Sophia Rose Reviews - ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade

 

ZomRomCom by Olivia Dade

#1 Supernatural Entanglements

Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 8.5.25

Pages:  411

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Teaming up with your neighbor during a zombie outbreak is a no-brainer, but if it turns out he’s a vampire . . . the stakes couldn’t be higher, in this infectious new paranormal romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Spoiler Alert.

When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he's actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor's newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston "Max" Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.

As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they're not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you'd die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.

Sophia Rose Reviews: A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

 

A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris, narrated by full cast

#2 Gunnie Rose

Post-Apocalyptic Thriller, Alternate History

Publisher:  Graphic Audio

Published:  12.16.20

Time:  5 hours 16 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: Dramatized Adaption

Source:  Library borrow

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Charlaine Harris returns with the second of the Gunnie Rose series, in which Lizbeth is hired onto a new crew, transporting a crate into Dixie, the self-exiled Southeast territory of the former United States. What the crate contains is something so powerful that forces from across three territories want to possess it.

Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew for a seemingly easy protection job, transporting a crate into Dixie, just about the last part of the former United States of America she wants to visit. But what seemed like a straightforward job turns into a massacre as the crate is stolen. Up against a wall in Dixie, where social norms have stepped back into the last century, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate, as what’s inside can spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time.

Author Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight, Texas trilogy) is at her best here, building the world of this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.

Performed by Colleen Delany; Robbie Gay; Amanda Forstrom; Yasmin Tuazon; Stephon Walker; Bradley Smith; Ken Jackson; Michael Glenn; Alejandro Ruiz; Elizabeth Jernigan; Steve Wannall; KenYatta Rogers; Karen Novack; Nora Achrati; Nanette Savard; J.W. Rone; Jefferson A. Russell; Michael John Caesy; Richard Rohan; Nick DePinto; Dawn Ursula; Christopher Walker; Eric Messner; Rose Elizabeth Supan; Carolyn Kashner; Duyen Washington; Joe Mallon; Scott McCormick; Ren Kasey; Kimberly Gilbert; Ryan Carlo Dalusung; James Lewis; Lolita Horne; Elliot Dash; Chris Davenport.

Sophia Rose Reviews: Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

 

Die for Love by Elizabeth Peters, narrated by Grace Conlin

#3 Jacqueline Kirby

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Blackstone Audio

Published:  9.19.08

Time: 9 hours 13 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Purchased

Sellers:  Amazon

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The annual Historical Romance Writers of the World convention in New York City is calling to Jacqueline Kirby, a Nebraska librarian who desperately desires some excitement. But all is not love and kisses at this August gathering of starry-eyed eccentrics and sentimental scribes. As far as Jacqueline is concerned, the sudden "natural" death of a gossip columnist seems anything but. And when she's approached by a popular genre star who fears for her own life, the resourceful Ms. Kirby quickly goes back to work...as a sleuth.

There's a sinister scenario being penned at this purple prose congregation. And when jealousy and passion are released from the boundaries of the printed page, the result can be murder.

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Shadow at the Morgue by Cara Devlin, narrated by Allie Rose

 

Shadow at the Morgue by Cara Devlin, narrated by Allie Rose

#1 Spencer and Reid Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Published:  6.17.25

Time:  9 hours 4 minutes

Speed: 1.2 xs

Rating: 4 stars

Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: audio

Source: Tantor Audio

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Leonora Spencer has an acquaintance with death. Sixteen years ago, only she survived the brutal murder of her family. Now, as an assistant in her uncle's London morgue, she uses her photographic memory to catalogue details for his coroner reports. She also isn't opposed to helping him during postmortems if his skilled hands begin to shake. After a thief breaks into the morgue and steals a locket from a young woman's corpse, Leo is determined to understand why, even if it means going against Detective Inspector Jasper Reid's express orders to keep her nose out of it.

Born and bred in the East End slums, Jasper Reid's recent promotion to the detective's branch at Scotland Yard is a long step up from his murky past . . . a past he can't afford to reveal to anyone. The last thing he needs is a convoluted case concerning the well-known eccentric Leo Spencer. As if her stubborn resolve to undermine his investigation isn't bad enough, matters deteriorate when Jasper realizes the criminals he associated with as a lad may also be involved.

When the missing locket and a handful of suspicious deaths point to a mysterious buried object, Jasper grudgingly accepts Leo's help to locate it. But someone is watching them, and the more they uncover about a deadly blackmail plot, the closer Leo and Jasper get to becoming the killer's next targets.

©2025 Cara Devlin (P)2025 Tantor Media

 

Sophia Rose Reviews: Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

 

Shakespeare’s Champion by Charlaine Harris, narrated by Julia Gibson

#2 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  9.24.09

Time:  7 hours 20 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

When Lily stumbles upon the well-built corpse of a local body builder - his neck broken by a barbell - the town's underlying racial tension begins to boil over. The white victim was somehow connected to two unsolved murders of black residents of Shakespeare - and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. But it is Lily herself who may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away one more time.

Sophia Rose Reviews: The Paradise Petition by Carolyn Brown

 

The Paradise Petition by Carolyn Brown

Historical Romance

Publisher:  Montlake

Published: 7.15.25

Pages:  283

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

In nineteenth-century Texas, two tough-minded women dare to challenge the status quo in a warm, witty, and adventurous historical romance by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.

Daisy Lindberg and Lily Boyle traded a colorful past for a fresh start as seamstresses in Autrie, Texas, and their aim to spark a women’s rights movement is raising eyebrows among the town’s dumbfounded men. But among the ladies? Tired of being treated like possessions, they have two Amen, sister!

Beulah, a sassy shop owner as formidable as a cannon shot, is on board. So is Alma, a timid preacher’s wife who hit her breaking point. Before long, a courageous female posse has a liberating petition of demands. Surprisingly, they also have an empathetic ear in sheep rancher Matt Maguire, who’s as keen on women’s independence as he is on Lily.

As Daisy and Lily make waves in the small town, their secrets threaten to come out. But they haven’t traveled this far to let their past define them. In fact, with love and the forging of new lives on the line, they’ve never felt more defiant.

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

 

Shakespeare’s Landlord by Charlaine Harris

#1 Lily Bard

Mystery

Publisher:  Recorded Books

Published:  8.11.09

Time:  6 hours 47 minutes

Rating: 4 stars

Format: audio

Source:  library

Sellers:  Amazon

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GoodReads Synopsis:

Welcome to Shakespeare, Arkansas. Lily Bard came to the small town of Shakespeare to escape her dark and violent past. Other than the day-to-day workings of her cleaning and errand-running service, she pays little attention to the town around her. So when she spots a dead body being dumped in the town green, she's inclined to stay well away. But she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite her best efforts, she's dragged into the murder case. Lily doesn't care who did it, but when the police and local community start pointing fingers in her direction, she realizes that proving her innocence will depend on finding the real killer in quiet, secretive Shakespeare.