4/5 stars Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders by Larry Millet

August 20, 2021July 31, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical, mystery Larry Millet, Sherlock Holmes, Steve Hendrickson

Narrated by Steve Hendrickson

Run Time: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Summary:

Holmes and Watson get called to Minnesota once again. This time, they’re there to investigate the baffling disappearance a city scion.

Additional Comments:

The book didn’t seem that long because I play books at a faster speed.
I like Shadwell. You get to know him a lot better this book. I think he may have had a small role in the previous book.
The conclusion’s intriguing.
Women in these books seem to come in only 1-2 flavors. Absolutely beautiful and stunning or nonexistent.
The series is decent fun for Sherlock Holmes fans. It’s written in the same rambling, sometimes charming style. It annoys me occasionally when it takes the narrator (Watson) forever to make a point, but they’re still good, clean fun.
The cover makes it look more horror-y than it really is.
End is satisfactory.

Conclusion:

Classic historical mysteries.

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Many of my 44 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy (Amazon) (free codes)
River’s Edge Ransom – Prequel to Redeemer Chronicles (Amazon) (email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)

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Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian. (Amazon) (free codes)
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live. (Amazon) (Please email devyaschildren @ gmail.com for free codes)
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (free codes)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (free codes)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (free codes)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (free codes)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (free codes)

Guardian Angel Files:

Spirit’s Bane – Allister and Mina are training to be Guardians. Satan’s out to get them. (Amazon) (free codes)
Kindred Spirits – Mina’s exiled to Earth. Allister’s stuck in the Heavens. (Amazon) (free codes)

4.5/5 Stars Netherfield: Rogue Dragon by Maria Grace

August 19, 2021July 30, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, dragons, Fantasy Benjamin Fife, Jane Austen spinoffs, Maria Grace

Series: Jane Austen’s Dragons 3

Narrated by Benjamin Fife

Run Time: 9 hrs and 36 mins

Summary:

Lydia and Wickham are missing. Netherfield might have a rogue dragon wandering about. There an emissary from the Eastern dragons coming to chat with the find English folk, but she’s also missing. The peace that exists between dragons and mankind is fragile at best.

Additional Comments:

Parts of the book dragged, but as usual, the end and last third of the book turned out to be interesting, which made up for most of the earlier boringness.
I think this book focused a little more on the dragon aspects and less on the Pride and Prejudice aspects, which made it better than the previous entries.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Pemberley’s adorable. The voice chosen for the baby dragon fits her nicely.
I like that Elizabeth’s not perfect.
Lydia’s still a twit. That fits.
The dialogue works for the era.
Benjamin Fife’s performance is once again solid.
The end, while satisfying, came across as a tad rushed.

Conclusion:

The book can be read as a standalone, but it is probably more satisfying if you read the series in order. The prequel is take or leave as far as affecting anything, so you can just start with Pemberley if you want to get the most out of the series. I’d venture to say that the prequel has more meaning for those already invested in the series rather than serving as an introduction.

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Audiobook Rev: Princess Melia’s Plight by Julie C. Gilbert

August 17, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, dragons fantasy, Julie C. Gilbert, Kate Poels, my books

Narrated by Kate Poels

Run Time: 52 mins

Summary:

This is a very short fantasy story with princesses and dragons. There’s a madman trying to take over the world. His quest for power leads him first to war and then to trickery and sorcery.

Additional Comments:

Kate Poels did a lovely job with the narration. The book had over 100 auditions submitted. Among these, there were at least 8 people I could have gone with who would all have done a fantastic job.
Princess Melia’s the only child of her parents, who rule a small kingdom.
This isn’t my most serious piece.
It’s a classic fairy tale sort of story.
There’s a graphic novel version that’s also a lot of fun. The adaptation and illustrations were done by Tim Sparvero. Amazon has a slightly different sized version than the one I sent out to the printer.
It’s 100% kid safe, but also includes magic, which I know some people find objectionable.

Conclusion:

If you’re looking for a short, family friendly tale, give this one a go.

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Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 50 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Free codes are probably on audiobooks unleashed.
Normal links go to audible. *The Amazon labeled links are affiliate links. That means I get a very small payment from Amazon if you go through with a purchase.*
Note: Filter by US if you’re looking for those codes as many titles are out.
Ones I think may still have US codes: Reshner’s Royal Ranger, Never Again, Innova, The Golden City Captives, The Holy War, Reclaim the Darklands, Eagle Eyes, Treachery Makes it Tense, Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, The Dark Side of Science, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest
There are plenty of UK codes, but not many US ones left.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Castles in the Snow by Linda Heavner Gerald

August 16, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery Linda Heavner Gerald, mystery, Naomi Rose-Mock

Narrated by Naomi Rose-Mock

Run Time: 6 hrs and 21 mins

*Disclaimer: Flashbacks have never been my favorite technique.

