Audiobook Reviews

Charlie Sunshine (Close Proximity, Book 2) by Lily Morton: Audiobook Review

February 14, 2022 by Denise

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two. It’s lucky that he has his best friend Misha to turn to. The two of them are closer than peas in a pod and fiercely loyal to each other. He can’t imagine his life without Misha in it.

Misha Lebedinsky is the complete opposite of his best friend. Being the support system for his mum and twin sisters leaves Misha with neither the time nor the inclination for a relationship. Quick and frequent hook-ups are his favourite means of communication and any other pesky emotional needs he has are met by Charlie, who he’s devoted to. He lives a life of happy compartmentalization with no intention of ever changing.

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together. Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb.

Amazon Ebook – KU

Audible

My original book review from last year here.

Story wise, I don’t have a lot to add to the review. I really enjoyed the book, the quirky characters and the representation of a disability. So let’s talk about the narration, which is ultimately what I am reviewing, right?

Overall, I enjoy Joel Leslie’s narration. He isn’t one to shy from verbalizing sex scenes well and his tone is very nice. Within the story you can tell who is speaking by the tone, which is very helpful as I tend to flip to the beginning of a chapter to see who is speaking because I can never remember.

This is the second Joel Leslie in a row that I have listened to, so maybe I need a break. Although the characters are differentiated by voice within each book, those same voices seem to carry from book to book. Charlie sounds like the main character in the one I just listened to that was a different author. Misha the same. Charlie’s step dad Aidan has the same Irish lilt as Blue Billings.

I probably wouldn’t have really noticed that much if I didn’t listen to Joel Leslie back to back.

My biggest complaint is that when it is an intimate scene- not just sex wise- his tone goes from a regular speaking voice to almost a whisper at the end of each sentence. It gets to a point that it is almost hard to hear. Like the difference of watching a tv show and then the commercials are so much louder. I’ve tried with ear buds, through my car stereo and with a bluetooth speaker. All the same. I understand WHY he is doing it, but I feel like I miss so much because I am straining to hear. If I turn it up, the regular speaking voice is far too loud.

Ultimately, I think I need a Joel Leslie break. I am sure I will go back to listening to him, but some new voices and better modulation would be great.

3 pieces of eye candy

Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton: Audiobook Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, and Giveaway

February 7, 2022 by Denise

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together.

Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means?

From bestselling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb. This is the second book in the Close Proximity series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Amazon – Ebook – Kindle Unlimited

Audible – Audiobook

Goodreads

I lean more heavily against the counter, enjoying the peace that usually descends at this time of the morning. The first rush is over, and now the library has an air of quiet bustle. We’ll pick up again as it gets closer to lunch and people come in to use the computers. I can feel tiredness tugging at my body, but I refuse to give in and straighten up instead.

“Why didn’t you take the first break?” Bethany asks chidingly.

“Why would I do that?” I pull the stack of books towards me that the little sex pest left behind and grab the Tipp-Ex from the drawer.

“Charlie.” Something in her voice makes me look up. “You look knackered,” she says quietly.

“I’m fine,” I say automatically. “Just a few late nights.”

“Oh really? You would need to have lived the life of Mel Gibson to earn the massive circles under those pretty eyes.” I smile but don’t answer, and she sighs. “You’re on break next,” she says firmly. “And you’re going to stay up there. I’m sure you’ve got stuff to do in your office. Like sleep on the sofa or pass out on the floor.”

A deep voice comes from the side of us. “That sounds like my day. You didn’t tell me that you’d gone into banking, Charlie.”

I look up and can’t stop the wide grin creeping over my face at the sight of my best and oldest friend. “You’re one letter off.”

He laughs. The happy and unrestrained sound doesn’t fit his appearance. He’s clad in a black pinstriped suit that cost more than I earn in a month. With his tanned face, dark wavy hair, and big white grin, he looks expensive and entirely out of place in here.

He jumps as an old lady pokes him in the back. “You waiting or just taking up space?” she asks querulously.

I bite my lip to hide a smile. “He’s taking up space, Mrs Bishop,” I say in a loud voice as her hearing aid squeals.

“What’s wrong with his face?” she immediately asks in her overloud voice.

