The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II/Giveaway) & This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II)

Last Sunday, I started our conversation about the fast-rising audiobook industry with my blog Are You Listening Now? The Popularity of Audiobooks. This Sunday, that conversation continues with The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Leslie (Audiobooks Part II).

As I have said before, and as reviewers/listeners we have noted many times in our reviews, a good or great narrator makes or breaks an audiobook. It doesn’t matter that you have read it before. Listening to a book makes it fresh once more. It gives a reader a new and different perspective. Often times I hear things I missed in the story, or catch things from a narrator’s inflection that highlights a previously hidden element. I love that about this format.

Also the opposite is true. A narrator you don’t connect with, or one with a flat delivery, or monotone voice…well, that can sink a terrific story faster than a lead anchor. So what’s the key? How to get some insight into those people behind the voices we love to listen to?

Well I was so lucky to hook up with the very talented Joel Leslie who agreed to answer some questions for me. A favorite narrator for both Barb, our Zany Old Lady and Ali, I was delighted to have this chance to talk audiobooks, voices and favorite genres. Here is my interview with Theatrical Director, Designer, and Audiobook Narrator Joel Froomkin , known to most of the LGBTQIA listeners of audiobooks as Narrator Joel Leslie. For you authors out there thinking of putting your story out on audio? Hmmm, I think you might find this as enlightening as our readers.

book-covers

Welcome, Joel, to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. We love our audiobooks here, including several you have narrated including Dinner at Fiorello’s by Rick R. Reed and Ali’s Audiobook Review of Desert Heat and Native Tongue by Lucy Felthouse. I have so many questions for you but these were the first ones that came to mind.

My Interview with Joel Leslie

How did you get started with narrating audiobooks?

Long answer… lol…

It was a long and winding road actually – but I’m so grateful to have landed here. My undergrad was in performance at USC and then I did my MFA there in design and directing. My entire professional career up until the past few years has been concentrated on directing… I did a lot of assisting as well, working on shows with Dame Maggie Smith and lots of other amazing folks. About ten years ago my partner and I started a theatre company in Indiana. It was a labor of love, but despite our efforts the community wasn’t able to financially support the scale of professional productions we aimed to do. I have also been a college professor, teaching dialects at NYU and I was the Director of Drama at a university here in Indiana for a while.

While we were doing shows, in between productions I would sometimes present one-man radio dramas… I would abridge classics like Christmas Carol, Treasure Island, Jekyll and Hyde and do them for a few nights. The audiences loved them. As we were looking to be able to move the theatre company to another area, one of my long time friends who is a fantastic female narrator suggested I give it a try. So I began auditioning and the first contract I landed has actually been most successful series (the SkylerGo Foxe Mysteries by Haley Walsh).

It is a perfect blend of skills really – because 99% of the time with audiobooks you are directing yourself… so my performer background is obviously helpful, but also being able to listen to yourself with a critical ear and shape the performance I think is a terribly useful tool. And now it’s a full time job. I’m booked through February at the moment! Eep.

Do you listen to audiobooks yourself and was that an element in your career or just a plus?

I came to audiobooks largely because I was a huge fan of them. I have always loved the theatricality of an actor playing multiple roles in front of an audience… the ability to be a chameleon. And I fell in love with audiobooks because of that. My favorites were Jim Dale, Davina Porter and Roy Dotrice… they don’t just read a story – they perform it for you. I listen to an audiobook every night… I think that one of the trickiest things is actually working of authors who AREN’T listeners to audiobooks, because they don’t really have a familiarity with the art form and what the audience wants.

What is the hardest part of narrating a story?

Gosh – great question. I narrate under two names… Joel Froomkin for most of my material and Joel Leslie for my m/m material (simply so that I have a consistent brand for my m/m listeners). But Joel Froomkin does a lot of historical and fantasy stuff – and I hate doing battle scenes. It’s difficulty to not try to over act them, or speed up to make it seem exciting… and those are traps. I just think they are hard. Maybe cuz I’m not into sports lol! Other than that, I have a tough time when there are a lot of alpha american men in conversation with each other in a scene. Flamboyant characters can have quirks and personality that make them easily identifiable… and when you are doing a British book it’s so much easier because class and level of education is so distinctive with their speech and also dialects change in England every 21 miles… so you have great variety for how you make characters sound to pull them out for the listener. But if I have a bunch of super-butch American alpha males in a room having a conversation in a book I usually have a panic attack.

It’s also very challenging to do a series where the author gives you multiple POV chapters. Usually you would make your main character your own voice… because it’s going to be the most authentic and resonate as the most truthful with the reader… but when you have a bunch of characters speaking in first person… you can’t do that. And it can be a real challenge. I’ve had two like that recently (“Absolution (The Protectors #1)” by Sloane Kennedy (which is the first in an amazing series) and “Guns Blazing” by Eva Lenoir and Andrea Smith) that I sweated bullets over.

