Reviews, Breakdowns, Reading Orders, and more. Audiobook are my passion! Predominantly of the fiction, fantasy, and romance variety, because even as an adult, I love a good fairy-tale
No Ordinary Billionaire is #01 of 07 in The Sinclairs Series by J.S. Scott. 1-6 are currently published and on Audible to listen to right now through the Unlimited program. #07 is currebtly a pre-order ebook with an expected publication of April 24th, 2018. I’m pretty sure the audio will be out about the same time, as usual.
Elizabeth Powers narrates the series thus far.
HEA with no cliffhanger!
This series is heavily connected by characters so I recommend reading the books in order. It is not only more enjoyable that way, but you will miss out on the little things, as well as spoil yourself on the earlier titles if you read them out of order.
Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
20 chapters plus an epilogue
Warning: SEX!
Yes, both in thoughts and actions, so if you do not like sex, then you should avoid.
Trigger Warnings
There are attacks, hostage situations, as well as threats/attempts at rape.
I think less than a full year has passed since book #0.05The Billionaire’s Christmas. That one ended on New Years, and I don’t think it has cycled back around yet, but I could be wrong.
This story takes a dark turn in the middle that may make some people a bit unsettled. Don’t fret though, its not too bad and not the main overall focus. This is more a story of two pessimistic souls coming together.
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Christ! It should have been me! Why wasn’t I standing where Patrick was standing when the shooter opened up and fired?
Dante Sinclair
The proverbial middle child, who despite being a billionaire, lives a blue collar life as a homicide detective in Los Angeles. A criminal’s temporary insanity leaves Dante severely injured and his partner dead. Dante has major Survivor’s guilt! He goes to his un-used house in Amesport to recover, where he makes the acquaintance of Sarah Baxter, his new doctor.
Of course he is immediately drawn to her. And of course he wants to have sex with her. Of course!
His sexy little doctor though, turns out to be a tough nut to crack.
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Audio Sample from Audible
Sarah Baxter
A child prodigy, that never got to be a child. Boy is her mother a piece of work. She never let Sarah be a kid, so no dolls, no bike, no non-educational toys, no anything remotely fun! Her lack of understanding of general human interactions have left her feeling pretty lonely. Never fear dear lady. Dante is more than willing to show you how fun, is done!
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“Sometimes I like it rough, Sarah. I think you want that, too, or you wouldn’t have asked for it.”
–Dante
The Sinclairs Series started as a story of 4 brothers, but don’t worry there always seems to be more somewhere in the family tree! No Ordinary Billionaire has a completed Read Along With Me so be sure to check that out as you read or listen.
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“If a man or woman has the capability to murder, it’s already there.”
–Dante
♥ Author ♥
This is my 2nd read/listen by J.S. Scott, and I can’t wait to listen to the next one! I am loving her characters and want to see them all get HEAs.
Reeling from her boyfriend’s indiscretions at a party, Lacey Montgomery escapes into the throes of a torrential storm. Her car spins out of control and hurtles into the depths of an icy, black lake. She awakens in the arms of a handsome stranger, in a place she’s never heard of—thirty-four years before she was born.
Bobby Reynolds is smitten the moment the storm-ravaged woman opens her eyes. Learning the truth about her origin does nothing to stop the passion taking root in his heart and leaves him torn between finding a way to return Lacey to her time and convincing her stay with him.
Will the couple be able to discover the key to a mysterious portal before time rips them apart? Or will their spirits wander forever through a ghost town buried beneath the lake?
Award winning author, Casi McLean, pens novels to stir the soul with romance, suspense, and a sprinkle of magic. Her writing crosses genres from ethereal, captivating shorts with eerie twist endings to believable time slips, mystical plots, and sensual romantic suspense, like Beneath The Lake, WINNER: 2016 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for BEST Romantic Suspense. Casi’s powerful memoir, Wingless Butterfly: Healing The Broken Child Within, shares an inspirational message of courage, tenacity, and hope, and displays her unique ability to excel in nonfiction and self-help as well as fiction. Known for enchanting stories with magical description, McLean entices readers in nonfiction as well with fascinating hooks to hold them captive in storylines they can’t put down. Her romance entwines strong, believable heroines with delicious hot heroes to tempt the deepest desires then fans the flames, sweeping readers into their innermost romantic fantasies. Ms. McLean weaves exceptional romantic mystery with suspenseful settings and lovable characters you’ll devour. You’ll see, hear, and feel the magical eeriness of one fateful night. You’ll swear her time travel could happen, be mystified by her other worldly images, and feel heat of romantic suspense, but most of all you’ll want more.
