Based on True Story

5 Stars FBI Undercover: The True Story of Special Agent Mandrake

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, Nonfiction, True Crime , , , ,
pic from audible

Narrated by Shawn Compton

Summary:

Subtitle pretty much spells out what you’re going to get.

Additional Comments:

  • Narrator did a nice job, but I don’t think he fit the main character very well.
  • This brings to light some of the stress that undercover work puts on any family, especially in prolonged campaigns.
  • Johnny was by far my favorite character. My favorite line was a question about somebody threatening the main character’s chastity.
  • It also brought to light some of the complications of bringing down likable bad guys. People make choices to do this or that for the money. Sometimes, that puts them on the wrong side of the law. Doesn’t make them any less likable in certain cases.
  • I’m not sure if they changed any names for the sake of privacy.
  • Content Warning: High profanity. I lost count of the f-bombs, but I don’t think there’s a way around that in a work like this. Speaking like a choir boy most likely would have gotten this guy shot and dumped in a storm drain.
  • I’m used to mostly fictional accounts of agents, so it was nice to hear something from somebody who actually lived the excitement and danger.

Conclusion:

The FBI fascinates a lot of people, me included, but it takes a special kind of person to be able to walk in those shoes.

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Audiobook Promotions …

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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)

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)

Audiobook Reviews 4/5 Stars Fatal Rivalry by Mercedes Rochelle

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, historical ,

Narrated by Kevin E. Green

Genre: Historical fiction

Run Time: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Summary:

Two brothers end up fighting a losing battle with each other, which weakens the kingdom enough to fall to an invader.

Additional Comments:

  • The story is set back when Great Britain was ruled by multiple kings with earls running more of the day to day stuff.
  • Basic gist: the king raises taxes, the people don’t like it and kill some tax collectors, one earl then kills those responsible, the people reject him as their earl and basically run amok (killing, pillaging, gee that sounds familiar – cause that’s how people have generally handled stuff they don’t like – adult tantrum; spread the misery, kill anyone weaker than themselves). The man’s brother tries to reason with them but they won’t budge. The king and the brother give in to the demands. The brother who is basically exiled is feeling put out and comes back with an army later.
  • Relatively clean read. Murder. Talk of fighting and death even really violent battlefield deaths.
  • The back cover essentially tells the story so the actual story is more about the how things could have gone down.
  • Performance 4/5: it was fine.

Conclusion:

Worthwhile historical fiction.

Audiobook Promotions:

33 of my 36 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Never Again (mystery, suspense) and Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there.
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

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.

Awesome Audiobooks 4.5/5 Stars: When the Drums Stop by D.W. Roach

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, historical ,

Narrated by John Tanner

Run Time: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Summary:

A young man lies about his age to join the Union army in Tennessee. The book follows Private Roach from that fateful decision all the way through the rest of the Civil War.

Additional Comments:

  • I think this book picks up late in 1863. The kid joins the army because his older brother did. He ends up in the cavalry.
  • Haven’t heard many Civil War books, but I always enjoyed the history. This doesn’t give you a heck of a lot of facts or dates to track anything, but it describes the day to day life of the cavalry soldiers decently.
  • The framed portion wasn’t necessary. The author could have jumped immediately to the story itself without the part about the guy answering questions for the young woman.
  • Tanner’s performance fit the script well.
  • Content Warnings: Besides general war descriptions, there’s at least one very disturbing scene where something horrible happens to Roach’s friend. There are 7 f-bombs and a smattering of lesser curse words.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy Civil War stories and can handle some language and at least one really gruesome scene, you should check this out.

Audiobook Promotions:

33 of my 34 audible titles are listed on Audiobooks Unleashed.
Whether you’re looking for mystery or suspense or fantasy, I’ve got a title for you. Never Again (mystery, suspense) and Reshner’s Royal Ranger (epic sci-fi) just made it there.
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

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.



Audiobook Reviews 3/5: Lupus: The Battle Within by Valerie Horn

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, Nonfiction , ,

Narrated by Kathleen Li

Summary:

A very detailed look at the author’s life.

Additional Comments:

  • this is not a bad account of this lady’s life, but it’s also not really a story.
  • It reads like what it is… a series of compiled journal entries. It’s not like a “dear diary” journal, it’s like a “my doctor wanted me to track how I was feeling” journal.
  • A good chunk of the book is a litany of the medications she’s on at any given time. Maybe I am being callous but I don’t care how many mgs of this or that she needed to take. Listing medications doesn’t really help understand what she went through and basically has 0 relevance unless you’re a doctor in training and want to know who has been prescribed in certain situations.