“We haven’t got enough time to list that.” I smile at her and gesture at her pile of books. “Those all coming back?”

“They are.” She leans close. “And I have to say there was a name and telephone number in the back of one of the books.”

“Oh, yes?” I say warily.

She nods. “I had such a lovely chat with the bloke.” She pauses. “Although he kept asking to see my zits. I’m not sure what all that was about.” She sniffs disapprovingly. “I’m a little too mature for acne.”
I manage to repress the huge laugh, but Bethany isn’t so lucky, and I nudge her to send her over to log a customer onto a computer.

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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Proficiency Bonus by Charlie Novak, Read by Joel Leslie: Audiobook Review

February 3, 2022 by Denise

Organising yourself is harder than it looks—Lewis may be a highly proficient PA for two very successful cosplayers, but that means nothing when you’re living at your parent’s house after yet another failed relationship and trying to find some stable ground.

Jason Lu, star of Celestials, is stuck between a rock and a hard place. When the show is cancelled and his character pigeonholed into a homophobic ending, Jason must choose whether to fall in line or break ranks. But one misstep will mean bumping heads with some powerful people.

Teaming up with the very cute guy he met at Comic Con seems like a natural first step and now Lewis and Jason must choose between heartbreak and justice. As they forge ahead, they realise there are no bonuses for navigating life’s challenges, instead they’ll just have to fight for what they believe in.

But sometimes overcoming the biggest hurdles yields the best results.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

Original story review by Erin here.

I tend to only listen to audio versions of books I’ve already read. I’ve been disappointed before, but not this time. Joel Leslie once again brought the characters to life for me.

The voice variations makes it pretty easy to know who is speaking at any given time. From Jason’s deeper, slower voice to Louis’ higher, faster voice. And although it is higher, it certainly isn’t high like a stereotypical gay man’s voice.

There are quite a few characters that all get a unique to them voice. I can practically SEE Edward’s nose up in the air as he speaks. I have no idea how the narrator keeps them all straight.

Joel Leslie is one of my go to narrators so I love when he narrates a book I already love by an author I already love.

4 pieces of eye candy

Save Me: Love in the Pacific Northwest Book 1 by Beck Grey: Audiobook Review

December 28, 2021 by Denise

Deputy US Marshal Jamie MacDougall assumes his latest assignment is just another security detail, but when he finds himself falling for the gorgeous key witness he’s sworn to protect, it takes everything he has to keep things professional.

When Ashley Pandy enters the WITSEC program, with a new identity and a new life far away from Seattle and Jamie, he tries to move on, but a year later, with no hope of seeing him again, he still can’t forget the man who stole his heart. Ashley walked away from love for noble reasons.

Jamie let him go because it was the honorable thing to do. When a foolish decision gives them a second chance to be all kinds of wrong, can they finally get it right?

Amazon

Audible

As a Deputy US Marshal Jamie McDougall has sworn to protect those in his care. This time around, protecting Ashley Pandy, Jamie is having a hard time keeping it professional. They are both drawn to each other but they know this thing has an expiration date, Ashley is going into WITSEC and transferring out of Jamie’s life as soon as his trial is over.

Once Ashley has started his new life in a non-descript city he can’t stop thinking about his Marshal. Jamie also has a hard time moving on, sort of stuck in a holding pattern wondering how to get over the man he may never see again, when fate intervenes.

Ashley’s new life and his old collide and the only person he knows and trusts is Jamie. Running to Jamie could be the best or worst decision of his life depending on whether they can outrun trouble.

The story was interesting and the character building was good. The author tends to focus on a lot of extraneous detail which doesn’t keep the story moving forward. The story gets stuck around the middle, the characters spend several chapters stagnate and then bam the whole story is wrapped up within two chapters. The ending is a little unbelievable but ends is a HEA so I still enjoyed it.

The narrator is new to me and I did enjoy his performance. The cadence of his voice is nice, sometimes I did have a hard time deciphering which character was speaking but overall a great job.

3 pieces of eye candy

Save Me by Beck Grey: Audiobook Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

December 17, 2021 by Denise

Ashley walked away from love for noble reasons. Jamie let him go because it was the honorable thing to do. When a foolish decision gives them a second chance to be all kinds of wrong, can they finally get it right?

