Category: Audio Books

An Ali Audiobook Review: Stars & Stripes (Cut & Run #6) by Abigail Roux , J. F. Harding (Narrator)

Rating:  5 of 5 stars                ★★★★★

Stars & Stripes audiobookSpecial Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have managed the impossible: a few months of peace and quiet. After nearly a year of personal and professional turmoil, they’re living together conflict-free, work is going smoothly, and they’re both happy, healthy, and home every night before dark. But anyone who knows them knows that can’t possibly last.

When an emergency call from home upsets the balance of their carefully arranged world, Ty and Zane must juggle family drama with a perplexing crime to save a helpless victim before time runs out.

From the mountains of West Virginia to a remote Texas horse ranch harboring more than just livestock and childhood memories, Ty and Zane must face their fears—and their families—to overcome an unlikely enemy and bring peace back into their newly shared world.

This was a re-read for me but the first time I had listened to it on audio. This book remains one of my favorites of the series. The guy’s have worked hard to get to the positive place in their relationship that they’re in. During the course of this story they go to both of their parents’s homes and it is interesting to see the different dynamics between the two families. Most of the story is spent at Zane’s home where they try to solve a case involving Zane’s family ranch. I enjoyed the case in this one and I found it fast paced and entertaining. There are a lot of laugh out loud moments in this story, some really sweet and romantic ones and some of the steamiest ones in the series. I love every minute of this book every time I read it.

Audio:

I had listened to the first four books in this series on audio in the past. There were two prior narrators and this narrator is totally new. I wasn’t sure about his voice for Ty when I first started. The problem with reading a book first, in my opinion, is that you have the characters firmly set in your mind. While his Ty was fine, it wasn’t how I envisioned Ty. His Zane though was fantastic. Deep, growly voice with just a bit of a Southern drawl. After a few chapters I got used to his Ty and decided I liked it. There are a lot of characters in this book, with a lot of different accents and I felt like this narrator did a great job on all of them. I also found him able to do both male and female voices well which is a talent some narrators do not have. I loved listening to this on audio. I think listening to this really emphasized the emotional scenes and made them more heart wrenching (There was a scene between Ty & Zane’s dad that made my eyes water. It was much more emotional listening to it than reading it.) And the sexy scenes? Holy moly they’re burning hot on audio. I would definitely recommend this to readers/listeners.

Cover art by L.C. Chase. I don’t know what to say about the cover really. It’s very simple but it’s a classic and I would never want to see it change.

Sales Links:  Audio at Amazon |  Audio at Audible

Audiobook Details:

Stars & Stripes
Written by: Abigail Roux
Narrated by: J. F. Harding
Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
Series: Cut and Run, Book 6

An Ali Audiobook Review: Touch & Geaux (Cut & Run #7) by Abigail Roux , J.F. Harding (Narrator)

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars                    ★★★★★
Touch & Geaux audiobookAfter having their faces plastered across the news during a high-profile case, FBI Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett have become more useful to the Bureau posing for photo ops than working undercover. Just as Zane is beginning to consider retirement a viable option, Ty receives a distress call from a friend, leading them to a city rife with echoes from the past.

New Orleans wears its history on its streets, and it’s the one place Ty’s face could get him killed. Surrounded by trouble as soon as they land, Ty and Zane are swiftly confronted with a past from which Ty can’t hide—one with a surprising connection to Zane’s.

As threats close in from all directions, both men must come to terms with the lives they’ve led and the lies they’ve told. They soon discover that not all their secrets are out yet, and nothing lasts forever. 
 
This was a re-read for me but the first time I have listened to it on audio.  This is another of my favorite books in this series.  This is probably the most emotional of all the books.  Ty and Zane head to New Orleans with the Sidewinder guys for a weekend of fun and end up in a complicated case involving both of their pasts.  In some ways I think this part of the plot is over the top but really the most important part of the story is Ty and Zane’s relationship.  Both of the them have issues which we’ve known from the start of the series.  In this book though, the tentative hold they’ve had comes crashing down on them.  And when it comes crashing down it comes down hard.  Not only does it come crashing down hard on them, it comes crashing down hard on the reader.  There are some emotionally charged scenes in this book and I remember how devastated I was at parts of this the first time I read it.  Even on re-read it was very hard to go through with them.  It’s our first detailed look at the Sidewinder guys and that part is a great set up for the branch off series with Nick and Kelly.  
 
