Tag: audiobook bloggers

The Last Great Saxon Earls Blog Tour: Part 3 Fatal Rivalry by Mercedes Rochelle

About Audiobook #3

Author: Mercedes Rochelle

Narrator: Kevin E. Green

Length: 9 hours 28 minutes

Publisher: Mercedes Rochelle⎮2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Series: The Last Great Saxon Earls, Book 3

Release date: July 20, 2020 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: In 1066, the rivalry between two brothers brought England to its knees. When Duke William of Normandy landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066, no one was there to resist him. King Harold Godwineson was in the north, fighting his brother Tostig and a fierce Viking invasion. How could this have happened? Why would Tostig turn traitor to wreak revenge on his brother?

The Sons of Godwine were not always enemies. It took a massive Northumbrian uprising to tear them apart, making Tostig an exile and Harold his sworn enemy. And when 1066 came to an end, all the Godwinesons were dead except one: Wulfnoth, hostage in Normandy who took on the task to preserve the history of his famous siblings.

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The sons of Godwine was quite a tale, but Fatal Rivalry is remarkable! I had no idea how a sibling rivalry on the grandest scale could have long lasting implications and change the course of history! I felt really sorry for both, Tostig Godwinson and King Harold Godwinson. Not to mention, their dear wives and families. What a tragedy! The narrator Kevin E. Green is exceptional. I felt like part of the story right along the characters. All the accents, male or female, were spectacular.

About the Author: Mercedes Rochelle

Mercedes Rochelle is an ardent lover of medieval history, and has channeled this interest into fiction writing. She believes that good Historical Fiction, or Faction as it’s coming to be known, is an excellent way to introduce the subject to curious readers. Her first four books cover eleventh-century Britain and events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. The next series is called The Plantagenet Legacy about the struggles and abdication of Richard II, leading to the troubled reigns of the Lancastrian Kings. She also writes a blog: HistoricalBritainBlog.com to explore the history behind the story. Born in St. Louis, MO, she received by BA in Literature at the Univ. of Missouri St.Louis in 1979 then moved to New York in 1982 while in her mid-20s to “see the world”. The search hasn’t ended! Today she lives in Sergeantsville, NJ with her husband in a log home they had built themselves.

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About the Narrator: Kevin E. Green

I have been narrating audiobooks for nearly 10 years, and have recorded over 80 full length books.  I first started ‘narrating’ books when reading to my two young sons at bedtime, and I read the complete Lord of the Rings to each of them -including character voices!   I have many years acting experience, and I have my own recording studio where I record and master my own recordings.  I love narrating books for a living and enjoy all genres, fiction and non-fiction alike.

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Audiobook Blog Tour: Turn To Dust by Rachel Amphlett

About the Audiobook

Author: Rachel Amphlett

Narrator: Alison Campbell

Length: 7 hours 56 minutes

Publisher: Saxon Publishing⎮2020

Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural

Series: Detective Kay Hunter, Book 9

Release date: May 14, 2020

Synopsis: When the body of a naked man is found in the middle of a barren field, a rural community is left in shock – and fear.

Discovering that someone is offering money in return for information about the dead man and anyone connected to him, Detective Kay Hunter realises there is a dark side to the victim’s past.

When a key witness disappears and a web of deceit and lies threatens to derail the investigation, she fears the worst.

Can Kay and her team of detectives find out who is behind the man’s murder before another victim is targeted?

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BOOK REVIEW

Turn to Dust Kay Hunter book 9 is a good mystery filled with intrigue and suspense. Right away, I was drawn into the story right from the beginning; where a gruesome discovery is made. A body is found in a field in the midst of a small town with horrific injuries, but there are no leads, or suspects to be had. Of course, this sets off Kay Hunter and her company of detectives to find the culprit responsible and why.

Being a resident of the U.S., the setting in the Detective Kay Hunter books play a prominent role. Narrator Alison Campbell does a marvelous job of transporting me to places I’ve personally never been to. Even though the crime takes place in the district of Kent, there were also Liverpool and Northrumbian accents that made the book very impressive. Of course, you wouldn’t get that experience if it weren’t an audiobook!

I’ve read every book in the series and they always deliver a solid mystery. Hats off to Detective Kay Hunter, Rachel Amphlett and Alison Campbell.

