Michele

Killer last line!

Reviewed: 11-03-22

I loved this one! The snarky wordplay between the two main characters and excellent acting brought the two main characters to life.

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The gods are keeping secrets from each other!

Reviewed: 04-30-21

The Anvil of Souls by Joshua C. Cook is a continuation of the amazing story of Will and Duncan. We learn more about the gods of this world in The Anvil of Souls. The gods are keeping secrets from each other! Big secrets! I can’t wait for the third book!

Synopsis:
Will has just resurrected the god Amder. His cousin and best friend, Duncan, had to sacrifice his own life to prevent the rise of the blood god Valnijz. Will is utterly devastated at the loss of Duncan. He pulls himself together just enough to set out on a new quest for Amder.

When Will finds out that Duncan may still be alive, he abandons the quest to mount a rescue. Both gods, Amder and Valnijz, have plans to get their way at the end, but no one is counting on Myriam’s surprise!

Story Review:
Blood of the Fallen God is the first book in this series and the first book ever written by Joshua C. Cook. He hit a grand-slam home run with that book. I loved it in every way! As a follow-up to such a remarkable first book, The Anvil of Souls is good but doesn’t quite live up to the complexity and intrigue of the first book.

I would like to have seen more subplots, decision-making, consequences, and action outside the main plot lines. Imagine if The Anvil of Souls’ ending marked the end of the second act and then continued with twists and turns in the third act. Oh, the possibilities!

I will definitely read book three in the series. I cannot wait to see how the story continues!

Narration Review:
The narration is incredible. Eric Bryan Moore does an amazing job with the voices and action in the book. His supernatural voices will make your spine tingle!

Source:
I received a free copy of The Anvil of Souls at my request in exchange for an honest review.

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I absolutely could not stop listening!

Reviewed: 04-26-21

Vicarious by Rhett C. Bruno was so refreshing! Finally, a sci-fi novel with well-developed characters. I was engrossed from the first sentence to the last. I absolutely could not stop listening!

Synopsis:
Asher lives in luxury on High Earth, the only part of the planet that has not flooded. He is so obsessed with the virtual reality show Ignis: Live that he gets a job working on the show.

The Ignis is a spaceship whose residents are on a pilgrimage to restart the human race on another planet…or so they think. Mission is a little girl who grows into an intelligent, beautiful woman on the show. She is the star of the show and the true object of Asher’s obsession.

When the show’s ratings start to slip, the creator will go to any lengths to get back into the #1 spot. When Asher finds out that Mission’s life is in danger, he bursts into action. Can he save her? How much will it cost him? Is everything too high a price?

Story Review:
Not only is the plot original, but Bruno pours his heart into the development of his characters. Asher’s passion for Ignis: Live is contagious. He is addicted to the show. As a reader of the book, you will be addicted too. You can’t help it! We see the show through Asher’s eyes. His preoccupation with Mission leads to some very complicated emotions. When someone is willing to risk everything for another person, what does that really mean?

The last hour of Vicarious had me completely enthralled. The plot twists are unpredictable and wild. I highly recommend this book to sci-fi and reality TV fans alike. What do you get when you combine sci-fi, virtual reality, and Rhett C. Bruno? You get a home run!

Narration Review:
Audiobooks with multiple narrators are my jam! Wil Wheaton does a great job narrating Asher’s point of view in Vicarious. Katherine McNamara is brilliant as the voice of Mission’s point of view! She captures the spirit of Mission and the entire population of the Ignis masterfully. She has just become one of my favorite female narrators. I can’t wait to find more books that she has narrated!

Source:
I received a free copy of Vicarious at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Sensitivity Warnings:
The vast majority of Vicarious does not contain anything worth a sensitivity warning. The outskirts of High Earth depict typical post-apocalyptic filth of humanity conditions, including a scene describing a physically disabled prostitute.

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Brandt’s adventures will keep you coming back for

Reviewed: 04-08-21 Listener received this title free

Second Son is the second installment in The Minstrel’s Song series by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. In fact, it is a prequel to book one telling the backstory of Brandt. I am not a huge fan of prequels. They often do not live up to the standard of the first book in the series, but not so here. Second Son is an amazing book in its own right possessing the strength of a standalone novel.

Synopsis:
Brandt is the younger of two sons born to the King and Queen of Llycaelon. More than 500 years before his birth, a prophecy was told that a second son would take the throne and save the kingdom. Brandt is the first, second son born since the prophecy was foretold.

Brandt loves his older brother and has no desire to rule the country. He leaves home for training and ends up traveling far and wide on many adventures. Brandt has a good heart and is loved by all he meets.

