Overall, I enjoyed listening to this short novella. Lilian Burkett is a bilingual marketing specialist. She is hard-working, pleasant, and optimistic person, so no wonder that she easily makes friends everywhere she goes. One exception is her boss's boss, Gabe Blackburn. The business side of their short trip to Nicaragua seems to have gone really well, although Gabe is as grumpy as usual about her taking too much initiative and not enough translating. On their way back they get ambushed, and from this point on the pace speeds up as Lillian and Gabe run for their life.
I really enjoyed Virginia Rose's performance and her characterization of Lillian Burkett. I found myself listening at 1:1 speed for Virginia Rose's parts and then slowing down for Aaron Shedlock's chapters. Having said that, I genuinely prefer having two narrators in a double POV books, and this combination of narrators seemed to work well,
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

eDescription:

Wyatt Galloway has a lot of things going for him in his life, but a woman is not one of them. He is focused on his career as a sheriff, setting his goals high for promotion. He has zero intention of falling in love with a woman; that is until he meets Breigh. Sweetness and beauty are not something he normally falls for, but she has him weak in the knees despite his resistance.

Having had her heart broken, Breigh‘s sworn off men and wants to concentrate on being happy. Career-driven and busy, she doesn’t bother with a social life and has given up finding the fairy tale that she’d hoped for. Until she is in the right place at the wrong time.
Wyatt and Breigh: two people wanting love but insistent on not looking for it until they meet each other.
Will either of them let it in? Is it worth fighting for when someone tries to take it away? Can a person you fall for truly be the reason or just a season?

Genres:  Christian, Clean Romance, Women's Fiction
EDITION Audiobook, Unabridged
ISBN 9798627194400
PRICE $17.46 (USD)
DURATION 7 Hours, 11 Minutes, 57 Seconds

Available from: Spectrum Audiobooks



My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this clean and wholesome romance. The protagonists repeated numerous times that everything happens in your life for a reason and perhaps this audiobook was exactly what I needed in these curious and uncertain times.

Wyat Galloway is the strong and protective type of man who likes to notice and take care of the small things. He is hard-working, honest and thoughtful. One drawback: he isn't looking for a girlfriend as he is concentrating on his career and making his dream of becoming a ranger come true. Wyatt comes from a wealthy family, but he would have known little love and affection were it not for his aunt Rhonda. His mother Virginia isn't a maternal type, while the less is said about his father and his brother Cash, the better. When Wyatt told his parents about his career aspirations, his father cut all his links with his son. Everything Wyatt owns in his life he has earned through his hard work.

Swee Breigh Foster hasn't had much luck with her family either. Her mother died giving birth to her and Breigh's father used losing his wife as an excuse for drinking and neglecting his daughter. luckily, Breigh has a wonderful grandmother who has taken good care of her and taught her all the right things in life. One of them is that God has a plan for everyone and all the people who come in our life come for a reason. Sometimes it is just for a season, sometimes it is for life. Breigh's previous romantic relationship didn't work out, so she decided to focus on work instead.

Wyatt and Breigh have so much in common, and yet, they both need to learn to trust each other and their own feelings. I couldn't help, but admire Breigh's choice of career- I won't give it away, but she found her own way of helping people at the moment when they need support and reassurance. She is also a great friend who always puts her friends needs first. She also had to make some hard choices in this book, which she required a lot of emotional maturity. Breigh and Wyatt's relationship develops slowly and steadily over the course of the book, although I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there is a fade-to-black scene where the characters take their relationship to the next level.

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job- I never wanted to skip anything or listen at a faster rate. There is a lot of inherent repetition in the book content itself ( the characters value hard work, they respect and appreciate the role the elderly played in their life, they are looking for somebody special in their life, 'the reason'), so even the easily distracted listener I tend to be could follow the narration easily. I absolutely adored Avery Reid in all the entirety of Breigh's interactions with other characters in the book and I thought Matthew Maddux did a great job of bringing his strong and silent character of Wyatt to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spectrum Audiobooks for the DRC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

A little book for big feelings.

