✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Flaunt by Adriana Locke

 

Flaunt

By: Adriana Locke

Carmichael Family Series

Narrated by: Jacob Morgan & Mackenzie Cartwright

Looking for a Fake Fiancé

Have you ever wanted to prove someone wrong so badly that you could taste it? 

It doesn’t matter if they’re right. The fact that they had the audacity to go there is what counts. 

Hi. It’s me. I’m that person. 

The man I’ve been casually seeing told me I’m not “wife material” and I should “lower my expectations.” Didn’t he realize I lowered them the moment I met him for dinner? 

Obviously not. 

Am I petty? Maybe. Annoyed? Of course. Determined? Definitely. 

I need someone to help me flaunt my new engagement—my fiancé couldn’t wait to pop the question because I’m that amazing—in his face.
The problem? I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a husband-to-be.
Which brings us to you.

Are you handsome? Successful? A smooth talker extraordinaire?
Are you willing to do all the things that someone madly in love would do? 

Putting your hand on the small of my back. Forehead kissing. Acting like I’m a treasure you can’t live without. I need you to be prepared to do all those things … and maybe more. 

What do you get out of this? I’m willing to negotiate terms—especially if they include a job and a place to stay. It’s a long story. 

One night. One event. Let’s put on one heck of a show.  

From USA Today and Amazon Charts best-selling author comes a “hot and hilarious!” fake-dating tale between two frenemies turned roommates-to-lovers. Fans of close-proximity, and blue-collar, small-town heroes will fall madly in love with this story.

Momma Says: 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Wow! I feel like I've been living under a rock somewhere. How is this the first Adriana Locke book I've read or listened to??? I was in love with this family from the beginning, and I couldn't get enough of the banter and pranks between them. Then there's Banks and Sara, who are frenemies but not, and the more time they spend together, the more I wanted them to work. The story has witty dialogue, characters I couldn't get enough of, including secondary characters, a couple with tons of chemistry, and a leading man who brings all the swoons. He also inspires plenty of laughs.

Jacob Morgan and Mackenzie Cartwright give voice to these terrific characters, and Adriana Locke chose well, in my opinion, because I can't imagine Sara or Banks sounding any other way. From the humor to the swoony flirting to the steam to the more emotional moments, these two have it covered. I couldn't stop listening! 

According to Goodreads, this is the 4th book in the Carmichael Family Series. Now, I didn't have any problem listening to this one as a standalone, but now that I've met them, I have to know everyone else's story. So, I may get them a little out of order, but I'll get them! And I'll be watching for more from Adriana Locke. 

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✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Charmed by the Bartender by Piper Rayne

Charmed by the Bartender

Modern Love, Book 1

By: Piper Rayne

Narrated by: Joe Arden, Stephanie Rose

From a secret duo of USA Today best-selling authors comes an enemies-to-lovers, sexy, rom-com standalone in the Modern Love Series.

Who knew sleeping with the enemy could be this much fun? 

Was the one night stand a good idea? 

Well, no. Probably not, in retrospect. 

In my defense, I had just moved back into my grandparent’s house. I’d lost my dream job, and a guy on Tinder had stood me up. It was like life had suddenly stamped ‘LOSER’ on my forehead. 

So, when the guy behind the bar started giving me the look....you know, the one that promised I’d be screaming his name, into the wee hours of the morning? When that guy also has the perfect amount of scruff on his chiseled chin, biceps bulging out of his t-shirt, and a cocky grin you knew he’d earned in the sack - when he gives you that look, you don’t bother to figure out what your six degrees of separation are. You jump on that horse, and ride it! 

Pun fully and completely intended. And accurate, by the way. 

I fully admit to feeling sorry for myself and acting impulsively, but by the time I’d figured out who the bartender was, I was already falling for him.

Note: This book was previously titled The Bartender. Same great story, and with a fresh new look.

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it - If Whitney hadn't been Charmed by the Bartender, I certainly was! Cole is a terrific book boyfriend with his sexy attitude and big heart. It doesn't hurt that his sexy attitude is well deserved. He's pretty much the total package, right down to being loaded without letting it go to his head. Whitney is the lucky girl to grab his attention. Of course, they have some hurdles to jump, and there are plenty of barbs exchanged as they work through their growing pains.

I had the pleasure of listening to this one, and if you haven't experienced duet narration, you don't know what you're missing. It takes things to a whole other level, especially the dialogue - and of course, the steamy goodness. Both Stephanie Rose and Joe Arden are a pleasure to listen to and to be honest, the only complaint I have about the narration is Joe Arden needed more lines! Stephanie Rose is great, and she pulls off the sass and the emotion of the story perfectly. But I could not get enough of Arden's sexy as sin voice, and when Cole was being sexy, it was hot enough to set the curtains on fire. Piper Rayne chose perfectly for the narration of this one, and I will be on the lookout for more of both of these narrators.

This is the first book in the Modern Love series, and with so many great characters, I'll certainly be checking out the rest of the couples in this series. 

