Showing posts with label Audiobook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audiobook. Show all posts

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Audiobook Review: Gideon by Lily Morton Narrated by Joel Leslie #Review #Giveaway




Title: Gideon
Series: Finding Home #3
Author: Lily Morton

Narrator: Joel Leslie

Length:  9 hours, 43 minutes

Publisher: Audible


Reviewed by Sammy



 Synopsis

Gideon Ramsay is so far in the closet he should be a talking faun.
A talented, mercurial, and often selfish man, Gideon has everything he should want in life. Fame, money, acting awards - he has it all. Everything but honesty. At the advice of his agent, Gideon has concealed his sexuality for years. But it’s starting to get harder to hide, and his increasingly wild behavior is threatening to destroy his career. Then, he’s laid low by a serious illness and into his life comes Eli Jones.
Eli is everything that Gideon can’t understand. He’s sunny tempered, friendly, and optimistic. Even worse, he’s unaffected by grumpiness and sarcasm, which forms 90 percent of Gideon’s body weight. And now, Gideon is trapped with him without any recourse to the drugs and alcohol that have previously eased his way through awkward situations.
However, as Gideon gets to know the other man, he finds himself wildly attracted to his lazy smiles and warm, scruffy charm that seem to fill a hole inside Gideon that’s been empty for a long time. Will he give in to this incomprehensible attraction when it could mean the end of everything that he’s worked for?
From the best-selling author of the Mixed Messages series comes a story about a man who needs to realize that being true to yourself is really just a form of finding home. This is the third book in the Finding Home series, but it can be listened to as a stand-alone.



Review


Gideon is drunk—again--and happily enjoying watching his current hook-up and their third make out in the limo. Still feeling a bit washed out from being sick during his last filming, Gideon refuses to give in to going to the doctor like his brother would like and instead parties even harder. But just as he is about to join the twosome who have made their way to his hotel suite a coughing fit causes him to pass out and the next thing he knows he’s in hospital recovering from a near deadly bout of pneumonia. His brother has hired him a nurse, Eli, and booked them on a cruise for senior citizens and Gideon has nothing to say about it even though his snarky moth is still going a mile a minute.

For the first time Gideon begins to feel better—not only physically but also mentally. Eli calms and grounds him and they enjoy a smart banter between them. But Eli is a professional who refuses to get involved with a client—Gideon’s agent, Frank, and his threats about trying to hook up with Gideon notwithstanding. Eli is determined to be just friends while in Gideon’s employ. So even though both men feel the natural spark arise between them they don’t act on it. In fact, it will take a separation to really make Gideon see just how much he wants Eli in his life and it will take some real assurances from Eli to help Gideon see that the lies his agent has planted in his mind over the years don’t add up to him having little worth as an out and proud gay man.

Lily Morton completes her Finding Home Series with Gideon’s story now in audio. While Gideon can definitely be listened to as a standalone, those familiar with the series will see old characters crop up and remember Gideon for being a bit of a jerk from the previous novel. Needless to say little has changed in his personality and it is just this aspect of Gideon that the narrator, Joel Leslie, brings off brilliantly. This narrator’s ability to carry off a bored and snarky British accent allows him to completely embody the essence of Gideon. It is uncanny how Joel Leslie just brings this character to life with his vocal prowess—Gideon sounds just as you might imagine him to and honesty it’s wonderful.

Not only Gideon but the other characters in this story are done so well with just variations in pitch, pacing and certain affects. Happily the different voices never bleed into one another. They are each uniquely voiced and recognizable. The humor and romance that are present in this story are brought to life quite well. This story and Joel Leslie’s talents are a match made in heaven and honestly I can think of no other narrator who could pull it off with such aplomb.




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Monday, January 6, 2020

Audiobook Review Tour: Promises Part 1 by A.E. Via Narrated by Aiden Snow #Review


Buy Links: Audible US | Audible UK | Tantor

Narrated By: Aiden Snow

Length: 7hrs 31 mins

Publisher: Tantor Media

Blurb

Duke Morgan owns and operates one of the largest bail bond companies in Atlanta. Not only does he bond criminals out of jail, he and his notorious group of bounty hunters will also track them down and ensure they show up for court.

Roman "Quick" Webb is Duke's business partner and best friend. Both men are in their forties and have given up on the happily ever after with the ranch-style home, and white picket fence. They'd both tried it and failed miserably. But they have their friendship and they have the business.

When Quick's son, Vaughan Webb returns - after seven years-from studying abroad with his law degree in hand, he's back to claim what he's always wanted...his fathers' best friend...Duke Morgan. Vaughan has always claimed to be a classic gentleman with an old soul. He was focused and dedicated to becoming the man worthy of Duke's love.

It's a complex and messy situation as Duke and Quick figure out how to still be best friends when one of them is sleeping with his friend's one and only son. But when Duke is hurt on the job, all the unimportant trivialities fall to the wayside and Vaughan and Quick put their heads together to save Duke.