And the easiest?

People are so shocked to hear this…but the sex scenes. Because usually there isn’t that much dialogue and it’s all descriptive. So you can just settle back and read… it’s kind of like putting your car on cruise control. And after doing this for almost two years now, there really isn’t much I can read that will make me blush!

I can remember listening to books being read to me as a child. How they were read had a huge impact on me. Using different voices, no matter how silly it might have seen to the adult (bears, rabbits…you know…childrens books). The same carries over here. In some stories, you play many characters where there are different pov. Or do you only narrate stories with a singular pov?

It depends on the narrator… but I am very much a narrator who creates characters. It’s funny that you mention animals, because when I first get a book I send the author a bunch of questions and one of them is “if your character was an animal what would they be”… Finding the voice for someone is much easier if you know the author thinks they are a ferret vs. a hamster or a Persian cat. But I think the m/m listeners that really respond to my work usually do so because they enjoy how much individuality I try to give my characters. Also, because I grew up in the UK with American parents, I’m kind of a dialect ambidextrous lol. I jump between authentic British and American accents and I do as much British work for British authors as I do for American authors. Listeners who have tried multiple books of mine are often confused about what my real voice sounds like.

I would imagine, being a narrator lets you go into any genre you want…am I correct in that? Or do you have a particular favorite

Well I love that I get to do so much m/m work. I find it really important and empowering to be able to put those kind of stories out into the world. I know the main audience is female for m/m romance, but I also think about the young adults who are struggling to feel ok with themselves and they might discover one of these stories by the brilliant authors I get to work for and find some hope. And the thing about audio is it’s so private… you really are one-on-one with the listener. So it means a lot to be able to give voice to m/m romance. I also love doing fantasy stuff because it means you can use every dialect in the universe and play with crazy voices. You don’t get to do everything you want – I think you can get pigeonholed as a narrator. But I’m luckily not in that place yet, and my audiobook career has a lot of room to grow.

What’s your favorite types of stories to read or listen to?

I am such a sucker for cozy mysteries. I don’t know why. I LOVE MC Beaton and the Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin books. I think that’s why I love doing Haley Walsh’s Skyler Foxe so much…because it really is a gay spin on that type of mystery. I think TJ Klune is one of the most amazing authors out there in any genre. I don’t think I could ever get tired of listening to Jim Dale doing Harry Potter or Roy Dotrice doing Game of Thrones… they are just extraordinary examples of old-school storytelling. I’m also so lucky to have an ongoing relationship with authors like N.R Walker, Kim Fielding, Andrea Smith, Kiernan Kelly, TM Smith and Grace R Duncan – they always seem to have something wonderful for me to play with.

What current projects are you working on that you want to share with our readers?

Absolution, the first in the protectors series by Sloane Kennedy just came out, as did Fame and Fortune by TM Smith. Upcoming things I’m really excited about are the sequel to Black Balled called Hard Edit by Andrea Smith and Eva Lenoir, the second book in the Red Dirt Heart series by NR Walker and The Naked Prince and Other Fairy Tales by Joe Cosentino.

If you were an bard of old….how would you start your story of your life and what would it be called?

“Once upon a time there was a kid who could never keep his big mouth shut… It took two decades for him to realize there was a career for that.”

Thank you, Joel, that was a wonderful interview. I’m sure there are many more questions rumbling about inside my head. I hope you will stop back by Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for another conversation about narration and audiobooks and any future projects you want to share with us.

To listen to Joel, here are three different excerpts:

Desert Foxe by Haley Walsh: https://soundcloud.com/jojofro-1/desert-foxe-by-haley-walsh
Treasure by Kim Fielding: https://soundcloud.com/jojofro-1/treasure-by-kim-fielding
Absolution by Sloane Kennedy: https://soundcloud.com/jojofro-1/absolution-by-sloane-kennedy

~

If you want to reach out to Joel, we have listed his contacts below. We also have a giveaway today for our readers brought to you by Joel who is giving away 10 copies, yes 10 winners… the winners could choose the first book in any of my series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled)!

About Joel Froomkin

Joel is a UK transplant, growing up with an American parents in a British commonwealth. He is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of both American and British sounds. His wit and comedic timing also appeal to producers. He has developed a strong body of work for young audience, historical, fantasy, new-adult, romance and m/m fiction.

His author’s have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery”, and a “true delight…” “legendary, and his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with”, “Anyone else would only be second best”.

Joel records under two names, for mainstream and children’s fiction as Joel Froomkin, and for m/m and adult material under Joel Leslie and has consistent access to home studio for all production needs.