About the Author: Rachel Amphlett

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.

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About the Narrator: Allison Campbell

Alison Campbell is an actress based in Bristol, U.K. She has lent her voice to 50+ audiobooks, cartoons, documentaries and dramas. She can be found treading the boards across the country, in everything from Shakespeare to hip hop kids adventures. On screen she has appeared in dramas and science documentaries, her most recent co star was a CGI elephant. She can also be found performing the Natural Theatre Company’s award-winning surreal brand of interactive comedy around the globe.

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Audiobook Series Blog Tour: Brass In Pocket by Stephen Puleston

About Audiobook #1
Author: Stephen Puleston
Narrator: Richard Elfyn
Length: 10 hours 10 minutes
Publisher: Stephen Puleston⎮2018
Genre: Modern Detective
Series: Inspector Drake Mysteries, Book 1
Release date: Oct. 26, 2018

Synopsis: It is the middle of the night….
The road is deserted….
A killer is waiting….

Information

 

Two traffic officers are killed on an isolated mountain pass in North Wales. Inspector Drake is called to the scene and quickly discovers a message left by the killer – traffic cones in the shape of a No 4.

The killer starts sending the Wales Police Service lyrics from famous rock songs. Are they messages or is there some hidden meaning in them?

Does it all mean more killings are likely? When a politician is killed Drake has his answer. And then the killer sends more song lyrics. Now Drake has to face the possibility of more deaths but with numbers dominating the case Drake has to face his own rituals and obsessions.

Finally when the killer threatens Drake and his family he faces his greatest challenge in finding the killer before he strikes again. 

 

Buy Links for Audiobook #1
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Book Review

 

If you read a book by Stephen Puleston you’re going to get a solid story. Brass in Pocket is a traditional detective mystery, and excellent British crime thriller starring Inspector Ian Drake. I haven’t digested a British crime book in a while, so this was quite refreshing. The audiobook production, sound quality, narration by Richard Elfyn were nothing less than spectacular. Now I’m on to book #2! WORSE THAN DEAD. 

Author Interview with Stephen Puleston 

 

*What do you enjoy most about writing crime fiction?

As I write a series involving Inspector Drake I enjoy developing his character and family life alongside the hurdles he faces day to day with the challenging and changing world of fighting crime. Crime fiction also gives me the opportunity to develop current themes faced in society today.

 

*What were your inspirations for creating Detective Ian Drake?

 

I’ve read a lot of the years and there isn’t one thing that inspired me other than a love of crime/mystery fiction and a desire to write a good story. I have a background in the law so I draw a lot on my work in the criminal courts and doing divorce work for inspiration. My home country Wales also gives me great inspiration for the background and setting of the books. 

 

*Who are your favorite detectives?

 

I enjoy a wide ranging and varied writers. Philip Marlowe must rank as one of the great fictional creations as the classic hard-boiled detective. I am a great fan of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch too. In the UK I would have to say that John Rebus by Ian Rankin is one of my favourites – grumpy and irascible but determined too. And for great detective drama I think Spiral from France and Craith/Hidden from Wales are top class.

 

*What was the best feedback you’ve received from readers?

 

The feedback I most enjoyed was from a reader in the outback of Australia who lives in a remote location and loved being able to learn about Wales from reading my books.

 

*What was it like preparing for an audiobook production? 

 

Great fun! I enjoyed preparing the spreadsheet of characters with various accents for the narrator and coordinating all the arrangements for the production with the studio.

 

 

*What do you think about experiencing audiobooks as a different medium than paperbacks, or ebooks?

 

In many ways audiobooks complement ebooks – using Amazon’s whisper sync technology allows you to move from ebook to audiobook without loosing your place. And that should encourage reading, which can only be a good thing. And audio books are a performance in themselves which make them a different sort of experience altogether.

 

 

 

About the Author: Stephen Puleston

I write crime fiction based in Wales and about Wales. The rural landscape of north Wales provides the backdrop to the Inspector Drake novels. And Cardiff, the capital of Wales, provides the setting for the Inspector Marco novels set in a modern urban environment.

I love the novels of Raymond Chandler, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Henning Mankell, Val McDermid – the list could go on! And I enjoy watching detective series on the television the recent Hinterland series based near Aberystwyth in Wales was great. One of my favourites is the French series Spiral but The Bridge and Broadchurch and the Rebus series with Ken Stott and Kenneth Branagh in Wallander are great too.

