Tag: Joel Leslie (Narrator)

A Lila Audiobook Review: Red Dirt Heart #1 by NR Walker and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

red-dirt-heart-1-audioWelcome to Sutton Station: One of the world’s largest working farms in the middle of Australia – where if the animals and heat don’t kill you first, your heart just might.

Charlie Sutton runs Sutton Station the only way he knows how; the way his father did before him. Determined to keep his head down and his heart in check, Charlie swears the red dirt that surrounds him – isolates him – runs through his veins.

American agronomy student Travis Craig arrives at Sutton Station to see how farmers make a living from one of the harshest environments on earth. But it’s not the barren, brutal and totally beautiful landscapes that capture him so completely, it’s the man with the red dirt heart.

Red Dirt Heart is an intense story about two men learning to love and accept each other. Their differences played tug-of-war with their feelings, creating more problems that they expected. Falling in love might not have been part of their plan, but the “lost in translation” effect added to the magic.

I normally wait until the end of the review to talk about the narrator, but this is about the audio version after all. This is my first story by Joel Leslie and I need to accept that I had to listen to the opening scene several times to get used to the different voices he created. I do have a very strong accent so I know how hard is for others to understand something they’re not used to, but after the initial shock, I can’t imagine reading the actual books. I’m waiting for the rest of the series to be released in audio. Charlie Sutton is now too real to be set aside. When you say that you can imagine visiting an area to meet the characters from a book, this is one of them. I’d love to travel to Sutton Station.

One thing, though, I wasn’t much into the female voices and Travis made me think of Bill Clinton. Sorry but it’s true. I listened to Clinton’s audiobooks and the accents are similar. I do live in Texas, but that cowboy had an Arkansan twang. 🙂

Travis’s and Charlie’s story isn’t an easy one. We get it from the very beginning with Travis’s arrival and how it changed Charlie’s view. We see how they struggled with what they wanted, especially Charlie, and what they were willing to do to get their happiness.

This is a very well-written story with much more than a simple romance plot. It’s a travel story with enough details about the Australian outback to make the reader want to visit. I’m not going to spoil the events that brought them together, but it was all worth it. Every single detail that might seem unnecessary, added another layer.

Definitely, a great story. One that’s not going to get dated over the years. The topics are universal and relevant no matter the times.

The cover by Sara York seems generic at first sight but after you read the story, you will see that it’s perfect for this book.

Sales Links:  Amazon | iTunes | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Narrator: Joel Leslie
Length: 5 hours 7 minutes
Published: July 4, 2016 (Audio Edition) by Love Lane Books
ASIN: B01HU3WTHQ
Edition Language: English

Series: Red Dirt
Book #1: Red Dirt Heart

 

An Ali Audiobook Review: Crime Wave (Jimmy McSwain Files #2) by Adam Carpenter and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
crime-wave-audiobook-coverJimmy McSwain returns to help his sister’s boyfriend fight a murder charge–and finds he may just have a lead on a cold case.

Hell’s Kitchen private investigator Jimmy McSwain returns in a twisting tale of past sins and present-day vengeance. Jimmy McSwain isn’t thrilled about taking a case for free but when his sister fears her boyfriend, Rocky, is cheating on her, he has no choice. But the case takes a deadly turn when Rocky is standing over the body of a man he was just seen kissing, and he’s holding the gun. He begs Jimmy to prove his innocence.