You can contact Joel Froomkin at:

www.joelfroomkin.com/audiobook-narration is my website…
Even better is my Facebook page “Joel Leslie Narration”
Or they can follow me on twitter at joellesliefro @joelfroomkin

Giveaway

We are giving away 10 copies (1 copy a winner so 10 winners overall) , all thanks to Joel Froomkin! The 10 people chosen will get to chose from the first book in any of Joel’s series they wanted to try (Skyler Foxe, The Protectors, Jimmy McSwain Mysteries, All Cocks, or Black Balled).

To be entered, tell us who’s your favorite narrator or narrators are. Tell us what you like best about a narrator and maybe name some of your favorite audiobooks. New to audiobooks? OK, name the ones you’d love to be able to listen to if you had a way to listen to audiobooks. And after you do that, make sure you leave a contact name and email address where you can be reached if chosen. Contest is open until midnight, September 30th. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

(Special Note: If you are a Amazon Prime user, Audible is now free with your account.)

audiobook-concept-headphones-books-white-background-39281337

This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, September 18:

The Narrator and Audiobooks – Our Interview with Narrator Joel Froomkin (also known as Joel Leslie)(Audiobooks Part II)
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
A Paul B Audiobook Review: The Autumn Lands by J Scott Coatsworth

Monday, September 19:

Riptide Tour and Giveaway ~ Bitterwood by Rowan Speedwell
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Dad’s Nerdy New Boyfriend by JM Snyder
An Alisa Release Day Review: Power Bottom by Rowan McAllister
A Lila Release Day Review: Safe House (Buchanan House #4) by Charley Descoteaux
A Paul Review: Orion’s Circle (Sirius Wolves # 1) byVictoria Sue

Tuesday, September 20:

Release Blitz & Tour – Sweet Summer Sweat by Clare London
An Alisa Review: Broke by Amanda Young
A MelanieM Release Day Review: The Pill Bugs of Time (Offbeat Crimes #2) by Angel Martinez
An Ali Review: Looking for Group by Alexis Hall
A Stella Review: Three More Wishes by Sean Michael

Wednesday, September 21:

Its Release Day for Flight: Queer Sci Fi’s Third Annual Flash Fiction Contest Anthology (QSF Flash Fiction #2) by J. Scott Coatsworth , Angel Martinez , et al.
Series Recap Tour – Guns n’ Boys by KA Merikan
A Stella Review: Resistance (Village Love #1) by Lillian Francis
A MelanieM Release Day Review: Taming the Wyld by Lucie Archer
A Ali Review: David, Renewed by Diana Copland

Thursday, September 22:

Riptide Tour and Giveaway: Gambling on Love by Jane Davitt
A Stella Review: Gambling on Love by by Jane Davitt
A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Run for it All by Carolyn Levine Topol
An Alisa Audiobook Review: The Queen & the Homo Jock King (At First Sight #2) by T.J. Klune and Michael Lesley (Narrator)

Friday, September 23:

Keep Me In Mind tour: Deanna Wadsworth ‘Too Good To Be True‘ (Excerpt and Giveaway)
In the Spotlight: Immortal Watch by Olivia Helling (blitz, excerpt and giveaway)
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale and Scott R. Smith (Narrator)
An Ali Releases Day Review: Raven’s Rest by Stephen Osborne
An Alisa Audiobook Review: Model Citizen (Haven Investigations #1) by Lissa Kasey and Mike Pohlable (Narrator)

Saturday, September 24:

A MelanieM Review: Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr

A MelanieM Review: Midlife Crisis by Rob Rosen

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

midlife-crisis Jack is thirty-five and single once again. He is not, as he as quick to point out, going through a midlife crisis. Still, it would be nice to have a partner. And so he sets out on an adventure to find the one-time love of his life, Bing, a man he hasn’t set eyes on in more than fifteen years, a man who has seemingly vanished off the face of the planet. With the help of his family and friends—plus the family dog and, of all people, his high school bully—he goes searching for Bing, only to unearth an ages-old mystery that puts them all in grave danger. In this hysterically funny tale of romance and self-discovery, the question remains right on up to the surprise ending: can we return to our past in order to better our future?

I often forget Rob Rosen’s ability to crack me up until I pick up another book of his, then the memory snaps back into place, along with the laughter as I read his characters hilarious wry, snarky and often wildly funny thoughts and dialog that flows out of their mouths and stories.

Midlife Crisis is another Rob Rosen gem. Jack, a college professor has just had his last long relationship (6 months) breakup. And his emotions are a jumbled mess about it. On one hand, he wasn’t in love with the boyfriend, in lust with the sex, ok. But not with the man. So time to say goodbye. But another failed relationship? That’s that one that hurts and Jack is trying to see where he’s gone wrong with all the past relationships in his life because none have worked. And hey! Jack’s hitting 35, the gay midlife crisis number (according to Jack). No long a cute twink, his best cruising dayz behind him, he’s reaching gay old age (in his head). Listening to Jack’s thoughts rambling on, leaping from one snarky peak to the next without ever hitting a valley of connectivity, is hilarious.

