3.5/5 Stars Murder on Tyneside by Eileen Thornton

October 31, 2021October 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery Deborah Balm, Eileen Thornton

Narrated by Deborah Balm

Run Time: 8 hrs and 22 mins

Genre: cozy-ish mystery

Summary:

Agnes Lockwood goes on holiday (vacation) to her hometown after a long time away. She catches up with an old friend who happens to be the Chief Inspector looking into a series of robberies at the hotel she’s staying at. Then, bodies start showing up.

Additional Comments:

The last little bit had some excitement, but it was otherwise about 7.5 hours of the police chasing their tales and Agnes handing them clue after clue.
I loved the narrator’s accent.
Would have been way better if the police were somewhat useful to the investigation. I get it, you want your amateur to shine, but it doesn’t help them look good if everybody else is completely inept.
Book was kind of boring.
The conclusion turned out satisfying.
Agnes needs a cat to really sell it as a cozy, but there’s nothing in here to justify categorizing it with thrillers or suspense. Mystery still works, but it’s a very, very slow burn sort of mystery.

Conclusion:

I have another book in the series, so I’ll give it a go, but these aren’t gonna end up on any favorites lists.

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Many of my 57 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.

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

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:

Books 1-4 were re-released in audiobook form in 2021.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift. (Amazon) (Request a Review Copy)
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma. (Amazon) (Request a Review Copy)
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother. (Amazon) (Request a Review Code)
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble. (Amazon) (Request a Review Code)
More Scifi:
Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there. (Amazon) (click for sample)
If you’re all in and want to review the entire trilogy (~35 hrs!) go here.

Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)

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)

I have Author Direct codes from Findaway Voices for the combo book that has Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits. (Click here for a review copy.)

4/5 stars Tiaras & Terror by Anne Marie Stoddard

October 30, 2021October 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, cozyish, mystery Aloha Lagoon, Anne Marie Stoddard, Mary Hildebrandt

Narrated by Mary Hildebrandt

Run Time: 4 h and 57 mins

Summary:

Kaley’s enthusiasm for Halloween gets dampened by a murder. She’s shocked when an acquaintance she doesn’t particularly like asks her to clear her name. I recommend NOT reading the back cover copy because it pretty much spells out the story.

Additional Comments:

– The performance wasn’t anything to write home about, but it fit the story. (The main character’s voice sometimes grated on my nerves. This too fits the character, but that doesn’t make the annoyance go away.)

– Typical cozy mystery. The MC doesn’t do a lot of investigating. She basically asks random people questions and gets into trouble. She’s sort of likable though.

– This is 13 in a series of standalone mysteries set in Aloha Lagoon.

– They’re decent fluff pieces. If you’re looking for a mystery you don’t need to think about, go for it.

– fitting for a Halloween themed book. Might fit some bingo boards or something.

– Incidentally, with that spelling I would not have pronounce the name (“Caileigh/ Kay-ley.” I probably would have gone with Kal-lee.)

– It’s missing a cat to be officially the quintessential cozy.

– Her aunt fulfills the quirky weirdo character role.

– Kaley’s relationship with her boyfriend is decently believable.

– Really wish the woman could defend herself. That would make it much more interesting.

Conclusion:

Kaley won’t ever make the top 10 of my favorite characters, but she’s plucky enough for the role she’s given.

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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:

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:

3.75/5 Forbidden Legacy by Barbara Goss

October 28, 2021October 3, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Barbara Goss, Christian, Leon Nixon

Narrated by Leon Nixon

Run Time: 5 hrs and 2 mins

Genre: Christian historical-ish fiction

Summary:

Sarah Clarke travels with her aunt down from Chicago to Texas to take over the ranch her father left her. She’s in the company of Storm, who’s half-Indian.

Additional Comments:

Things work out in the end, but the main character annoyed me for about 1/3 of the book. It shows some decent development but made that first section tough to get through. I almost outright quit listening.
With stories like this there’s a man and a woman main character, but I was sort of surprised that a man narrated it, since most of it focused on Sarah. It’s fine. He did a nice job, just a surprising choice.
Sarah and Storm’s relationship is kind of all over the place. There’s a bit of deception involved, but it didn’t bother me this time.
I loved the mother’s way of fixing furniture.
I liked the addition of the other few antagonists. Not sure their threads wrapped up as nicely, but it’s fine. Can’t win ‘em all.

Conclusion:

Barbara Goss writes formula Christian romance stories. You basically know what you’re going to get every single time. If they’re your cup of tea, you won’t be disappointed. Boy meets girl. One may/may not be Christian and a hot mess. By the end both are Christian and they’re either married or engaged to be married.

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Audiobook Promotions …

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)

Guardian Angel Files:

I have Author Direct codes from Findaway Voices for the combo book that has Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits. (Click here for a review copy.)

