4.45/5 Stars Long Way from Paradise by Kevin M. Kraft

April 16, 2021April 4, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, drama doboro series, Kevin M. Kraft, Todd A. Thompson

(Sequel to Doboro the Bottlenecker)

Narrated by Todd A. Thompson

Summary:

Doboro (the reborn Dave Granger) tries to lay low by staying with a friend in a small town, hoping his enemies will move on to bigger and better things. But the traveling blues singer and guitarist can’t just stand by when trouble springs up in the peaceful town of Paradise.

Additional Comments:

4.5/5 Stars Characters: They’re not always super realistic, but most are awesome all the same. Doboro, the hero, is a blind guy who can whip a sword out from his walking cane. Not realistic. Still very cool. His friend Summer Winter is a hot mess. That probably is more realistic, but she’s likable, even if a bit of a hopeless romantic. Drew’s really only got a bit part in this book, but I’m betting she’ll be back in a greater capacity sometime in the future.
4/5 Stars Plot: If this book was one’s only exposure to small town America, you’d think everybody studied martial arts, got into sword fights, and had to rescue damsels in distress from street punks. There’s certainly a high amount of action in here, which I count an improvement over the last book. (The first story had to do a lot of setup in telling how Doboro came to be. That put a lot more emphasis on the character development and less on action plot points.)
Can you read this as a standalone? I believe so though you will enjoy it more having already known some of the characters. It’s definitely a self-contained story. I listened to the first story and still felt a bit dropped into the story because Summer Winter and Doboro greeted each other like very old friends, but I think they referred to events that happened in the time between books 1 and 2 of the series. Their interactions were natural and comfortable enough to sell the friendship.
Doboro’s kind of a nice-guy vigilante.
New characters: Mae Linn’s a nice addition to the cast. Stu’s a bit 1-dimensional, but he fulfills the role as punchable bad guy nicely.
What kind of a book is this? I’d categorize it as light drama with some Christian themes. There’s a little romance thrown in. (Honestly, I’m about to add chick magnet to Doboro’s resume, right up beside sword master and vigilante.)
Narration adds a very nice aspect. Narrator has a lovely voice.
The song included was at the end of the previous book. Still a cool song.
Favorite part? I always love the parts where Doboro’s showing the blind man magic.
How does this measure up to book 1? I liked it a hair more than book 1, though I enjoyed that one too. I think it’s the fact that it got right into the action without half the book being spent on creating the character/ changing everything about his world. To be clear, book 1 needed all the background. It provides excellent anchoring and reason to like the character.

Conclusion:

An excellent entry into a unique, fun series.

Audiobook Promotions …

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Many of my 42 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 Stars Thirteen Miracles: A Neurosurgeon Meets Jesus by Dean C. Lohse, M.D.

March 29, 2021March 27, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, drama, Nonfiction Dean C. Lohse, Matt Christenson

Narrated by Matt Christenson

Run Time: 2 hrs and 22 mins

Summary:

A short series of nonfiction “war stories” from a neurosurgeon. These are the sort of things one probably wouldn’t have talked about at the dinner table, but might chat over a long walk.

Additional Comments:

Each tale is started with a few Bible verses, then comes the tale, then comes the longer section of Bible verses. While I understand the pattern and the writing technique employed, I found that kind of annoying. I would rather have had the tale, the verses, and then more discussion of why the author felt the story applied to the verses.
Some of the ties between the Bible passages and the tales told were a tad shaky, but I think that’s mostly because the author kind of glossed over the connections between passage and story.
I had heard a fictional story by the same author where he worked in one of the stories, which was cool. It might have seemed far-fetched in the fiction, so it’s neat to see that life can be stranger than fiction.
The best part was at the end when the author shared some of his personal struggles. Though I’m not sure why he didn’t just include it in the regular portion of the story. It would have broken his lovely title, but he could very easily have retitled it.
Content Warning: medical descriptions of surgery can be kind of intense.
Performance was solid.
At least one story made me cry.

Conclusion:

A good series of shorts wherein the author recounts some war stories from throughout his career and ties them to various Bible passages.