Audio:
 
I really love this narrator and I felt like he did an excellent job.  As stated above this is an emotional read anyways but hearing this on audio was very difficult.  The narrator captures all the emotions, both good and bad, that the guys are going through in this.  There were a lot of scenes that just broke my heart.  It was brutal hearing the things they were saying to each other. There’s one scene where one of them starts to cry and the narrator just nailed the scene perfectly.   In addition there are a lot of side characters in this story and I felt the narrator did a great job on all of their voices.  Extra enjoyable were Digger’s Cajun and Liam’s British accents.  If you are a fan of audio books I highly recommend listening to this book.
 
Cover art by L.C. Chase. This is one of my favorite covers in this series.  It captures an important part of the story.  These covers are simple but are classics and I would hate to see them  change.  
Audiobook Details:
Touch & Geaux: Cut & Run Series, Book 7
By Abigail Roux
Narrated By J. F. Harding
Series: Cut and Run, Book 7
Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
Release Date: 12-15-15

The Sidewinders are Back with Part & Parcel by Abigail Roux (Riptide Tour/contest)

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Part & Parcel (Sidewinder #3)  by Abigail Roux
Published by Riptide Publishing
Cover Artist L.C. Chase

Release Date:  December 19, 2015
Buy the book here at Riptide’s Part & Parcel page

About Part & Parcel

Nick O’Flaherty and Kelly Abbott had their happy ending in sight when a friend’s call for help almost ended with them losing it to the blade of a knife. Now, in the aftermath of near-disaster, both men are trying to heal and move on.

Moving on together, though, is harder than either of them realized it would be. Kelly struggles with simply being a lover instead of the Doc, while Nick is mired in his recovery. The distance between them inches along in stilted silence.

Desperately seeking solace, Nick finally gathers the courage to sort through the possessions his dear friend and fellow Sidewinder teammate Elias Sanchez left him when he died. Instead of comforting memories, Nick and Kelly find a stack of letters and strict instructions from Eli that prompt them to send out a call for assistance. With Eli’s letters in hand, Sidewinder sets out on one last mission together, seeking peace and absolution from beyond the grave—and from each other.

About Abigail Roux

Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the year.

Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, a certifiable extended family down the road, and a cast of thousands in her head.

Connect with Abi:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Part & Parcel, we are selecting TWO giveaway winners! One will receive the last four Cut & Run books in audio, and the other will receive the full Sidewinder series in audio. Your first comment at each stop on this tour enters you in the drawing. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 26, 2015. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. Entries.  HYPERLINK Follow the tour for more opportunities to enter the giveaway, and don’t forget to leave your email or method of contact so Riptide can reach you if you win!

Sidewinder

This series is part of the Cut & Run universe.

– See more at: Riptide Publishing’s Sidewinder page.

A MelanieM Audiobook Review: Hell For The Company (Brimstone #1) by Angel Martinez, Narrator: Vance Bastian

Rating: 4.75 rounded up to 5 stars out of 5

Banner300x250Demons and Angels have been among us for thousands of years, in many cultures and in many forms. What happens when you set the Mischief Corner authors loose on the vague prompt “Write a story about angels or demons?” The poor unsuspecting world is about to find out.

From Angel Martinez – Hell For The Company: Brimstone #1

Shax, the Demon Prince of Thieves, has reconciled himself to exile. He has a grand time careening around the galaxy as a high-end, intergalactic purloiner of pretties. Everything’s going just fine, thank you very much. All right, fine, the anti-gravity cows are a bit problematic and some of his buyers are bad for his health, but he manages until he comes across an injured angel in a psychedelic alien jungle.

He only rescues the wing boy for his golden feathers, but what Shax doesn’t know about angels could fill an intergalactic encyclopedia.

