Audiobook Review: Keeper by Amy Daws

KEEPER ON AUDIO IS LIVE + A PURSE GIVEAWAY!

You may have heard of the infamous footy-playing Harris Brothers...or you may have heard of the amazing duet-style narrating with Will Watt and Charlotte Cole, well, you're in for a treat! Keeper on audio has just gone live!

 

Footy star Booker Harris shares a flat with his best friend from childhood. Problem is, she's not a little girl anymore. Read for FREE in KU or download the audiobook now! E-Book ⚽️ Amazon Audiobook ⚽️ Audible

My audiobook review: 5 stars!
I was lucky enough to be given an Audible code for Keeper by Amy Daws and I was so excited! I have been listening to audiobooks for years, but duet narration is pretty rare and after I heard the first book in the The Harris Brother series earlier this year, I was hooked and so excited to listen to Keeper since I gave the book 5 stars back in September. Here's my review:

I want to marry into the Harris family! Gah! These men! Booker is absolutely my favorite of the three. They are all to-die-for men, but there's something gentle about Booker, something so sweet, something so amazing- so he's my fave. I love the history and childhood friendship between quirky Poppy and Booker. Daws uses flashbacks perfectly to weave the story together. One of the best parts of the story is the fast friendship between Poppy and the other Harris girlfriends. I LOVE Belle and Indie in her corner! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and CANNOT wait to have it on audio!

If you aren't familiar with duet narration, here's a quick definition of the two different style of multiple character narrations.

Duet narration = narrators alternating reading the male and female parts in a chapter.
Dual narration = narrators reading entire POV chapters.

I LOVE this style and will definitely be searching out more duet narration audiobooks. Will Watt and Charlotte Cole KILLED IT again! I adore Amy Daws's writing style- her characters are well-developed and the dialogue is so believable. I'm off to purchase Endurance because I absolutely love this audiobook series and am excited to see Daws was able to use Watt and Cole for that audiobook as well. They are PERFECT!

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Or check out all the Harris Brothers with epic duet narrating! Challenge ⚽️ Endurance

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Duet-style is like a movie in your ears! Here's a sample:

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👜PURSE GIVEAWAY👜

In celebration of the release of the Keeper audiobook, my good friends at Jill-E are giving away an awesome Tablet Purse! So you don't have to worry about the battery running out on your phone just as you're getting to the juicy part in the story! 😝😝😝

 

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I received a code to use on Audible to purchase this audiobook.

Audiobook Review: Cocky Prince (Men of Lake Tahoe Book 5) by Jules Barnard

Cocky Prince (Men of Lake Tahoe Book 5)

(previously titled New Blue)

 by Jules Barnard

Adam Cade is entitled, arrogant, and he wears an Armani suit like no one I've ever seen. When he flashes those baby blues, no woman can resist him. Even I struggle. He's the prince of Lake Tahoe, born into one of the wealthiest families in the area--and he knows the power he holds over this town. 

He doesn't recognize me. 

He definitely doesn't remember how he helped this town ruin my life. 

Now I've returned with a degree and a backbone, to take on my dream job at Blue Casino. I won't quit just because Adam works there too. But I don't count on the dark secrets the casino hides. Or that Adam has a hand in them. I have no choice but to get close to the cocky prince if I want to save my job. 

Only the closer I get, the less I see of the guy who wronged me in high school, and more of the sexy man he is now. 

I'm not sure what's more frightening--that my dream job is turning out to be a nightmare, or that I'm falling for Adam and he stands for everything I'm fighting against. 

**Each book in the Men of Lake Tahoe Series is a standalone story that can be read in any order.**

Hard Wood (Book 1) - Jaeger
Mountain Man (Book 2) - Lewis
Rebound Roommate (Book 3) - Tyler
Hookup Master (Novella, Book 4) - Zach
Cocky Prince (Book 5) - Adam

My review: 4 stars!
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to win my choice of audiobook from Jules Barnard's Men of Lake Tahoe series (previously called the Blue series) and since I am a HUGE Zachary Webber fan, I knew immediately I wanted a book he narrated- either book 3, 4 or 5. After reading the descriptions, I was drawn to Adam Cade from Cocky Prince the most. The author assured me that the books could be read in any order, and I definitely didn't feel lost starting with book 5. The writing was great and of course Zachary's voice on the audibook was fabulous! Susannah Jones did a great job as well. If you enjoy an enemies-to-lover vibe or romantic suspense, you'll enjoy Cocky Prince. On Audible, you'll still find it listed as New Blue, although the cover has been updated to reflect the new title.

Review: Single by Collette West (audiobook)

Single

by Collette West 

Stockton Beavers #1 

Publication Date: April 22, 2016 

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Purchase: Amazon | Audible | iTunes

Underdog Luke "Single" Singleton is yearning to make a comeback. After getting hit in the neck with a pitch—an injury that nearly cost him his life—he has one last chance to play for his hometown team, the Stockton Beavers. But his mom has Alzheimer's, and he's all she has to depend on. How can he pursue his career, much less someone special?

Personal care aide Roberta Bennett is done dating baseball players. Having had her share of heartbreak, she heads to Stockton hoping for a fresh start. But after she finds Luke’s mom outside, lost, and alone, she can’t refuse when he hires her on the spot. Unbeknownst to Luke, Roberta is all too familiar with the violent tendencies of the pitcher who hit him.

Now that they’re living under the same roof, the last thing either of them is looking for is a relationship. But it’s not long before they find themselves drawn to each other. And right when Luke is thinking about finally making a change to his single status, a secret from Roberta's past emerges with the power to tear them apart.

My review: 4 stars!
I had actually purchased this book and read it earlier this year, but was so excited to recieve an audiobook to review because I LOVE audiobooks! I pretty much in the middle of one at all times, and since I hate quiet, I listen while exercising, doing housework, and driving.

I enjoyed the storyline of Single so much because baseball is my absolute favorite sport. This was my first Collette West book to read, so Roberta was a new character to me, and I absolutely adored her and how she came back from her sad past. Luke was perfect- a man who has fierce loyalty to his family and loves the game of baseball- what else do you need in a man?

The narration speed was a bit slow for me, so I used the trick a friend told me about as her solution for slower-pace narrators: I change the speed to 1.25 and it magically makes it more conversational and enjoyable. I actually do this with a lot of audiobooks and it works great.

One thing to note: Single is a "clean" romance- although there are some romance scenes, there is nothing explicit in this book. That didn't take away from the romance for me at all- West still writes a great love story!

About Collette West

Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball’s biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette's impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven. Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as many games as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she’s not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her at collette_west@yahoo.com. She is the author of the New York Kings series which includes: NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER, GAME ON, PERFECT GAME, INSIDE GAME and GAME WINNER.

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Narrator Aundrea Mitchell

After receiving her B.S. and MBA Aundrea fell madly in love and decided to start her family. Ten years and five children later she was quickly living the full time wife, mother and household management life. Needing a temporary escape from time to time Aundrea returned back to her first love – reading! After devouring everything she could get her hands on she thought, -what if she could mix her love of performance and literature in a professional capacity? Once getting involved in the world of book narration she quickly became hooked and when not with her family you can find her in her studio working hard to grow in her own storytelling abilities.

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Narrator Gary Furlong

Gary is an up and coming Irish Audiobook narrator and Voice Actor. He has a true flair for accents and dialects and has lived all over the world including Japan, Ireland and Texas. He can make listeners laugh, cry, seethe, think and feel and loves working with authors and writers to bring their message to audio! Gary has over a decade of experience as an actor and improv artist. Do not be fooled by his rugged handsome exterior, on the inside he is even more rugged… too rugged really. It’s becoming a problem.

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Sasha's Top Book Favorites

Which app on my phone gets the most use? Definitely my Kindle app! As an insomnia sufferer, there's no better way to pass the time in the middle of the night than reading a good book! Today I'll share with you my top 6 favorite reads.

• Heart-Shaped Hack by Tracey Garvis Graces (Kindle price: $3.99). Kate is a former lawyer who has opened a food pantry and hasn't been so lucky in love. She meets Ian when he makes a donation and begins to pursue her. There just aren't enough words for me to describe Ian- but to start, he's charismatic, attractive, and witty. And brilliant! Their banter is delightful and I adored him long before we won Kate over.
• Sincerely, Carter by Whitney G (Kindle price: $3.99). This is a friends-to-lovers book that is just charming. Carter and Arizona have been friends since fourth or fifth grade (a point of contention between them), and contrary to everyone's belief, have never been more than that. One night after a party things go in a different direction, much to the surprise of both of them. There's a follow-up novella called Sincerely, Arizona that you'll want to read as well.
• The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen  (Kindle price: FREE!). I have read this no less than 5 times since I first read it earlier this year. Corey is starting college in a wheelchair due to a hockey accident she suffered in her senior year of high school. Adam Hartley is the gorgeous injured hockey player who lives across the hall. The bond over their injuries, sharing a deep friendship that turns into something more for Corey as the year progresses. There are several books in this series, called The Ivy Years, and all are great, I also enjoyed Bowen's Gravity series.
• Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park (Kindle price: $2). I first listened to this on Audible, and it's absolutely amazing. Julie moves to Boston for college and moves in with a family of her mom's college friend when her housing falls through. As Julie begins to spend time with Matt, the middle son and MIT student, and Celeste, the eccentric 13 year old, she also begins to chat via Facebook with the eldest son, Finn, who is away traveling and volunteering. DO NOT BE SPOILED on this book- it's just stunning and you need to go in spoiler-free and experience it as it is written. You'll want to read the two follow-up novels as well, Flat-Out Matt and Flat-Out Celeste. The entire series is just wonderful.
• Him by Carey Heywood (Kindle price: $0.99). Told in alternating present and past chapters, this is a friends-to-lovers story of Sarah and Will that I just loved. There are a few other books in the series (Her, Them, and Sawyer Says) and well as a novella called Being Neighborly. Heywood is also the author of the Carolina Days series, another series I really enjoyed. 
• Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (Kindle price: $7.99 but oh-so-worth it!). Sigh. What a perfect book! I did the Audible version of this, and went into it totally blind, which I would recommend. I only read a short blurb describing Sydney, a college student who discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her. She soon leans on her mysterious neighbor Ridge for help.

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Reading Rainbow

I was 10 when the TV show Reading Rainbow debuted so I don't think I watched it much.... but I have some memories of it, maybe from babysitting? Lately I've been doing a different kind of Reading Rainbow.... devouring author Rainbow Rowell's books.

Full disclosure- I am addicted to the Audible app! I first began listening to audiobooks when I was training for a half marathon a few years ago, and even though I've given up long-distance running, I've always got a book downloaded and you'll often see me with ear buds in.

Earlier this year, Audible suggested I give Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park a try, most likely due to my predilection for YA fiction (in particular, all things John Green).

From Amazon.com: Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits--smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love--and just how hard it pulled you under.

You. Guys. So so so so good. So good that anything I write about it won't do it justice. It'll just be embarrassingly *not* enough. Let's toss it to the writers of Forever Young Adult for a proper review.

After E&P, I immediately downloaded Fangirl, which I have listened to no less than 4 times in the past 2 months. It's just that good. (And has my current bookcrush in it.) Again, Forever Young Adult says it better than I ever could.

From Amazon.com: At first glance Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl has a lot in common with Eleanor & Park: idiosyncratic girl with troubled family meets good, normal boy and falls in love for the first time. In Fangirl, quirky introvert Cath is safe within the immensely popular Simon Snow (think Harry Potter) fan-fiction blog she writes with her twin sister, but college turns her life upside down, leaving her feeling like an awkward outsider. When she writes, Cath knows exactly what her characters should say to each other, but when it comes to forging real-life friendships, much less a romance, she hasn’t a clue. An immensely satisfying coming-of-age novel, Fangirl deftly captures the experience of discovering your true voice and clumsy, vulnerable, remarkable, first love. --Seira Wilson

So, spoiler alert: I am so Cath. No, I don't write fanfic, but I can so relate to introvert Cath and her anxieties. And Levi, oh Levi. I am officially smitten.

Next, and by that I mean later that same day, I moved on to one of Rowell's adult fiction offerings, Attachments.

From Amazon.com: In sweet, silly, and incredibly long digital missives, best newsroom pals Beth and Jennifer trade gossip over their romances—Beth with her marriage-phobic boyfriend, Chris, and Jennifer with her baby-mania-stricken husband, Mitch. What they don't know is that the newly hired computer guy, Lincoln, an Internet security officer charged with weeding out all things unnecessary or pornographic, is reading their messages. But lonely Lincoln lets the gals slide on their inappropriate office mail and gets hooked on their soapy dalliances, falling head over heels for the unlucky-in-love Beth.

I promise you'll find yourself rooting for Lincoln!

I just finished Rowell's latest book, Landline, which for some reason I was hesitant to start. Actually, I know why.... although her other three books had storylines that could actually happen, Landline has a time-traveling phone plotline. Just suspend your disbelief on that one and go for it, I promise it's an amazing book.

From Amazon.com: In Landline, Rainbow Rowell once again shares her insightful, funny perspective on love and relationships, this time delving into a marriage floundering in the wake of kids, careers, and the daily grind. Georgie and Neal have been married for fifteen years and have two young girls who Neal cares for while Georgie works as a sitcom writer. When Georgie skips the family trip to her in-laws in Omaha for Christmas and the rest of her family goes without her, she realizes that maybe her marriage is going too. When a line to the past (literally) gives Georgie a chance to re-live an earlier pivotal moment in their relationship, she sees it as an opportunity to figure out if she and Neal should have been together in the first place. Landline is a deeply resonant story about being willing to go all in--at the start or after being together for many years--for the kind of love that makes “everything else just scenery.” --Seira Wilson

Part of the reason I think I loved all these so much was the narration on Audible. Rebecca Lowman narrates Fangirl, E&P and Landline and she has an amazing voice. I've always called myself a speed-reader but I think I am actually more of a skimmer, and I suspect I may actually have some sort of a visual processing disorder like my kiddos (and this might make even more sense to you after reading about my bookcrush in Fangirl). I've found I get so much more out of a book listening to it rather than reading it.

If you haven't used Audible before, you can follow this link for a great signup deal:
Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks

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Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the Veronica Mars book, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, coming out tomorrow- Kristen Bell is narrating the audiobook! I am going for a long run in the AM to listen to as much as I can!

Have you tried Audible? I have been using it for over and year and LOVE the app for my iphone. So easy to stop and start and it remembers your place! So easy.

Try Audible Now and Get A FREE Audiobook!

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