I was born in Anglesey an island off the north Wales coast and after leaving school in Holyhead I went to University in London before training as a solicitor/lawyer. I practised in a small family business doing criminal work in the magistrates and crown courts, divorce and family work.

I still live on Anglesey, North Wales near the beach and the mountains of Snowdonia.

 

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About the Narrator: Richard Elfyn

Richard Elfyn is a hugely experienced and talented actor with film credits including APOSTLE, MARIAH MUNDI AND THE MIDAS BOX, THE KILLER ELITE and THE DARK. TV credits include THE CROWN, KEEPING FAITH, HINTERLAND, EMMERDALE and STELLA and numerous leading regular roles for S4C including political drama BYW CELWYDD. Richard is regularly heard on BBC Radio 4 dramas and is a highly skilled voice over artist. He has re-voiced many Welsh language versions of popular animations including FIREMAN SAM, BEN 10 and SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.

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Audiobook Review: Surviving Doodahville by Ashley Fontainne

About the Audiobook

 

Authors: Ashley Fontainne & Lillian Hansen

Narrator: Rebecca Roberts

Length: 11 hours 45 minutes

Publisher: RMSW Press⎮2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance; Family Saga

Release date: May 24, 2019

 

Synopsis: “Filled with powerful scenes and great characters! Brings the ’83 Old South to vivid life. One of my all-time favorite reads! Loved it”! (Janelle Taylor, NY Times best-selling author)

The summer of 1983 – the era of big debt, big hair, and big dreams. Seventeen-year-old Kassandra Lawson is excited about starting her senior year of high school. She has a crush on a local hunk, and her best friend, valley girl extraordinaire Liz Hendricks, insists on helping her snag the hot guy – for sure!

July starts out uneventful for Kee and her parents. Her father, Kevin, is a partner at a CPA firm, and her mother, Gail, works as a secretary at the police department. The small family lives an idyllic life in sunny Hacienda Heights, California.

1983 also brings upheaval and strife for the Lawson clan. A death in the family forces Kevin and Gail to make the painful decision to pack up and move to Kevin’s hometown of Daltville, Arkansas.

Each faces daunting challenges adapting to their new life. Gail and Kee aren’t quite sure they can handle the culture shock. They encounter social and racial issues they never faced on the West Coast, strange food, weird dialects, odd customs, and wicked secrets that have the potential to destroy their family.

More than just a coming-of-age story, Surviving Doodahville explores family bonds, racial barriers, and just how much a person is willing to sacrifice for others. The tale is full of humor, action and a touch of mystery, making it a fun romp into the past.

 

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This was an excellent story filled with great characters, subplots, and practically bleeding with themes. I thoroughly enjoy stories that totally surprise me. Surviving Doodahville was much better than I expected. I’m not sure what my expectation was, but it definitely exceeded it. Narrator Rebecca Roberts was nothing less than exceptional on every level. The variation of southern accents, males and female, including Californian valley girl were spot on. 

 

 

About the Author: Ashley Fontainne

 

Award-winning and International bestselling author, Ashley Fontainne, is an avid reader, becoming a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters lurking within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go to when seeking personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated against them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance, focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. Once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answers that question—far and wide.

 

The short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five touches upon the dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards.

The paranormal thriller entitled The Lie won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense. A movie based on this book, entitled Foreseen, is currently a feature film available on video-on-demand from Amazon.

Ashley delved into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell released in September of 2014. Ashley teamed up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her Mom!) and penned a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, released in 2015 and was voted one of the Top 50 Self-Published Books You Should Be Reading in 2015 at http://www.readfree.ly.

 

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About the Author: Lillian Hansen

 

Lillian Hansen is the proud mother of Ashley Fontainne and a grateful daughter of parents who raised her to love and respect the principles upon which America was founded. Lillian is the granddaughter of a brave young woman who immigrated to the United States from Denmark at the age of 18 without speaking any English, who built a career, a family, and became a proud U.S. Citizen.

Lillian values the diverse, life-enriching experiences squirreled away in her memory banks and is fond of all four-legged critters, especially cats. Lillian lives in Arkansas and Surviving Doodahville is her third novel.

