Stacey

This would be an awesome movie...

Reviewed: 09-23-21

I absolutely loved my re-read/listen of Chasing Fire. While I really loved the heroine, Rowan, it was all about Gulliver for me. Rich, handsome, accomplished, and a complete romantic. He meets Rowan for the first time and he's instantly smitten and determined to know her better. Rowan played a little hard to get but as the story progressed, you could see her defences slipping.

Chasing Fire was the kind of story where you constantly feel heated. If it wasn't the intense scenes where a fire could gobble you up whole, it was the very HOT sexy times.

I loved this story from start to finish and I am so glad that I got the chance to listen to it. The narrator, Rebecca Lowman, was awesome. I found her easy to listen to and she brought each character to life. I'm in awe of narrators that can easily slip from male characters to female and do both convincingly. I will definitely be looking for more stories narrated by Ms Lowman.

Before I read this story, I had never heard of Fire Jumpers. Now revisiting, I've been reminded how fascinated I am by these brave and fearless men and women. With our world on fire, I'm sure it won't be long before we're hearing more about them.

The storyline was captivating, the mystery (even though I've read it before) had me questioning, *Who Did It?* and the love story was intense. I would LOVE to see Chasing Fire made into a movie, but I think it would also be an excellent series too.

If you haven't read a Nora Roberts story, and you enjoy intense romantic suspense, I would highly suggest giving this one a try.

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Telling her truths...

Reviewed: 06-19-21

Slightly spoilerish, please proceed with caution.

I'm so glad that I listened to this story because I know I would not have finished reading it. I feel this little bit of separation when listening that I can't seem to achieve when I'm reading. I would not have tolerated cheating in my reads as I can only see the cheating. While listening, I was able to absorb all of the emotions, actions, and scenery, leading up to the cheating. While I mostly enjoy reading MF stories because I live in the story while reading, listening gives me the distance to observe the complexities of a FF relationship in a time that it was considered taboo. This distance also allowed me to understand why a woman, looking for fame and fortune, would stay in an abusive relationship.

The distance I was able to observe by listening gave me an appreciation for Evelyn Hugo's story. Unfortunately, it did not make me like Evelyn or any of the other characters in this story. I hated that Evelyn had to use her body to get out of the hell she was living in. I hated that she would lie, use people, and manipulate. I hated that most of the people who came into Evelyn's life were cut from the same cloth. The film industry has a reputation for ugliness, and this story just reinforced my abhorrence. Some would say that the fame and fortune were worth the sacrifice. I say that I'm much happier sacrificing fame and fortune.

While listening to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I was able to appreciate the strength Evelyn showed, while also being horrified at the lengths she went to, to get what she wanted. This story has a lot of parts to it that I would hate in my normal reads and is far from light and fluffy. I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone to see if I was missing out by avoiding gritty and realistic relationships. I just don't know if leaving my comfort zone is what I want, to be honest.

I did not do a giddy sigh of happiness after, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I did, however, have deep grooves between my eyebrows as I contemplated all of the emotions this story invoked. Normally, I want the high of having a happy ever after play out in my romance reads. In this story, I had the chance to observe the reflections of a long life filled with many highs and lows, and whether the sacrifices were worth it.

For a thought-provoking and beautifully told story which is narrated by a fabulous cast of narrators, I highly recommend giving The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a try. And, if like me, this is a step out of your comfort zone, it might be worth giving the audiobook a try instead of reading.

When I get to the end of my days, I hope that I won't need to release a book to tell my truths.

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Holy Shamoly!! That was bloody awesome!!

Reviewed: 05-16-21

I am loving Cara Bastone and her Love Lines series. I was completely engaged and listened with a big goofy smile on my face. Narrators, Lidia Dornet and Chris Brinkley do a marvellous job of bringing the characters to life. The storyline was captivating and I loved the originality and quirkiness of the characters. I admit that I'm a bit of a doofus for not realising until halfway through (or maybe even later) that I knew Eliot. Even worse, I didn't realise that it was a series (slaps palm to my forehead) until I started typing this review.