3.75/5 Nyssa Glass: The Complete Audio Set

October 25, 2021October 3, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Steampunk, Young Adult H.L. Burke, Mary Ann Weathers, Nyssa Glass

Narrated by Mary Ann Weathers

Run Time: 13 hrs and 35 mins

Genre: steampunk-ish, Christian-ish

Summary:

Nyssa Glass’s life is kind of a mess. She gets framed for her boss’s murder, gets blackmailed into a dangerous job, goes on the run, and still gets a fairy tale ending.

Additional Comments:

I really like this author, but some things about the plot and characters annoyed me.
There are 5 separate tales here, but you’d probably want to read them in order.
The worldbuilding’s interesting, but some things don’t seem to jive. The computers seem way too advanced for the time still talking about “horseless carriages.”
The performance was okay. Only the voice for Amara was truly painful to listen to, everybody else was fine. Theo sounded adorable.
Even though much of the plot (dumb character decisions) struck me as infuriating, I can see many people just ignoring such or not being bothered by it.
The end of each story turned out all right, but the journey there took way too many idiot-induced and convenient timing turns for me to truly enjoy it.
This might just be a pet peeve, but the phrase “Shock me” as an expletive got super old real quick. It fits and was clever oh the first one or two of 55 times in that story.

Conclusion:

I still like the author. The narrator’s okay. I’m not sure how people in the target audience would take the story, but it’s worth trying.

*Found a code on a free code site. I have freely chosen to leave this review. All thoughts are my own.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Audiobook Promotions …

Review copies for many titles are available from StoryOrigin.

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Aeris Legends Books 1-3 ~17 hrs of epic fantasy. (Request a Review Copy)

Guardian Angel Files:

I have Author Direct codes from Findaway Voices for the combo book that has Spirit’s Bane and Kindred Spirits. (Click here for a review copy.)

4/5 Stars Gertrude, Gumshoe and the Vardsale Villain by Robin Merrill

October 23, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, cozyish, mystery Darlene Allen, Gertrude Gumshoe, Robin Merrill

Narrated by Darlene Allen

Run Time: 3 hrs and 16 mins

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Summary:

Gertrude’s got her first paying case. A young acquaintance comes to her with the strange case of his disappearing girlfriend.

Additional Comments:

The connections in the mystery are tenuous as best.
Gertrude’s still got spunk and a helpful neighbor with a car.
The villain is kind of sad.
I read these out of order. This is where she meets the mysterious Dave.
They’re not exactly deep thinker kind of mysteries, but they’re fun fluff pieces.

Conclusion:

Gertrude’s a trip every time you meet her.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 55 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:

3.5/5 Shadow of Deceit by Barbara Goss

October 22, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Barbara Goss, The Shadow Series, Tom Jordan

Narrated by Tom Jordan

Run Time: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

*spoiler in discussion

Summary:

Caleb gets duped into paying a LOT of money. Julia needs the money to save her brother, but she comes to care for the guy she scams.

Additional Comments:

These stories are always fluff pieces, but this plot is more of a stretch than usual.
I liked the characters, but they were dumb and didn’t always have realistic reactions.
Forgiveness is a powerful thing, but I have serious issues with a guy who has legit trust issues from being scammed employing the same/similar tactics and the lady being all “oh, I guess I had that coming, shucks” about it.
Caleb having unholy sums of money sort of took away the power of the scam. I’d be ticked if somebody scammed me out of $5K now, let alone back in a time and place when that was like $100K or more in terms of value. Caleb’s reaction to losing that much was kind of pathetic. He was hurt but more about the broken trust, not ballistic. He could have found out where Julia had gone and tracked her down no problem. Or hired somebody to do it. That’s a big fat plot hole.
Tom Jordan has a nice voice.

Conclusion:

If you’re a completionist, go for it, but you can enjoy the other books in the series without the entry.

*Found a code on a free code site. I have freely chosen to leave this review.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

3.45/5 Stars The Prairie chicken Kill by Bill Crider

October 20, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery Bill Crider, Otis Jiry

Narrated by: Otis Jiry

Run Time: 5 hrs and 6 mins

Summary:

Truman Smith is hired by a former classmate, Lance Garrison, to investigate a prairie chicken killed on protected land. He kind of doesn’t want to take the case, but does so because he has a thing for a different former classmate, Anne.

Additional Comments:

If you read the back cover copy, you have pretty much the entire story.
The end isn’t really satisfying.
Law enforcement in the book is either incompetent or corrupt, which is annoying.
It’s a first-person book, but I don’t find Truman Smith a very likable character, which kind of made the book less enjoyable. He’s old school, pavement pounding type of detective.
The excitement is okay, but the rest is a lot of navel gazing.
The narrator did fine job. He doesn’t have the best range of voices, but it’s okay with this kind of story.

