This delightful romp works so well because our heroine is twenty-nine. While still a virgin she no longer expects to marry. She does still expect to cThis delightful romp works so well because our heroine is twenty-nine. While still a virgin she no longer expects to marry. She does still expect to care about her brother so when she follows him to the door of London's notorious gambling king, she expects the worst. But all is definitely not what it appears. When her brother disappears and her aunt wants to avoid scandal, she goes to that same gambling king to enlist aid. Neville Roscoe, once Lord Julian delBraithe, is so much more than he appears and so us the lovely woman before him. Against his better judgement he takes her on the rescue mission and falls in love. The ending has a terrific twist that remains true to the story. The narrator nailed characters and pacing and neither overplayed nor underplayed the sexual tension or the sex. One Of the best romances I've listened to....more
**spoiler alert** Izzy Spellman is so distinctive that she requires a narrator like Christina Moore to shine and shine she does. At the end of the las**spoiler alert** Izzy Spellman is so distinctive that she requires a narrator like Christina Moore to shine and shine she does. At the end of the last book, Izzy, with the help of her siblings, stages a hostile takeover of her family business and being at the top quickly goes to her head. Her parents go on strike. And that's the happy news. Nothing goes right for Izzy in this book. Watching her deal with it is what sets its all apart. Now in her mid-30s, Izzy is forced to realize that this is what life is and it may not get any better so she'd better start enjoying it. Edward Slayter, the client that was the cause of the mess Izzy got in with her parents, is critical in this book. Edward's Alzheimer's is getting worse but not so drastically that he can't figure out that someone is trying to frame him. And Izzy along with him. She's under suspicion for embezzlement. Her father is sick, her sister's side business as a conflict resolution specialist, is not as straightforward as it appears, her grandmother is brainwashing Princess Banana, and Henry? Henry's new girlfriend is pregnant. It really doesn't get better than this. Moore's droll voice is delightful to listen to and makes the nearly 11 hours fly by....more
When Lester Hamilton, owner of the local chicken factory farm, is found dead in the pond, people assume is drowned while illegally noodling for catfisWhen Lester Hamilton, owner of the local chicken factory farm, is found dead in the pond, people assume is drowned while illegally noodling for catfish. That would have been the preferred end. Unfortunately, he was murdered and the list of suspects is practically endless as no one liked the man. This is the first Dan Rhodes book I have read. George Guidall reads and he could make an owners manual sound exciting. But while he made the story mildly amusing it wasn't a compelling story and neither were the characters. It's hard to root for a character as dislikable as Lester but if the point of the story was to make factory farming unappealing, that worked. I don't know if I would rush to read others in the series. ...more
**spoiler alert** I'm sure it would have helped if I hadn't jumped into the series in book 5. Although the conflict is easy to understand, these are c**spoiler alert** I'm sure it would have helped if I hadn't jumped into the series in book 5. Although the conflict is easy to understand, these are continuing characters and their backstory is important. This is a battle between good and evil, though the Angels aren't flying around with wings. They are saving souls the old fashioned way. The demons or perhaps just the devil, is a rotting woman with good glamour, a serious OCD problem and a consumerism fetish. This was the showdown between Duke and his twin G.B. The two men couldn't be more different. Duke is a bouncer and looks disreputable. G.B. is a singer/actor on the verge of his big break. The latter is smooth, the former all rough edges. But you should never judge a book by its cover and looks are quite deceiving to the Angels too, as they are after the wrong soul. Meanwhile, Jim trades a win to get back Cissy, the young college student murdered in the last book. She can't return as normal and she wants to pay back some of the hell she was forced to endure. If that puts her on the side of the Angels, so be it. While the cameos from the Black Dagger Brotherhood were nice, Caldwell has got to be completely unsafe for humans. For me the problem with this book was that her voice was too clearly BDB and these books just aren't as exciting. Eric Dove narrates and does a credible job. The story just didn't wrap me into it the way the BDB series has done. ...more
If you like reading about a man and his dog, this book will work for you. Andy Carpenter finds himself reluctantly defending a man who is willing to pIf you like reading about a man and his dog, this book will work for you. Andy Carpenter finds himself reluctantly defending a man who is willing to plead guilty to setting a fire that killed 21 people. He doesn't remember doing it. It was a long time ago and he has turned his life around. Andy hates to admit it because it means work but he can't see that the man could have done it. He knows there are dots he isn't privy to and that his defendant is a victim. The question is whether he will live long enough to finish the trial. The narrator was likable and kept me wanting to know more. It even reminding me that I have book 1 of this series on my TBR pile in hardcover and I really should start reading it. Definitely a series I will look for at book sales. ...more