This story has a slightly dorky hero who you can't help falling in love with, and a heroine carrying the world on her shoulders. They are an unlikely couple who form a friendship that grows stronger every day. But, he doesn't know who she is, and she doesn't want him to know that he's been her secret crush.

What follows is a sweet and funny story that swelled my heart with joy and left me smiling like a loon.

If you are a fan of audiobooks and enjoy listening to a dual narration, I suggest giving Sweet Talk, and the Love Lines series a try. It is a clean story but I love it even more because of it. The storyline and narration are enough without it, which is very unusual for me. I will definitely be listening to more in this series, and if Cara Bastone sees this review ... PLEASE WRITE QUICKLY!!

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The narrators do a great job...

Reviewed: 03-29-21

****3.5 Stars****

I'm so glad my hubby's job does not involve keeping secrets. It would bug the bejeezus out of me just knowing he wasn't allowed to share what his job involved, who he was dealing with, or what he was doing. Straight up...I'm a nosey parker. I also care about my hubby's mental health and I know that sometimes he just wants to vent when his work is stressing him out. If he wasn't able to share, I think that would be bad for our relationship.

Let it Show, while mostly entertaining and well-performed by the narrators, did frustrate me a little. I struggled with the love story because I didn't think it was appropriate AT ALL! You can tell me until the cows come home that she was hesitant to start the relationship but she still did it knowing she was stepping over the line. I'm not going to saying more because I don't want to spoil it.

So while the love story wasn't a complete winner for me, I really liked both Griff and Mari. Griff was an awesome father and a wee bit sexy when he gets all technical about hops and blends and fruity flavoured beers. Griff's daughter was also an absolute sweetheart and I loved her mature attitude and compassionate heart. Mari's siblings are very entertaining and I loved catching up with them again.

Overall, the narrators, Erin Mallon and Jason Clarke did a great job of bringing this story to life. The characters were lovable, original but a little imperfect which made them very real. I did struggle a wee bit with all of the Psychological evaluations, digging into relationships, and justifying bad choices. I can't imagine starting a relationship in front of the cameras. I know this is a major part of what Juniper Ridge is all about, but it only reinforces my dislike of reality shows.

If you are looking for an entertaining audiobook and have the ability to not take it all too seriously, Let it Show might be perfect for you.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

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The whole package...

Reviewed: 03-03-21

I'll put my hand up to read whatever Vi Keeland has written but when she partners with Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, both hands are up, I'm doing a happy dance, and I'm screaming ...

*SHOW ME THE AUDIOBOOK!!*

Geez, I love it when these three work together. Vi Keeland's stories are always entertaining, but somehow I always enjoy them more when Andi Arndt and Sebastian York come to the party and bring the story to life for me.

The Invitation left me completely satisfied and sad when it was over. The characters were awesome, the storyline was entertaining, and the sexy times were HOT! Hudson's daughter, Charlie was an absolute cutie and Stella's best friend was the perfect best friend. Hudson's sister was a sweetheart, but I'm a little sad that I haven't met her before in her own love story. Olivia and her husband are so cute together. Basically, I loved everything about this story ... even the unsavoury parts.

I absolutely love that this author enjoys throwing us a curveball and I love it, even more, when I guess what it will be before it happens. When the emotional blows happen because of the curveball, I was satisfied with how it played out. It wasn't overdramatised or glossed over, it played out exactly how a gut punch, emotional revelation should play out.

I loved the journey to love that The Invitation took me on and I can't wait for more from this trio.

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Quick, but I loved it...

Reviewed: 12-24-20

The Mystic Bayou series is so cute and I absolutely love each and every instalment. One Fine Fae takes us back to check in with the gang, as well as meet a few new people.

The love story was sweet and left me satisfied even without getting any 'action'. I really liked that Charlotte would be happy with Leonard curse and all, but loved that she wanted better for him as well. Leonard's curse, while frustrating for him, was actually pretty cute. But, then again, I'm not the poor unfortunate to wear a bowl of punch in my lap. 😉

The narrators do an amazing job AGAIN, but Jonathan Davis' Zed, is still my favourite. That gruff and swoony accent mixed with Molly Harper's, witty characterisation, is just AWESOME!

