Bobbie T.

Posh Boy Meets Farm Boy

Revisado: 03-09-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Like I Needed is the third book in the Heather Bay series, and is my favorite of the series yet. It can be read as a standalone, but I’d highly recommend reading the first two so you learn more about Will’s friends and get a little more background on Will himself. As the blurb describes, we have Jamie, the hedonistic trust funder, running off to Heather Bay to try to find himself. What he finds is Will, the workaholic sheep farmer. One night leads to more nights, which lead to Jamie helping Will through the most strenuous time of his year. We get lots of steamy scenes with the only relationship angst coming from both characters’ inner monologues worrying about not being enough for the other to stay. And given their differences, the amount of worrying is justified and not excessive. The only real tension in the book is the lambing season itself. I will say that there’s some descriptive sheep birthing scenes, so if you’re squeamish about that sort of thing, you might want to skip over those parts. But then we get to hear about adorable lambs, along with Will’s dogs and cat. Makes my animal loving heart smile.

I always volunteer to listen to Charlie Novak’s audiobooks because I enjoy Dan Calley. His low keyed tones worked well for this book. I particularly like how he portrays Will’s friends, and I can’t wait to listen to Alex and Henry’s book next.

I received a promotional copy of this audiobook, and am happy to leave an honest review.

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Sweet and Sexy!

Revisado: 12-05-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Like I Wished is the second book in the Heather Bay series, following Noah and Spencer as they navigate their way to their HEA. As is typical of Charlie Novak, this is a low angst, high heat, feel good romance. The blurb gives a good overview of the plot, but do be aware that there really isn’t much tension or suspense as you’re reading. So if you like that sort of thing, don’t expect to find it here. But if you’re like me and you just want a happy book where everything is great but not boring, you’ll enjoy this. You’ll also enjoy it if you’re looking for a lot of smexy times and dirty talk–this is very steamy!

As usual, Dan Calley did a great job with narration. He always adds a depth to the characters voices so you can really get a feel for their personalities. And I just love his voice :-)

While it is the second book in a series, it can stand alone. You just won’t get as much background into the characters if you don’t read the first book. I did like this book better than the first one, which isn’t typically the case in a series, so good job there! I can’t wait for the next installment!

*I received a promo copy of the audiobook and am happy to leave an honest review in return.

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Very good!

Revisado: 08-21-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is a nice second chance former childhood sweetheart story. It was fun getting to know these two, as they’ll appear in the next books in the series. This book really builds that world, and it’ll be awesome to follow the side characters in this book when they get their HEAs. As for plot, it was enjoyable, with very little angst and a good amount of sexy times.

Dan Calley did a great job performing as usual. His characters have just enough differentiation to know who is talking, but no one has any really weird voices. I do enjoy listening to him!

I did receive a promotional copy of this audiobook and am happy to leave an honest review.

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It's Always The Quiet Ones

Revisado: 04-05-22

I’ve been wanting Finn’s story since we first met him in Lewis’ book “Proficiency Bonus” and was not disappointed! Gem is also a known character, having popped up in the “Roll For Love” series as well. It was great to see them get their HEA while getting to visit the characters from that series again. I loved the “Roll For Love” series and am super happy we got to visit that world again. This is the second book in the “Forever Love” series, which followed the “Roll For Love” series. It can definitely be listened to as a standalone, but you’ll enjoy it even more if you’ve read those books first so you have more background for not only Finn and Gem but the side characters as well (especially Finn’s crazy family!)

Dan Calley was a fabulous narrator. His voices were just enough different you could tell the characters apart. I liked that he didn't give Gem an over-the-top Scottish accent. I would have liked a little more of a variance for Finn's "sexy narrator" voice, but to be fair, I had an unrealistic vision in my head for this so I'm not going to dock him stars for that. It was still quite sexy :)

The story itself is a well written, low angst, friends-to-lovers trope. Charlie Novak has built a fun world, both with Gem’s bookstore and gaming friends and with Finn’s crazy family. You’ll laugh along with getting the feels as Finn and Gem’s relationship deepens and Gem’s new dream of owning a game store becomes a reality. Finn and Gem are squishy loveable characters, but holy heck, the steam! Beware, your ear buds will melt by the end of the book. As is mentioned a few times throughout the book, it’s always the quiet ones.