Informative and accessible, The Book of Knowing is a friendly, therapeutic guide for young people to understand and control their feelings. In 2015, clinical psychologist Gwendoline Smith began a Tumblr blog under the pseudonym Dr. Know. Her Gen Z-friendly approach to CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) resonated, and the idea for this book was born. With lively art, tangible advice, and immersive activities, this book is a handy guide for dealing with big feelings that provides humor, kindness, and manageable strategies for issues that can sometimes feel out of our control (From the book blurb)

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Audio
DURATION 1 Hours, 43 Minutes, 57 Seconds

Synopsis:

Sometimes scoring off the ice leads to the greatest rewards.I’ve had only one goal in life since I first strapped on a pair of skates—make America’s pro hockey league.I left Denmark. I made it to the top. Now, I’m determined to be the best. No distractions. I eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. Until my birthday when my teammates convince me to live a little.But living a little takes on a whole new meaning when less than a year later I’m confronted with a crying baby on my doorstep, drooling on a note that declares he’s mine. Suddenly, I'm a single dad in way over my head. There is no playbook for situations like this. Luckily, I have Paisley.My gorgeous neighbor, my long-time crush, and now—my savior.She’s there any time I need her.Helping. Guiding. Gazing at me with those green eyes that make me feel capable of this after all.With her at my side, I’m quickly learning there’s more to life than winning a hockey game.

Narrators: Meg Price, James Cassidy
Duration:8 Hours, 42 Minutes, 50 Seconds
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance


My thoughts:
The Ice Kings series continues with Micah and Paisley's story and there is more sizzling, but oh so sweet romance coming your way!
Twenty-three year old Micah left his native Denmark to become a professional hockey player in the United States. He is so focused on the game that there isn't much space for any distractions in his life. He let himself have fun one notable weekend after his birthday, but obviously one stands with ice rink bunnies isn't his thing. Untill nine months later his gorgeous neighbour Paisley knock on the door and hands him a crying baby boy which is apparently his son. Well, Micah has always done his best and it is his turn to learn how to be the best single father possible and if he needs help, there is his sweet, calm and capable Paisley.
I loved the protagonists straightaway. Micah exhudes strength and loyalty. His inexperience and desire to learn melted my heart away. Of course, the trope of an abandoned baby and the brand-new dad trying to cope with the situation isn't new, but it is all in the execution, and the growth of the characters. Paisley is literally the girl next door in this book. Her character also develops throughout the book. Life is full of surprises and sometimes you just have to embrace them.
I am becoming a big fan of dual  points of view. Meg Price's narration was perfect for the role of Paisley and I also enjoyed the way she represented other characters in her chapters. I wasn't so sure about James Cassidy's Danish accent, but this wan't an easy role to take on and he did render Micah's personality in a very attractive way.
Overall, a lovely, light-hearted, fun romance recommended for anybody who enjoys sports romance.

It was a three-week fling. Nothing more than a couple of college kids having some fun, but then I did the stupid thing and fell for Jude Taylor quicker than he can score a goal on the ice. And after one beautiful night together, he left for the pros before I could make my first cup of coffee.

I thought I’d put him behind me. I thought I’d moved on. Then he hobbles into my physical therapy office and I realize how absolutely wrong I’ve been—there’s no getting over Jude Taylor.

But now things are complicated. Jude lives half a country away and his career is in direct opposition to my need for stability. Most of all, getting involved with him could mean losing my job and everything I’ve worked so hard for.

Jude doesn’t seem to mind one bit and he’s all in. He might be a patient in my office, but he’s no longer the patient guy I remember.

This time, he’s playing to win, and the prize he’s looking to score is me.

DURATION 5 Hours, 32 Minutes

My thoughts:
This is the first book in Stacey Lynn's sports romance series Ice Kings.
If you are a fan of ice hockey romance, you'll find this audiobook is right up your street. It has all the elements I always look for in the genre. Jude is a strong, loyal, family-oriented protagonist who is dedicated to his sports career and his team, but without ever losing the sight of human relationships: family, friendship, and romance, and Katie is the one who almost got away.

Jude and Katie met at college and as we later find out, it took him some time to pluck his courage and speak to her. For Katie their very brief relationship and one night they spent together were unforgettable. But then Jude got drafted and became a professional player. He left Chicago and never graduated from the college. All Katie ever wanted was stability and normal life, something she didn't think she was going to get with Jude. So she blocked his number and continued working hard towards her goal of graduating and getting her physiotherapist licence.  When she hears Jude Taylor got seriously injured , she knows how serious the consequences of this type of trauma can be for an athlete of his caliber. What she doesn't know is that his coach going to send him home to recuperate. And here he is in their office, ready for his appointment with a colleague of Katie's. Can Katie silence her heart which seems to beat a bit faster at his sight? Can Jude win her over once again?

I really listening to both narrators. Liam DiCosimo has a perfect voice for sports romance: I could easily imagine this confident, flirty, independent man. He had a great range of expression considering some parts involved talking to his mother, his coach, discussing his progress with his physiotherapist as well as  hot and steamy scenes with his love interest Katie. Stella Hunter was charming and soft-spoken which was very fitting for Katie's dependable, caring, and unselfish character.