Fingers crossed there will be more Mystic Bayou in the future.

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It was clean and I still loved it...

Reviewed: 12-24-20

I started and finished Call Me Maybe in half a day. Honestly, when I started, I was a little ... OH, MY GOODNESS, WHAT HAVE I GOT MYSELF INTO??? There was all this background noise and the narrators' voices were fading in and out, seemingly shouting at me, and REALLY emotional. It took me a couple of minutes to work out that I was experiencing a performance. This was one of the only times I have experienced a full-on acting extravaganza...in audiobook form. So, I was on my walk this morning, and it was hard to work out what I was listening to in my audiobook and what was background noise. Luckily it didn't take me long to adjust, and I happily settled in for this delightful, funny, and charming story.

I think I was in the right mood for this story, and considering the length, it didn't really have a chance to be OTT or annoying. The fact that I absolutely loved it and it was CLEAN (😲😲) is saying a lot. It was the journey that made this story so good.

Vera is really quirky. At first, I thought that it would get to a stage of frustration dealing with her overly dramatic way of dealing with things. Luckily, it stayed in the funnily quirky stage. What I loved about Vera is that she acknowledges her quirkiness and accepts that not everyone can deal with her. What I loved even more... Cal thought her quirkiness made her perfect.

I got Cal so wrong that I'm ashamed to admit my narrow-mindedness. I saw him for what he initially portrayed himself as, a smart and nerdy man who struggles to communicate with women. When we find out who he really is (I won't say more because it will spoil it), he becomes a whole lot sexier. Isn't that shameful of me? To think I can be so easily enticed by success.

Listening to Call Me Maybe was a unique experience and I will definitely be checking out more of Cara Bastone's work. Both Luci Christian and Neil Hellegers do an excellent job portraying Vera and Cal. I don't get to have the pleasure of listening to dual narration often. (Is it dual narration or duet, if the hero is performed by the male narrator and heroine by the female narrator together, simultaneously?) Whatever it is, it was awesome. It frustrates me when a very masculine manly voice goes all high-pitched for a female character.

Anyways... if you're looking for a fun audiobook, that is clean, I highly recommend giving Call Me Maybe a try.

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A fantastic listening treat...

Reviewed: 12-07-20

The Dream Guy Next Door reinforced my beliefs that you can't marry expecting your partner to change in the future. Relationships are about compromise and loving someone enough to want their happiness as much as your own. It also delved into getting out of relationships that aren't working and learning to accept and move on when life changes or gives you lemons. This story is realistic, fun, very sexy, and I loved every minute of it. PLUS...I got to listen to the dreamy Shane East (Shane's English accent is VERY sexy) and the very entertaining Vanessa Edwin.

I was thoroughly delighted with this fairly short romance story about single parents finding love in their late 30's. There was no bashing ex's which was nice for a change. In her case, she got out of a loveless marriage to a nice guy who was a great dad to their daughter. In his case, he was never in a relationship with the mother of his son. There's a lot more to that part of the story but I don't want to give away any spoilers.

This was the perfect listen while enjoying my holidays. It has not been a chore to get up and go for my morning walk by the beach and listen to the very sexy Shane East. Lauren Blakely has again written a story that left me extremely satisfied. Teaming up with these narrators took a fantastic story to the next level, and made my listening experience exceptional. I will definitely be back for more from this author and the narrators.

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2 people found this helpful

Another convert to the magic of java…

Reviewed: 12-07-20 Listener received this title free

****4.5 Stars****

Like any Sarina Bowen fan will know, reading or listening to one of her stories has the potential to leave you with a big goofy smile on your face. I was goofy smiling all over the place. The love part of the story was sigh worthy and left me ‘ain’t love grand’ … ing. The murder, mystery, and mayhem part answered my questions but also left me wanting to know more. I don’t mind finishing a story mostly satisfied because I’m convinced we’re going to catch the baddies soon.