Meanwhile, as a sweltering heat wave claims New York City, a gunman with a thirst for blood is targeting Manhattan deli owners and has already claimed two victims. Jimmy knows a thing or two about those as fourteen years ago his father was killed outside a deli, and it’s possible today’s killer could be linked to that unsolved murder, one that continues to haunt Jimmy. Enlisting the aid of sexy NYPD Captain Francis X. Frisano, Jimmy finds himself torn between the two cases, as well as the heat simmering between himself and the hot cop. Suddenly a quiet summer has erupted into a full blown crime wave.
This is the second book in a series and I had not read book one but I found that this was fine as a standalone.  As the blurb states, Jimmy is a private detective who is helping his sister out as a favor.  This leads to him witnessing the tail end of a murder that his sister’s boyfriend is accused of committing.  Jimmy doesn’t really want to get involved but he feels bad for Rocky who is devastated over the murder and swears he is innocent.  Jimmy ends up investigating the murder and finds himself in the middle of a complicated crime.
In addition to this plot there is also a side plot of Jimmy trying to find out who killed his father when he was a teenager.  Some events happen that lead Jimmy to believe he is close to getting some answers.
There is a bit of romance in this between Jimmy and a police Captain that he works with.  It appeared there had been some attraction between them in the previous book but they get together for the first time in this book.  This was my least favorite part of the story.  I didn’t care much for Francis and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the two men.  It was more telling me how they felt than showing me.  
I enjoyed the overall plot of the book and I liked the murder mystery that involved Rocky.  I thought that was done well and had a few interesting twists.  The writing style did not completely work for me though.  There were passages that felt too wordy and there were sections, especially when the two men were together, that were filled with purple prose.  I think that also led me to dislike the romance between the two.
This audio was narrated by Joel Leslie.  I thought he did a good job on the narration.  His voice for Jimmy was well done as were the side characters.  There were parts that bothered me but those weren’t really the narrator’s fault.  He was simply reading the words the author wrote.  Even knowing that I still found the purple prose parts annoying and had to remind myself it wasn’t the narration that was bugging me but the text.
Overall this was an average read/audio.  I didn’t love it but I did like it well enough that I will probably try the next book in the series at some point.
Cover:  The cover is average and it is a good representation of the story plot.
Sales Links
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Audiobook Details:
Length: 7 hrs
Audible Audio, Unabridged
Published December 7th 2016 by Linden Corners Press (first published July 1st 2015)
SeriesJimmy McSwain Files #2

A MelanieM Audiobook Release Day Review: How to Deal (All Cocks Stories #3) by T. M. Smith and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

how-to-deal-audiobookListening Length: 4 hours and 30 minutes

Jon Brennan comes from a long line of men in uniform; all born and bred to both bleed and wear blue. His family and the majority of his co-workers support him every step of the way, so he doesn’t need to hide the fact that he prefers men over women. Between the job and his larger than life, loud and rowdy half Irish, half Italian family, there isn’t much time for dating, much less finding a guy who can deal with the stress and demands placed on the shoulders of an NYPD detective.

Kory White is cocky and abrasive with most people, but it is all a facade he hides behind to keep his heart safe. As a child, Kory lost his mother to an act of violence. Soon after, he and his baby sister Kassandra were separated by the system. Kassandra was immediately adopted, but Kory spent the next 10 years cycling through foster homes before moving to the Big Apple. In an effort to keep everyone at a distance, Kory has meticulously built himself an alter ego: Hayden Cox, All Cocks cockiest model.

These two strong-willed men definitely prove opposites do attract. Both are stubborn and hard headed to a fault, Kory more so than Jon. But Jon is used to being in control, the one calling the shots, and Kory fights him at every turn. Just when it seems they have found a way to navigate the unchartered territory that is love, tragedy knocks on Kory’s door yet again. Volatile and strong, even in the face of adversity, both men refuse to give up on each other – or their love.

I came at How to Deal by T.M. Smith cold, not having read or listened to any of the previous stories in this series and that caused some confusion.  I had no idea what All Cocks was.  I had to go back to find out that it was a online pay for porn site and the series revolved around the porn stars working for the site All Cocks.  Its a great format, allowing the author to easily have as many characters as they want in a series and intertwine them as needed.  Here those couples and men from prior stories make appearances in sex scenes as well as continuing story lines as the porn stars have formed a family together.

There is a tragedy here that hits especially hard considering recent events.  I think the author has chosen to treat it in a timely and sensitive manner.  I liked that  aspect of this story.  And I liked the characters of Jon Brennan and Kory White.  Each is well-defined, supported by past history, and in Jon’s case, a large and boisterous Irish Catholic family.

The audiobook made the story or should I say the narration of Joel Leslie made the story for me.  I don’t think I would have rated it as highly had I just read it as an ebook.  Some of the phrases and sentences the author uses are just too cliche but out of the voice or many voices of Joel Leslie?  Where I started to cringe at an over-used phrase instead I swiftly moved forward, totally engaged in the drama unfolding in my mind as I listened.  It didn’t matter whether Joel Leslie was inhabiting the body of the matriarch of the Brennan clan, the fierce Irish granny who’s ire is to be feared, or the Captain of the NYPD force, with the NY accent and imposing character, each person is so easily defined by their voice.  Its a tour de force of acting.