Conclusion:

If you have lupus and want to see one woman’s journey with the disease, it might be interesting for you. Or if you are a doctor in training. Or you’re just extremely curious… go for it.

Audiobook Promotions …

Were on Audiobookcrave.com (which just went under). Ones with links are relisted at Audiobooksunleashed.com.
5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry
Spirit’s Bane (Guardian Angel Files Book 1)
Kindred Spirits (Guardian Angel Files Book 2)
Violence in Vegas (Eagle Eyes Book 1) – not relisted yet
Rescue in Reno (Eagle Eyes Book 2)
Danger in Dallas (Eagle Eyes Book 3)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – short stories featuring Jillian.
The Dark Side of Science – official prequel to Devya’s Children; Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.
Ashlynn’s Dreams – Genetically altered Dream Shaper learns her gift.
Nadia’s Tears – Jillian tries to awaken her sister, Nadia, from a coma.
Malia’s Miracles – Jillian and her siblings try to save a friend’s mother.
Varick’s Quest – Jillian and Danielle get kidnapped. Nadia’s also in trouble.

Check out my other titles available on Audiobooks Unleashed:

Beyond Broken Pencils – contemporary, literary
Shadow Council Combo (Books 1-4)
The Individual titles are available but not yet listed on an ad site
SC 1: Money Makes it Deadlier
SC 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter
SC 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos
SC 4: Treachery Makes it Tense)

Eagle Eyes – mystery thriller

Scratched Off – mystery, thriller; FBI agent vs serial killer, more intense than Shadow Council/Eagle Eyes

Awakening – Redeemer Chronicles Book 1, MG fantasy
The Holy War – Redeemer Chronicles Book 2, MG fantasy
Reclaim the Darklands – Redeemer Chronicles Book 3, MG fantasy

The Collins Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 1, Christian mystery
The Kiverson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 2, Christian mystery
The Davidson Case – Heartfelt Cases Book 3, Christian mystery

Other titles:
5 Steps to Better Blurbs – for authors
Innova – Christian Dystopia
The Golden City Captives – short fantasy
Fatal Interest – short mystery/thriller

4.5/5 Stars Cycle of Hope: A Journey from Paralysis to Possibility by Tricia Downing

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, Nonfiction , , ,
Cover from Audible

Narrated by Aven Shore

Run Time: 6 hrs, 35 min

Summary:

The book description essentially tells the entire story, but it’s still worth listening to in full. Tricia Downing, a highly competitive athlete, was struck by a car. The accident left her paralyzed from the chest down. This tells of her painful, long journey to recovery and healing.

Additional Comments:

  • 4/5 Stars Performance: Aven Shore’s performance is decent. I had it going at 2x speed, but that’s a personal preference. Otherwise, I’d feel like it was way too slow. Being slow is always better than faster though because you can speed things up pretty easily. A bit harder to go the other way.
  • The cathartic letters Tricia and her friend Matt wrote the woman who caused the accident were/are an interesting idea. They’re very honest, though I’m not quite sold on the necessity of throwing the horrible day back in the woman’s face.
  • Powerful story of overcoming a very painful life twist.
  • They didn’t dwell too much on the troubles of her day to day life. I would have liked to see more of that. This focused a lot on the training to do triathlons. The beginning 1/3 is about her physical recovery. The latter 2/3rds of the book were a cycle of training, new hurdles, triumphs, and shortcomings. Dates kinda get fuzzy.
  • They also didn’t focus a lot on what she does to help in terms of motivational speaking. I get that she probably didn’t want to come off as pitchy in the book, but an end blurb about what she’s up to would have been appropriate.
  • You can learn more about her at https://triciadowning.com.
  • Content Warning: 3 f-bombs (a few casual, 1 fitting the circumstances)

Conclusion:

Seems like an awesome lady to know. I don’t like most non-fiction, but this is still a touching, potent account of overcoming devastating circumstances.

Cover from Audible

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

3.5/5 Stars: Sally Stanford: California’s Grand Bordello House Madam by Alton Pryor

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Based on True Story, Nonfiction , ,
Rather awesome cover from audible

Narrated by Curt Troutwine

Run time: 2 hrs, 20 min

Summary:

It’s actually only about ½ about Sally Stanford. Then, it goes into a litany of about 6-8 other madams. Interesting history, but it reads like a book report.

Additional Comments:

  • Please note that I’m not a huge non-fiction fan, so I tend to get nitpicky.
  • Not sure why the title centers in on Sally when the second half is about other people. It’s slightly misleading. Should have been something like Sally Stanford and other Dynamic Bordello House Madams that Shaped the West (or something like that).
  • The author is 110% on the side of the House Madams and vilifies the somewhat corrupt committees that tried time and again to shut them down.
  • It’s definitely a unique topic. Seems well researched.
  • Relatively clean, despite the topic. Still, wouldn’t exactly file under clean reads.
  • I’m totally blanking on Sally Stanford’s real name now, but it was interesting to see how she chose her new name.