In many ways this is a fascinating and useful look at the benefits of planting a vegetable garden. It certainly made me want to plant one. But the audIn many ways this is a fascinating and useful look at the benefits of planting a vegetable garden. It certainly made me want to plant one. But the audiobook was seriously hindered by not having professional narrators. The real people, the real White House staff sounded stilted and without the enthusiasm that otherwise shined through in the prose. Michelle Obama was clearly enthusiastic about this project. It reminded her of simpler times growing up but in Chicago, simpler times didn't mean having your own vegetable garden and she took care to consult with people who knew more than she did and she took their advice. She also involved children. Her campaign to end childhood obesity began at home. It wasn't that the family was fat but rather it wasn't eating healthy. Veggies were a reluctant add-on to the meal not a main feature. And she wanted children involved in the garden. If they understood how the food got to the table they may be more interested in eating it. Sure enough, that was true. The pleasure in that was obvious. The little girl tasting cauliflower for the first time was hilarious. Inner city kids often don't have the opportunity to see fresh food and Obama showcases projects around the country that are turning that around. If this was read by the First Lady and professional readers it would have been a powerhouse. ...more
**spoiler alert** Styxx is the flip side of Acheron. You may think the grass is greener for your identical twin, the crown prince, but not when nothin**spoiler alert** Styxx is the flip side of Acheron. You may think the grass is greener for your identical twin, the crown prince, but not when nothing you could do would possibly satisfy your father. Your mother and sister hate you on sight. And everyone seems to want to kill you. It was painful to listen to nearly 18 hours of Styxx being abused as a human. Longer than we had to listen to Acheron's pain. It's brutal, unflinching, and unrepentant. Styxx is brutally raped repeatedly because he is cursed by Apollomi's sister and catches the eye of Apollo. Any idea that we may have had that Apollo isn't a complete egomaniacal dickwad who enjoys using his power to abuse others is certainly disabused in this story. Styxx is likable from the beginning. Sensitive, he only wants to find love but he is born at a time where men were gladiators and softer emotions were to be beaten out of you. Eventually he meets Beth, a blind peasant fisherwoman who is actually the vengeance god Betanya. But he doesn't know that and she doesn't know he is Prince Styxx. They fall in love. It's the real thing. Unfortunately, real life, the gods and a few demons conspire to make their love impossible. Styxx declares he will never stop trying to find her and eleven thousand years later it's finally time for him to have peace and love and family. If the story had been more balanced between past and present it would have made it more interesting but watching Acheron really understand his brother was quite good. Fred Berman is a great addition to the stable of narrators for this series. He understood the seriousness of the gods and didn't downplay the bitterness that permeated the novel until nearly the end. Artemis was in good form which was the only humor in the book. There were some fabulous reveals that are too good to be spoilers. Read it and find out. It is worth the 26+ hours to listen to and I'm sure it's marvelous in book form as well. ...more
Other reviewers have compared this book with John Grisham's The Firm and for good reason. Our protagonist has been plucked from his lowly roots, dad iOther reviewers have compared this book with John Grisham's The Firm and for good reason. Our protagonist has been plucked from his lowly roots, dad in prison, mother dead, and finds himself a first year associate on the fast track with The Davies Group. It doesn't take him long to realize that the Davies Group has its fingers and tendrils into every important pie in Washington. He still has the naivete not to question this too much. Even when the senior partners bring in him in on a big case he doesn't stop to questions much. It's only when they ask him to pull back that all his paranoia comes to the fore and he starts doing a little investigation out of school. But the partners want him out of this picture and don't take kindly to his initiative when it's marshaled against them. It's an interesting legal-ish thriller. While there are lots of improbabilities, the main characters are likable and you want them to win. ...more
While there were wonderful descriptions of food and ultimately a follow-through on the author's inner journey, which was not just to follow the Silk RWhile there were wonderful descriptions of food and ultimately a follow-through on the author's inner journey, which was not just to follow the Silk Road to discover the origin of noodles but rather to travel through these unknown spaces to discover the origin of herself, I was bored. Coleen Marlo didn't make me want to continue to listen. She didn't enliven the food or make it sound yummy. She read it. She didn't bring Jen alive even though a lot of Jen's insecurities were there. Nor did she give Jen's voice any political slant when she discussed the oppression of women in Turkmekistan. (Forgive the spelling.) Even though it was there in her words. We got some of her weariness of the same meals day after day but not necessarily her joy in cooking them. And though Lin-Liu tried to recreate the real live characters she met, she rarely succeeded, even with her husband who got lost in the shadows because he wasn't a foodie. There were some interesting people that she spent time with and she had some fascinating adventures but it took a long time to get to the point where she learned something. ...more