This includes the relationship between  Jon and Kory. Joel Leslie captures it just right.  His inflections, the tones of voice, the differences between the characters in their backgrounds?  Its all in their voices and it makes them so believable.  I easily lost myself in this story and this couple.

How to Deal (All Cocks Stories #3) by T. M. Smith and Joel Leslie (Narrator) is a wonderfully engaging story as narrated by Joel Leslie.  It pulls you into the couple and the drama that is their lives.  It also makes me  want to know what happens next in the series.  Where will T.M. Smith take these characters and this series next?  I believe I will wait for the next audiobook to arrive and find out then.  It wouldn’t be the same now without the narration.

I highly recommend this audiobook and the narrator.  Its a perfect way to lose yourself in a story that  hot, and touching and romantic.

Cover art works for the book and characters

Sales Links

 iTunes | Amazon Audio | Audible

Audiobook Details:

Audible Audio, 5 pages
Published November 4th 2016 by TTC Publishing (first published November 27th 2015)
ASINB01M8Q3AXI
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesAll Cocks Stories #3

How to Deal by T.M Smith and Narrated by Joel Leslie Audiobook tour (excerpt and giveaway)

 

Welcome to the How to Deal Audiobook tour, hosted by TTC Books and more.


How to Deal is the 3rd book in the All Cocks Stories and is now available in Audiobook format in addition to E-book and Print. 

 

Jon Brennan comes from a long line of men in uniform; all born and bred to both bleed and wear blue. His family and the majority of his co-workers support him every step of the way, so he doesn’t need to hide the fact that he prefers men over women. Between the job and his larger than life, loud and rowdy half Irish, half Italian family, there isn’t much time for dating, much less finding a guy who can deal with the stress and demands placed on the shoulders of an NYPD detective.
Kory White is cocky and abrasive with most people, but it is all a facade he hides behind to keep his heart safe. As a child, Kory lost his mother to an act of violence. Soon after, he and his baby sister Kassandra were separated by the system. Kassandra was immediately adopted, but Kory spent the next 10 years cycling through foster homes before moving to the Big Apple. In an effort to keep everyone at a distance, Kory has meticulously built himself an alter ego: Hayden Cox, All Cocks cockiest model.
These two strong-willed men definitely prove opposites do attract. Both are stubborn and hard headed to a fault, Kory more so than Jon. But Jon is used to being in control, the one calling the shots, and Kory fights him at every turn. Just when it seems they have found a way to navigate the unchartered territory that is love, tragedy knocks on Kory’s door yet again. Volatile and strong, even in the face of adversity, both men refuse to give up on each other – or their love.
©2015 TM Smith (P)2016 TM Smith

 

Buy links Audiobook: iTunes | Amazon Audio | Audible
Buy links E-book or Paperback: 
Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | ARe | Smashwords | B&N
 

Meet the Narrator!

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. 
{Image compliments of Author TM Smith (flying monkey) and Joel Leslie (Sexy Tinman) via GRL 2016 in Kansas City}



Narrator links: Audible | Website | Facebook | Twitter

Follow the tour: 

Nov
21st
BikeBook Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW
MMBook Escape – Spotlight & Guest Post
Nov
22nd
ScatteredThoughts and Rogue Words – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
HappilyEver Chapter – Inspiration/Gran Brennan & REVIEW
Nov
23rd
TwoBook Pushers – Spotlight only
OpenSkye Book Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW
Books
let us live a thousand words – Spotlight & REVIEW
Nov
24th
LoveBytes – This or That Thanksgiving edition (Author and Narrator)
GayBook Reviews – Narrator Interview & REVIEW
TripleA – Spotlight only
Nov
25th
FangirlMoments and My Two Cents – Spotlight only
MorticiaKnight – Spotlight only
Nov
26th
GayMedia Reviews – Playlist & REVIEW
CathyBrockman – Spotlight & REVIEW
TDCBook Reviews – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
Nov
27th
BayouBook Junkie – Playlist & REVIEW
TheO’Raven Chronicles – Spotlight only
Nov
28th
BookBoyfriend Heaven – Spotlight only
WickedFaerie’s Tales and Reviews – Exclusive Excerpt & REVIEW
Nov
29th
Man2 Mantastic – Spotlight only
PurpleRose Teahouse – Guest post
TwoChicks Obsessed With Books and Eyecandy – Spotlight only
MakingIt Happen – Spotlight & REVIEW
Nov
30th
DivineMagazine – Guest post & REVIEW
SinfulReviews – Spotlight only
PrismBook Alliance – Spotlight & REVIEW
Heartson Fire Reviews – Spotlight & REVIEW

