Category: Audio Books

In the Spotlight Tour and Giveaway: Guarding His Melody (Enhanced World Standalone) by Victoria Sue

Guarding His Melody (Enhanced World Standalone) by Victoria Sue

Dreamspinner Press
Cover Art: Jay Aheer

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon | B&N

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Victoria Sue here today talking about her latest novel      Guarding His Melody, the latest story and standalone novel in the Enhanced Universe.  Welcome!

♦︎

 

A standalone in the Enhanced World 

Deaf since childhood, Sebastian Armitage had a promising musical future until his dreams were shattered when he transformed at twelve years old. In a world where enhanced humans are terrorized and imprisoned, his life shrinks around him even more as he suffers the torment of his father’s experimental research to enable him to hear.

Gray Darling—struggling with the scars left by his experience in Afghanistan—agrees to provide short-term personal protection when anonymous threats escalate into assault on those closest to Seb.

As the lines between protection and attraction blur, Gray and Seb can’t ignore the intense feelings drawing them together. But secrets and betrayals might prove deadly, unless Gray is willing to risk it all. And Seb must find the strength to make his own future and sing his own song

 

Excerpt

 

“You haven’t shown the cops these.” It was a rhetorical question.

“No,” Seb whispered miserably.

“The detectives need to see them,” Gray insisted. “There’s all sorts of tests they can run, not least DNA if someone was dumb enough to lick the envelopes.”

Seb looked at him incredulously.

“You’d be surprised how stupid people can be,” Gray said. He looked in the file. “Envelopes?”

“I only have the one from today.” He nodded to the trash, and Gray fished it out using the corner of his shirt again, so he didn’t touch it.

“Does anyone know?”

Seb hesitated almost imperceptibly and with a flash of insight, Gray knew. “Arron?” Seb lowered his head, which was as good as an admission.

Gray sat down heavily on the bed, and Seb sank down next to him. Gray tapped Seb’s shoulder, and Seb raised his head, misery stark in his eyes. “How long have they been arriving?”

“Five months,” Seb whispered. “There were two more that I gave to Arron.”

Gray swore quietly to himself. “What did Arron do?”

“He was going to talk to a detective friend of his but said if I stopped the lessons and just lay low for a while, things might smooth over. He said there’s a team of enhanced in Florida—SWAT or something”—Seb frowned—“who are making a lot of waves, and people are getting real nervous.”

“FBI,” Gray corrected.

“Yeah, they saved a judge. Arron says it means things are changing, but that it also paints a target on my back.”

Gray’s heart sank. Not for what had happened to Arron, because as far as he was concerned, the man had been a fool, but Gray didn’t like coincidences even if on the face of things the suicide looked genuine. He didn’t like that Arron seemed to be trying to keep things quiet. Or had he? Had the man told someone else who couldn’t be trusted, and it had gotten him killed? Maybe Gray was misjudging him.

Gray also didn’t like blaming this on some supposed hate group. Not that they weren’t powerful, because he should know and had the scars to prove it. He just wasn’t convinced someone would go to all that trouble to pick on some kid who lived like a recluse because of a scar on his face. He thought it was something much simpler. And in particular, fourteen million of them. He picked up his phone to call Rawlings. It might be an idea to watch both Mrs. Pickering and Seb’s dad while they found out what the actual fuck was going on.

The words to ask Seb why he hadn’t told him were on his lips, and Gray had to forcefully swallow them to stop them escaping. Seb had known him less than one week. He’d known Arron for nearly three years, and Arron had been killed. Seb was blaming himself. He was mired in secrets and enough problems that would drive most people nuts. He was also doing his best to protect himself and didn’t know who to trust. Gray didn’t blame Seb for not telling him.

About the Author

Victoria Sue

Victoria Sue fell in love with love stories as a child when she would hide away with her mom’s library books and dream of the dashing hero coming to rescue her from math homework. She never mastered math but never stopped loving her heroes and decided to give them the happy ever afters they fight so hard for.
She loves reading and writing about gorgeous boys loving each other the best—and creating a family for them to adore. Thrilled to hear from her readers, she can be found most days lurking on Facebook where she doesn’t need factor 1000 sun-cream to hide her freckles.

www.victoriasue.com

@vickysuewrites

https://www.facebook.com/victoriasueauthor

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182647028418709/

 

Giveaway

 

To enter to win, use this link below.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7fc3cf041/?

An Ali Audio Review: Romantic Behavior (Bad Behavior #4) by L.A. Witt and Cari Z/ Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Detective Andreas Ruffner is no fool—he’s found a man who loves him, puts up with him, and has stuck with him through hell and back, and it’s time to put a ring on it. Darren Corliss is the love of his life, and he wants the whole world to know it.

Now the fun part—the wedding!