Although this book was lyrical and dreamy and clever it also made very little sense. In 1939 a small village, on an island, tries to escape the ravageAlthough this book was lyrical and dreamy and clever it also made very little sense. In 1939 a small village, on an island, tries to escape the ravages of WWIi by remaking the world. They toss out their old lives, trade spouses and children, reassign ages, jobs and possessions, and start reliving the world on day one. Lena ends up with new parents and at age 11 is forced to behave like a fast growing infant until her mother tires of her and marries her off as a young teen. But ultimately the war does invade and Lena begins spiraling downwards into madness. Her redemption comes slowly but it comes. Only I never really understood how and why. There is so much symbolism that it begins to get lost in itself. The story is read beautifully but after the first half it felt too disjointed for me to enjoy. Maybe if I had physically read it I might have felt differently....more
I have never watched Glee, but Jane Lynch's memoir made me want to go and rent her entire body of work so that I could follow the path of her career gI have never watched Glee, but Jane Lynch's memoir made me want to go and rent her entire body of work so that I could follow the path of her career growth. Although Lynch describes years of pain and insecurity that came from keeping her homosexuality a secret, her memoir focuses on her improbable career. Though it is improbable not because of her considerable talent but rather because of the amount of work it would have to take for her career to flourish. You have to be very tenacious to persevere through the many apartment setbacks and job setbacks and relationship setbacks that she endures. Lynch reads this book and it is clear that while she took this memoir seriously and she takes her craft seriously, she does not take herself seriously and that made the book entertaining and easy to listen to. ...more
Jeff Woodman was the perfect narrator for this story of a man discovering that he is worthy of redemption. For Benjamin Benjamin, his world stopped whJeff Woodman was the perfect narrator for this story of a man discovering that he is worthy of redemption. For Benjamin Benjamin, his world stopped when a tragic accident took his family from him. His wife is still living but she is hounding him to sign the divorce papers. Ben finds it hard to get up in the morning but ultimately takes a job as the caretaker for a young man (18) with muscular dystrophy. Trev lives with his mother and has a very set routine. But Ben shakes that up even if that wasn't his intention. The first half of the book is the build up to the second half which is the big road trip to visit Trev's father in Salt Lake City. What should have been a straightforward trip turns into anything but as they pick up hitchhikers, evade followers, and ultimately grow up. While cliched in places, Woodman's voice exuded that nebish quality that Ben had in spades. It was pleasant to see him gain maturity even if it happened too quickly. Or perhaps not really, maybe he just needed the right catalyst to get past himself. Much different from what I was expecting. ...more
When most of us think of the Civil War we don't think of Chinese immigrants. This book takes a look at the war through the eyes of a Chinese woman, ErWhen most of us think of the Civil War we don't think of Chinese immigrants. This book takes a look at the war through the eyes of a Chinese woman, Era Tom, whose father was in the Union Army. In order to find out information about him she is required to spy on the Confederates. So she does. But this novel never resonated with me. It was well read. The accents sounded natural not forced or caricatures. But at the same time, I never found the story that interesting. That said, if the Civil War fascinates you, reading this novel will open your eyes to a discrimination that most of us never even though about because we are so focused on the war as a war against the enslaving of African blacks, whites were not kind to the Chinese either. There were simply fewer of them....more
A retired cop, a young grifter, a heavily pregnant society wife and a half-Iraqi financial reporter. They shouldn't have anything in common but they dA retired cop, a young grifter, a heavily pregnant society wife and a half-Iraqi financial reporter. They shouldn't have anything in common but they do. A notebook. The grifter stole it. She also stole from the cop. The wife's husband is missing and there are pictures of him with the man who killed the grifter, Holly's, boyfriend, searching for the notebook. The financial reporter can translate the notebook. Did I mention that the wife, Elizabeth's, husband, is the chief compliance officer for the only bank in London the successfully navigated the financial crisis? Is something rotten in Denmark? Possible, but it's certainly rotten at the core of the banking industry in London. The problem with this book is that there were too many disparate story lines that took too long to come together. While Ruiz, the cop, is the continuity character from prior books, as is the psychologist that Ruiz calls in to help Holly, by the time the plot came together I was interested but not entranced. (And my field is banking compliance.) Narrated well, by the series' regular narrator, it was too involved a plot to engage the listener without mental fatigue. It's a good story just not great....more
