#Audible Review of The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston

A funny thing happened to me when I downloaded my Netgalley audio copy of Paula Brackston's newest Found Things novel, City of Time and Magic, when I started listening to it I was lost and realized that I totally missed #3. So off I went to audible and downloaded a copy. Come back soon for my review of book #4 but right now sit back and see what I thought about the audible edition of , The Garden of Promises and Lies.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B08776X4TG
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 12-15-2020
Length: 10 hours - 34 minutes
Source: Purchase Amazon/Audible
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

The third installment of a bewitching series "brimming with charm and charisma" that will make "fans of Outlander rejoice!" (Woman's World Magazine).

New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's second novel in the Found Things series, Secrets of the Chocolate House, was called a "time-swapping romance [that] will please fans of Alice Hoffman" (Publishers Weekly). Now, Brackston returns to the Found Things series with a third audiobook, The Garden of Promises and Lies.

As the bustle of the winter holidays in the Little Shop of Found Things gives way to spring, Xanthe is left to reflect on the strange events of the past year. While she's tried to keep her time-traveling talents a secret from those close to her, she is forced to take responsibility for having inadvertently transported the dangerous Benedict Fairfax to her own time. Xanthe comes to see that she must use her skills as a Spinner if she and Flora are ever to be safe, and turns to the Spinners book for help.

It is then that a beautiful antique wedding dress sings to her. Realizing the dress and her adversary are connected in some way, she answers the call. She finds herself in Bradford-on-Avon in 1815, as if she has stepped into a Jane Austen story.

Now in Xanthe's time, Fairfax is threatening Xanthe into helping him with his evil doings, and demonstrates all too clearly how much damage he is capable of causing. With Fairfax growing ever more powerful, Xanthe enlists the help of her boyfriend Liam, taking him back in time with her. It is a decision that might just ensure she prevails over her foe, but only by putting her life—and his—on the line.

Showcase - Review - Upstate by James Wood Audio version narrated by Raphael Corkhill

I've never had the pleasure of reading a James Wood novel before but I love British literature, their wit, humor and their staidness. So when Upstate was one of the June offerings from Macmillan Audio I said yes please.
June is audio month, celebrate by listening to an audio book.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781427298195
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 6-5-2018
Length: 6hrs 52.mins
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Amazon/Kobo/Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

New Yorker book critic and award-winning author James Wood delivers a novel of a family struggling to connect with one another and find meaning in their own lives.
In the years since his daughter Vanessa moved to America to become a professor of philosophy, Alan Querry has never been to visit. He has been too busy at home in northern England, holding together his business as a successful property developer. His younger daughter, Helen—a music executive in London—hasn’t gone, either, and the two sisters, close but competitive, have never quite recovered from their parents’ bitter divorce and the early death of their mother. But when Vanessa’s new boyfriend sends word that she has fallen into a severe depression and that he’s worried for her safety, Alan and Helen fly to New York and take the train to Saratoga Springs.

Over the course of six wintry days in upstate New York, the Querry family begins to struggle with the questions that animate this profound and searching novel: Why do some people find living so much harder than others? Is happiness a skill that might be learned or a cruel accident of birth? Is reflection conducive to happiness or an obstacle to it? If, as a favorite philosopher of Helen’s puts it, “the only serious enterprise is living,” how should we live? Rich in subtle human insight, full of poignant and often funny portraits, and vivid with a sense of place, James Wood’s Upstate is a powerful, intense, beautiful novel.

Macmillan Audio Review: A Higher Loyalty- Truth, Lies and Leadership by James Comey

A Higher Loyalty was an eye opening experience, it was NOT what I expected and was more than I could have hoped for. I think everyone should read this book.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781427298287
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 4-17-2018
Length: 9 hours - 5 minutes
Source: Macmillan Audio
Buy It: Audible/Kobo

ADD TO: GOODREADS

"Comey's conversational tone instantly connects with the listener, and hearing him deliver the book's highly charged contents in his own voice brings authenticity and immediacy to the presentation...This greatly anticipated, revelatory memoir needs to be heard." — AudioFile Magazine
In his audiobook, A Higher Loyalty, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration's policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.

Macmillan Audio Review: The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty

I had the pleasure of reviewing the print edition of this spine tingler for Library Journal (review below) so when i saw it on the March Macmillan Audio list I snapped it up. Wow I forgot just how many twists, turns and OMGs this novel gave me.
Enjoy!

ISBN: 9781427293527

Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date:  3-13-2018
Length: 13hrs- 3mins
Source: Macmillan Audio
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

When a murder echoing a fifteen-year-old cold case rocks the Southern town of Savannah, crime reporter Harper McClain risks everything to find the identity of this calculated killer in Christi Daugherty's new audiobook The Echo Killing.
A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.
Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.
Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence—even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…

#GIVEAWAY Audible Review - The Recipe Box By Viola Shipman

I already had a post and giveaway planned for the print edition of The Recipe Box sponsored by St. Martin's Press so when I had the opportunity to review it for Macmillan Audio I thought it would be fantastic to combine the review with the print giveaway. I loved this book and if you read my review you'll learn something that it inspired me to do. I think if you read or listen to it it will inspire you too!
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250146779
Publisher: Macmillan Audio/St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 3-20-2018
Length: 10hrs 18 minutes - 336pp
Source: Macmillan Audio
But It-Amazon/B&N/Kobo/IndieBound/Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

"Filled with cherished memories and treasured recipes, The Recipe Box is a touching tribute to the women and food that unite us and connect our past to the present." —Richard Paul Evans, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"An easy, delightful novel" –Good Housekeeping

