Month: February 2018

Review: Dominated in Paradise by Cynthia Mendoza


My Reviews


The Elephant Shifter Prince, Book 2

Dominated in Paradise is part 2 of 2 of the The Elephant Shifter Prince, by Cynthia Mendoza.

Aster Breck narrates.

HFN ending

This is a 2 part story, so I recommend reading in order.

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Content Warning: This does have sex, very little, but its there.

♥ Story ♥

This title is currently available as part of the Audible Romance Package.

This is shorter than the first and still no interesting elephant stuff. Oh well.

Kelly still can’t decide if she wants to stay and have a fairy tale or go home and be boring and alone. Such a hard choice! I think the girl is crazy, but its not my choice. Prince Chakrii isn’t asking her to give up what she does for a living, he just wants to come first. He gives her everything and she is soo, stubborn. Chakrii deserve better! I don’t know if there is another one planned, but the ending feels more of a HFN than a HEA. This would of been better as one story rather than parts, with an added epilogue to tie it all up. Only time will tell if there is going to be a third part. All current parts are in the Audible Romance Package.

Audio Sample from Audible

♥ Author ♥

Cynthia Mendoza writes some great short fiction, but this one feels incomplete.

AudibleGoodReadsAmazonScribd

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Aster Breck continues to do a good job with all the characters voiced, both male and female.

AudibleGoodReadsAmazon

Dominated in Paradise

The Elephant Shifter Prince

Written by Cynthia Mendoza

Read by Aster Breck


Ebook obtained through Library (Overdrive)

Audiobook obtained through Audible Romance Package


Review: Billionaire Seduction by Cynthia Mendoza


My Reviews


The Elephant Prince, Part 1

Billionaire Seduction is part 1 of 2 of the The Elephant Shifter Prince, by Cynthia Mendoza.

Aster Breck narrates.

HFN ending

This is a 2 part story, so I recommend reading in order.

Length: 1 hour and 24 minutes

Content Warning: This does have sex, very little, but its there.

♥ Story ♥

This title is currently available as part of the Audible Romance Package.

This is short and not quite what I have come to expect from Cynthia Mendoza. As elephants are known to have prehensile male parts, I was expecting something interesting. That did not come to pass, as this is your standard shifter tale.

Kelly is on a romantic holiday, which is a last ditch effort to mend things with her rocker boyfriend. He is a cheater that apparently never got caught red handed and is good at making excuses. A freak accident lands Kelly in the hands of a prince who is taken with her in an instant. Of course! This story ends with a HFN ending, but it does continue in part 2, so you may want to go ahead and get the whole series now so you can easily go on to part 2! All parts are in the Audible Romance Package.

This was entertaining but feels a bit all over the place. A lot of stay or go conflict with no clear direction or emotion. You feel for Prince Chakrii, but feeling like Kelly deserves him is a bit harder. I am looking forward to part 2 and a better resolution than what is currently being presented.

Audio Sample from Audible

♥ Author ♥

Cynthia Mendoza writes a lot of short fiction, that is great when it is just a singular title, but I would recommend looking for the series in a whole collection, which are out there.

AudibleGoodReadsAmazon

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Aster Breck did well with all the characters voiced, both male and female.

AudibleGoodReadsAmazon

Billionaire Seduction

The Elephant Shifter Prince

Written by Cynthia Mendoza

Read by Aster Breck


Ebook obtained through Library (Overdrive)

Audiobook obtained through Audible Romance Package


Audiobookworm Blog Tour: Starblind Series, Book #3


Author: D.T. Dyllin

Narrator: Ashley Holt

Length: 6 hours 59 minutes

Series: Starblind, Book 3

Publisher: Tik Tok Press

Released: Dec. 20, 2017

Genre: Romantic Science Fiction

Taken captive, experimented on, and rescued by a mysterious bounty hunter…all things Zula, The Pittsburgh’s second-in command, didn’t have on her to-do list. She isn’t worried though. After all, as a Galvraron, she has her superior logic to rely on. At least she did….

Suddenly Zula finds her cognitive skills compromised by a device that puts her emotions in control, turning her entire world upside down. Add in the fact that she’s forced to spend time with a man from her past, and soon Zula finds herself wondering: How does one fight adversaries such as love and lust? And does she really want to?

 

 

D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes paranormal, sci-fi, and contemporary romance. Basically, anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-heart is what first drove her to begin twisting her own tales of scorching romance.

D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, and two spoiled German Shepherds.