Hell For The Company (Brimstone #1) by Angel Martinez as narrated by Vance Bastian was my very first audiobook.  I normally take one look at the running length on an audiobook, think about all the things I have to do, and move along.  But Hell for the Company was different.  At a play time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, I thought that’s doable, given my schedule, even during the holidays.  Another absolute plus?  I had already read the story, loved the series, so I thought I was prepared for what I would find in a narrated version.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

This was so much better. Boy, am I going to have to rethink my entire approach about audio books.  This version, listening to Vance Bastian’s narration made me see (hear) the story in an entirely new light. I enjoyed it even more, laughed at places I didn’t even remember reading the first time around.  And even when I knew the dramatic scenes were coming, the sniffles still flowed.

Vance’s voice went from melodic for the wonderful drag queen IA. Ivana, to gruff and surly for the demon Verin, the later posing my first and only stumbling block for audiobooks.  It wasn’t the way I imagined Verin sounded, I expected more hell fire I suppose.  Its the same issue you might have with characters going from book to the screen, we imagine them a certain way, not the way they appear on the movie screen. So I had to expand my versions into the verbalized ones here.  Once done,  there were no limits to my enjoyments of the narration and the enthusiasm that Vance Bastian employed in his reading of Angel Martinez’ story.

The time went by so quickly.  Floating cows please come back.  Ness, I adore you. Oh, Shax, you demon you, I can never get enough of you! Much more so this time around.  Angel and Vance, you have me convinced.  Yes, it looks like audiobooks are the thing for me.  There will be more in the future.  And it all started with the marvelous Hell For The Company (Brimstone #1) by Angel Martinez and the wonderful narration by Vance Bastian.

I love this series.  Shax, the Brimstone crew and all its misadventures and now I get to look forward to listening to them as well.  Are you a lover of the supernatural? A reader of science fiction?  And romance too?  How about a combination of all three?  Here is a story and series you can’t pass up and a lively narrator that makes the words shout, laugh, giggle and snort.  Such two joyful hours I never imagined.

Are you a audiobook virgin too?  Make this your first and see what an adventure lies before you!

Cover Artist: Freddie MacKay did a terrific job on the cover.  Love the floating cows.

Sales Links: iTunes  | Amazon | Audible

Book Details:

Audible Audio, Play Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Published November 17th 2015 by
Mischief Corner Books (first published December 31st 2013)
ASINB017Y2HI1K
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBrimstone #1

 

A Special Narrator Insight from Vance Bastian on Angel Martinez ‘Hell For The Company’ (audiobook, excerpt and contest)

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Hell For The Company (Brimstone #1) by Angel Martinez
Narrator:  Vance Bastian
Format: Audiobook, Play Time: 2 hours, 2 minutes
 Release Date: December 5, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Mischief Corner Books
Cover Artist: Freddy MacKay

Playing in Somebody Else’s Playground

Adding Value to an Established World

By Vance Bastian

Don’t you love being asked to come over for a play date? I know I do. You’re being granted the chance to play with toys that aren’t yours, but toys for which you may have created entire fantasies in your head. And being asked over by somebody you’ve long respected and admired? MAGIC!

Once the excitement cools, trepidation usually sets in. Will you understand all the rules? What if you break something? Will you be invited back?

After all, artists carefully craft their worlds. They must codify laws of reality, conjure systems of magic, and in some cases birth entire pantheons. Some authors horde stacks of notebooks each containing tomes of meticulous details regarding their creations. That is to say, you’re lucky if that information is in a tangible form. Sometimes it’s all in the artist’s head. No matter how the data is created and archived, I have yet to meet an author who doesn’t call their grand work “my baby.”

Fans are no less protective of their favorite author’s creations. Some fans pride themselves for memorizing witty one liners. Others trade blows about the cataclysmic importance of a character’s eye color in the book not matching the actor’s in the film. Perhaps the highest compliment, outside of a well-written review, are the supporters who are inspired to write fan fiction because their spirit has been transported to the artist’s world.

That’s a powerful legacy to be invited into. Being asked to collaborate is a huge freaking honor.

How do you avoid botching that first invitation?

Find a way to add value.

Send your inner worrywart to the bar for a stiff pint or seven. You’ve got this. After all, you were invited to join because you have something to bring to the project. So bring it.

