them. Too often, women are portrayed as the characters that get emotional but Ella James throws that stereotype out of the window and gives us a hero that is flawed and honest. We see his progression through the story and although he seems like a douche at times, it's obvious that he cares for the children and has underlying issues. June is the type of heroine I love. She doesn't take anything lying down. And shows that you can be smart without having the education to back it. The love both of these characters has for their siblings kids is heartwarming and lovely to listen to. Watching them go from enemies to lovers is one of my favourite things with this trope and it is done so beautifully in this story. The chemistry between them is earbud melting and really worked with the story. I loved how Ella blended all the feels together to bring this couple, this family, who have endured so much to their happily ever after.

Ava Erickson and Zachary Webber were perfectly cast in this audiobook. They both have very expressive voices for the emotional scenes and they are used to their fullest in this book. The little kid voices are portrayed wonderfully. Ava and Zachary are both captivating in this book and kept me listen well into the night.

I didn't have high expectations for this book, not because of the author but just in the way my mood has been lately. Well, Kendall must have taken this as a challenge. Not only did she write a book that was captivating but was also deep with emotion. It's rare to find a book where the hero is the one that needs support and understanding. It was so refreshing and a subject matter that was handled well and not in detail. That being said, it is still classic Kendall with humor and lightheartedness scattered throughout.
Penelope and Wolfie we're so wonderful together. I loved how they complemented each other with their personalities and actions. I loved the chemistry between these two characters and how they progressed through the story and could connected with each other on all levels. The sexual encounters were an important part of this story and they were both sexy and beautiful in the way they were addressed.

Jacob Morgan and Andi Arndt are fantastic in this audiobook. They were the perfect voice actors for this story. They both have a wonderful way of conveying the emotions the characters feel and that was showcased well here. The transitions from gender to gender and pov to pov was smooth and not jarring. My only little issue was the choice of voice for one of the side characters, Andi had him sound very different to Jacob but it's a minor character and most probably wouldn't notice it or care. It'sconly because Andi's performance of him is so funny that it stood out to me. Production was smooth with no issues to note.

Blame it on the Champagne by USA Today Bestselling author, Fiona Cole, is the first book in the Blame it on the Alcohol series, and Fiona starts the series with a bang. I love Fiona's writing; it's equal parts emotion, angst, and sexiness, she blends them so well together, that it's a joy to read and easy to get lost in the story and keep you reading late into the night.

I felt all the emotions with this book. I laughed. I cried. I cursed. I threatened bodily harm to a fictional character. I swooned. All. The. Things.

The hate to love, marriage of convenience relationship between Nico and Vera is everything! I loved their interactions, the push and pull of their desire fighting to overthrow the hate they felt towards one another. The sexual tension was palpable. And some of the sexy time, oh my word, someone needs to warn a person before dishing up that kind of heat. What I loved most was that even though the heat level is high, the story doesn't suffer for it. Each scene has a purpose and builds the connection between the two of them.

Vera is a good girl in her cardigan and pearls; she's also a badass! I loved her so much. She's smart and sassy and sexy. I loved how she stood her ground and challenged those in her life. The way she owned her sexuality and didn't just give-in, filled me with so much female positive energy.

Nico, Nico, Nico. What can I say? I was so torn over this man. At times, I wanted to physically inflict pain on him, and at other times, I was ready to climb him like a tree. Sexy and growly and sweet. And the mouth on this man, oh Lordy, Pearl clutchers beware, this is not the man for you. But he is most definitely the man for me. I loved his alpha ways, the dirty talking, and how he built Vera up and respected her...even when he was being #BadNico

One of the best things about this book...this series, is the girl crew. They are amazing, and I wanted to be a part of it. My wish is for every woman to have a girl crew like this. The support these women gave each other was beautiful. They teased, they laughed, they commiserated, and they totally would have been their to bury a body. The way they complemented each other really stood out, they were so individual and different but that made their friendship all the better. It was heartwarming, and at times, hilarious. I cannot wait for the next book, so we can see more of their interactions.