I love how Rosen lay’s out Jack’s life and his thoughts about how its played out. It helps off course to have Jack’s best friend weigh in on the matter with his own funny judgements. Soon Jack has made the fateful decision that the love of his life, Bing O’Malley, must be found. That the former teen love might hold the answers to the problems of his current relationship woes seems both silly and familiar and all too real. Yep, its off to his hometown, his folks (who I couldn’t get enough of ) and a gassy Bassett Hound named Chompers.

Let the hilarity ensue. How it does.

Also some very hot sex. Many wild goings on, a murder mystery, the Shriners, the mob, even the FBI, as Jack pursues the boy who he loved and who left him, the new hot guy helping him, and a slew of crazy clues all swirling about Jack’s past. Plus there’s tons of laughter thrown in.

The writing’s fast paced to keep up with the action ~ in and out of the bed. I was finished before I knew it or I was ready for the story to be over. I loved Jack, his parents, Chompers…everything about Midlife Crisis. And yes, Jack found the answers he was looking for. Ready for some love and laughter? A murder mystery and hot sex too? Pick up Midlife Crisis by Rob Rosen, you won’t be disappointed.

Cover art works for the character and story.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, Smashwords edition, 182 pages
Published August 20th 2016 by Fierce Publishing
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Paul B Audiobook Review: Black Balled (Black Balled #1) by Andrea Smith and Narrator Eva LeNoir

Rating Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Rating for Story 3 out of 5
Rating for Narration: 4 out of 5

black-balled-audiobook Larson Blackburn is an author who is published by an independent publisher. He has been trying to get his life back together after the death of his father, caring for his mother, and the disappearance of his sister Kennedy. He believes that his newest novel will help move his life forward. When influential online reviewer Babu savages not only his book but himself personally, he does the only thing he can think of doing. Start an online war with the critic, a term he uses loosely.

Tony Babalonia, Babu to the hundreds of fans of his online reviews, is known as a savage critic, and that suits him just fine. The Simon Cowell of the literary world, he does not hesitate to call a book garbage if he thinks it the term fits. However, what he views as candor has sent many an author out of the business. What he did not expect happened two years previously when one of those authors met him in a crowded elevator and stabbed him in the chest, causing his lung to deflate. This caused Tony to become both a recluse and avoid elevators at all costs. He cannot believe the audacity of one author, an L Blackburn, to challenge him and the critique he gave his book.

The two continue their online war via Babu’s review site and personal emails, detailing their own sexual conquests with women. Then Larson’s ex-wife comes to Babu and hands him information that suggests Larson plagiarized the novel from another book. Things come to a head (literally) when the two meet at a literary convention. The two, along with a woman that Larson was taking to his room, become trapped in an elevator at the hotel the convention was being held. As they were attending a Halloween masquerade ball, neither man knew the identity of the other when sexual hijinks take place. Will this lead to hurt feelings being eased or ramp them up to greater levels?

When I received the blurb for this audiobook, it said that it was a tale of two dominant alpha males. I found the two MCs to be more like assholes the first two thirds of the book. I could really gather neither sympathy nor empathy for either character. Both characters try to one-up the other in either tales of what one will do to the other or what they have done to women, complete with video to prove it. The ex-wife, who should be the main antagonist, comes of flat. When the two men take the revenge on Noelle, it borders on cruel and sadistic. I must say the sex scenes, especially between the two MCs were hot and well done.

Narrating a novel from two MC’s points of view can be difficult but Joel Leslie does ad admirable job of doing so. If I had to stop listening, when I returned, I could tell which of our MCs was currently speaking. I am not sure if his narration made the MCs seem more distasteful that what was written but he seemed to bring out the true nature of the characters to me.

Cover art is eye catching and draws you to pickup the story just as it should.

Sales Links

Book Details

Audiobook, 9 hours 28 minutes, 55 chapters
Published: June 8, 2016 by Andrea Smith

Audible Audio
Published June 8th 2016 (first published April 27th 2015)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBlack Balled #1

A Stella Review: Resonance (Village Love 0.5) by Lillian Francis

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

resonance-by-lillian-francis Resonance: The quality in a sound. The power to evoke enduring emotions. Sometimes one can result in the other.

Rick Brandt would never have said he was claustrophobic; after all he’s been in plenty of enclosed spaces in his job as the village’s only handyman cum gardener. He even squeezed into a disused coal chute to rescue a trapped dog for an elderly resident. So why did opening his eyes in the MRI scanner induce a breath stealing freak-out that has him jabbing at the panic button.