Whether you are able to interpret it into another language, design companion art, or give voice to the characters, you can take pride that you have the skills required help the artist’s vision grow. Once you set aside your reservations and fire up your own creativity, that aforementioned magic will happen.

Mind your hubris. You’ve not been brought on board to criticize the art and demand changes. So send your know-it-all to the bar with the worrywart.

Instead, respect that the artist is basically saying, “here’s my beautiful, fragile creation. You can play with it, but help me make it shine brighter for all the world to see.” Those fantasies you had in your head about the author’s works? Share those. Use them as a springboard for ideas so you can really put your talent to excellent use.

And for the love of all the art in the world, remember to play a little!

MAGIC!

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Blurb

Shax, the Demon Prince of Thieves, has reconciled himself to exile. He has a grand time careening around the galaxy as a high-end, intergalactic purloiner of pretties. Everything’s going just fine, thank you very much. All right, fine, the anti-gravity cows are a bit problematic and some of his buyers are bad for his health, but he manages until he comes across an injured angel in a psychedelic alien jungle.

He only rescues the wing boy for his golden feathers, but what Shax doesn’t know about angels could fill an intergalactic encyclopedia.

Categories: Gay Fiction, Humor, M/M Romance, Science Fiction

Excerpt: Mischief Corner Books

Buy the book:   iTunes |  Amazon  |Audible

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Meet the Author, Angel Martinez:

While Angel Martinez is the erotic fiction pen name of a writer of several genres, she writes both kinds of gay romance – Science Fiction and Fantasy. Currently living part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware, (and full time inside the author’s head) Angel has one husband, one son, two cats, a changing variety of other furred and scaled companions, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate.

 

Meet the Narrator, Vance Bastian:

Vance Bastian loves being a professional storyteller. He writes urban fantasy about sandmen and reapers. He has grown his acting and voice background into a career performing voice-over work and narration for both radio and audiobooks. He is also a founding host of the WROTE podcast – bringing you interviews and news of authors who write, perform, and tell LGBTQ stories. When nobody’s looking, Vance is a complete sci-fi and fantasy geek.

 

For more on Vance, please visit:

Where to find the author:


Tour Dates & Stops:

14-Dec: MM Good Book Reviews

15-Dec: BFD Book Blog, Inked Rainbow Reads

16-Dec: Hearts on Fire, Prism Book Alliance

17-Dec: Books, Coffee, & Captured Moments

18-Dec: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Love Bytes

Final

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: $10 gift card to Amazon or AllRomance eBooks.  Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  Link and prize provided by the author and Pride Promotions.

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A BJ Review: SPECTR: The Complete First Series (#1-6) by Jordan L. Hawk, 
Audio narration by Brad Langer

Rating:  5 stars out of 5      ★★★★★audiobook clipart bw

Audiobook cover of SPECTRSPECTR: The Complete First Series contains:
Hunter of Demon
Master of Ghouls
Reaper of Souls
Eater of Lives
Destroyer of Worlds
Summoner of Storms

What happens when an exorcist falls in love with the demon he’s supposed to destroy?

Unregistered paranormal Caleb Jansen only wants a normal life. But when the demon-hunting spirit Gray accidentally possesses him, Caleb finds himself in a countdown for his very existence.

Hotshot federal agent John Starkweather thinks he’s seen it all. But when he’s called to exorcise Caleb, he finds a creature that isn’t supposed to exist outside of stories. For Gray is a drakul: a vampire who drinks the blood of the demon-possessed.

If Gray can’t be exorcised within 40 days, the possession will become permanent. In the meantime, the three must find a way to work together. As they hunt down demons and save the innocent, the heat between John and Caleb explodes into passion. But when divided loyalties threaten his last chance at exorcism, Caleb discovers love may come at a price higher than he’d ever imagined.

