Helen R. Drake

Heart Warming Christmas Romance

Revisado: 11-13-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

I don’t normally read Christmas romances. As I had an opportunity to listen to listen to the audiobook, I took it.

This book is a perfect read for the holidays as it made me feel good. I enjoyed the characters and family and friendship bonds. The two main characters had major things happen to them in their youth which was still affecting their current life. How they overcame these problems was key to the plot.

The audiobook was well done and drew me into the story.

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Who’s Trying to Rig a Witches Beauty Contest

Revisado: 10-25-24

This is a well crafted story that dates back a number of years involving the history of the pageant.

The current teen contestants and their mothers are a handful for Mia, Annabelle, and Christine as Mia’s Morsels won the contract for the Event. Is it worth it?

In the meantime Mia is having to face challenges at the Lodge as Frank, the manager is trying to sabotage Mia.

The characters including the animals are mostly engaging. Even the bad characters are interesting.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook as the narrator brought the story to life.

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Narration Is Excellent

Revisado: 05-12-24

The story of a family facing a crisis in LA and in the entertainment industry has plenty of surprises. It’s a coming of age of the youngest daughter in the family adjusting to the crisis, having to leave her scientific research on a small island far away from LA. Her older sisters and mother have also changed. Throw in a romance, and things heat up.

There are some uneven spots with the plot but the narration shines and makes the story easier to take, when it gets too fantastic.

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Interesting New Series

Revisado: 05-11-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is an interesting new series. A woman is starting over in a new community and makes food and treats for dogs and cats. She meets new people and becomes involved in a murder mystery which she helps solve.

Her pets Doofus anD Floofus add to the charm of the stor.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed the narration.

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Great New Cozy Set in The Big East

Revisado: 06-29-22

I thoroughly enjoyed this new cozy series set in New Orleans, primarily in the beautiful Garden District although it also takes place in other areas including the French Quarter. Ricky has returned to the town of her birth after several unfortunate events including the accidental death of her husband leaving her a widow at 28. She now has a new job inside a mansion which is a museum to a famous and legendary female chef, in which she can sell vintage cookbooks and other related cooking and entertaining items. Ricky used to curate a rare book collection in Los Angeles for a millionaire convicted of running a Ponzi scheme.

There were a number of subplots including 2 murders with plenty of suspects. The plot was well developed and the way the murders were solved was surprising. I never suspected the killer.

There is a separate mystery in that Ricky was abandoned as a newborn in a New Orleans hospital. Fortunately a maternity nurse took her home and raised her. They later moved to Los Angeles. Now Ricky is trying to find some relatives.

These characters are wonderful and well developed and I look forward to seeing what happens to Ricky and the rest of the main characters.

The narration was well done and brought the story to life.

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Excellent 1st Book in New Series

Revisado: 06-25-22

I think anyone who has fought breast cancers or other cancers will especially appreciate this new series.

Rarity Jones moves from St Louis to Sedona after completing her treatment for breast cancer. She needs a new start after her fiancé failed to stand by her. Unfortunately this often happens to people who suffer the affects of cancer.

Rarity starts the Survival Book Club to be a support group for other women who have fought breast cancer. It expands to include a few others.

Unfortunately one of the new members is murdered and the group turns into a sleuthing one.

The murder mystery was well developed as are the characters, Rarity, Sam, her best friend, and the others. I was unable to figure out the killer before the review. I enjoyed the touch of romance.

The narrator did a good job overall although a couple of the character voices were slightly annoying.

I highly recommend this audiobook.

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An Interesting Story with Romance and Suspense

Revisado: 03-08-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This story involves a stalking and a romance. The main character made a mistake with a relationship in college and now she thinks he has found her in a town called Heaven where she is currently living. She has been on the run for a number of years but likes where she is currently living. With the help of the local chief of police, she faces up to her fear so she can stop running.

There are many things to like about the lead character. She forms a relationship with the chief of police as he tries to protect her. Overall I enjoyed the story and the characters. The level of romance was higher than I typically like.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

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Complex Agatha Christie Story

Revisado: 02-28-22

I’ve seen the older movie based on this story and was curious to see how the book differed. Although the main premise in both is the same, there are fewer suspects in this one. There are several side plots that are not mentioned in the movie. This has a more subtle and better story as would be expected from Agatha Christie!

The narration was excellent and really brought the story to life!

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A Wonderful First Book in a Cozy Series

Revisado: 01-26-22

I really enjoyed this book. I can just imagine how hard it was for our lead character, Marvella, who goes by Marvey, to move from her family in Brooklyn to a small town in Georgia to take a library job that will allow her to do much more than she could do at the large library at home.

Her closest friend in the new town, Jolene, who goes by Jo,is the owner of the local book store, To Be Read, and also from out of state. When she hosts a book signing at her store for multiple authors, the one that is recently published is killed in the back room. Jo is the chief suspect. It’s up to Marvey and Spence, the wealthy owner of the local newspaper, to clear Jo’s name before To Be Read faces severe business losses.

The story is well developed and kept me on the edge of my seat. I was surprised when the killer was revealed.

I enjoyed getting to know the lead characters as well as many other secondary characters. These characters were well developed and several were surprising. I liked how I learned more about the murder victim throughout the story and how her character was revealed. Marvey’s cat Phoenix is also an interesting character.

Both Marvey and Phoenix are having some difficulties adjusting to the change in locale and social customs. New Yorkers are used to getting to the point in conversations while Georgians do more small talk, asking about families, etc before getting to the point, New Yorkers have some different words for things such as “soda” which is known as “coke” in Georgia. Marvey started keeping a little notebook of southern sayings and their meanings. These differences lead to some comical moments. Spence is always reminding Marvey “When in Rome”

I listened to the audiobook. I felt the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life!

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Enjoyable New Cozy Series

Revisado: 11-28-21 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is a new cozy series by Addison Moore. It has all the right ingredients for a cozy: small town setting, interesting and unusual characters and a mystery. The key two characters both have a number of secrets that need to be uncovered. We see some now but I’m sure we will learn more in books to come.

The mystery kept me guessing and I was rather surprised when the killer and reason for the murder were revealed.

I listed to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

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