Luckily, Mal, the radiographer running his scan has a pleasant voice and an excellent bedside manner that soothes Rick’s frayed nerves and rabbity heartbeat. Soon the resonance of his tone has gone beyond calming and Rick is lost in a fantasy of the man behind the voice. But things aren’t always what they seem and when Rick’s shocked surprise at the reality causes offence, the likelihood of him getting to experience Mal’s true bedside manner appears to be slipping away.

Resonance is the first story I read by Lillian Francis. It’s a short, just forty pages, but I soon liked the author style. I found myself captured and curious about Rick and the guy behind the voice who is helping Rick with a panic attack during a MRI scan on his shoulder.

The short was a beautifully surprise especially cause it is very detailed in the writing, an almost unique trait. Characters well delined, medical procedures well explained and an intrigued atmosphere. I truly felt myself in that room with Mal and Rick. It’s very rare to me to find good shorts around, Resonance was a winner.

The cover art by Garrett Leigh is different and I like it.

Sales Links

BOOK DETAILS

Kindle Edition, 43 pages
Published October 25th 2015 by Finally Love Press
ASIN B0176I231W
Edition Language English

Village Love series

Resonance #0,5
Resistance #1

A MelanieM Review: Skyships Over Innsmouth by Susan Laine

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

skyships-over-innsmouth Twenty winters have passed since the Cataclysm brought down society and robbed people of their memories. Humanity, vastly reduced in numbers since the initial chaos, has started anew in Canal City with the aid of library books and steam technology. The Scout and Ranger Corps was established to search for possible survivors and to replenish dwindling resources.

Dev is the captain of the scout airship Smoke Sparrow, and Shay is the scholar of their newest expedition. Their destination is Innsmouth, Massachusetts, a small fishing town that is mentioned in obscure books but shows up on no maps. Might its secrets offer answers? But within the fog-covered, ruined hillside town by the bay lurk unspeakable dangers and horrors beyond imagining. The expedition team soon learns that Innsmouth is one town that should have been left forgotten.

Skyships Over Innsmouth by Susan Laine is more of a horror steampunk story than a romance. Taking place in a post apocalyptic world, Laine imagines what’s left of humanity living without memories of their past, in small societies run by steam and cobbled together knowledge from left over books. The event that wiped out their memories and killed most of the world’s population? Only mentioned by name, the Cataclysm, it brought the world almost to oblivion. No one living can remember past “twenty winters”, and most of those alive are young.

Its a fascinating foundation. Our main characters live in a place known as Canal City (its familiar name we will find out only towards the end of the story). All the people, Shay, Dev, even the remarkable Malia (one of my favorite characters) is mostly a blank slate. They have no history, no past, and unfortunately, that lack of foundation to their characters, leaves them shallow and lacking. I understand that its part of the narrative but it left its mark here on the men too. Malia is a stunshine gun wielding, armor wearing security guard for the Smokey Sparrow. She’s the most vivid, sparkling character in the entire story. I loved her. She outgunned, out powered and basically out charactered every darn thing in this story. Not good for Dev and Shay. Even the villain.

Laine did spooky rather well. The atmosphere over the town of Innsmouth practically shouted “run, you fools”. Typically, no one ever listens. I loved some of the descriptions of the town, the evil elements I can’t describe here without giving away plot points, and a host of other vile goings on. I liked those. But they kept being interrupted by Shay and Dev and a romance I never, ever believed in, not once. It went from shy, “I Lurve You” glances, to instant hot in love. I never felt any real connection between the two, all while trying to escape the town, and save themselves and others.

Nope, I wanted more of Malia.

The explanation, when it came…well, I’m not sure that I understood it all. But Malia was there kicking butt and somehow it all came together. The almost to the end was smashing!

As a horror/adventure tale, I liked Skyships over Innsmouth by Susan Laine. Definitely not as a romance. Its really up to you.

Sales Links

DSP Publications

Book Details:

ebook, 200 pages
Published August 2nd 2016 by DSP Publications
ISBN 1634769902 (ISBN13: 9781634769907)
Edition LanguageEnglish

A Caryn Release Day Review: Waiting for Patrick by Brynn Stein

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Elliot is a rolling stone. He’s spent his entire life moving from place to place, never stays anywhere more than a few months, doesn’t believe in relationships, has no family, and very few friends. He’s a loner, and as the story progresses, you see why — Elliot can be a self-centered asshole. He lives for his work, enjoys casual hookups, and overall is perfectly satisfied with his life. He’s built a business of flipping houses into a thriving architectural design corporation and is now able to spend time doing the type of renovations he enjoys as well as those that are profitable.

