Laura Gowing

Christmas Lane is like a warm hug

Revisado: 06-26-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Amy Aislin paints the perfect picture of a quaint New England town and dials up the charm factor with a parade float that has a tiny version of said town—and a small-town romance. If I didn’t already live in a quaint New England town, I’d want to move to Lighthouse Bay.

Both of the main characters are relatable and likeable. Zach is a recent college grad; he’s got a plan for his future and he’s trying to make it happen. Holland, while older, has struggled with finding what he wanted to do when he “grew up”, but is not immature. With the minor exception of one soul-crushing moment when Holland jumps to the wrong conclusion and nearly ruins everything, the characters communicate well and are very sweet together.

Aaron Hokanson does an admirable job with the narration. I had read the book a couple of years ago and was happy to find out that it is now on audio.

I really enjoyed it and I’ll definitely be listening again in December.

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A sweet feel-good romance

Revisado: 02-01-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

While cowboy romances are not usually my thing, I knew I’d enjoy Amy Aislin’s MCs and their love story. Aislin’s characters always have some type of inner turmoil to work through — and Las and Marco are no different. I enjoyed being along for the ride while both characters overcame their insecurities to make their relationship work and last. Aislin’s books are feel-good sweet romances and always have a HEA.

I first read the ebook, and was excited to see that it was on audio, as well. The narrator does a nice job of bringing Las and Marco to life.

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Charming and funny hockey romance

Revisado: 10-15-23

I've listened to many of this author's hockey romances, and this is one of my favorites. The characters are charming -- interior designer Carter is very likeable and grumpy hockey player Tommaso turns out to be a not-so-grumpy guy with a sweet side. It was a bit of a slow-burn at times, but I thought it was well-worth the wait. I also found the book to be quite funny, laughing out loud at times. Unsurprisingly, Teddy Hamilton and Jacob Morgan do a wonderful job bringing these guys to life. This pair of narrators works so well together and have each other's voices down to a T. It's well-written and beautifully performed.

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My favorite of a great series!

Revisado: 10-15-23

This book brings the main characters in the first two books together to solve a new but related mystery. I liked that we got to hear Will's point of view for this story and that all four characters were involved in the mystery. The author did a great job weaving the characters -- both the main and secondary characters -- together to make a complex and interesting final mystery. It was well-written and expertly performed by Gary Furlong.

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Great book with a slow start

Revisado: 10-15-23

I had loved the first book in the series and become fond of the characters, so I'll admit that I was a little disappointed at first with the beginning of this book and I was confused by the new characters, but I'm very glad that I kept listening. After the first few chapters, everything started to click and I really got into it. While there were times I got a bit frustrated with Tom, our narrator, I did end up liking both him and Will. One of the main characters in the first book makes a few brief appearances, providing some continuity between the first two books. Again, Gary Furlong did a wonderful job and added to my enjoyment of the story.

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Great beginning to a romantic mystery series

Revisado: 10-14-23

I really enjoyed this book -- it is well-written with characters that have depth and are likeable, The book is also part psychological thriller and kept me guessing until the end. Gary Furlong does a superb job with the narration!

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Baking + Hockey = yummy

Revisado: 07-30-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

We first meet Blair and Charlie in Star of the Game; Game Changer picks up a few years later and the two MCs are definitely more mature and sure of themselves. Charlie is no longer the bullied and somewhat timid fanboy and Blair, while still stretched thin, seems to be handling his many responsibilities a little better (with the exception of standing up Charlie). So, it's nice to see that some personal growth has taken place before the story begins. With that said, while I recommend reading the first book in the Vancouver Orcas series and at least the sixth book of the Stick Side series to enhance your enjoyment of this story, I think it can be read as a standalone.

Amy Aislin's characters are pretty self-aware — or tend to gain self-awareness during the story — so that a lot of the angst is within the MCs, as opposed to between them. I appreciate the fact that the mis-understandings are relatively rare and minor and there usually isn't serious conflict. I did feel as though this story focused more on the individuals than it did on them as a couple — basically, once they allowed themselves permission to date, they were a couple. I would have liked a little more couple development, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a heartwarming and sweet story.

Narrator Aaron Hokanson does a nice job, and there's never any doubt that the characters are Canadian (which is completely appropriate). He doesn't do much to differentiate the characters' voices, but since the novel is in third person, that's not really an issue.

If you like low angst romance with some hockey and some sass, you'll enjoy Game Changer!

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A sweet hockey romance set in small town Vermont

Revisado: 07-15-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

It's the third book in the Stick Side series and Mitch's BFF, Cody, gets his shot at love. Roman Kinsey, the anti-social grumpy player from Tampa who we met in "The Nature of the Game", has moved to Burlington, VT, and just happens to find himself in Cody's small-town library. Both men are struggling with abandonment issues and they spend a good chunk of the book coming to grips with their pasts and learning to trust again. Since Cody is planning to become a librarian, it is no surprise that their small-town library is threatened -- giving them a cause to rally around. (The threat of closing the library to save money and lower taxes rang true to a fellow New Englander.)

I appreciate that Aislin includes a character on the asexual spectrum -- Cody is demi-sexual (as is Alex Dean in "On the Ice"). It's nice to find demi-representation in MM romances.

Adam Lawrence is very consistent in his delivery, which is appreciated within a series; his narrating of the first three books of the Stick Side series is another way in which the characters feel connected to one another.

Over the course of the series, I've grown to love the guys, and in this book, it's nice to see Roman transform from a grump to a nice guy. I recommend both the book and the series.

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Great addition to the Art of Murder universe

Revisado: 05-11-23

Skylar Brennan and Rory are very likable characters and I enjoyed their intellectual chemistry. Setting the story around true crime podcasters/documentarians/authors fit the theme of the book perfectly. Those of us who have been intrigued by true crime stories -- and particularly the case that served as the inspiration for Deirdre's story -- will find many of the characters quite familiar. As always, Kale Williams narrates the characters perfectly, making it an absolute pleasure to listen to.

This novella is set in the same universe as Lanyon's Art of Murder series, which I love, and the two main characters in that series are referenced briefly in this story.

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A sweet second chance MM hockey-adjacent romance

Revisado: 04-08-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Amy Aislin's new series, Vancouver Orcas, tells the story of Matt Shore, the somewhat mysterious NHL skills coach and audiobook narrator side character of her recent novel, "Star of the Game", now elevated to both a main character and the head coach of an AHL team. Typical of her leading men, both Matt and his love interest, Pierce, are genuinely likeable characters and I was rooting for them both from the start. The book explores some of the potential aftereffects of dealing with untreated depression in that Pierce has to face the distrust and hurt of his sister and ex-boyfriend after two years of self-imposed silence and distance. While it's clear that Pierce's mental health was the primary factor in his past withdrawal and long-distance move, Aislin treats Pierce's depression gently and respectfully, and doesn't make it a major issue in his "new" romance with Matt. Her characters can make rash and unwise decisions to drive the plot forward, but they are relatively quick to apologize and make things right, putting her novels in the low-angst category, and this one is no exception. I find her books to be comfort reads.

This was my first time listening to narrator Aaron Hokanson, and he did an admirable job with the characters. He also added a very Canadian voice to a very Canadian book. I look forward to hearing more from him.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Game Plan" and can't wait to read cousin Charlie's story in the next book in the series.

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