Summary:

A woman wakes up tied to her bed. The rest of the story is about 98% flashbacks. You hear about her parents, upbringing, beloved servants, handsome husband, and a giant move across the Pond to Scotland. You’ll also hear about some harassment and the history that leads to the character’s current predicament.

Additional Comments:

Caroline Emma Corbett Reid and her husband Tom leave Charleston, South Carolina and move to Scotland. Somehow, she ends up tied to her bed. I’m surprised she doesn’t complain more about having a headache or something. The story unfolds where she takes some very, very long walks down memory lane.
The action doesn’t happen until the last 20 minutes of the book. Then, it’s over in two winks.
Writing the book this way puts an odd filter on things. It’s almost like the reader is getting the story second hand from an unreliable source. She doesn’t have amnesia about most of her life, just the last few days.
There are elements of mystery in here as we don’t know how the MC wound up tied to the bed until the last few minutes.
The conclusion involves the bad guy basically laying out the whole sordid tale. While fine, I wish Caroline had more to do with her eventual fate than everything happening to her.
The back cover copy talks about greed and murder, but it’s probably mostly a tale of revenge.
There isn’t much chance of figuring out whodunnit because you’re not even sure what the “dunnit” part is until the last part of the story. But in the end, there are some clues scattered out.
Many portions of the flashbacks are interesting, but they do not seem to connect well to the rest of the story. The style in which this unfolds lends itself to building Caroline’s world, but that includes a lot of unnecessary pieces. I guess they’re either purposeful or incidental red herrings for the mystery.
Caroline is a pretty likable character.
Narration’s fitting for the story. Southern and Scottish accents are decent.

Conclusion:

A uniquely told mystery.

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3.5/5 Stars Mister Darcy’s Dogs by Barbara Silkstone

August 14, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, cozyish, romance Barbara Silkstone, Karen Krause, Mister Darcy

Narrated by Karen Krause

Run Time: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Summary:

In this re-imagining, Darcy’s still exceedingly rich, though Elizabeth has no idea what he does. She’s there to train his dogs to hunt.

Additional Comments:

Checked this one out because I’m still fascinated by the sheer number of Pride and Prejudice spinoffs.
This modern re-imagining might have been just as good or better set in it’s own world instead of being linked. It is quite fascinating though how many ways one plotline can be repeated so many times and in so many ways.
Wickham unfortunately lives.
Lizzy’s sisters are still twits, though props to Darcy for getting to tell Lydia so.
It got exceedingly tedious the number of times Lizzy reminded everybody that she’s Doctor Bennett, dog psychologist.
Caroline Bingley gets to be a well-connected, gold-digging glorified reporter.
The performance fits. It’s written in a light-hearted manner, but the proper, stiff language of the style takes a lot of the punch out of the comedy.
It’s clean as far as language and adult scenes go.

Conclusion:

If you’re completely obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and have time to kill, this is a decent way to do it.

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Never Again by Julie C. Gilbert

August 13, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, drama, suspense Jarret Lemaster, Julie C. Gilbert

Narrated by Jarret Lemaster

Run time: 2 hrs and 37 mins

Summary:

Alana Adams catches her boyfriend, Nathan, kissing another woman. To Alana, that’s a deal breaker, so she promptly dumps Nathan. Her best friend, Jacob, cheers. Things should be bright, cheery, and perfect, but they’re not. Nate starts stalking Alana.

Additional Comments:

This story started as a Kindle Worlds tale. I modified it to get it to become its own thing.
I meant for it to be a series, but currently, it’s the first and only in its series. Originally, another Kindle Worlds spinoff tale, Money Makes it Deadlier, was part of this series. However, that not only became its own thing, it exploded into a 10 book series of novellas featuring FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek. Perhaps one day, I’ll get to return to some of these characters and explore where life takes them.
Anybody familiar with my work knows I write a lot about kidnappings. Stalking is another matter entirely. This might be my only story featuring that. I’m not opposed to writing more on the subject, but it is kind of a creepy one to tackle.
Jarret’s performance hit many high points perfectly. The general tone throughout the writing edges toward light-hearted, despite the weighty topic.
I don’t usually include trigger warnings, but if you can’t handle some creepiness, maybe try one of my other tales.

Conclusion:

It’s a relatively short story about a girl being stalked by her ex.

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3.45/5 stars The Comanche Girl’s Prayer by Angela Castillo

August 11, 2021July 31, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Angela Castillo, J. Grace Pennington, Texas Women of Spirit

Narrated by: J. Grace Pennington

Run Time: 4 hrs and 42 mins

Summary:

Soonie Eckhart goes to live with her mother’s people to be a local teacher. She falls in love with them but finds dangers in the woods.