All of this changed when he acquired a civil war era plantation home in South Carolina. From the beginning, Elliot was drawn to this property in a way he’d never experienced before, and felt a sense of peace there that was also alien to him. He decided to live in the house and do some of the work himself as the renovation proceeded, rather than contracting everything out like he usually did. And he surprised himself by sticking around long enough to become attached to the house as well as a few local people that became friends. Over the following weeks, he found out that not only was the house haunted, but the ghost, Ben, was able to communicate with Elliot in increasingly more specific ways, until Elliot knew not only Ben’s history of enlisting in the Union army with his lover Patrick, but also of Ben’s death in the house, and of his promise to wait for Patrick to return for him. Ben and Patrick were true soul mates, so that was more of an eternal vow than a simple promise, and Ben is faithful to it. Elliot’s friends were amused that he was becoming close to a ghost — certainly closer than he’d ever gotten to a living person — but they were surprisingly supportive of him. After all, how do you carry on a romance with a ghost? Especially a romance doomed to end because Ben insists that Patrick will come back?

The rest of the book was not exactly predictable (at least not from the beginning), but before each new event or revelation occurred, there was so much foreshadowing that I knew exactly what was coming and wanted the author to hurry it up. Elliot’s not dumb, so his inability to get a clue about so many things was not only irritating, but didn’t really match his personality. That disconnect kept taking me out of the story. The pace of the book is slow, because of all the build up. There were occasional meanderings into side plots that went nowhere and seemed pointless. The secondary characters were not as well fleshed out as I feel they should have been given the length of the book, as a lot of the conversations and interactions were repetitive. Elliot was the only character who grew and changed. The others were pretty static, which made them increasingly irrelevant. I think that may have been intentional, a way for the author to emphasize the growing connection between Elliot and Ben and Elliot’s gradual withdrawal from the real world, but if so, it was not entirely successful. And finally, the paranormal aspects — communicating with a ghost, retrieving memories, finding a lost soul mate, and even the entire concept of a soul mate — were over-explained. I think an author should let magical realism happen, or not, but trying to explain the magic by mundane physical rules just ruins it.

Cover art by Bree Archer is wonderful and speaks to the story.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 280 pages
Expected publication: September 16th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634773985 (ISBN13: 9781634773980)
Edition LanguageEnglish

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Sweetwater by Lisa Henry and Dorian Bane (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

sweetwater_audiobook Wyoming Territory, 1870.

Elijah Carter is afflicted. Most of the townsfolk of South Pass City treat him as a simpleton because he’s deaf, but that’s not his only problem. Something in Elijah runs contrary to nature and to God. Something that Elijah desperately tries to keep hidden.

Harlan Crane, owner of the Empire saloon, knows Elijah for what he is—and for all the ungodly things he wants. But Crane isn’t the only one. Grady Mullins desires Elijah too, but unlike Crane, he refuses to push the kid.

When violence shatters Elijah’s world, he is caught between two very different men and two devastating urges: revenge, and despair. In a boomtown teetering on the edge of a bust, Elijah must face what it means to be a man in control of his own destiny, and choose a course that might end his life . . . or truly begin it for the very first time.

I haven’t read many books set in this time period so I was eager to give this a try. I felt the setting was done really well and I could totally picture this western town as if I was there. There were a host of characters all of which were felt realistic and added to the overall world building. The majority of the story was told by Elijah who was a really different type of character but I struggled with him a bit. He had a hard life and was very much a victim. It was totally realistic and believable but as a result I don’t think I ever really warmed to him. He annoyed me each time he did not stand up for himself. I felt sorry for him but it was hard for me to find him a believable romance partner. I didn’t see what Grady saw in him. Even though parts of the story were told through Grady’s point of view I still didn’t feel the connection. Elijah felt more like a child who needed a caregiver not a man who needed a romance partner. So, I liked it as a fiction story but not so much as a romance. The writing was really well done and this author is generally one of my favorites. This was just not the book for me.

The book was narrated by Dorian Bane who I had never listened to before. I thought he did an excellent job on all of the characters. This was a big cast and I thought he did each of them equally well. This is an audio that I would definitely recommend.

Cover by L.C. Chase: I love the cover. I think it fits the story perfectly.

Sales Links

Riptide Publishing

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 8 pages, Listening Length: 7 hours and 39 minutes

Published August 5th 2016 by Riptide Publishing (first published September 29th 2014)

ASIN B01JO64IAS

Edition Language English

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Release Day Review: Tied Up in Knots (Marshals #3) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Miro Jones is living the life: he’s got his exciting, fulfilling job as a US deputy marshal, his gorgeous Greystone in suburban Chicago, his beloved adopted family, and most importantly, the man who captured his heart, Ian Doyle. Problem is, Ian isn’t just his partner at work—Ian’s a soldier through and through. That commitment takes him away from Miro, unexpectedly and often, and it’s casting a shadow over what could be everything Miro could ever dream of.