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Fabulous!

Revisado: 03-07-22

Gah, I’ve loved Eli since we met him in “Proficiency Bonus” so I was super excited when he got his own book. The print book was great, but the audio book took it to a new level of awesome. This is an opposites attract, brother’s best friend, not quite enemies to friends to lovers, office romance story involving a drag queen and a banker. There are also very light D/s elements (no humiliation or pain, just mild and consensual control in the bedroom.) It’s very fitting for Eli to have a multiple trope book, as he is extra himself. Charlie Novak did a great job of weaving all this together and making it flow naturally. It’s snarky, sweet, steamy, but with no relationship angst. The big conflict is between Eli and his brother, who despise each other. Of course, Tristan is that brother’s best friend, so it’s complicated. And awesome. I seriously love this book.

Dan Calley did an amazing job bringing these characters to life, especially Eli and his over the top family. He made the character voices just different enough you can tell them apart without being annoying about it. I did have to slow the reading speed down a little bit as he talked a bit fast for my midwestern American ears, but it didn’t take away from the performance at all. He’s got a great voice and I’ll be adding him to my “narrators I really enjoy” list.

I should also mention that this is the start of a new series and can be read as a stand alone, but you might want to read “Proficiency Bonus” (Eli’s brother Lewis’ book) to get an introduction to Eli and his family. And if you’re going to read that, you should go back and read the first two books in the “Roll For Love” series. Again, you don’t have to read those, but they are great books, so you won’t be sad if you do. Note that if you go the audio route, the “Roll For Love” books are performed by a different narrator than “Always Eli.”

**I did receive a free copy of this audiobook by the author and am happy to provide an honest review in return.

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Interesting, Suspenseful, and Entertaining Listen

Revisado: 11-17-21

Not Dead Yet is a great start to a fantastic series (I recommend all of the books, whether you read or listen to them.) It’s a unique twist in the world of paranormal romance that is refreshing. Told from the perspective of Wes, a “not ghost” who was brought back to life by a misfired spell after he died in the 1930’s, who witnesses a murder while in the “other plane.” This leads him to get back in touch with his ex-boyfriend Hudson, a detective on the police force. Together they work to determine who, or what, the murderer is before something catastrophic happens. That’s about as vague as I can get without giving anything away. The fun of this book is the new discoveries that happen around every turn.

Wes is a character that could have been really annoying, but he goes through a lot of self-reflection and growth that makes him much more relatable and likeable. Hudson also wrestles some personal demons and makes strides to becoming a better person. The supporting characters add depth to the picture and play important roles both in this book and subsequent books in the series. There is plenty of humor and snark, but it doesn’t go overboard and overwhelm the story. While the romance between Wes and Hudson is important, the suspense and action in the story are more prevalent. There are some good sex scenes, but I really like that the characters are not constant balls of hormones.

Greg Boudreaux is an amazing narrator and does a fantastic job here. His character voices are distinguishable without being distracting or annoying. The pacing and inflections are perfect. I always enjoy listening to his performances.

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Fantastic Dystopian Romance

Revisado: 03-26-21

This is a 3 book compendium, with a bonus novella. In an alternate United States which has been divided by civil war into three separate countries, we meet the three MC's in a "camp" for queer and trans individuals who were born with male parts. They escape the hellish camp thanks to what turns out to be an alien invasion. The books follow their journey, trials, and tribulations as they struggle to survive and escape the murderous aliens. Along the way, they fall in love and form an amazing bond and relationship.

With novels like this it is so easy for authors to make the whole situation unbelievable. Nora Phoenix has a talent for world-building, and this series is no exception. Now, I'm not an expert on surviving an apocalypse and alien invasion, so maybe she missed some stuff or got stuff wrong, but heck if I could tell if that were the case. She manages to detail how these men survived without making it boring. Yeah, maybe it's too coincidental that one of the three happens to be the son of a doomsday prepper, but the characters actually mention multiple times how lucky they were to have stumbled upon him.
And it's dystopian fiction. If aliens can invade with spider bots, one of our MC's can have extensive knowledge on living off the grid. Without him, they'd have died in the first two chapters, which would certainly not make for good reading/listening.