Well, after the not-so-fun part of planning the wedding in between dealing with overbearing and impossible-to-please family members. With future mothers-in-law driving them both up a wall, the guest list growing out of control, and the wedding getting ever more complicated, Darren and Andreas have to wonder if they’re in over their heads.

But they’re going to make it to the altar if it kills them . . . and at this rate, it just might.

This was a really lovely story.  The previous three books have been action packed and have revolved around the crimes they’re trying to solve. This one was all about Andreas and Darren and their upcoming wedding. No shoot outs, no drama, no sadness. Just these two being in love and being happy. It was filled with “Awww” moments and I really enjoyed it.

The book was narrated by Michael Ferriauolo who did a very good job. He has narrated the entire series and they have all be solid performances.  I think the narration really added to the emotional aspect of the book which was lovely since it was a long road for these two MC’s and the readers.

This book should not be read as a standalone. You would need to read the previous books in the series first. Great ending to these two guy’s story.

The cover was done by Garrett Leigh.  I liked it and felt it matched the others in the series really well.  I thought it was a nice touch that this was the same style as the first three but was a different color than they were.  It was a nice representation that the MC’s are finally happy and have found their hea.
Audiobook Details:
Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
Audible Audio, 3 pages
Published July 27th 2018 by Riptide Publishing (first published January 13th 2018)
Original TitleRomantic Behavior
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBad Behavior #4
CharactersDarren Corliss, Andreas Ruffner

An Ali Audiobook Review: Changing Lines (Harrisburg Railers #1) by RJ Scott and VL Locey/Sean Crisden (Narrator)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The Rowe Brothers are famous hockey hotshots, but as the youngest of the trio, Tennant has always had to play against his brothers’ reputations. To get out of their shadows, and against their advice, he accepts a trade to the Harrisburg Railers, where he runs into Jared Madsen. Mads is an old family friend and his brother’s one-time teammate. Mads is Tennant’s new coach. And Mads is the sexiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on.
Jared Madsen’s hockey career was cut short by a fault in his heart, but coaching keeps him close to the game. When Ten is traded to the team, his carefully organized world is thrown into chaos. Nine years his junior and his best friend’s brother, he knows Ten is strictly off-limits, but as soon as he sees Ten’s moves, on and off the ice, he knows that his heart could get him into trouble again.
Can Tennant show Jared that age is just a number, and that love is all that matters?
I’m a big hockey fan so I try to read all the hockey romances out there.  This series is one that has been on my to be read list for awhile now so I was happy to have the chance to review the audiobook.  It was kind of a mixed bag for me.  There were some things I really liked about this and some that I didn’t.
I can’t believe I believe I’m going to say these words but “There was way too much hockey in this book”. There is an enormous amount of game and practice time in this book and lot’s and lot’s of plays and strategies  talk. I felt like this aspect overshadowed the relationship.  There is very little on page relationship development.  The majority of them getting close to each other takes place off page.  We see them having sex, them with their families and mostly them playing or practicing.
I’m not sure why the authors chose to have the majority of the relationship development off page.  There were some other relationship dynamics that were excellent.  Really well written.  Ten’s coming out scene with his parents and later a scene between him and his mother were beautiful.  There was also a scene between Jared and his son that was very emotional.  I felt so much more between Jared and Ten and their family than I did between the two of them as lovers.  There was a lot of telling and very little showing between the two of them.
Another thing that bothered me a lot was the fact that Jared was Ten’s coach and it was never really presented as an issue.  Jared mentions it at the beginning but this thread is never followed up on.  They talked about Ten coming out and how it would effect him being a professional sports player but no one seemed to bat an eye that he was having sex with his coach.  I think it’s a huge deal and should have been presented at such.
My last issue was that it ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. The guys are together and happy but a giant part of the plot is left hanging.  I felt a bit annoyed that after all the talk of Ten coming out we don’t see any of it. It seems from the set up of book two that it might be shown some there but I am not sure.
The audio was narrated by Sean Crisden and I thought it was fine.  I liked his voice but he spoke very quickly and I wasn’t always sure who was talking.  I had to slow the narration down from how I normally listen.  Once I did that it worked better for me.
Overall I thought it was a solid start to the series.  I appreciated the authors’ love of hockey that clearly comes through in this book.  While I had some issues I will probably try book two at some point.
Cover by Meredith Russell:  I like the cover.  The models on the cover really fit the description of the main characters well.
Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK
Audiobook Details:
Audible Audio, Unabridged, 6 pages
Published July 25th 2018 by Love Lane Books Limited (first published July 12th 2017)
Original TitleChanging Lines
ASINB07FTRYXFF
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesHarrisburg Railers #1 settingHarrisburg, Pennsylvania (United States)
Pennsylvania (United States)