Work isn’t the same without Ian. Home isn’t the same, either, and Miro’s having to face his fears alone… how to keep it together at the office, how to survive looming threats from the past, and worst of all, how to keep living without Ian’s rock-solid presence at his side. His life is tied up in knots, but what if unknotting them requires something more permanent? What would that mean for him and Ian? Miro’s stuck between two bad choices, and sometimes the only way to get out of the knot is to hold tight to your lifeline and pull.

Days after finishing, my head is still spinning. There was just so much detail to this story!

First of all, thank you, Rhys Ford, for allowing Kane and Connor Morgan to interact with Miro on a takedown in San Francisco. Wonderful vignette! And thank you, Mary Calmes, not only for arranging that interaction, but also for mingling in mentions of some of my other favorite characters, including Andreo Fiore and Duncan Stiel.

So, on to the story. Oh boy, this one is packed full of adventure, almost as much as it’s packed full of heartbreak—for both Miro and Ian—his frequent deployments are causing havoc with the stability of their relationship.

There are numerous trips away from his Chicago home base for Miro, as he first has to assist the DEA in San Francisco for a takedown, and then finds himself picking up a young man in Vegas who’s going into Witsec, a young man who wants to get in Miro’s pants in the worst way. Thankfully, Drake and Cabot, the young former witnesses who treat him and Ian like parents, are getting out of the program as their safety is no longer in question, and they befriend Josue, the new witness, and help him acclimate. Add to that, Miro’s former partner, Cochran, has a blowout with him and ends up slugging him in the eye, resulting in even more chaos and animosity between the cops and the marshal’s office.

And then there’s the prison escape by Dr. Craig Hartley, Miro’s archenemy. Thank God, Ian arrives home from deployment when he does. First of all, because their new neighbor is hitting on Miro, thinking Ian is never coming back, and secondly, because the Army brass show up to investigate a hitman who is knocking off members of Ian’s former unit. Unfortunately, they haul Ian back out of the picture to an undisclosed location. And if that’s not enough turmoil in Miro’s life, let’s add in even more chaos at the end of the story, just when I thought it was safe to close the book for a few minutes.

This part contains dead FBI agents assigned to cover Miro from Hartley’s reach and the truth about who is really trying to kill Ian and his fellow soldiers. Miro, of course, is caught in the crossfire again, facing down not just one, but two villains. Did I mention this all happens around Thanksgiving, and Miro’s “family” of female friends and their partners are having issues of their own, and everyone seems to come to Miro for their solution, bringing their cray-cray with them?

Oh yes, this story is not boring. Not boring at all. In fact, I’m amazed that I can remember even this much detail, but that’s just a hallmark of Mary Calmes’s stories for me—unforgettable, for sure. This one is packed so full of action, it’s like buying a ticket to an emotional roller coaster ride. Don’t miss out. You won’t want to put it down for a minute once you starting reading.

Cover art by Reese Dante is done in the same gray tones as others in this series and depicts a US Marshal’s badge, service revolvers, and army boots. All are key pieces in this story as the guns and badge are used frequently by Miro while, in the meantime, Ian has to face some serious choices about his Army Reserve status.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 260 pages
Expected publication: September 16th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634777557 (ISBN13: 9781634777551)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesMarshals – add to your Goodreads shelf here:

A MelanieM Release Day Review: Commitment Ranch (Leaning N #1) by B.A. Tortuga

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

commitment-ranch-by-ba-tortuga A fist fight, a snowstorm, a stolen kiss in the barn… and a second chance at love.

Ford Nixel has two law offices, two fancy condominiums, and all the right connections. In short, he has everything he wants.

The last thing he needs is his Uncle Ty’s stake in the Leaning N, a ranch that’s been in the family for generations. Ford hasn’t even been to the ranch in over a decade, not since he left his boyfriend Stoney behind and headed back to college alone.

Ford arrives at the Leaning N to find Stoney, now a single father, right where he left him. A fist fight, a snowstorm, and a stolen kiss in the barn later—Ford knows none of the heat between them has dissipated.

Dreamspun Desires and B.A. Tortuga! A combination I wouldn’t have thought would have worked and yet its a winner across the boards. Using the lovers reunited trope, Tortuga uses the potential loss of the family ranch to bring lawyer Ford Nixel back home to a ranch he hasn’t seen in over 10 years and the man he loved and lost.