His brother’s heart turns against Brandt, and bitterness consumes him. Will he order Brandt’s death in a jealous rage? Will Brandt find happiness in a faraway land?

Story Review:
Brandt’s adventures will keep you coming back for more. The pacing of Second Son is perfect. I enjoyed reading about his successes and failures, his joys and sorrows. Brandt endures much throughout the course of Second Son. Even when he barely survives life’s trials, Brandt keeps an attitude of gratefulness, curiosity, and loyalty.

Narration Review:
Benjamin Fife narrates Second Son. He does an amazing job! His narration is spot on, and there are no production errors in the book. I was so totally engrossed in the story that the narrator faded away, and I found myself battling sea monsters right alongside Brandt.

Source:
I received a free copy of this book at my request in exchange for an honest review.

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I will absolutely 100% be reading the next book!

Reviewed: 04-07-21

The Forgotten Child by Melissa Erin Jackson is a paranormal mystery. I honestly did not realize how wrapped up in this story I had become until my phone alarm went off and scared me senseless. I literally screamed in my own home! Mysterious ✅ Creepy ✅ Scary ✅

Synopsis:
Riley is an unwilling medium. It has only caused her heartache and pain. Thus far, she has successfully kept it a secret from her current group of friends. Then, they plan a weekend retreat at a haunted ranch. No matter what she tries, she can’t get out of it. Surely, it isn’t really haunted. Right?

Things start getting creepy when Riley realizes that she is seeing people that no one else can see. She can’t even flirt with the most handsome bachelor at the camp without seeing ghosts. Things go wild from there!

After a traumatic weekend, Riley is relieved when she finally heads home, but she doesn’t go home alone. Pete comes with her. He is a little boy who has been trapped as a ghost since 1973. Can she solve his murder and find his body so that he can finally be free? Without knowing where to begin, Riley starts down a precarious path that leads to … some seriously scary reading!

Story Review:
I will absolutely 100% be reading the next book in this series! I loved this book and was thrilled to discover that the next book comes out in May 2021. The audio version will be available in the summer of 2021.

If you want to find flaws with The Forgotten Child, you can find them as with any other book. Mr. Perfect is a little too perfect. The pacing slows down a tad too much here and there. I would still highly recommend this book to another reader.

Some of the “possession” scenes are intense and definitely adult only. Check out the sensitivity warnings below if that concerns you.

I hate scary movies, and I didn’t even know that I liked scary books. I foresee some new reading material in my future!

Narration Review:
The narrators are amazing! Victoria Villarreal and David Clifford Turner bring this story to life with an air of mystery and suspense. I loved them and would listen to them again without hesitation. I am stunned that this is David Clifford Turner’s first book narration. Way to knock it out of the park!

Reading Recommendation:
If you liked this book, you should check out Ruckman Road by Robert Stevens.

Sensitivity Warnings:
The Forgotten Child is an adult book that deals with adult themes. It contains sex, rape, and murder. Through her paranormal connection, Riley experiences the violence perpetrated on the murder victims in this book. It is intense. Readers be warned.

Source:
I received a free copy of The Forgotten Child at my request in exchange for an honest review.

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I couldn't finish the book.

Reviewed: 03-20-21 Listener received this title free

I was so distracted by the exaggerated way that the narrator spoke that I could not concentrate on the story. I had to stop listening.

I see that lots of other people enjoyed this book, so maybe it is just me.

I suggest listening to the audio sample before purchasing.

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I was hooked at Nathan Fillion!

Reviewed: 03-19-21

The Salvage Crew was written by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne and narrated by Nathan Fillion. I was hooked at Nathan Fillion! Yes, I am a sci-fi nerd, Firefly fan, and Castle fan. Give me Nathan Fillion any day of the week. I bought this book the minute I found out that Nathan Fillion narrated it. Yes, literally the very minute.

Synopsis:
A small group of human misfits is sent to a backwater planet to salvage a UN crash site. The mission Overseer is a Buddhist who was coerced into a robot body. The story is told from his point of view.

The Salvage Crew spends most of its time exploring AI self-awareness while the human crew implodes and does stupid shit in the background. They confront obstacles with a complete lack of grace, intelligence, or a sense of self-preservation. The humans must face a well-armed UN crew that isn’t supposed to be alive or hostile, ferocious native wildlife, and a big surprise near the end of the book.

Story Review:
I wanted to love this book, but it is missing something. The most glaring problem is the lack of compelling sub-plots – or any substantive sub-plots. The main plot is like a bull charging through to the end of the book, straightforward and predictable.