What is your writing process? Plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between?
I am totally a panster! My outlines consist of an idea, often evolving from a place I visit, and the story spins in my thoughts until a dramatic beginning evolves and I feel compelled to write it down. After that my characters take over and the story literally writes itself. I may know I want characters to go back in time to a certain era or event, and I research the situation, but from chapter to chapter I don’t know what will happen until I sit down and begin writing.
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Is it harder to come up with the romance or suspense plot?
Casi McLean I find it easier to write suspense because there is so much more fodder to feed into the plot that romance naturally evolves.
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
Casi McLean I got the idea for my recent book from a visit to Lake Lanier. The creepy lake lore and history begged me to write Beneath The Lake.
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What’s the best thing about being a writer?
Casi McLean Seeing how people react when they read my books.
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How do you get inspired to write?
Casi McLean Anywhere and everywhere … I see or hear something and bam! Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea. I’ve never really had writer’s block, but when I want real inspiration, I go someplace beautiful and just meditate.
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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Casi McLean Write a little every day, listen to good writing in your genre (someplace like Audible) … read, get involved with active writing groups, and most of all, never give up.
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After receiving her B.S. and MBA with a concentration in Health Care Management, Aundrea fell madly in love and decided to start her family. Ten years and five children later she was quickly living the full time wife, mother and household management life. Needing a temporary escape from time to time Aundrea returned back to her first love – reading! After devouring everything she could get her hands on she thought, -what if she could mix her love of performance and literature in a professional capacity? Once getting involved in the world of book narration she quickly became hooked and when not with her family you can find her in her studio working hard to grow in her own storytelling abilities.
When did you know you wanted to be an audiobook narrator?
I was listening to more and more audiobooks and I just kept getting the urge to do it.
How did you wind up narrating audiobooks? Was it always your goal or was it something you stumbled into by chance?
I just researched until I found ACX, and on their website it talked about what you needed, how to do it and I just went for it.
Did you find it difficult to “break into” audiobook narration? What skill/tool helped you the most when getting started?
No, it was not difficult to break in but to stay in is a totally different story.
A lot of narrators seem to have a background in theatre. Is that something you think is essential to a successful narration career?
I don’t know if it’s essential, I have a very limited background from when I was in school. I love theater. However now I do find training very important. Getting an instructor for the type of narration you want to perform, attend seminars and classes in both performance and audio technology – you should really know how to use the equipment you are utilizing and some ‘employers’ will only accept your work if you are using certain technology.
What type of training have you undergone?
I am seeing a coach for non-fiction (Sean Pratt-@SPPresents) and another for fiction (Andi Arndt – @andi_arndt). Between the two a variety of topics in narration and the business of narration are covered. I see improvement every time I have a session, which is really encouraging, I am lucky that although I may not have years of professional acting or collegiate acting training I am able to utilize my coaches to help me improve and to learn more about what it is that I do.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for narrating?
For me it is a combination of things. Because of the performance aspect, if I am not feeing it, I try not to push through. I will walk away and do some of the many other things I am responsible for in real life. My hours are really flexible because I work out of a home studio, so sometimes it is just as simple as hanging out with the family. Other times, I find that listening to others narrate in the genre’s I work in really helps. Especially when they are good they will motivate me to want to get back in the booth.
Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?
Yes I am constantly listening! I love audiobooks! For me, I find myself listening while I am doing housework or playing the driver to the kids.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts of narrating an audiobook?
My favorite is recording, getting to immerse myself into another world. I also love the read through of the book; it really gets me excited and helps me to plan out where I am going to go. I guess editing is my least favorite part, but only in comparison to the other parts, I love to do it, just not as much as performing or reading.
What about this title compelled you to audition as narrator?
It is exactly the story I would read as a consumer, and if it has my attention in that way then I want to audition because I know I will have fun with it while recording.