Conclusion:

If you’re up for learning more about a slightly shady side of history, this worth checking out.

Associate links to follow…

Note: I’m starting to use a few ad sites for audiobooks, so codes are disappearing quickly.

Available Audiobooks: I have free codes for almost everything. That will change very soon.

New Release: The Shadow Council Series 1: Money Makes it Deadlier – An FBI agent gets caught up in a robbery gone wrong.

Shadow Council Book 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter – A midnight summons calls FBI Special Agent Megan Luchek into a fight for a young girl’s life.

Shadow Council Book 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos – The FBI agent gets a strange ally in the quest to prevent chaos from rocking a lot of people’s holiday season.

Shadow Council Book 4: Treachery Makes it Tense – The agent and the assassin have to team up if they want to survive.

Shadow Council is also available as a ~13 hr bundle.

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

Beyond Broken Pencils – Contemporary literary tale of a school shooting. Ian unleashes his inner demons on his classmates and teachers…

Scratched Off – FBI agent vs a serial killer. When Sam Kerman sets out to hunt a serial killer, he has no idea how personal the case will become.

Awesome Movies 5/5 Stars: Unplanned – Haunting and Powerful

Julie Gilbert Based on True Story, drama, women's fiction , , , ,
General promo image, found on Google.

*Spoilers coming in discussion; more after ads*

Summary:

If you read the synopsis or saw the trailer for this movie, you know what’s going to happen. In that sense, it’s like the Titanic. I tend not to like those kinds of stories. Abby Johnson’s journey from clinic director and champion of Planned Parenthood to Pro-Life Crusader is both powerful and haunting, regardless of which side of the debate you fall on.

Additional Comments:

  • Not sure which details changed and how, but they at least told a coherent story. 
  • They definitely pulled some film making stunts I am not a fan of. Started with a point from 3/4 of the way in then backed up to tell the rest of the story as flashback…8 yrs ago sort of thing.
  • Music was mostly tasteful and excellently paired with scenes. But the discordant, painful to hear violin notes during the part where she had the chemical abortion falls in the cheap-tricks-I-don’t-appreciate category. I get it, but it still stunk.
  • Lady who played Abby certainly had to cry a lot. She pulled off the performance pretty well. Some of the others were a tad less polished, but overall the acting earned 4/5 stars.
  • Opening weekend and probably for awhile there will be only pro-lifers seeing this. That’s fine. It can still do good. Love it or hate it, a LOT of people are going to have an opinion of it. Funniest sad review was 1/2 star saying they refused to see this rubbish. Do people not realize they only put their ignorance on display when they do stuff like that?
  • Definitely going to be a polarizing movie. Cliche as it might be, yes, they are preaching to the choir here, but I am not sure that has ever been done on this topic. My favorite review was by a pro-choice lady challenging others to go see this and test their beliefs. Don’t blindly pick a side because it feels right in the moment. Know what you believe and why

Who should see this?

Youth groups, high school students, college Christian fellowships, anyone ever considering an abortion, die-hard pro-choicers, etc.

It’s only in “select” theaters, but they’re definitely there. I saw it in an AMC. I know there are several other AMC’s that also have it, though it might not be all of them.

Why is it Rated R?

It’s rated R because there is definitely disturbing content. That’s probably the most blood I have seen in a movie ever (because I don’t do stupid slasher movies). It’s all tastefully handled but the details about abortion alone are enlightening and disturbing. I think there is one curse word.

Is it approved for teens?

Definitely.

Conclusion:

Go see this movie. Then, go find a friend and see it again.

Associate links to follow…

Amazon Prime

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.


OR

*Spoiler Alert*
Where did I cry?

I have never cried so much at a movie. First off, I’m a sympathetic crier, so if somebody is crying, I tend to tear up too. Second, wow, this is powerful stuff.

I don’t remember the 5-7 times I cried during this movie, but here’s what I recall:

  • When they are praying over the canisters of medical waste (all the aborted fetuses)
  • When Rhonda’s mother was pleading with her not to abort her baby … and Rhonda was striding into the clinic with her 4-5 year old.
  • When Abby wrestled with the 22,000 abortions she helped with/felt responsible for during the course of her career.
  • When they portrayed the abortion itself. That scene is essentially in the movie twice. Once at the beginning and once where it should be in the timeline.