 

About the Narrator: Rebecca Roberts

 

After a career in finance, Rebecca Roberts became inspired to pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actress. Her ingenuity and ardent desire brought her to voice-acting which has rapidly grown into her thriving audiobook narration and production company, Atlantis Audio Productions. She has narrated and produced over seventy audiobooks for indie authors and major publishing houses. Rebecca delivers her stories with a mature and intelligent style characterized by a believable tone, and versatility in creating memorable and individual characters with her various accents and vocal qualities. In short, she narrates with her whole heart. Rebecca is a native Floridian, proud mother to three sparkling children, and wife to the man of her dreams.

 

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Audiobook Blog Tour: Living Proof by Peter J. Thompson

About the Audiobook

Author: Peter J. Thompson

Narrator: Gary Tiedemann

Length: hours minutes

Publisher: Peter J. Thompson⎮2018

Genre: Suspense

Release date: Dec. 19, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: Government secrets. Biological weapons. Human subjects.

In a top-secret complex surrounded by miles of Texas scrubland, the United States military is working on a new form of germ warfare. Taken from homeless shelters and prisons, the subjects, discarded men and women of America, serve their country as unwilling lab rats.

Ramon Willis didn’t commit the murder that put him on death row. But he’s guilty of something worse – surviving the virus and escaping his captors. Knowing he can’t take on the corrupt system alone, there’s only one person he can turn to – Lena Dryer, the reporter who covered his case and watched him die.

With assassins dogging their trail and all their options for survival closed off, they must risk everything to bring this conspiracy to light. But time is short. When an extreme faction in the government pushes forward with the next phase of their plan, the fate of the nation hangs in the balance.

 

 

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Great story concept and development of suspense! I like author Peter J. Thompson’s writing style. 

 

Narrator Gary Tiedemann does a good job portraying the story. I laughed several times in this one. His narrative tone is very layed back–but ramps up the tension very suddenly at times. Great voice, characterization, and impact. 

 

 

About the Author: Peter J. Thompson

Peter Thompson grew up on the east side of Chicago, in the shadow of the steel mills where the air was sooty and smelled of sulfur. His life wasn’t always so gritty, but the grit and realism finds its way into his thrillers. He has always loved stories of every kind, and one of his joys is finding a way to get inside character’s heads, seeing the world as they see it and feeling their triumphs, pain, and fear. He visualizes his characters when he writes, and they are larger than life in the big screen of his imagination.

Before pursuing his passion and becoming a full-time author, he tried his hand at everything from factory work, breaking cement in a construction crew, running his own pizza shop, and he was a well-regarded presence in the mortgage industry for nearly thirty years. When he isn’t writing, Peter loves, spicy food, live music, and exciting and thought-provoking books and movies. He is a fitness buff who loves to spend time with his grown sons and is looking forward to traveling the world and seeking adventures with his lovely partner.

To get in touch, find out more about future projects, please stop by http://www.authorpeterthompson.com. Sign up for his reading list to find out about new releases and receive free perks.

 

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About the Narrator: Gary Tiedemann

Gary Tiedemann is a full-time voice-actor and narrator of audiobooks, with over 60 unabridged titles narrated and counting. He has voiced countless commercials and multimedia productions in addition to spending over 10 years on stage performing improv, sketch comedy and original works of theatre. Gary is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans. He currently splits his time between Florida and Chicago. See more at http://www.garytiedemann.com

 

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Audiobook Blog Tour: Alt Truths

About the Audiobook

Author: Alec Birri

Narrator: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 6 hours 18 minutes

Publisher: Essential Music Limited⎮2019

Genre: Science Fiction Thriller

Release date:  Jan. 2019

 

Synopsis: What if you knew men, women and children were being slaughtered but had to cover it up?’

Fake news. Alternative facts. Truth, lies, damn lies and statistics. Just who are we to believe? In this near-future dystopian thriller, that will be United Nations Police “moderators”.

Thirty year old UNPOL officer Richard Warren has been embedded with the BBC and not seeing eye-to-eye with journalist Sarah Dyer is just the start of his problems. News of an Ebola pandemic is being withheld, and when it’s discovered Sarah’s artistic savant brother is involved, Richard’s determination to get to the truth takes an unexpected turn. But what if the truth must never be known?