How they ever made a movie out of this book is beyond me. The movie was abut Billy Bean, manager of the Oakland A's. The book is about baseball and stHow they ever made a movie out of this book is beyond me. The movie was abut Billy Bean, manager of the Oakland A's. The book is about baseball and statistics and why and how they matter. In some chapters the stats just rolled over my head but when they were wedded to the players, the story was fascinating. It's well read - the reader is there to read, to enhance the text with subtle excitement but not overwhelm it by making it an emotional story. The point of statistics is to take the emotion out of the game and make it all about the numbers but baseball is also about passion and that totally shined through. Recommended to baseball fans and Red Sox fans. ...more
This is the first book that I have listened to in this series and although it was well read, I won't be rushing to pick up others in the series. OstenThis is the first book that I have listened to in this series and although it was well read, I won't be rushing to pick up others in the series. Ostensibly, the series stars Sherlock Holmes's much younger wife. In this case she has been conscripted to act as stage manager for a movie about a play of Pirates of Penzance. She's trying to rout some spies but she can't tell the cast of characters without an extensive Playbill. While mildly amusing, I thought the story dragged in many places and just never kept my attention sufficiently for me to want more....more
This story explored the painful subject of a child, a young teen, on trial for murder. And what happens when there is doubt of the child's innocence. This story explored the painful subject of a child, a young teen, on trial for murder. And what happens when there is doubt of the child's innocence. Told from the perspective of the father, Andy Barber, the former ADA, it is very detailed about the the stages of grief and denial and painful truths that parents may or may not realize. The ending is a real twist and yet it isn't entirely unexpected. Just drastic. On so many levels. The story is read well. It is often too detailed to move quickly but at no time was it dull. Just sad....more
When Nick Heller is asked to get involved in the disappearance of the daughter of a friend, he doesn't hesitate to drop everything to do so. But when When Nick Heller is asked to get involved in the disappearance of the daughter of a friend, he doesn't hesitate to drop everything to do so. But when he discovers he is being lied to about practically everything, he gets pissed. It doesn't stop him from getting to the bottom of the kidnapping but he is not happy about it. Holster Graham does a very good job of keeping the tension high and the emotional level taut. However, when it came to female characters, he fell down on the job. I could rarely figure out who was speaking and often got frustrated if there were multiple women in the scene who didn't have notable accents. Certainly plan on reading more Heller stories....more
**spoiler alert** Although Suzanne Toren is at her best reading familiar characters, the story didn't offer anything new. Dr. Bev is back in town with**spoiler alert** Although Suzanne Toren is at her best reading familiar characters, the story didn't offer anything new. Dr. Bev is back in town with a new man, a new condo, a fast car and lots of flashy money. It doesn't prevent her from getting killed. Hannah is the best first suspect but her own actions clear her pretty quickly. Unfortunately, she knows she is going to have to solve the case to remove all doubt. The problem is that I didn't care about Bev and no one else did either. A lot of the set-up was heavy handed. The recipes, which were included at the end of the book not interspersed in the text, sounded good but not great. Fluke needs to move this retries forward with a real plot decision between Hannah and her two beaus because otherwise we're all stagnating....more
Weasel Gold. I will never again think about Visa in the same way. I'm still giggling. Fran's day goes from bad to worse when her female roommate Jeff Weasel Gold. I will never again think about Visa in the same way. I'm still giggling. Fran's day goes from bad to worse when her female roommate Jeff is kidnapped because she looks like Fran used to. Clearly, because it must be clear to someone, Loki is behind this. The Goddess Freya sends the three Viking ghosts to help Fran banish Fran. (Freya made sure they would get along in contemporary society by providing them with Weasel Gold.) But it isn't that simple because all roads lead back to the GothFaire and her Dark One, Ben. She's five years older and it's time she made a decision one way or the other about him. It's an easy decision when she sees another woman all over him. Suddenly she can't understand why she waited so long. Nicole Poole has a wealth of material to work with and she gives it everything. Although graphic, it's funny graphic as much as it's hot. It's sets up the next book but you can walk into this series without feeling bereft of the facts because each story is its own disaster waiting to happen. MacAlister scored in every way....more
Loading...