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✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Fortuity by Jewel E. Ann

Fortuity

A Standalone Contemporary Romance

The Transcend Series

By: Jewel E. Ann

Narrated by: Tia Rider

Transcend Duet Series, Book 3

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author Jewel E. Ann comes a sexy, unforgettable, and powerful story about unexpected love, sacrifice, and daring to dream again.

Forty-something Gracelyn Glock is living the dream.

No husband.

No retirement plan.

And since her self-imposed man-ban — no need to shave above her knees.

After a tragic accident, Gracelyn inherits her 10-year-old nephew. She signs a lease on a San Diego beach house and learns their neighbors for the summer are a sexy anatomy professor and his young daughter.

Professor Nathaniel Hunt has spent the last decade being a single dad…and not having sex.

So when he discovers Gracelyn has a peculiar outdoor stripping ritual, a million inappropriate thoughts fill his responsible mind.

When kisses are stolen, man-bans are broken, and summer comes to an end, will hearts stay in one piece and hope stay alive? Or will saying goodbye destroy everything?

Goodreads                   BookBub

Momma Says: 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

First things first, Fortuity is the third book in the Transcend series. It's also the first book in that series that I've read or listened to, but if I was missing anything from the earlier books, I didn't notice it. That said, I'm thinking I need to go back and check those other two out because Jewel E Ann weaves a wonderful story. 

I absolutely love that Gracelyn and Nathaniel are closer to my own age, which made them much more relatable than the usual twenty-somethings I find in romance. I also like the pacing of the romance - this is a lengthy book by today's rush, rush, rush standards, but there are no lags in the story. Things move along at a good pace that kept me interested in the characters and their lives. 

So, we have a solid combination of great characters and a story that feels real. Some things may not be the norm for the time, but they work for this book. It kind of feels like this is exactly where these people are supposed to be at this particular time in their lives. But, I digress. The point I was aiming for is that the stand-out element of this book is the writing and flow, at least for me. It's crazy emotional with the loss these characters have suffered and their grief is almost palpable. Then the author takes us from tears to laughing out loud no matter who might be around, and she does it seamlessly. Even the things I saw coming had an emotional effect of one kind or other - case in point: the haircut scene. I saw something of the sort coming a mile away, and Ann managed to have me laughing and feeling so bad for Gracelyn at the same time.

After suffering my own loss a few months ago, the healing these characters go through as well as the silly laugh-out-loud moments were just what I needed. And to further enhance an already solid story, Tia Rider breathes life into the characters. Now, I'd normally prefer dual narration for romance, especially when chapters alternate between the characters like this one, but Rider does a good job with Nathaniel. It's not quite as manly as I'd hope for, but it works well, and I didn't feel the loss enough to lessen my enjoyment of the story. 

All in all, Fortuity is a lot of emotion, be it gut-wrenching or full-out laughing or somewhere in between, and it's a wonderfully written story that you don't want to miss. 

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✱✱AudioBook Review✱✱ Fated Hearts and The Edge of the World by Garrett Leigh

Fated Hearts

by Garrett Leigh

Narrated by Dan Calley

"He’s not a wolf." 

Devastated by the death of his best friend, Zio is a soldier with one thing on his mind: revenge. Consumed by a conflict that’s raged as long as he’s been alive, he’s had little time or inclination to learn the legends of the shifter world he was raised in. And he certainly doesn’t have time to deal with a shifter of a different kind, even if it’s for the good of the war effort. For the good of his pack. The fact that he’s already crossed paths with the new face in his unit is almost irrelevant. 

Almost. 

Do no harm. Give life not death: it’s the oath Devan was reborn to live by, so when he’s sent abroad to embed with a wolf pack as their resident healer, he doesn’t hesitate. In the supernatural world, some bonds are instant - soldiers become brothers, pack become family. But others run deeper and before long, Devan’s at the mercy of instincts he can’t control. 

Zio’s inner wolf is desperate to be with Devan, while Devan struggles to keep the pack safe. But as the war escalates, and new love is tainted by anguish and pain, the battles within might prove the toughest of them all. 

"I won’t let him die."

https://www.audible.com/pd/Fated-Hearts-Audiobook/B087CC3PL4

Momma Says: 3 stars⭐⭐⭐

Fated Hearts piqued my interest in the beginning, and then it slowed down to the point that it kind of lost me. That and a significant lack of connection. 

When it comes to this type of story, world-building can be a make it or break it thing, and I think this one broke it, at least for me. There is quite a lot of world-building, but unless I missed something, it came up short on cohesiveness. It's all there, but it doesn't come together like I would expect. It felt rather choppy to me. The story does pick up and it gets pretty exciting in the last quarter or so of the book, but I still had questions. Questions about why there was so much animosity as to cause a war, questions about why there was so much issue with Zio and Devan mating. I mean, even from the blurb we know that Devan was sent there to help, so I would think it's safe to assume that the two packs are friendly, so why all the rules and restrictions? I don't know, maybe I got distracted and missed that part or maybe it wasn't there at all, either way, it bothered me. 