In The Recipe Box, bestselling beloved author Viola Shipman spins a tale about a lost young woman and the family recipe box that changes her life.
Growing up in northern Michigan, Samantha “Sam” Mullins felt trapped on her family’s orchard and pie shop, so she left with dreams of making her own mark in the world. But life as an overworked, undervalued sous chef at a reality star’s New York bakery is not what Sam dreamed.
When the chef embarrasses Sam, she quits and returns home. Unemployed, single, and defeated, she spends a summer working on her family’s orchard cooking and baking alongside the women in her life—including her mother, Deana, and grandmother, Willo. One beloved, flour-flecked, ink-smeared recipe at a time, Sam begins to learn about and understand the women in her life, her family’s history, and her passion for food through their treasured recipe box.
As Sam discovers what matters most she opens her heart to a man she left behind, but who now might be the key to her happiness.

St. Martin's Press is offering
One Print Copy US ONLY
of The Recipe Box
Please use Rafflecopter form to enter
Good Luck!!

The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir Macmillan Audio review

I had the pleasure of reviewing The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir for RT Book Reviews so when it was one of the selections for Macmillan Audio's February choices I jumped at the chance to review the audio version. I've also included my review courtesy RT Book Reviews magazine.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781427294401
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 2-13-2018
Length: 13 hours 40 mins
Source: Macmillan Audio
Buy It: Amazon/Kobo/Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

From Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir comes a thrilling and unique audiobook series
The Legacy is the first installment in a stunning new audiobook series from the author of The Silence of the Sea, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for best Scandinavian Crime Novel.
The only person who might have the answers to a baffling murder case is the victim’s seven-year-old daughter, found hiding in the room where her mother died. And she’s not talking.
The Legacy is the first installment in a fantastic new series featuring the psychologist Freyja and the police officer Huldar.
Newly-promoted, out of his depth, detective Huldar turns to Freyja for her expertise with traumatized young people. Freyja, who distrusts the police in general and Huldar in particular, isn’t best pleased. But she’s determined to keep little Margret safe.
It may prove tricky. The killer is leaving them strange clues: warnings in text messages, sums scribbled on bits of paper, numbers broadcast on the radio. He’s telling a dark and secret story—but can they crack the code? And if they do, will they be next?

Audible Review - The English Wife by Lauren Willig

When I was offered the chance to review the audio version of The English Wife by Lauren Willig I jumped at it. I loved the seamless coauthoring she Karen White and Beatriz Williams did in The Forgotten Room several years ago so I couldn't wait to experience her all by herself and I was not disappointed. 
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781427293428
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 1-9-2018
Length: 14hrs: 53min
Source: Macmillan Audio
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

From New York Times bestselling author, Lauren Willig, comes this scandalous novel set in the Gilded Age, full of family secrets, affairs, and murder.

Annabelle and Bayard Van Duyvil live a charmed life in New York: he’s the scion of an old Knickerbocker family, she grew up in a Tudor house in England, they had a fairytale romance in London, they have three-year-old twins on whom they dote, and he’s recreated her family home on the banks of the Hudson and named it Illyria. Yes, there are rumors that she’s having an affair with the architect, but rumors are rumors and people will gossip. But then Bayard is found dead with a knife in his chest on the night of their Twelfth Night Ball, Annabelle goes missing, presumed drowned, and the papers go mad. Bay’s sister, Janie, forms an unlikely alliance with a reporter to try to uncover the truth, convinced that Bay would never have killed his wife, that it must be a third party, but the more she learns about her brother and his wife, the more everything she thought she knew about them starts to unravel. Who were her brother and his wife, really? And why did her brother die with the name George on his lips?

"Brings to life old world New York City and London with all the splendor of two of my favorite novels, The Age of Innocence and The Crimson Petal and the White. Mystery, murder, mistaken identity, romance--Lauren Willig weaves each strand into a page-turning tapestry." -Sally Koslow, author of The Widow Waltz

"Her best yet...A dark and scintillating tale of betrayal, secrets and a marriage gone wrong that will have readers on the edge of their seats until the final breathtaking twist." -Pam Jenoff, New York Timesbestselling author of The Orphan's Tale

Audio review of American Drifter by Heather Graham & Chad Michael Murray

I had the pleasure of reviewing American Drifter for LibraryJournal so when I was offered the chance to review the audio version I jumped at it. I'm including my print review courtesy of LibraryJournal plus my audio review.
Enjoy!

American Drifter

By: Heather Graham, Chad Michael Murray
Narrated by: Chad Michael Murray
Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
Release date: 11-14-17

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham has teamed up with celebrated actor and celebrity icon Chad Michael Murray to weave a tale of passion and danger in the captivating thriller suspense, American Drifter.

A young veteran of the US Army, River Roulet is struggling to shake the horrors of his past. War is behind him, but the memories remain. Desperate to distract himself from the images haunting him daily, River abandons the world he knows and flees to the country he’s always dreamed of visiting: Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro is everything he hoped for and more. In the lead-up to Carnaval, the city is alight with music, energy, and life. With a few friends at his side, River seems to be pulling his life together at last.
Then he meets the enchanting Natal, an impassioned journalist and free spirit—who lives with the gangster that rules much of Rio.
As their romance blossoms, River and Natal flee together into the interior of Brazil, where they are pursued by the sadistic drug lord, Tio Amato, and his men. When River is forced to kill one of those men, the chase becomes even deadlier. Not only is the powerful drug boss after them, the Brazilian government is on their trail as well.
Will the two lovers escape—and will River ever be free of the bloody memories that haunt him?