Tag: Mischief Corner Books audiobook

An Ali Audiobook Review: Vassily the Beautiful (The ESTO Universe) by Angel Martinez and Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Vassily Belikov, composer and pampered son of privilege, suffered neurological damage in the accident that killed his father. Resentful of being treated as an invalid, he lives as a recluse, dependent on his mother. That changes the day she brings home a new husband with two sons of his own.

When deep-space pirates capture Vassily’s mother, he’s left to the mercy of his cruel, amoral stepfather. Fighting addiction and his physical shortcomings, he’s forced to seek out the criminal mastermind Baba Yaga for a crucial piece of equipment. While she agrees to deal with him if he beats his Exoticus addiction, paranoia and mysterious intentions infuse her household. Drawn to her fierce, suspicious youngest son, certain his actions are all carefully observed, Vassily must find the courage to face both his fears and his desires if he expects to survive. 
I wasn’t sure about this book at the beginning.  Vassily was very fragile and made some decisions that didn’t make any sense to me.  Some of the abuse by his step-father was also a bit hard to read.  But when Vassily heads across the city to find the infamous Baba Yaga the story just took off out of the gate.  I loved it from then until the end.  
 
This is a sci-fi setting but it is not heavy on that aspect.  I mention that because I’m not a big sci-fi fan but I feel like there were just small aspects to this and really it just felt like a story in another universe.  It was easy to read and the world building was detailed enough for you to get the feel for how and where they live, but wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t overshadow the story.
 
I think the author did a great job with the characters.  There were a lot and they all stood out as individuals.  The villains were wonderfully bad, Vassily, once he starts to stand up for himself, was sweet and charming, and Baba Yaga and her sons were just awesome.  They were the highlight of the story for me.  
 
I loved the pairing of Vassily and Sumerki.   It was such a great opposites attract pairing.  Vassily soothed and mellowed Sumi out and Sumi’s fierceness gave Vassily the strength he needed.  
 
This audiobook was narrated by Greg Boudreaux and I thought he did a great job.  There were a lot of characters so there were a lot of voices, plus there were a lot of different accents.  I felt like he did them all really well.  This was my first time listening to this narrator but he will be going on my list of people to look for in future audiobooks.
 
Overall I enjoyed everything about this.  It was a unique plot and a sweet love story.  By the end I was fully invested in the characters and I really hope this author will revisit this world one day and give both of Sumi’s brothers stories also.
 
Cover:  I think the cover is nicely done.  I think it sets the feel for the book really well and the character on the cover fits the MC.  I also think the color scheme is attractive and eye catching.
Sales Links:  Mischief Corner Books | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 2nd Edition, 216 pages
Published June 11th 2014 by Mischief Corner Books LLC (first published April 2nd 2012)
ASINB00KWOP7NY
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe ESTO Universe

An Alisa Audiobook Review: Kieran: The Atherton Pack 4 By Toni Griffin and Nick Flint (Narrator)

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

 

ap4-kieran-audio6x6_orig“You need to go to Atherton,” they said. Easy for them. The higher-ups at headquarters don’t have their whole world on the line. When Detective Damon Kelly’s bosses send him across the state on a “simple” cyber fraud case, he never thinks he’d meet his mate, then risk losing Kieran by doing his job. No matter what other possible angles Damon works, his partner Grant Davis is sure Kieran’s best friend Corey’s their guy, and Grant is bent on bringing him in.

 

After the birth of their Alpha’s son, the Atherton Pack needs another beta. Kieran Baxter couldn’t be happier to accept. What Kieran doesn’t expect is for all hell to break loose his first week on the job. Clashing with his mate at every turn, and fighting a human cop who wants to arrest Corey for hacking a government database, wasn’t part of the plan either.

 

As more evidence piles up, a bigger, scarier picture comes into focus that could threaten not only the Atherton Pack, but everything the world knows.

 

This was another great addition to the Atherton Pack series.  Damon is thrown for a loop when he meets his mate while investigating his mate’s best friend while also trying to guide his work partner away from the obvious suspect.  Kieran is excited to meet his mate, but doesn’t know how to reconcile his friendship with his mate’s job.  A lot of other things went on than just Damon and Kieran’s relationship and I can’t wait to see how all the changes in the world of shifters will affect the future books.

 

Damon is determined to do the right thing with his job, while also leading them away from the truth in order to keep the pack safe.  When he is forced to take drastic measures to keep his mate and other shifters safe he hopes it will all work out.  Throughout this story I could feel how conflicted Damon was with his job and mate knowing what he had to do, but he was determined to have a relationship with Kieran despite everything.  Kieran has a lot of trouble accepting the situation he has been put in and knows he has to look at things from all sides to get the whole story.  These two went about the opposite of the others and jumped into sex and then have to learn to make everything work after the fact.

 

Nick Flint did a wonderful job again narrating this story.  I was able to understand the characters through the voices and emotions he portrayed.  We saw a lot more characters points of view in this story and he easily kept them each unique so there wasn’t any mix up what was going on.

 

Cover art is wonderful and follows the pattern for the series.

 

Sales Links: Audible | Amazon | iTunes

 

Audiobook Details:

Audiobook, 7 hrs 27 min
Published: January 6, 2017 (ebook, published October 19, 2016) by Mischief Corner Books
Edition Language: English

Series: The Atherton Pack #4

A Barb the Zany Old Lady audiobook Review: My Christmas Present by Toni Griffin

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

my-christmas-presentAfter four years away, when Lucas finishes uni, he arrives just in time for the Christmas holiday season. All he wants is to work on his dad’s best friend’s cattle station and to capture that man’s heart for Christmas. He’s had a crush on Mitchell since he was a young teen, and though he had a few experiences with guys while in college, it’s the “almost forty” man who captures his attention and won’t let go.

Not knowing that the feeling is mutual, he decides he only has a few days to make his intentions known. But Mitchell is an expert at evading the sexy young man who captured his attention around the time he turned eighteen, so he doesn’t give Lucas many chances to try. Enter Lucas’s father Ben, who happens to be a lawman. What he does to help the ill-fated pair along makes a great Christmas present for both. After all, a father wants what’s best for his son, and if he happens to help his best friend along the way, it’s win-win.

This was a very short, very sweet, very fluffy, sexy story. Well narrated by Ryder Watkins, it would make a great stocking stuffer, birthday gift, or just a short, fun afternoon of listening. If you like cowboys, Aussies, or age gap, this one fits the bill.

The drawn cover is of a sexy cowboy sitting at a kitchen chair out by the corral. It makes sense after you read the story, but it is indeed colorful and attractive.

Sales Links

Mischief Corner Books

Amazon

Audiobooks Details:

ebook, 2nd Edition
Published December 18th 2013 by Mischief Corner Books, LLC (first published December 2nd 2011)
Edition LanguageEnglish
CharactersLucas Winters, Mitchell Morgan settingAustralia