I did a combination of listening to the audio and reading with this series, depending on what I was doing so this is not strictly an audio review. The narrator had a voice that was easy to listen to, and he did a nice job with the series. If you decide to purchase the full set audio from Audible, you may see a review there that indicates the audio is not unabridged. Rest assured, it is. There was a bit of a snafu when first released where a few sections were left out, that was corrected. Please don’t let that review stand in your way of purchasing the full audio as it is an enjoyable listen! The story takes place in the south, and there isn’t really a noticeable southern accent used (I’m Southern born/raised, albeit I not longer live there). However, that didn’t actually bother me. I’d much rather have that than listen to incorrect or overuse of particular southernisms as I’ve heard in some other books recently. So overall, a lovely series whether you read it or listen to it. Highly recommend. Now on to the individual stories, which all fit together wonderfully as a whole and should definitely be read in order!

Hunter of Demons – 4.5 stars

Right from book one, which I picked up free and read before getting into the series as a while, I could see that this paranormal is imaginative and different. The world building is solid and the two human characters captured my interest right away but adding Gray, the drakul, into the equation really upped the ante. I’m not usually all that hot on ménage, but this one is an exception. I adored the concept of this unusual threesome! Caleb and Gray’s internal dialogue was perfect. There are trust issues all around from the start. Between Caleb and John, since as an unregistered “mal” Caleb has always been leery of the government and isn’t pleased to find himself attracted to a federal agent. Between Caleb and Gray, because he blames him for his brother’s death. And of course John’s duty is to destroy Gray. Could there be any more tension among these three?! This was well-paced story and a quick read for me. The first is still free, I think. Read it and if you’re anything like me, you’ll quickly be chomping at the bit for the series as a whole.

Master of Ghouls – 4.5 stars

This one takes place just a few days after the end of book one. It starts off with a bang… oh, no, that’s a blow actually. In this second book, the mystery revolves around someone who is summoning demons and forcing them to possess folks snatched from the streets. We get plenty of heat, and we get to know the characters more. Gray and Caleb begin the first tentative steps towards understanding, but there is still a ways to go, while John and Caleb’s relationship deepens.   

Reaper of Souls – 5 stars

When an incubus murders an ally of a senator who’s very much anti-paranormal, John and Caleb are on the case. The mystery and action in this one was fast-paced, but it was something else entirely that made this my first five star of the series. This is the one where Gray truly became more of a character in his own right for me, where we come to see that his voyeurism of Caleb and John’s relationship is more than that. This one made me, someone who’s not big into threesomes, begin to long for that third party’s active participation. That little hint of it was like a combustion!

Eater of Lives – 4.75 stars

This one takes the prize for gruesome, icky, creepy bad guy. Cannibalism! The guys are on the case, Caleb’s forty days are running out, and John’s ex shows up to make the tension even higher. Emotions are really starting to run high in all three. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, so suffice it to say that the ending was very abrupt, yep a cliffhanger. Not a problem if you have the whole series, like I did, but I’m sure I would have been frothing at the mouth if I hadn’t had the next part in queue. The possession aspect of this series and the way John meshes well with both Caleb and Gray is just fascinating to watch unfold.

Destroyer of Worlds – 5 stars

And now we come to my most favorite book of the series. Now I know that even if I been one of those who had to wait a month for this next excerpt, it would have been well worth it. Fast-paced, plenty of tension, blazing heat, excellent characterizations, and twists galore. A betrayal that comes out of left field and turns everything on it’s head. But in this one we begin to get answers and the triad I’d been long for blooms. A heavenly delicious delicacy with a demon on top. Yum!

Summoner of Storms – 5 stars

John is finally forced to take off the rose-tinted glasses and face the knowledge that things he thought he knew and could trust in are smoke. Outstanding action and battle scenes with serious baddie ass kicking, lovely sexy, emotional, hot times, and a satisfying ending. Nonetheless, it left me wanting more of these three. And I am so glad that the author heard her fan’s please for more. Book one of SPECTR 2 is already available. Yay.

This series is awesome, highly recommended. If you don’t believe me already, pick up book one for free (Amazon, Kobo, B&N) and give it a read today.

COVER Art by Jordan L. Hawk: The covers which vary from Caleb, John and Gray are just STUNNING.

Sales Links:  Amazon Kindle |  Audible | Buy It Here | Goodreads Other Links


Book Details:  

798 pages

Audiobook
Published by Widdershins Press LLC (first published November 30th 2014)
edition languageEnglish
seriesSPECTR #1-6