The second chance trope is one of my favourite, so I must say I really enjoyed this story. It was fun, had great characters and a happy ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spectrum Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Listening length: 8 hours, 45 minutes
Published January 23rd 2020 by Deborah Wilde

My thoughts:
Blood and Ash is the first book in Deborah Wilde's new urban fantasy series set in Vancouver, Canada.
Ashira (Ash) Cohen has been pursuing her childhood dream of becoming the best possible private investigator possible. She inherited her love of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson fictional world from her father Adam Cohen who used to read to her Conan Doyle's books. Then one day Adam just walked out of Ashira and her mother's life never to be seen again. Ash went through a difficult time trying to accept her father's decision. She also vouched to herself never to be a victim or 'a mark' of somebody else's games or tricks.
We meet Ash as she is doing a surveillance job on a rebellious teenager Charlotte Rose. The taskthat was supposed to be a piece of cake almost lands Ash herself in hot trouble as she discovers that her client hid her daughter's magic powers. Being a mundane, Ash is banned from working cases like that. She could lose her licence, but this is the least of her worries. During the fight she got a superficial wound on her head that damaged a magic tattoo that Ash didn't have any idea about. Keen to investigate her own case, Ash also makes a life-altering discovery- she suddenly develops an odd kind of blood magic that isn't even supposed to exist. Now she is in big trouble with the head of the local magic community Levi Montefiore.
The world-building in this book was just brilliant. Based on Jewish culture references, it was original and kept my interest throughout the book. Ash is a strong protagonist. Snarky, independent, prone to dropping an occasional f-bomb, she is also a loyal friend and a decent person who  has her heart in the right place. I adored Priya, Ash's best friend, flatmate and the only collaborator. Add steamy romance with tall, dark and handsome Levi who also happens to be Ash's childhood friend/nemesis.
Hollie Jackson did a wonderful job of giving all these characters (and many others) their unique voices. From Ash's begging for morning coffee voice to Charlotte Rose's teen sulkiness, Levi's irresistible charm and Priya's unfaltering enthusiam, Hollie Jackson showed a great range of expression. I also found that I never wanted to listen at a slower or faster rate, The story had a great flow and at the end of every chapter I wanted to hear just another one, until I listened to the whole book.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and now I can't wait to find out what is going to happen in the next instalment of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Te Da media for the audiobook review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Synopsis:

There are two sides to every story: yours and mine, ours and theirs, His & Hers. Which means someone is always lying.

Anna Andrews finally has what she wants. Almost. She's worked hard to become the main TV presenter of the BBC's lunchtime news, putting work before friends, family, and her now ex-husband. So, when someone threatens to take her dream job away, she'll do almost anything to keep it.

When asked to cover a murder in Blackdown--the sleepy countryside village where she grew up--Anna is reluctant to go. But when the victim turns out to be one of her childhood friends, she can't leave. It soon becomes clear that Anna isn't just covering the story, she's at the heart of it.

DCI Jack Harper left London for a reason, but never thought he'd end up working in a place like Blackdown. When the body of a young woman is discovered, Jack decides not to tell anyone that he knew the victim, until he begins to realise he is a suspect in his own murder investigation.

One of them knows more than they are letting on. Someone isn't telling the truth. Alternating between Anna's and Jack's points of view, His & Hers is a fast-paced, complex, and dark puzzle that will keep listeners guessing until the very end.


My thoughts:
I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of His &Hers by Alice Feeney. Once I listened to the first couple of chapters, I was totally compelled by the story masterfully delivered by the narrators Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine.
There are three points of view: Anna Andrews, a BBC presenter who has just lost her dream position of a news presenter and has to go back to being a reporter, her ex-husband DCI Jack Harper, and a distorted voice of a murderer who goes on a killing spree in a little village Annna and Jack grew up in. Anna is sent to cover the story of a female body/ possibly murder victim being discovered in the woods. Jack is the police officer investigating the case. As the events keep unfolding and bodies start piling up, we see more and more links to both Anna and Jack and their past. There seem to be plenty of clues in the chapters told from the murderer's point of view to keep the listener guessing, thinking they have it all figured out only to hear another clue in the following chapter that would seem to point in the direction of another suspect.
The two narrators did a wonderful job of rendering the emotions the characters were going through and made sure the secondary characters also sounded unique.
I would definitely recommend this audiobook to all lovers of psychological thrillers who enjoy a dark suspenseful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.