Herein lies the problem. I feel like the author had one story to tell, then shaped the book around that one-dimensional story. Let’s throw in some tragedy here, some stupidity here, an attack here, and don’t forget to heap on some more hell for the humans to endure. The story needs life, personality, and spontaneity. I feel compelled to add that moronic behavior is not spontaneity. I suspect that the author may have been too much in his own head while crafting The Salvage Crew. This leads me to wonder if he has beta readers or a developmental editor.

The Overseer’s poetry did not inspire me. I didn’t feel like it added to the book. After reading the book, I did some internet digging about the book and Yudhanjaya Wijeratne. I found the interview embedded at the bottom of this blog post, where the author discusses the book with two fans. They mention the poetry, how much they liked it, and the hidden references therein. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the references, but I did enjoy watching them geek-out over the poetry.

Narration Review:
Nathan Fillion brings his much-needed charm to a rather predictable book. He does an amazing job and I would definitely listen to his narration again.

And yet, I wanted more. Maybe it is because I love his film and TV work so much that I missed his physicality; maybe there wasn’t enough humor in the book to capitalize on his quirkiness. I suspect that sci-fi fans who are not familiar with Nathan Fillion will enjoy The Salvage Crew more than his ride-or-die fans because they will not bring expectations from Nathan’s past performances with them to this book.

Production Errors:
I only found one production error in this book. Honestly, I didn’t even notice it the first time around. It occurs within the first two minutes of chapter one. I do find it odd that a high-profile production contains an error, any error.

Source:
I purchased a copy of this book with an Audible Credit because I go fangirl over Nathan Fillion.

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Perfect Weekend or Beach Read

Reviewed: 02-13-21

Christian Slade is a megastar living the high life in Hollywood. He has everything: money, fame, talent, and so much more. But he doesn't have someone to love, someone who would love him even if he wasn't the "Christian Slade." In a desperate effort to ditch the paparazzi, he dashes into a hotel maintenance closet.

Lana is a brilliant rocket scientist with strong convictions and the moral fortitude to back them up with actions. Her world is rocked when she catches her boyfriend cheating on her. She finds herself crying on the floor of a hotel cleaning closet. Is she ever going to pull herself together enough to walk out with some dignity?

Christian and Lana find themselves hiding out in the same cleaning closet. Christian is immediately mesmerized by this beautiful, intelligent professor. She has no idea who he is! Is that even possible?

To The Stars and Back is a funny, upbeat, clean romance. Two people from completely different worlds stumble over themselves as they try to craft a relationship. Can Christian find a way to bring Lana into his life for good? How far is he willing to go?

I did not want to put this book down! It is refreshing, light, funny, and perfect! 2020 was such a serious year. I needed a book like this! When I finished the book, I felt happy. I loved getting swept away in this endearing story.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and loved it! The narrator did a fantastic job. There were no production errors.

The only mistake that I noticed the entire time I was listening to the book was one instance of the word "hypothesis" used improperly. That was a tough one to swallow in a book about a rocket scientist. I mean, beta readers, where were you? This won't stop me from loving this book and recommending it, though!

This is a perfect weekend or beach read. It is a great gift for someone who is down in the dumps or stuck in the hospital. I would easily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good rom com. I am glad that I read it and may very well reread it.

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Nothing will ever be the same...

Reviewed: 12-12-20 Listener received this title free

The family arrives on Thalia. We learn about the customs and politics of Thalia. Lorenz tries hard to adjust to the Thalian way of life, but he is surprised at every turn by how different things are from earth.

Llewellyn really comes into his own as a leader. Knowing how much he wanted to come home makes watching his return to Thalia special, but things are definitely not easy for him.

In Return of the Maca, the Sisterhood is determined to destroy all of the male Macas, including Llewellyn. The battle for Thalia ignites a revolution. No matter who wins, one thing is certain, nothing will ever be the same.

Source: I was given copies of these audiobooks at my request in exchange for an honest review.

Michele, AudiobookLife.com

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It is perfection! Oh, the suspense!

Reviewed: 12-12-20 Listener received this title free

This book is amazing! It is primarily about Lorenz and his relationships with the people in his life. His wife really steals the show. She is a strong woman with an amazing strength of character. She embraces life and hardship with a zeal that you seldom see. She reminded me a lot of Anna. You will fall in love with her as you read this book.

Before We Leave takes us into the 1900s. I loved watching how everyday life changed during this period of history. One of my favorite scenes is near the end of the book when the FBI interviews the family. It is perfection! Oh, the frustration and suspense!

As you can tell by the title, at least some of the family decide to return to Thalia. I am excited to find out what happens to them on their journey. How will life change when they arrive on Thalia? What direction will the series take now?

Michele, AudiobookLife.com

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