How closely do you prefer to work with authors?
I love having input from the authors, although every relationship is not the same. I do prefer it when even if they are not the ones who hire me, they have made the decision to have me be the voice of their book.
Taste of Paris is #02 of 03 in the World of Sin Series by Lucy Felthouse. All 3 are currently published with all of them being on Audible. The author has plans for more in this series.
Peter Revel-Walsh narrates the series thus far.
Each one is complete into itself, but it is a continuing story.
This series is a continuing story arc so I recommend reading the books in order. That being said, the stories or of a nature that it wouldn’t hurt if you read them out of order.
Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
Warning: SEX!
Yes, both in thoughts and actions, so if you do not like sex, then you should avoid.
Trigger Warnings
None that I see.
Please let me know if you think there should be.
Taste of Paris picks up right where A Taste of London left off: Ryan on a train getting propositioned. He makes it to Paris and meets back up with Kristian. He is a bit sad he missed out on all the fun, but boy does Kristian really have no game. Good thing Ryan is looking out for him, and the poor guy finally gets some action.
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The World of Sin Series continues and doesn’t disaapoint. Get 11 more Smexy minutes in this one. #2 is still told through Ryan’s point of view.
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Audio Sample from Audible
♥ Author ♥
Lucy Felthouse writes new smexy fun for the boys! And it’s hot!
A Taste of London is #01 of 03 in the World of Sin Series by Lucy Felthouse. All 3 are currently published with all of them being on Audible. The author has plans for more in this series.
Peter Revel-Walsh narrates the series thus far.
Each one is complete into itself, but it is a continuing story.
This series is a continuing story arc so I recommend reading the books in order. That being said, the stories or of a nature that it wouldn’t hurt if you read them out of order.
Length: 1 hr and 00 mins
Warning: SEX!
Yes, both in thoughts and actions, so if you do not like sex, then you should avoid.
Trigger Warnings
None that I see.
Please let me know if you think there should be.
A Taste of London is the starting point of the gap year adventure. Ryan Stonebridge and his friend Kristian Hurst are heading off to travel the world with plans to experience it all, especially the sex. Kristian has to tap out early due to a family emergency, but promises to meet up in Paris. Ryan continues on alone, well, not quite alone.
The World of Sin Series is short and mostly about the sex, I will just warn you up front. Not knocking it, just letting you know what you are getting into. It’s Smexy, and all told through Ryan’s point of view.
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Audio Sample from Audible
♥ Author ♥
Lucy Felthouse is the master of short and smexy! I will always listen to more.
This is my 2nd listen by Peter Revel-Walsh as my first was also a title by Lucy Felthouse. I thought he sounded familiar. He does have an accent which I found quite lovely and appropriate to the story. If you are one of those people that detest them, then just keep moving along.
HEA (Not to me)
Cliffhanger (I would be upset if this is where it ends)
This is not currently listed as a series, however, the ending leaves it set-up to be such. Some reviewers expressed their feelings to the ending as being able to count it as good enough to be a standalone, but I am not one of those people.
If you have a tender heart like me, you may want to skip this one.
If you like Dystopian series like The Blaze Runner and Hunger Games then this is the book for you. This has good world and character building but it is not for me. It’s the reason why I can’t watch Walking Dead with my husband. I hate getting attached to characters only to have them ripped away.
I myself try to avoid having my heart rip out through my gut. That being said, it takes good writing and narration to be able to evoke those feelings in a reader. I had so much tension inside me listening to this that I wanted to vomit in the midst of my tears. Call me a baby and say I’m too soft, I know that I am!
Audio Sample from Audible
♥ Author ♥
This is my 1st read/listen by Corina Bishop. This is her only audio title. She writes memorable characters that I don’t feel like I got a good enough chance to enjoy. I would be hesitant to listen to any other works as this author likes to make me cry. Corina Bishop has 01 title listed on Audible.
♥ Narrator(s) ♥
This is my 1st listen by Laura Jennings and she did such a good job that she made me cry. She really got the emotions of the scene across to me. I want to listen to more by her. She has voiced lots of titles, so I will have lots of opportunities! Laura has 126 titles listed on Audible.
Hot Doctor + Hot Cop = Smexylicious!