Additional Comments:

The love story angle was about as subtle as an elephant in New York City.
The singing threw me because I play audiobooks fast.
The danger seemed realistic, but I wish there was more fighting.
The narrator did okay.
The Christian aspects of the book aren’t even remotely subtle.
If you’re used to the genre, not much will stand out about this story. Typical brave girl out of her element finds the love of her life once God takes the surly soul and flips his attitude on its head.
Side characters: I liked Darla. Molly seemed superfluous. The uncle is a decent sort of chap. The bad guys were suitably evil.
I did end up yelling at the MC to get it together at least once.

Conclusion:

It’s book 2 in a series, but I think it’s fine as a standalone book.

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4.5/5 Stars Longbourn: Dragon Entail by Maria Grace

August 10, 2021July 20, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, dragons, Fantasy Benjamin Fife, dragons, Maria Grace, Pride and Prejudice

Series: Janes Austen’s Dragons Book 2

(A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Narrated by Benjamin Fife

Run Time: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Summary:

Pemberley hatched successfully, but after Darcy had to take her home to the estate bearing her name (because he was ordered out by Longbourn), the baby dragon starts pining for Elizabeth. Darcy’s an experienced dragon keeper, surely he’ll know how to handle it. Not so much. Elizabeth has her own problems, partly from idiotic people and partly from idiotic dragons. And some of her own making.

Additional Comments:

These stories are enjoyable overall, but some sections do yammer on and on about nothing, which I think is the heavy influence of the Pride and Prejudice. There’s no getting around it. The last portion of the book was better than the first part. There are a LOT of extra words, which is true to the style but also apt to drag at times.
Honestly, the whole book seems skippable in the grand scheme of things, but there are a few setup things throughout the first 7 or so hours. Then, it gets good once they go to the conclave.
I enjoyed Darcy’s exasperation with Anne.
Aunt Catherine facing off against Elizabeth was excellent too.
The performance was stellar as usual. Fife has a great handle on each of the characters, especially Longbourn, Darcy, and Elizabeth.
Pemberley’s a minor character in this book. Truth be told, so’s the title character, Longbourn. I missed her. She’s adorable.
The worldbuilding in the series as a whole is quite impressive.

Conclusion:

If you like dragon stories and Pride and Prejudice, you should check out this series. This portion is likely better in order, but each stands on its own well enough.

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4/5 stars The River Girl’s Song by Angela Castillo

August 8, 2021July 31, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Angela Castillo, J. Grace Pennington, Texas Women of Spirit

Narrated by J. Grace Pennington

Run Time: 4 hrs and 31 mins

Summary:

I must have a thing for stories with kids being abandoned. This is the second book in 2 days with that beginning. Zillia Bright ends up caring for her baby brother and a farm when her mother’s good-for-nothing husband high-tails it soon after the kid is born.

Additional Comments:

3/5 stars Performance: It’s decent. I’ve heard a lot of books read by this narrator. She has a nice, clear voice and good reading instincts. She does not have a very wide range of character voices though. She has 3-4 solid female voices and 1-2 solid male voices. She does a credible job with songs, though it is startling at 2.3x speed.
Normally, this kind of series can be read out of order, but I accidentally reversed books 1-2, and I believe they would have been much better read in order. The parts of book 2 featuring this character seemed very odd without having heard her story first.
Typical clean historical Christian fiction. I did like the very small taste of action near the end. Other than that, it’s pretty much 4 hrs of this woman’s daily life. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing terrible.
There aren’t many in-betweens in stories like this. The characters are either paragons of light and purity or complete jerks.

Conclusion:

If you like clean, historical Christian fiction, this is a decent series.

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4/5 Stars Firefly: Life Signs by James Lovegrove

August 7, 2021July 20, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, scifi Firefly, James Lovegrove, Joss Whedon

Narrated by James Anderson Foster

Run Time: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Summary:

The crew of Serenity takes desperate measures to try and save Inara’s life. She’s dying of a rare and deadly cancer. Her only hope is a crazy scientist locked away on a prison planet.

Additional Comments:

It’s not your typical prison break story.
As with most of the Firefly stories, most of the charm lies in the characters. There is some wasted pagespace getting to know some of the antagonists, but that’s forgivable. There’s one notable exception to this tucked in here.
The prison system’s kind of interesting. They make it a Lord of the Flies sort of situation by letting the inmates run the place.
While there’s some meandering, the author finds a way to balance most of the Firefly crew. That’s quite a feat considering there are many beloved characters.
I wouldn’t say that this story moved much forward, but it’s still a fun tale.

Conclusion:

A worthy entry in the Firefly book canon.

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