Its a premise guaranteed to draw a reader in and it does so here. In Commitment Ranch (Leaning N #1) by B.A.Tortuga, the author uses her considerable skills of characterization to set down her MCs from (as she would say) the get go. The readers get a quick look see at Ford Nixel’s world and understand the hardworking, loner he’s become. I wanted to know more about the man, so wrapped up that personal time is low on his priorities. And when the phone call comes from his Uncle Ty, things start falling into place for the reader and Ford.

Tortuga is a wonderful storyteller. Her narrative unfolds at a pace that lets our curiosity build along with our affection for the characters as we meet them. When the story’s location transfers to that of the Leaning N Ranch and Stony (and family), meeting him, his adorable boy, the chef…all those people have their own revelations and histories. It’s like walking into a place and being welcomed. You take it all in, while being there, absorbing pieces of each of them, while focused on the main romance and trials of Ford and Smokey.

That romance! Its a torturous bunch of misunderstandings, some of which I never quite understood myself. That would be the Uncle’s part in it. Never did get that. But the way in which each man had to work through their misgivings, past histories, and issues of trust? Believable and got straight to my heart. The health problems with the uncle, along with the special needs of the child? All handled with a light, caring hand that worked beautifully within the story without weighing it down. Plus I loved that ranch. I could see that working ranch and the people who helped run it in my head so clearly that I was ready to book a week for myself.

There are, as with every Tortuga novel, wonderfully layered secondary characters and potential couples. As this is the first in a series, I am wondering which and where the next book will take us. The Leaning N Ranch is open for business. Its first story was a terrific romance. I can’t wait to see what the second one brings. I absolutely recommend Commitment Ranch (Leaning N #1) by B.A. Tortuga.

Cover art by Paul Richmond. Another terrific cover in the Dreamspun Desires group.

Sales Links

Book Details:

ebook, 250 pages
Expected publication: September 15th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634773683 (ISBN13: 9781634773683)
Edition LanguageEnglish

SeriesLeaning N #1

A Free Dreamer Young Adult Release Day Review: Do-Gooder by J. Leigh Bailey

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

do-gooder-by-j-leigh-bailey No good deed goes unpunished, and for seventeen-year-old Isaiah Martin, that’s certainly the case. The gun he was caught with wasn’t even his, for God’s sake. He only had it to keep a friend from doing something stupid. No one wants to hear it though, and Isaiah is banished—or so it seems to him—to live with his missionary father in politically conflicted Cameroon, Africa.

However, when he arrives, his father is so busy doing his good deeds that he sends Henry, the young, surprisingly hot do-gooder with a mysterious past, to pick up Isaiah and keep him out of trouble. Even while Isaiah is counting down the days until he can go home, he and Henry get caught in the political unrest of the region. Kidnapped by militant forces, the two have to work together to survive until they are rescued—unless they manage to find a way to save each other first.

“Do-Gooder” was an exciting, action-packed read. The romance mostly took a back seat, since the protagonists were a little busy trying to survive.

I mostly decided to read this book because of the setting. Not a lot of m/m books are set in Africa and I’ve always liked reading about exotic places. We don’t get to read much about the culture, though, since the story is mostly set in the middle of nowhere, with our two protagonists as prisoners of international mercenaries. I didn’t mind too much, since there were plenty of other things to keep me interested.

It’s interesting how the author managed to keep the story so suspenseful, even though it’s mostly set in a single hut and the MCs mostly just talk. Still, there’s the constant worry about Isaiah’s health, the mystery of Henry’s past and of course the mystery of why they were kidnapped and the worry about the next step of the kidnappers.

Even more amazing is the fact that she also managed to keep the feel of the story very realistic. All the explanations we get throughout made sense and the whole plot seemed like something that could totally happen under those circumstances.

The one part I didn’t really like was the romance. Not so much that it played only a minor role, but Isaiah’s feelings felt awfully rushed. It’s pretty much insta-love for him, which is a trope I despise. I didn’t quite buy into the intensity of the feelings. It read more like a crush to me and they just didn’t spend enough time with each other for me to believe that this was grounds for a serious relationship. Maybe Henry’s POV would have helped, because we only get to see Isaiah’s side. As it is, I didn’t really get the impression that Henry was returning Isaiah’s feelings for a long time.

The result was that I didn’t buy into the ending either. It felt like a forced HEA and pretty unrealistic. A HFN ending might have worked better, at least for me.

If you’re looking for a light, fun read, keep looking. This is not the book for you.

If, however, you’re looking for an action packed story full of intrigues and mystery, with a dash of romance, you’ll love this book.

The cover by Aaron Anderson represents the story perfectly: bullet holes and the all-important backpack with an African landscape on it. I’m not too fond of the background colour, but otherwise this is a great cover.

Sales Links

Harmony Ink Press

Book details:

ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: September 15th 2016 by Harmony Ink Press
ISBN 1634772903 (ISBN13: 9781634772907)
Edition LanguageEnglish