I am absolutely loving The Company series. My favourite part of Loverboy was the conversion of a non-coffee drinker to another believer of the magic of java. I, myself, love coffee, but unfortunately, I live in a house of coffee haters. (CRAZY BUGGERS!!) Even crazier is that they don’t even like the smell of it. I’m always saying to my boys … if you just give this one a try, it will change your mind. As yet, I have not had any success. Hubby is a lost cause, but I’m convinced that university could be the changing point for my sons.

This is a second chance romance and I thought it was done very well. The misunderstanding that stopped their attraction in its tracks when they were younger, was cleared up with a calm conversation now that they are older. I loved that the author handled it in an age appropriate way. No screaming or teary outbursts. Sure, there were times of contemplation remembering their feelings of hurt. It was obvious that both Gunner and Posy had grown a lot and were definitely in a better headspace.

The storyline was captivating, the connection between Posy and Gunner was obvious, and I definitely believed in their happy ever after. I enjoyed meeting the additional characters and admit to complete surprise when one of the mysteries was solved. Posy’s ex was a douchewaffle, and I hated how self-absorbed he was.

The narrators do an excellent job. I have listened to and enjoyed Joe Arden for a while now but I’m fairly new to Vanessa Edwin, and what I have listened to, I have enjoyed. I thought they worked well together, and I would not hesitate to listen to more of their narrations in the future. Emma Wilder has a very small part in this production, but her familiar voice was welcomed.

I’m starting to really settle in to listening to my advance copies. It does take a wee bit more concentration because I can’t afford to be distracted or lose my place. I find listening on my morning walk works well and an hour (or two… or three) dedicated listening during the day, works well too. The other day my son walked into my room and asked me why I play Candy Crush and Solitaire for hours. I explained to him that I like to be doing something as I listen but nothing that taxes my brain too much. I am getting to LEGEND status on Candy Crush. 😉

Another great story by Sarina Bowen and I can’t wait for more in The Company series. Fingers crossed we get Scout and Max up next.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced audio copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.

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1 person found this helpful

What will they think up next…

Reviewed: 11-25-20

I’m pretty sure Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward get a kick out of thinking up the most outrageous plot twists and turns. While I expect their trademark surprises, I’m always amazed when it happens and that I didn’t see ‘that’ coming. My normal reaction is a big goofy smile on my face and a nod of acknowledgement for a surprise well done. Happily Letter After exceeded my expectations and had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. I absolutely loved the characters and felt a connection that started from the very beginning and stayed until the very end. This is a delightful story, and I’m so glad to have experienced it.

The narrators do an AMAZING job. I’m a huge fan of Andi Arndt and Sebastian York individually and just as much so in their joint projects. Happily Letter After was a very easy listen and my listening experience was enhanced because of the narrators chosen.

I’ll admit to being a little hesitant to start a romance where the hero is a single-parent widow. Luckily, Sebastian (the character, not the narrator) makes it easier to deal with the issues that sometimes come up when a hero has lost the ‘love of his life’. We are not expected to believe that his first wife was perfect and, while hesitant to find someone new, he’s not opposed to it either. It wasn’t hard to accept that Sebastian could love two incredible women in his lifetime.

While I did give this story 5 stars, there were times that I found Sadie’s connection with Birdie a little extreme. I acknowledge that her similar personal experience gave her an understanding of what Birdie was going through. It was just that some of her decisions in playing ‘Santa’, seemed bordering on intrusive and as a parent myself, a little too inappropriate. Sadie is a lovable character, and I knew that all of her actions came from a good place.

Honestly, Birdie and her lovable dog Marmaduke, steal the show. I loved Birdie’s obsession with cookies and how a lot of her childlike guilt is attached to sneaking them into her diet. Her honesty and thoughtfulness were so sweet.

Happily Letter After was a fabulous listen that took me from laughter to near tears. I think I was in the mood for a little humour in my romance read and this one definitely hit the spot. This story was funny, sweet, sexy, and thought-provoking. I’m so glad I picked this gem up on special the other day as I was completely satisfied. If you haven’t tried this duo before, I highly recommend giving it a try.

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