Category: LGBTQ Audio Books

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)

A VVivacious Audiobook Review: Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride by Eli Easton and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Robby Riverton is a rising star of the stage. He is on his way to something big when Robby witnesses a murder committed by a notorious gangster know to be meticulous enough to leave no witnesses alive. Robby’s life changes in a single moment leaving him to flee all he has ever known to live in obscurity.

Trace Crabtree is the Sheriff of Flat Bottom and he finds himself getting bored with his life. On a trip to Santa Fe, he comes across a woman being hassled by two men as he interferes he finds out that the woman is a mail-order bride intended for his little brother. But, as he soon finds out the mail-order bride isn’t who she says she is or more precisely isn’t who he says he is…

Firstly, I have to commend Mathew Shaw’s narration. It was so good. The narrator’s voice has a lot of influence on how you perceive an audiobook, it could make an average book good or worse depending on the narration. But, this was definitely one book in which it made a great book greater. Mathew Shaw was amazing. He did different accents for every character which made it even better. I especially loved his accent for Marcy, it was so very unique and the accent became the embodiment of how the character spoke in my mind which is something I have never given much thought to despite how unique and identifying voices can be. There is definitely something to be said about someone whispering a story in your ear though expositions can be particularly torturous in audiobooks.

On the whole, this story is very entertaining. I definitely had some laugh-out moments with this one and this story just kept me amused and feeling all the feels as the story went about its twists and turns.

I really enjoyed the story but there is something that just niggles at the back of my mind with this one which is wholly responsible for the docked half star. Robby plays a woman for the better half of this book. It is only at the very beginning and nearing the end that he is himself. A lot of the times all the characters view Robby as a woman and thus perceive and act accordingly. There is a point in this book where Robby stands up for Emmie and Marcy and points out very tactfully and decisively that they be treated better. At this point, I must confess that the point he brings out also includes the family’s manner and their shoddy attire which is actually for the benefit of everyone. But, still this particular point makes me a bit ill at ease, on the outside, Rowena standing up for the woman is something daring, brave and amazing but we as the readers know it is a man standing up for the women. This scene was one in which the image of the scene as seen by the characters held more significance than as that seen by the readers, because a woman fighting for the rights of other women when a woman’s rights weren’t always guaranteed is different than if a man already assured of his rights fights for the same. It’s just different at least from my perspective so I put it out there. This was the one thing that really made me re-assess my view on the storyline and in a way, I am really glad that Trace knew that Robby was Rowena all throughout, so such situations wouldn’t bias his POV. Also, since the author doesn’t pursue this avenue further and even manages to rectify it to some extent by the end, does help matters.

Also, it’s sometimes weird when you want a 2018 happy ending to a 1860s storyline. So, I had to swallow that down because the author stays true to the era. Not that there isn’t a happy ending, there is, it’s just different to what I would have wanted. This story really has me conflicted at times for some reason I am thrusting my own version of a happy ending on Robby’s happy ending. The author does justice to both her characters but for some stupid reason, I feel disappointed because that is not the ending I personally wanted for me… as these two. It’s complicated. God, this book really messed me up. It’s almost like I was Robby living with the Crabtrees and I just wanted him to continue on like that forever irrespective of the dis-service it would be to his own character. I feel like I put myself in Robby’s place a little too much.

Anyhow those idiosyncrasies aside (that probably anyone who isn’t me wouldn’t have even noticed), this book is truly amazing, hilarious and all around entertaining. I loved how Robby faces so many hurdles as best as he can adapting and trying to make the World a better place. It’s amazing what he is able to do for the Crabtrees and Clovis. That conversation that Rowena has with Clovis about manners is like a warm ray of sunshine, I wanted to snuggle in it. I loved Rowena’s interactions with Pa-pa and especially with Marcy and Emmie. I kind of loved the trio these three made.

I really loved the real Miss Rowena Fairchild, Robby as Rowena, Emmie and Marcy. Emmie, Marcy and Clovis were such amazing people and I whole-heartedly feel in love with these characters.

Trace was someone who I didn’t like when the book began but somehow slowly but steadily without me even realising it I had been won over, as at the end of the book I was shocked to realise that I had started out pretty cold towards Trace.

Trace and Robby were so good. There was so much to overcome when it came to Trace’s view on relationships, particularly those between two men an I liked how the author stayed true to the 19th century in that regard. But, I loved how well Robby and Trace were together and how inevitable.

All things considered, this book is an amazing read. It was so much fun listening to and I really really, enjoyed this one.

Cover Art by Dar Albert / Wicked Smart Designs. I loved the cover especially when I came across the author’s note on the same.

Sales Links: Amazon US |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon CA | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
Published August 2nd 2018 by Pinkerton Road (first published April 24th 2018)
Original Title Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride
Edition Language English
setting New Mexico (United States) 

Audio Review Tour and Giveaway for Eli Easton’s Robby Riverton: Mail Order Bride and Matthew Shaw (Narrator)

Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK | Amazon US | Amazon UK


Length: 7hrs 34 mins


Narrated by: Matthew Shaw


Cover Design: Dar Albert @ Wicked Smart Design


Blurb


Being a fugitive in the Old West shouldn’t be this much fun. The year is 1860. Robby Riverton is a rising star on the New York stage. But he witnesses a murder by a famous crime boss and is forced to go on the run – all the way to Santa Fe.

When he still can’t seem to ditch his pursuers, he disguises himself as a mail-order bride he meets on the wagon train. Caught between gangsters who want to kill him and the crazy, uncouth family of his “intended”, Robby’s only ally is a lazy sheriff who sees exactly who Robby is – and can’t resist him.

Trace Crabtree took the job as sheriff of Flat Bottom because there was never a thing going on. And then Robby Riverton showed up disguised as a woman and betrothed to Trace’s brother. If that wasn’t complicated enough, Trace finds the man as appealing as blueberry pie. He urges Robby to stay undercover until the danger has passed.

But a few weeks of having Robby-Rowena at the ranch and the Crabtree family will never be the same again.


About Eli

Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.

Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.

In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.

In 2018 Eli hopes to do more of the same, assuming they reschedule the apocalypse.

Her website is www.elieaston.com
You can email her at eli@elieaston.com



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Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here!  We highly recommend it, both in eBook and the wonderful audio format!.