Review

I’m a huge fan of AE Via. Her heroes are big, badass, and bold. The epitome of an alpha male, the men AE writes about are what makes action flicks so much fun to watch and her books are always like reading the screenplay to biggest blockbuster film. Full of action and swoon and witty banter, they’re always a fun rollercoaster ride from beginning to end. Duke and Vaughn in Promises: Part 1 are everything you’d expect from one of her books and hearing the incomparable Aiden Snow bring them to life was all kinds of yummy deliciousness. 

Aiden Snow's deep, rich voice is like gooey caramel. He totally captures the essence of Duke and Vaughn and brings their characters leaping to life. I really enjoyed the way he switches from one to the other so flawlessly and distinctly. It’s not so easy to do, but Snow handles it with ease. From the action scenes to the ones full of emotion, to the hot and steamy sex scenes, Snow is masterful at modulating his voice to fit the situation. 

I loved Promises: Part 1 the first time I read it and listening to Aiden Snow bring his talent to this book was such a treat. Duke, Vaughn and Quick along with the rest of the characters in this series are definitely going to find some new fans and it couldn’t be more well deserved. I can’t wait to listen to Quick and Cayson in Promises: Part 2. I know Aiden Snow will do as great a job bringing them to life as he did Duke and Vaughn!
 




A.E. Via has been a best-selling author in the beautiful gay romance genre for five years now, but she’s no stranger to MM. She’s been an avid reader of gay lit for over fifteen years before she picked up her laptop to place her own kiss on this genre. She’s also the founder and owner of Via Star Wings Books, having published a couple great new up and coming MM authors.

A.E. has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Virginia Wesleyan College that she used to start her own paralegal firm after she graduated in 2008. She spent five years preparing and filing bankruptcy petitions for struggling blue collar workers who couldn’t afford to file with a lawyer. It was a rewarding and satisfying career… but another path called to her. Writing.

A.E.’s writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure, to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

Now that she’s gotten over her 10 books published hump, she’s kind of known now for her hardcore, play rough and love hard, bad boy, alphas. However, she does like to push herself to step out of her comfort zone, exploring different tropes, but she won’t push herself into a whole other genre. She’s head over heels for gay romance and she has tons of more hot stories to tell.

Be sure to visit Adrienne on her social media pages and subscribe to her newsletter to never miss another release date! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact her, follow her, or a sneak peak at upcoming work, free reads, VSWB submissions, and where she’ll appear next.




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Saturday, February 9, 2019

Audiobook Review: His Consort by Mary Calmes Narrated by Scott Smith #Review #Giveaway







Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Scott Smith
Title: His Consort
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Publication date: December 20, 2018
Length: 6 hours 33 minutes

Reviewed by Erin


Synopsis

A new life in New Orleans is all Jason Thorpe had hoped: His quaint little store attracts a devoted staff, and his warm, loving heart grants him a loyal circle of friends. He's perfectly content, having left behind the chill of a confusing and danger-filled night in Washington, until he discovers something unbelievable lurking in the steamy darkness of the shadowy streets of the Vieux Carré, something that turns out to be terrifying...and utterly mesmerizing.
The prince of the vampires, Varic Maedoc, is visiting New Orleans when he finds out the man who once helped his counselor is there in the Quarter. He thinks to simply meet and thank Jason - until he lays eyes on him. Varic's devoted himself to protect the honor of his race, and he's never wanted a mate before...but he immediately knows he must have this man, and no one else will do.
Varic may want to bring Jason safely into his world, but someone who doesn't like the human's soothing influence on vampires has deadly plans that would disrupt Varic's dreams. Now, unable to tell friend from foe, Jason finds himself wondering how to hold on to the prince's heart when he's fighting for his life.







Review

As a die hard audiobook fan, it's always SUCH a pleasure when a favorite author and a favorite narrator team up for the first time. As any avid (or rabid, depending on your word preference!) listener knows, a narrator can make or break a story. Sometimes a narrator can bring the characters to life in such a way that they resonate on a deeper level than just reading the words on a page and other times, if the narrator and the author and characters don't mesh well, the audio falls flat. In the case of Mary Calmes' His Consort, Scott Smith did more than deliver a stellar performance. He made me fall in love with Jason Thorpe and Varic Maedoc all over again and left me wanting more. 

Scott Smith is one of those special narrators that just brings so much to add to your listening experience. The tone of his voice, the accents he uses, the pacing and cadence of the story combined with his unique inflections and the emotions that come through loud and clear in each scene all add to the enjoyment of listening to him. I'm a big fan of accents when they're done well, and Scott Smith is one of the best. He has a very unique way of making each voice match the character which is really what you want from a voice actor. Mary's books always wind up on my list of favorite audio books, and His Consort is no different. I am sure I'll listen to this one many times to come.





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