Conclusion:

I may try other Bill Crider books, but this one ends up in the meh pile.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Scratched Off by Julie C. Gilbert

October 19, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery Julie C. Gilbert, mystery, Rick Struve

Narrated by Rick Struve

Run Time: 8 hrs and 53 mins

Genre: mystery, suspense

Summary:

Sam Kerman is given the monumental task of catching a serial killer. This case could make his career or crush it.

Additional Comments:

One of my most intense books. It’s clean in terms of adult language and scenes, but it’s about a serial killer who is experimenting. The descriptions aren’t gory, but it could be disturbing for some people.
I got to listen to this recently. Been a while. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with Sam, Mel, Josie, Andy, and Josh.
The story bounces between Mel, Andy, and Sam. Mel is Andy’s older sister. Sam’s the agent trying to catch the killer. Andy is the killer. That’s not really a spoiler, it’s in chapter 1. Generally, I don’t recommend outing your bad guy right off, but hopefully, it still works.
Andy’s sections are more like journal entries.
Mel and Sam have third person limited sections.
Tie ins to other works: Sam Kerman has a short role in the last book of Megan Luchek’s Cyber League Crimes series. I’m sort of obsessed with writing about FBI agents. I’ve thought about writing a story that involves Megan, Sam, and Ann and Patrick (from Heartfelt Cases) … maybe even through in some of Devya’s children. Those characters already cross over to Heartfelt Cases.

Conclusion:

I aimed for intense here. I would bill Scratched Off and Beyond Broken Pencils together, even though they’re different genres. There’s something similar in the feel of the works.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

3.5/5 Stars Mystery at Little Bitterroot by Felix F. Giordano

October 17, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery Felix F. Giordano, J. Rodney Turner

Narrated by J. Rodney Turner

Run time: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Genre: mystery

Summary:

Bodies are popping up all over the place. The sheriff has to get to the bottom of it fast.

Additional Comments:

I feel like there’s backstory I’m missing. This might be the second in a series. Not sure. It doesn’t say.
A lot in here is far-fetched.
I don’t feel like I got to know most of the side characters, which is kind of crazy since this is a 9 hr book.
The narrator has a nice voice for this kind of story. It’s very deep.
It has less to do with spirits and more to do with greedy people. Big surprise there.
Jim seems to have a really crappy few months here.
I’d read more by the author.

Conclusion:

Nothing blew me away here. Poor Jim went through a lot, but he came out all right.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

5/5 Stars In the Name of the Children by Jeffrey L. Rinek and Marilee Strong

October 16, 2021September 16, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery, Nonfiction Jeffrey L. Rinek, Marilee Strong, P.J. Ochlan

Narrated by P.J. Ochlan

Run Time: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Genre: True Crime, nonfiction

Summary:

Aside from the intro stuff and maybe the first few cases, there’s no real timeline to follow here. It follows the career of FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Rinek through a select number of his horrifying, heartbreaking cases.

Additional Comments:

If you’ve followed my reviews, you know I don’t hand out 5’s like candy. I listen to a lot of different kinds of stuff. I’ve only recently started listening to true crime stuff. It’s all for research, promise, but it’s also just fascinating, disturbing, morbid, and crazy too.
This is hands-down one of the most interesting and simultaneously horrifying and disquieting books I’ve ever listened to. It’s the first book in a long time, I finished because I wanted to finish it, not just because I had free time to listen.
Like young Jeff, I’ve been fascinated by the FBI for a long time, but he pursued a career with them, while I just write stories about agents. I have the utmost respect for those like Agent Rinek who dedicate their lives to giving victims a voice.
Content Warning: This book is disturbing on so many levels. Even hearing some of the horrific things people have done is gut-wrenching, especially when the crimes are committed against their own children.
The selection of cases worked out well. There was variety.
The narrator had good reading instincts.
Being around death, darkness, and evil took its toll on Rinek and his family. He brought that part up a few times, but I don’t think it was overstated. It wasn’t just about missed birthdays and key events and broken promises. The man almost killed himself because of the craziness he dealt with on a daily basis.
This book, way more than the fiction works, emphasizes the fact that some cases go unsolved, some take years and years and years to complete, and many don’t have satisfactory conclusions. They don’t always “get their man,” and nothing can bring back the dead or return a sense of innocence to the victims.
It’s the kind of book that’s hard to say one enjoys. It was excellent and compelling, but still disturbing.

Conclusion:

This is a brief glimpse into some of the dark side of humanity. Jeffrey Rinek and other law enforcement officials face monsters so some can sleep easier. Their service often goes unsung and unnoticed or just relegated to things like “oh, that’s the job they signed up for.” Statements like that do the profession an injustice. They truly are heroes.

*Found the book on Audible plus.

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Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files: