Brooke H.

Fun Magical Ride

Revisado: 10-28-21

OVERALL: This is my first book from Alexis Daria, and my first audiobook narrated by Jacqueline Grace Lopez. This is a fun easy listen. I felt it was an appropriate listen since Halloween is coming up, and I love the enemies to lovers trope. I don’t know that I’ve read/listened to a paranormal romance dealing with magic, but I enjoyed it. And it's a very easy listen at just under 3 hours.

STORYLINE: Catalina travels for her sister’s wedding to Isla Bruja, an island that is invisible to humans. However, when she arrives, she realizes that everyone is under the spell of a demon. Diego, Catalina’s “enemy” from high school, is also at the island. They work together to break the spell and defeat the demon.

CHARACTERS: Catalina and Diego are fantastic characters. She is sassy, and Diego is suave. They have immediate chemistry that follows all the way to their inevitable romantic connection.

NARRATION: I absolutely loved the narrator. She pulls you into the story easily, and I loved the way she differentiated each character.

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Another great Offerman book

Revisado: 10-27-21

As is with every other Offerman book I've read, I find them to be much more enjoyable in audiobook format. He is a fantastic storyteller, and in the audiobook version, I found it was easy to listen to his stories while I worked. There were many laugh out loud moments, and more than a few that I found myself lost in his stories or nodding along. Part 1 was my favorite, as I loved the story of him and his friends going to Glacial National Park. I didn't find this unlike any of his other books, to be honest - lots of personal musings on nature, politics, the environment, consumerism, and humanity as a whole.

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I wanted So. Much. MORE!

Revisado: 04-16-21

OVERALL: This is my first book by Mia Sosa, and my first narration by Valentina Ortiz. I have listened to a few Sean Crisden books and enjoyed them. This is a quick listen, at a little over 2 hours long. I'll be honest; I had a really hard time figuring out how to rate this book. I loved the narration, the dialogue, the characters, the setting....... However, I feel like things moved pretty quickly in this story. I’ve been listening to quite a few of these “quickies” (under 3 hours), and the ones that are successful generally focus on a particular situation/moment that isn’t terribly long. There usually isn’t a lot in respect to character arcs in these “quickies”; characters tend to stay fairly static and don’t make massive changes. Sun of a Beach attempts to have a character arc, but it feels a little too sudden for a novella. I think it would have been better served as a longer book/listen, where the arc could be developed a bit more, as could their relationship from enemies to lovers. I just wanted..... MORE. :(

STORYLINE: This is an enemy-to-lovers trope novella. Naomi and Donovan work for a magazine, and they are sent to the Bahamas to work on a photoshoot together. I am really impressed with Sosa’s descriptive abilities. She does a fantastic job of really “painting” a scene and the characters to make it feel like the reader is there. I also found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue.

CHARACTERS: Naomi is super sassy, and I loved her! My favorite parts were the moments where Naomi was talking to herself and pumping herself up. The two of them are snarky towards each other, and there’s definitely an underlying attraction there too. My problem with the character isn’t so much with them, but the sudden change from enemies to lovers was really off-putting. I would have believed more that it was a hate-f*ck, and then they went back to hating each other.

NARRATION: This short listen uses dual narration, but I do wish it was more duet narration, just to really utilize both narrators fully. Valentina Ortiz has a very easy-to-listen-to voice. It’s very smooth, and she draws you in from the beginning. Sean Crisden is truly lovely to listen to, as usual. His voice is deep, distinctive, and ridiculously sexy. I also love his other character voices. He distinguishes them so well. I would listen to him read nearly anything; unfortunately, he feels underused here.

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A romance with a lot of miscommunciation

Revisado: 04-16-21

OVERALL: This is a new-to-me set of authors. I’ve been on a roll listening to holiday romances, so I thought this would be a good listen. I particularly loved Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone, and this one reminded me a little of that. There’s a romance centered around miscommunication.

STORYLINE: If you like holiday Hallmark movies, you’ll enjoy this quick listen. The plot is centered around a widower, his 12-year-old daughter, and her teacher. There are many miscommunications, missed moments, and cute flirtatious moments that all lead up to a very sweet ending. There were many times I wanted to just shout at the characters, but that’s the point I suppose -- two main characters that can’t seem to figure out what’s going on long enough to realize they are meant for each other.

CHARACTERS: Kevin was a bit of a bumbling idiot, but he was fairly likeable. Mary was sweet, but again, a bit of a bumbling idiot, so they made a good pair I suppose. The character that really helped make this book enjoyable though was his 12-year-old-daughter, Natalie. She was really fantastic and quite believable.

NARRATION: I have to say, I’ve been a little iffy on full-cast narrations (sometimes, they work really well; other times, not so much). This one, though, was really well done and felt more “play-like.” I especially liked the extra sound effects. They helped bring me into the world of this story.

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Laugh-Out-Loud Funny, Sexy, Too-Quick Listen

Revisado: 04-15-21

OVERALL: This is a really fun quickie by Helena Hunting. I have enjoyed a few of her other books, and this was no different. I was familiar previously with Jacob Morgan as a narrator, but this was my first narration by Rose Dioro.

STORYLINE: Dude in Distress was a short fun listen. I was already familiar with these two characters from the Shacking Up series, so it was nice to revisit them. I also really liked the trope being flipped on its head a bit (the male is the stranded, helpless character, and the female is the hero of the story). Overall, I loved their journey together. The novella is laugh-out-loud, sexy, romantic, and just a lot of fun. I only wish it was longer (which I guess is the best type of criticism!).

CHARACTERS: Nevah and Lawson complement each other really well. They have great chemistry immediately, and it’s hard for them to ignore it. They are both strong-willed characters and, as is true with Hunting books, well-developed and well-written. As a reader, you care about these characters right off the bat.

NARRATION: This book is narrated using dual narration, but I do wish it would have been duet narration. That being said, Jacob Morgan did a great job of narrating both characters, and he was, as usual, quite excellent. I was pleasantly surprised by Rose Dioro. She has a really soft, yet easy-to-listen-to voice, and I would definitely listen to her again.

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Short, (too) Sweet Novella

Revisado: 04-15-21

OVERALL: This is my first Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine book. It is also my first book narrated by Wesley Paul. There’s not a lot of plot or conflict here -- just a look into Carter and Vaughn’s relationship.

STORYLINE: This is a fun, holiday-themed quickie centered around Valentine’s Day. I think one of the more unique things about this novella is that the two main characters are already in a relationship. It is an easy-to-listen to romance that teeters on the Hallmark end of the spectrum of being overly sweet (without a ton of sex, banter, or hilarity to balance it out).

CHARACTERS: Carter Pierce and Dr. Vaughn Bennett have been together for a while, but they don’t have a lot of time together (especially during the holiday season) due to Vaughn’s work schedule as an ER doctor. But Vaughn has a plan: this Valentine’s Day, his focus is to recreate Christmas (Carter’s favorite holiday), along with some trips down Memory Lane.

NARRATION: Wesley Paul has a great voice. He speaks clearly, and every character is distinguished quite nicely. He makes it easy to fall into the story and care about these characters. I would absolutely seek out another audiobook narrated by him.

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Magical, holiday-themed novella

Revisado: 04-15-21

OVERALL: Another fun novella by K. Bromberg. I’ve read/listened to many of Bromberg’s books at this point, and I had just finished The Package, her cute holiday-themed novella, so I figured I would start The Detour next.

STORYLINE: This is another fun holiday-themed quickie from Bromberg. Harley is a writer who leaves Chicago to find inspiration. Bad weather strands her in Saint Nick’s Hollow, a small town that is straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. There, she meets the mayor, Saint Nick, and sparks fly! It was funny, sexy, romantic, and filled with holiday cheer. I was left wanting MORE of their story and of Saint Nick’s Hollow!!

CHARACTERS: Alright, so first, I must say that I *love* the names: Harley Humbug, Saint Nick’s Hollow, Kris Kringle’s Cafe, etc. It just really puts me in a wonderful holiday mood (and it’s April! LOL). The banter between Saint and Harley is fantastic, and their chemistry is off the charts. They are both honest and forthright about what they want, and it made me love the characters even more.

NARRATION: This book is narrated in dual narration, but I do really wish (especially since it’s short) that it was narrated via duet (where Jason narrates all of Saint’s lines). Erin Mallon is fantastic as Harley, and Jason Clarke is great as Saint (yet feels really underutilized). They both pulled me in immediately and made me care about their characters, which is quite a feat, considering it’s such a short listen.

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Fun, short holiday romance

Revisado: 04-15-21

OVERALL: Super cute holiday-themed novella by K. Bromberg.

STORYLINE: Perfect “stuck in an elevator” quickie. It’s a fun holiday listen that’s both funny and sexy. It’s pretty predictable, but I don’t mind it at all.

CHARACTERS: Julia and Archer work together at a lingerie company; she is in the mailroom, and he’s an executive. Julia is outspoken, and she’s had a pretty bad day so far: a breakup; an ex who cleaned out her bank account, leaving her unable to pay rent; a car accident, a slip on ice; a pink slip at work; and now, a stuck elevator. Archer is pretty quiet at first, just taking in everything. Julia pegs him as an exec pretty quickly, but doesn’t realize exactly who he is.

NARRATION: This book is narrated in dual narration, but I do really wish (especially since it’s short) that it was narrated via duet (where Teddy narrates all of Archer’s lines). Maxine Mitchell and Teddy Hamilton do what they do best -- they pull you into the story quickly and make you interested in what happens to Julia and Archer.

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Complicated, Sexy Love Triangle

Revisado: 03-25-21

OVERALL: This is my first Sandra A. Sigfusson book, but it definitely won’t be my last. One look at the fantastic choice of narrators, and I knew this was a one-click buy. I love the workplace and love triangle tropes.

STORYLINE: Jess, an creative director for an ad agency. She is thrown together with another creative director, Brantley, and they have to share an office space due to downsizing. What happens next is their navigating being officemates and their developing chemistry. About halfway through the book, her ex, Anson, comes back into the scene. And that’s when Jess finds herself stuck between two men she has feelings for. Both male love interests have great chemistry with Jess. I found myself rooting for both men for different reasons. There is also a side story with her best friend (and ex’s sister), Carmen, that I wasn’t a fan of, but that’s my only real issue with the book.

CHARACTERS: Jess is an independent, career-minded woman who knows (or thinks she knows) what she wants. She is a sexual being and isn’t afraid to figure out what works for her and what she likes. I love all of these things about her. She isn’t a helpless heroine. Both male love interests, Brantley and Anson are cocky, but likable at the same time. Brantley is pretentious, smart, and playful. Anson is outgoing, protective (overprotective at times), and assertive, a real Alpha male. He also comes across as a man-child and, at times, a bit of a jealous asshole. All the side characters add to the storyline of Jess finding herself.

NARRATION: This book is narrated in duet style, and all three narrators nail their parts flawlessly. Ava Lucas narrates a good chunk of this book, and she is truly fantastic. It’s easy to lose yourself in the story when she takes over. Jason Clarke’s British accent -- holy moly! It is incredibly sexy and while I had not listened to much from him in the past, this definitely made me more interested in looking up other books narrated by him. And then there is Connor Crais. Crais is easily one of my top 3 narrators. He’s got a smoky, masculine voice that is also incredibly sexy, and he plays the arrogant Alpha male perfectly.

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Disappointing with mostly unlikeable characters

Revisado: 03-01-21

OVERALL: I was drawn to this audiobook after finishing Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone (which I **LOVED**). This is my first book from any of the authors (Terence Grey, Erin Day, or Ian Thake) and first experience with most of the narrators (minus Teddy Hamilton).

STORYLINE: Alright, so I’ll admit… I don’t watch any dating reality tv shows, and honestly, this highlighted a lot of the reasons I don’t watch them. And maybe that’s why I didn’t love this. I wanted to like this a lot more than I actually did. As previously mentioned, I listened to this blind after I loved a similarly produced audiobook (Call Me Maybe). The romance and the charm and humor from that book is missing here though.

CHARACTERS: Liam’s Scottish, so he’s got that going for him…. And that’s about it. He is douchey and really unlikeable. Unfortunately, our main female character is also seriously unlikable. She makes poor decisions, and it feels like she doesn’t care about anyone. I found myself getting more and more annoyed/frustrated with her character as the story progressed. And while Liam is a jerk (and that’s it), I would have hoped Amanda had more character development (she did not). Josh seems really nice, and I like him a lot, but I couldn’t help but feel he deserved better (literally anyone else).

NARRATION: This is definitely more like a play than a narration book, and that’s not a bad thing. It was very easy to get into the storyline. The narrators are all really fantastic. I like the sound effects a lot and found they added to the “scene” even more. I did find the audio was not consistent regarding the volume level. I presume they tried to make everything she “watched on tv” to be lower volume, but they were, at times, harder to hear.

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