Amazon

Audible

Goodreads

“Jamie.” I step close and slip my fingers into his curls, pressing against him from chest to hip. “I want this.” I nuzzle against his jaw, letting my need for him fill every word. “I want you. I have wanted you since the day we met.”

His whole body relaxes, and he pulls me further into the room, setting the lamp on the dresser. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

“Good. Then let me show you, too.” My fingers are back in his curls, my lips against his, our mouths sliding together, tongues and hands never still. I touch everywhere I can reach, chest, arms, back, ass, as I guide him towards the bed. When his calves hit the frame he stops, but I don’t, and we tumble onto the mattress.

He glances up at me, eyes dark, sparkling with amusement, his hair a mess from my fingers. Fuck, he looks edible. “Very smooth.”

I smirk and cock an eyebrow. “Wait ‘til you see my other moves.”

His beautiful eyes stare into mine with an intensity that steals my breath. “Show me.”

Beck Grey is an LGBTQ romance author who lives in the Northeastern United States with their partner and two adorable dogs. Weekdays are passed spending their employer’s money. Evenings and weekends are devoted to writing stories involving hot characters, favorite tropes, and happily ever afters.

Any additional time is spent laughing with friends, drinking red wine, printing and painting minis, and playing D&D. There might even be video games. If there’s cake involved at any point it’s a win!

Connect with Beck:
www.beckgrey.com
Twitter: @BeckGreyWrites
FB Group: Beck’s Blanket Fort https://www.facebook.com/groups/789307111722835/
Pinterest boards for Beck’s books: @Beck_Grey
IG: beckgreyauthor

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Code Red by N.R. Walker, Narration Nick J. Russo: Audiobook Review

November 8, 2021 by Denise

Maddox Kershaw is the main vocalist of the world’s biggest boy band. He’s at the top of every music chart, every award show, every social media platform, and every sexiest-man-alive list. He’s the bad boy, the enigma, the man everyone on the planet wants a piece of.

He’s also burned out and exhausted, isolated and lonely. Not in a good headspace at the start of a tour.

Roscoe Hall is Maddox’s personal manager. His job is high-flying, high-demand, high-profile, and he loves it. Maddox has consumed his entire life for the past four years. Roscoe knows him. He sees the real Maddox no one else gets to see.

He’s also in love with him.

When the tour and stress become too much, when the world begins to close in, Roscoe becomes Maddox’s lifeline. But as Maddox knows already, and as Roscoe is about to learn, the brighter the spotlight, the darker the shadow.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Audible

I admit that I am an NR Walker junkie. I just love how prolific she is, always writing LGBT (MM) romance, but the tropes are always different. This one is probably classified as a rock star romance, but it’s a group of 5 guys who make up the band. And besides Maddox playing guitar, I think on stage they sing and dance, no instruments. I hesitate to call it a boy band, but…

I read the book when it came out and really enjoyed it. So of course I had to listen to the audio version. Kind of an epic task for Nick Russo as there are 5 members of the band, 3 hands on management people, a couple of big wigs from the record label and a couple of security people who are in the background but still have dialogue. And it was really well done.

As for the story, the 5 members of Atrus are about to embark on a world tour. For the 5 guys there are 3 hands on managers/handlers. Maddox has been pushed to the forefront as the face of the band and as such has his own manager Roscoe. The other four guys are split between the other two managers.

Throughout the tour Maddox has really bad anxiety issues and Roscoe becomes his rock. Maddox also flirts shamelessly until Roscoe caves. Not that Roscoe wasn’t into it- but it is strictly forbidden and part of his contract.

We follow them on their tour, different cities and countries. Going out sight seeing, fighting jet lag, bodies pushed to the max. Roscoe really does try to do the right thing but can’t deny Maddox.

The book shows a pretty good glimpse into what celebrities go through. From how hard they really work to how they are stalked in real life.

As for the narration. As I said, he did a really great job. The nuances between the voices were subtle, but there. I knew who was talking easily but none of it was over the top. I have no idea how narrators keep all the voices straight. Amazing.

4.5 pieces of eye candy