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Narrator Bio

Former NPR PBS FM radio host/announcer in a major media market, with a warm mezzo female voice. I have a background in opera and can present in English, Italian, German, French, Latin. With a background in the performing arts and opera, I can sing as well as do some accents.

Home includes a husband shaped person, 2 cats, volunteerism and an active online gaming presence.
No audiobook genre is taboo, which makes for very interesting dinner table discussion.

Member, Audio Producers Association


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Series: Starblind, Book 3

 Full Review Here:
Flux (Starblind, #3)


Read Along With Me: Flux
Click Here

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Ashley Holt. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.


Q&A with Narrator Ashley Holt
  • Do you read reviews for your audiobooks?
    • Yes, and my husband wishes I wouldn’t. 😉 People either love me or hate me. Years ago, an actor friend once told me that you shouldn’t read reviews, because you might start to change your style based on what you read. Wise words, I think.
  • If so, which ones stand out to you most, positive or negative?
    • When people get what I’m trying to do with the character. Someone said about Starblind that they “loved Jane’s sass and snark”. Made my day! Um, negative? Do we really have to go there? I’ve had someone say I never should have been chosen for that book. Another time I had someone get angry at me because the author anthropomorphized animals. That just killed me, because I LOVED voicing those kittens. They were all boy cats, and I could have done it all day!
  • What type of the review comments do you find most constructive?
    • Things like “she spoke too quickly”. That means the listener isn’t getting everything I say! Also I found out that a lot of people listen at 1.5x speed. Again thats the radio voice creeping in. Radio is fast, because you have to hit certain marks at exactly the right time.
  • Who is your “dream author” that you would like to record for?
    • Not dream author as much as dream GENRE. LitRPG is fantastic. It combines many of my favorite things. (I was an onlinegamer long before women were accepted in that world)
  • If you could narrate one book from your youth what would it be and why?
    • Dickens, Dickens, Dickens.
  • What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
    • Here have your dope slap.
  • What bits of advice would you give to aspiring audiobook narrators?
    • Be patient, don’t be afraid to ask for advice, be very careful about who you hire as a coach.
  • What’s next for you?
    • I am currently working on: Book 4 of the Starblind series!!!A revision of a BDSM Best Seller I did a year ago.A fictional history of Maria Luisa of Spain, wife to Leopold II, Holy Roman EmperorA university textbook about an American woman who settled in Palestine in the 19th centuryMain Street, by Sinclair Lewis (my first classic I am SO EXCITED)A firefighter romance. I jokingly call it book 3 of the triumvirate. Because I have already done the sports romance (my life was VERY meta during that book) and the cop romance.2 very dystopian novels, one by an Australian author that is BRILLIANT. The second one is by an Italian author, and I haven’t gotten too far into it, but the premise is great and the translation is excellent.An Encyclopedia of musical terms.
  • Bonus question: Any funny anecdotes from inside the recording studio?
    • Not so much from the studio, but its still funny. For a while, I kept getting sent auditions/books with lesbian lead characters. I was the go-to apparently. Coach says its the resonance in my voice. I did 19 short books about a lesbian dominiatrix, in addition to a couple of other full length books. After a while, my husband started to get shall we say, CONCERNED, which just cracked me up.
    • Mostly the in studio stuff are the “derps” we have. In the narrators group on Facebook, we have threads of the day where we post phrases that are tripping us up. Those can get pretty funny.

 

Starblind, Book 1

Feb. 6th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

T’s Stuff

Feb. 7th:

Audiobook Romance

Jazzy Book Reviews

Feb. 8th:

Buried Under Books

Feb. 9th:

Notes from ‘Round the Bend

La libreria di Beppe

Feb. 10th:

Lilly’s Book World

Haddie’s Haven

Feb. 11th:

Smada’s Book Smack

Loves Great Reads

Feb. 12th:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Parallax, Book 2

Feb. 13th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Feb. 14th:

Audiobook Romance

T’s Stuff

Feb. 15th:

Lilly’s Book World

Jazzy Book Reviews

Feb. 16th:

Notes from ‘Round the Bend

La libreria di Beppe

Feb. 17th:

Buried Under Books

Loves Great Reads

Feb. 18th:

Smada’s Book Smack

Haddie’s Haven

Feb. 19th:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Flux, Book 3

Feb. 20th:

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Feb. 21st:

Audiobook Romance

Feb. 22nd:

Up ‘Til Dawn Book Blog

T’s Stuff

Feb. 23rd:

Notes from ‘Round the Bend

Feb. 24th:

Lilly’s Book World

Haddie’s Haven

Jazzy Book Reviews

Loves Great Reads

Feb. 25th:

Buried Under Books

Feb. 26th:

The Book Addict’s Reviews

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Review: Flux (Starblind, #3) by D.T. Dyllin

My ReviewsThe Best So Far! Love Zula And Cade!