 And Richard thought Sarah was a challenge. The very concept of right and wrong is about to be tested and in a way that’s going to make fake news look like quality journalism.

 

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This one was bizarrely fascinating. Encompassing all manner of things styled into one narrative was impressive, yet frustrating to keep up with at the same time. Here’s where having a great narrator comes in. Jonathan Keeble is a first rate narrator who knows how to bring a story to life. He makes it interesting enough to follow and lead you to the final conclusion. I was impressed with his ranges of accents along with the narrative voice. Impressive! The American accents were respectable, English voices superb, and the west African accent was exceptional. 

 

 

About the Author: Alec Birri

Alec Birri served thirty years with the UK Armed Forces. He commanded an operational unit that experimented in new military capabilities classified at the highest level (Top Secret Strap 3) and it is this that forms the basis of his novels. Although semi-autobiographical, for national security and personal liberty reasons, the events and individuals portrayed have to be fiction but are still nonetheless in keeping with his experiences.

 

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About the Narrator: Jonathan Keeble

If you regularly enjoy listening to audiobooks then this Shakespearean actor will need no introduction. Winner of a 2016 SOVAS award, Jonathan’s voice is rightly recognized as being one of the best, and his narration of Alt Truths is no exception.

 

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Audiobook Review: Dark Winter by A.J. Tata

Dark Winter image

 

 

 

In a blistering scenario almost too close to the headlines, former Brigadier General Anthony J. Tata delivers a chillingly authentic glimpse of tomorrow’s wars—and the anonymous hackers who hold the fate of the world at their fingertips . . .

By the time anyone realizes what’s happening, it is too late. A dark network of hackers has infiltrated the computers of the U.S. military, unleashing chaos across the globe. U.S. missiles strike the wrong targets. Defense systems fail. Power grids shut down. Within hours, America’s enemies move in. Russian tanks plow through northern Europe. Iranian troops invade Iraq. North Korean destroys Seoul and fires missiles at Japan.

Phase 1 of ComWar is complete.

Enter Jake Mahegan and his team of highly trained operatives. Their mission is to locate the nerve center of ComWar—aka Computer Optimized Warfare—and to shut down the operation through any means necessary. Mahegan knows it’s a virtual suicide mission. There are three ComWar headquarters, each hidden deep underground in Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Each contains a human biometric nuclear key that the team must capture to shut down the imminent nuclear strikes. Splitting up the team is Mahegan’s only chance to prevent the next wave of cyber attacks. But even that won’t stop the sleeper cell agents—here in the United States . . .

When Phase 2 ends, World War III begins.

 

Amazon | Audible | Goodreads

 

 

BOOK REVIEW

 

This book was phenomenal. For Jake Mahegan and his group of highly trained operatives, the stakes couldn’t be higher. A maniacal, narcissistic genius’; with global influence, creates an unbelievable plot to destroy the world as we know it and recreate it with himself. He has the perfect leverage to manipulate the worlds superpowers and create chaos. The writing was brilliant from beginning to end. Great villains with quirky motivations, personalities that seemed all to real.

 

NARRATOR PERFORMANCE:

 

  • Narrator-Story Connection: 10/10

Narrator Jonathan Davis does a great embodying the story with it’s full cast of characters. Very impressive!

 

  • Voice Creation/Switch Over: 10/10

There were a number of quality voices in this one. All of them skillfully portrayed with the personality to match. Jake Mahegan, Ranger Cassie, Russians, Iranians, and various American accents.

 

  • Pacing 8/10

The pace was perhaps a bit slow for my taste, but matched the length of the book, so no complaints here.

 

  • Emphasis 9/10

This was excellent. Davis did a splendid job bringing out the personalities of each character and making them his own. You can’t ask for more in a narrator.

 

  • Reader-Story Connection  9/10

I was brought into the depths of the story as the result of good narration. Definitely impressive!

 

  • Emotional Intensity  8/10

The emotional intensity wasn’t that much of a factor. I think the style of this particular narrator was quite adequate. When there’s too much, or too little it can become a problem for the listener.

 

  • Sound Quality: 10/10

Publisher:  HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Great sound quality throughout the book.

 

  • Overall Performance: 9/10

Great performance overall that added to the quality of book. These characters will stick with me for a while!

 

 

 

 

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