Then we come to the characters. Don't get me wrong, Zio and Devan are likable and interesting enough to make me want to more about them. The problem is we don't really get much about them, at least not in a paint a picture for the reader description. That surprised me, especially with the slow burn romance taking place. I would've expected at least some physical description, and I really missed that here. It made it quite difficult to picture these characters in my mind while listening. It was the same with all of the characters, so they all felt kind of like talking heads to me. 

As this is audio, I have to give props to the narrator, Dan Calley. This guy has a voice like butter, and he's quite good with the accents. He also did a great job at making the exciting parts stand out, and I loved the way he did the different accents in conversations. I didn't notice a single slip up, and there was quite a bit of dialogue here.

In the end, there were things I liked and things I didn't, but I'm glad I gave it a listen. I'll certainly remember Dan Calley's name, and while this one wasn't quite my cup of tea, I enjoyed enough to check out other books from Garrett Leigh. 

The Edge of the World

by Garrett Leigh

Narrated by Dan Calley

Shay Maloney is living his dream - on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realizes he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily ever after.

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Edge-of-the-World-Audiobook/B0874DMNFL

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you enjoy slow-burn romance, The Edge of the World certainly falls into that category. I personally prefer something a bit faster paced, not instalove, but not quite this slow either. Nevertheless, these characters pulled me in. Shay and Ollie are both adorable characters and I couldn't help but love them. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about Shay's type of music, and it was an important part of the story, but not so much that I felt overwhelmed by it. I really enjoyed the genealogy aspect as Ollie introduces Shay to his family history. So, even though the romance felt a little drawn out, there was still enough going on with these guys to keep my interest and their chemistry is good. Garrett Leigh tells the story in a way that made me want to see these two become a couple. 

The only real drawback for me is that I kind of felt like the secondary characters were just disposable characters, there for nothing more than to propel the story forward. I would've liked a little bit of development, a few details to give me a sense of who these people are. Nevertheless, Ollie and Shay are great characters, and I enjoyed their journey.

This is my second listen with narrator Dan Calley, and he did a terrific job with Shay and Ollie. The way he read these guys is exactly how I'd hear them in my head. He brings the feelings in this one to life for me, and had me hooked from the beginning. 

All in all, The Edge of World is a great mix of sweet and sexy with all the feels and then some, and Calley's performance just adds to the experience. 

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✱✱AudioBook Review✱✱ Neon Prey by John Sandford

Neon Prey

A Prey Novel Book 29

by John Sandford

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Lucas Davenport tracks a prolific serial killer in the new nail-biting number-one New York Times best seller from John Sandford.

Clayton Deese looks like a small-time criminal, muscle for hire when his loan-shark boss needs to teach someone a lesson. Now, seven months after a job that went south and landed him in jail, Deese has skipped out on bail, and the US Marshals come looking for him. They don't much care about a low-level guy - it's his boss they want - but Deese might be their best chance to bring down the whole operation. 

Then, they step onto a dirt trail behind Deese's rural Louisiana cabin and find a jungle full of graves. Now, Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer who has been operating for years without notice. His quarry is ruthless, and - as Davenport will come to find - full of surprises....

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Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

First, let me say that Lucas Davenport is one of my all-time favorite characters and has been since John Sandford hooked me 29 books ago. That said, Neon Prey is not one of my favorites in the series. I still enjoyed it, but it does have its share of problems. This one is more action-driven, and I really missed Lucas' own brand of investigating. We do get a bit of that, but as bad a person as Deese was, he just was not up to par with what we've come to expect for this series. And by about the 75% mark, I decided that Clayton Deese must be the luckiest serial killer ever written. I mean seriously, it didn't take long to figure that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, yet he manages to elude capture time and time again. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed catching up with Lucas and company. We get a bit of time with some past favorites and lots of Bob and Rae. I'll admit that I wasn't entirely sold on Bob and Rae when they first came into the series. To be honest, I think it was more that I missed Jenkins and Shrake, but the new sidekicks won me over. They have great chemistry, both together and with Lucas, and I like that they're straight shooters. They don't coddle Lucas, and they don't mind speaking their mind. We do have a piece of this book when Lucas goes through a little bit of a personal crisis. I won't elaborate so as not to give spoilers, but I worried that it would make him 'careful.' Lucas has always been that all-in, no holds barred, whatever it takes kind of guy, and I really didn't want to see that part of him change too much. In the end, I didn't love this one as much as some of the others, but I still enjoyed the listen.  Richard Ferrone does his usual terrific narration. In fact, I've listened to enough Prey books, that Ferrone has become the voice of Lucas in my head when I'm reading. And of course, wit and sarcasm. No one does sarcasm better than Lucas, or maybe that's John Sandford by way of Lucas Davenport. Either way, I'm always glad to see Lucas is still as sharp-tongued as ever, and I'll be anxiously waiting whatever happens next for this character.

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