 

 

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A military brat born and raised at Ft. Benning Georgia; TM Smith is an avid reader, reviewer and writer. A Texas transplant, she now calls DFW her home. Most days she can be found curled up with a good book, or ticking away on her next novel. 

 
Smith is a single mom of three disturbingly outspoken and decidedly different kids, one of which is Autistic. Besides her writing, she is passionate about Autism advocacy and LGBT rights. Because, seriously people, Love is Love!
 
 
Author links: Amazon || ARe || Smashwords || Website || Facebook || Twitter 

Goodreads || Pinterest || Youtube

 

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How to Deal Audiobook tour Exclusive Excerpts

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Excerpt

Today was the last day of filming and no one could be happier than Kory. He hadn’t seen Jon in over a week and he was beyond ready to curl up on the couch with his man, eat bad takeout and watch something mindless on the television. His man, the thought made Kory laugh. If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be exclusively dating just one guy, and a cop no less, he would have laughed in their face and told them to fuck off. And yet, that is exactly what was happening. It was a slow start for them, Kory hesitant to date anyone that had followed him online in the beginning, but in the weeks since meeting at Club Berlin they had gradually grown closer. 

Jon Brennan was a force of nature, stubborn to a fault, demanding and temperamental at best; but he had managed to do the one thing no other man since Paul had done, sink his hooks into Kory. He had blown into Kory’s life that night at the club and in the days that passed, he managed to worm his way past the wall he had erected around his heart. Not to mention, the hard headed half Irish half Italian cop had laid claim to Kory, and refused to leave. Their relationship was a series of ups and downs that sometimes got physical, and not in the biblical sense, but for whatever reason, they seemed to cling to each other. 

The last time they had seen each other before Kory had to play Hayden for a couple weeks, they wound up arguing because they couldn’t agree on what to watch on TV or what to order for dinner. It was ridiculous and meaningless in hindsight – they were both so hard headed, but what Kory remembered fondly was the blow job he received while being pinned to his living room floor when he tried to stomp away from Jon. 

November 21st MM Book Escape Exclusive Excerpt part 1

November 22nd Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Exclusive Excerpt part 2

November 23rd Open Skye book Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 3

November 26th TDC Book Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 4

November 28th Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews Exclusive Excerpt part 5

November 29th Purple Rose Teahouse Exclusive Excerpt part 6

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Love on Location by Lucy Felthouse and Joel Leslie (Narrator)

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

love-on-location-audiobookShort and sweet, this story is narrated by the very talented Joel Leslie, thereby increasing my enjoyment exponentially.

Theo Samuels is an actor, filming on location in the village of Stoneydale. There he meets Eddie Henderson, who’s working the set in a minor job, but Theo can’t seem to keep his eyes off Eddie and it appears the attraction is mutual.  That’s actually the last thing Theo wants because he’s deeply closeted and worried that coming out would affect his career.  But the two can’t deny their attraction and when they are caught in the rain one day while out sightseeing, they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Bemoaning the fact that Theo lives in London and Eddie lives in Stoneydale where he’s hoping to find a better job, they decide that they’ll just stay together temporarily and deal with their separation the next time Theo takes off to do another role. Knowing they’ll find it difficult to part, now or in the future, they take a chance and Eddie heads to London with Theo.

Without revealing any more of the fairly short plot, I can say that they do get their HEA. This story is low level angst, with two sweet MCs and an outstanding narrator. Thinking of picking up the audiobook? Don’t hesitate.

The bright, attractive cover depicts two handsome men, well representing the story.

Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook
Published September 30th 2016
ASINB01M0XWJKU
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/love-on-location/