Flux is #03 of 04 in Starblind Series by D.T. Dyllin. All 4 are currently published with 3 of them being on Audio. The author has confirmed that #4 is the final book in the series and is in audio production to be on Audible soon.

Ashley Holt narrates the series.

HEA with no cliffhanger!

This series is only 4 books long and is heavily connected by characters and overall story arc so I recommend reading the books in order. It is not only more enjoyable that way, but you will miss out on a lot of details if you read them out of order.

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Content Warning:
Sex both in thoughts and actions, so if you do not like sex, then you should avoid.


♥ Story ♥

Zula ❤ Kade

Flux picks up with Zula’s captivity. You find out what the kidnappers did to her, how she got away, and what happened in the interim.

This was a fun listen! A nice turn of story after the intensity and feels of book #2. I think it’s the best so far!


Zula

Zula is a Galvraron. A humanoid species with blue skin and blonde hair. This appearance is what spawns the human culture obsessed Jane to nickname her Smurfette! As you could guess, she hates it! She is second in command on The Pittsburgh and usually the levelheaded one, however, her encounter with a new piece of tech sends that to hell in a hand-basket!

Letting her emotions loose, turns Zula into Jane, and it is a fun ride. We get to learn more about her life, why she left on The Pittsburgh, and who she is actually related to. Kade is a good counter balance to Zula’s overly logical mind.

Kade

Kade is a mercenary, sent by Zula’s parents to bring her home. He has his own secrets and ties to her family. They are good too! To say any more would be spoilers, so if you want to get details, please see my Read Along for it.


The Starblind series just keeps getting better! The plot thickens as we head into the final book! Nina is the heroine of that story and it is set into motion toward the end of Flux by Jane. I’m excited to listen to it when it hits audio soon, but sad that this series will be over. I don’t know how its all going to go down, but I just know it is going to be epic!

Audible Excerpt: Flux

♥ Author ♥

D.T. Dyllin delivers! I had a good time listening to Flux and can’t wait for #4!

D.T. has 04 Audible Titles

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Ashley Holt IS the characters of Starblind! You can hear some page turns in the audio, but it’s not very noticeable.

Ashley has 10 Audible Titles

Flux

Starblind Series

Written by D.T. Dyllin

Read by Ashley Holt

Ebook obtained through my local library (Overdrive)

Audiobook obtained at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review

Review: Intercepted by Love: Part 1 by Rachelle Ayala


My Reviews


First Steps in a New Romance!

Intercepted by Love: Part 1 is quite literally that, the first title in the Quarterback’s Heart Series out of 6, by Rachelle Ayala.

Chris Abell narrates.

Cliffhanger!
Cade and Andie’s story continues in Part 2.

Being the first, it could be read as a standalone, but I always advise to read in order to get the most out of the experience.

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Content Warning: The author lists this series as (Steamy)

♥ Story ♥

This title is currently available as part of the Audible Romance Package. The ebook counterpart is available through the Kindle Unlimited program.

Cade Prescott is a professional quarterback hiding out after a Super Bowl loss, as well as other bad press. He meets Andie Wales in the library while she is doing research on bad boys of old. They may not have a love connection at first, but their dogs have no issue taking things to the next level. While dealing with the health and welfare of their future litter, things shift for these canine owners.

Cade’s past can’t be avoided, and there are others in town that also want to make a name for themselves. Particularly a co-worker that will inspire you to want to commit fictional violence. You can read my rant in my First Impressions post for more details.

This story ends in a cliffhanger, so you may want to go ahead and get the whole series now so you can easily go on to part 2! All parts are on the Audible’s Romance Package. I am going to have to do this myself, because I am impatient and I gotta find out how it all ends!

Audio Sample from Audible

♥ Author ♥

Rachelle Ayala writes just as good dirty as she does clean! Her heros and heroines inspire just as much love as her villians inspire fictional murder!

Rachelle has 22 Audible Titles.

♥ Narrator(s) ♥

Chris Abell did well with all the characters he voiced, especially the villians. Falling in love can be easy, but invoking hate from the pit of your gut takes talent!

Chris has 63 Audible Titles

Intercepted by Love: Part 1

Quarterback’s Heart Series

Written by Rachelle Ayala

Read by Chris Abell


Ebook obtained through Kindle Unlimited

Audiobook obtained at my request and I am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review