I read this series book series about a year ago and loved it. After a character takeover in the author's Facebook group, I got the hankering to read it again, but I have enough books to read. When I saw that the box set was available as a complete audio set, I was sold. I was nervous about it a little because the late Kenneth Obi is hit or miss for me, but he did a phenomenal job with this series. Much like I couldn't put the books down, I couldn't stop listening, even though I knew what was coming.

The series had just the right amount of angst for the type of books they are. The characters all have their own personalities and are really likeable. Especially Pax in his novella. He's so sweet you want to squeeze him. Or at least I did. I wanted to squeeze Mac too, actually. Lots of squishiness without being too much.

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Lived Up To The Hype

Revisado: 03-26-21

I loved this listen! This book was actually written specifically for audio, which makes for a more engaging experience (in my opinion...which, this is my review, so you're getting my opinion throughout, I guess...) It did take a little while to get used to it, as there are sound effects (car noise, cats meowing, papers shuffling) and Cal's voice over the phone actually sounded like a voice on the phone. But once I got used to it, I really liked it, and now I want all my audio to be like this!

The story takes place over a week's time, with the MC's mostly interacting over the phone. Surprisingly, this did not detract from the development of their relationship. I liked that because of this we were able to really get to know the characters. But the story isn't limited to their phone conversations. Each character has their own life going on outside the phone calls, which helps the narrative along. The overall storyline is unique and fun, and there is a lot of humor. Like, I laughed out loud so much my husband thought I was crazy.

Luci Christian and Neil Hellegers both did an outstanding job with narration. They are new to me, and I'll definitely be looking up more from them. Cara Bastone is now on my authors to watch list too. Seriously, this book has earned all the accolades it got. Borrow it or buy it, you won't be sorry. I listened to it on Audible Plus, but will be purchasing it so I have it in my library for a re-listen.

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Finished It In One Day

Revisado: 03-18-21

I actually wasn't sure I wanted to listen to this book because I didn't care for Sleepless in Seattle. I figured since this is a rework of that movie that I wouldn't like this either. I'm glad I went ahead and downloaded it, because I loved it! I couldn't stop listening to it, actually, and ended up finishing it in one day. I got the feels, I laughed, and there's a HEA. And a dog.

Teddy Hamilton was awesome, as always (except for his British accent, that wasn't my favorite. But there is very little of him going Brit so it doesn't detract from the performance at all.) This is the first time I've heard Robbie Martino, but I'll be looking for his performances more now. He definitely lived up to the swoony voice his character is supposed to have. Like, I could listen to him read a cookbook and enjoy it, and I hate cooking.

This is a slow burn romance, considering the MC's don't actually meet until the end (remember, this is a Sleepless in Seattle inspired book...and if you aren't familiar with that movie, I apologize for the spoiler for both.) If you're looking for steamy sex scenes, don't get this book, as there aren't any. But if you want a sweet story about two people kind of obsessed with each other from afar while doing their own personal growth, you'll love this.

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Great Listen!

Revisado: 01-03-21

I really enjoyed this book. It is kind of a continuation of Dannika Dark’s “Seven” series, although I was pleasantly surprised to find that “The Vow” can stand alone. That being said, I still recommend reading the “Seven” series, if only to get a little more of Melody and Lakota’s backstories and to get a more thorough history and biology lesson on the Shifters in this world. Dark does a great job with world-building and creating compelling storylines. As in her other books, the heroine has a strong backbone and is stubborn, which leads to her doing some ill-advised things. That’s really the only part that makes me want to scream at the characters and doesn’t detract from the overall story--in fact, the way she builds it she needs those ill-advised decisions to move the book along, so I got over it quickly whenever it happened.

Nicole Poole did another excellent job with the narration of this book. Her cadence is just right and her voices are distinct enough to be able to tell who is talking without going overboard or being grating.

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