Interested in a fun writing course designed for teens? Check out Storyquest Academy. (Note: affiliate link – if you sign up for the class through this link, I earn a commission … you get a great deal – win-win 😉 … seriously, most writing courses are a LOT more expensive.)

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars Mercy’s Gift by Katy Huth Jones

March 9, 2021February 28, 2021 Julie Gilbert Christian, dragons, Fantasy, medieval he who finds mercy series, Katy Huth Jones

Summary:

Prince Valerian and his new wife, Merry, settle into married life and their new roles. The first threat has been dealt with, but troubles brewing in the southern section of the kingdom.

Additional Comments:

I don’t often read books these days, but unfortunately, this one hasn’t yet made the journey into audiobook. Still, it’s worth the effort to read. Took me a few months to finish, but that has more to do with the amount of time I have to read than my interest level in the book.
Plot 4/5: There’s decent balance between the goings-on of the heroes and the villains, even though it’s probably way more focused on the good guys.
Main Characters 4/5: Merry’s Healing gift makes her somewhat useful so she’s a tad more than just the prince’s good little wife-y. Otherwise, everything’s focused on Prince Valerian’s exploits (preparation for tournament, tournament, trip to see father, etc). They’re young. Like super young, but I suppose that’s accurate for the time period. Kieran’s a cool character. Valerian only had a few moments that made me wanna smack the irrational jealousy out of him. His Sight gift is kinda awesome.
Side Characters 4/5: Gwen is a little more fleshed out than Drew. The king and queen are barely mentioned, but fulfill their function well enough. Cormack’s awesome. I guess Kieran and Tristam could be considered side characters since they don’t rate a blurb spot, but they’re in it enough to make them at least semi-main characters.
End twist worked very well. 4/5.
Dragons – yay.
Closure 4/5: Even though you know there’s a lot more to come, it feels like this part of the story has an end.
Content Warning: Medieval violence. A LOT of medieval violence. Lots of implied marital relations. Nothing’s described in detail. I’d definitely still categorize this as a clean book, but if you’re squeamish about blood and violence, it might not be the right series for you.

Conclusion:

It’s a solid entry in a long, long, long series, but so far, well-worth reading.

Interested in a fun writing course designed for teens? Check out Storyquest Academy. (Note: affiliate link – if you sign up for the class through this link, I earn a commission … you get a great deal – win-win 😉 … seriously, most writing courses are a LOT more expensive.)

Audiobook Promotions …

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)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

Many Flavors of Kid-Friendly Clean Reads

March 3, 2021March 2, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, children's, Christian, contemporary, Fantasy clean fiction blog tour, clean reads, Julie C Gilbert

Who is Julie C. Gilbert?

I’m a high school chemistry teacher who happens to write in several genres. My latest venture isn’t published yet, but that’s going to be litRPG. That series is far from complete, so I’ll focus on what’s currently available.

My website: Juliecgilbert.com

Amazon page: https://amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B002BMB2LG

Why Clean Reads?

I grew up on a steady diet of The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys, Star Wars Expanded Universe stories (pre-Disneyfication), and Christian contemporary and historical fiction I borrowed from my mother’s extensive book collection. Things can be hard-hitting without being gory. One can also explore relationships without describing everything. Besides simply being used to clean fiction, I’ve always wanted to write stuff my students could safely read.

Nonfiction: 5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry and 5 Steps to School Success

Before I dive into fiction, I should mention the non-fiction stuff meant to help people in two specific areas.

The chem book is a broad survey of the topics one would hit in college prep or honors chemistry. It can also function as a review for someone entering first-year college general chemistry.

The school success book focuses on how to make the most of your high school years. The pandemic has changed a lot about the way school is run, but a lot of the book discussions are still relevant. Some are even more important. It talks about things like emailing your teachers, managing stress, and putting things in perspective.

I had my current students reading it chapter by chapter (1/week) for the last few months. Here’s some of what they said (Disclaimer – they got a grade for giving me feedback not whether the feedback was positive or negative.):

“I really enjoyed reading the 5 Steps to School Success book. Not only did it help me with school related things, but it also helped me personally. I think the amount written on each topic was perfect – at no point did I feel like the information was getting repetitive nor did I feel like any information wasn’t in depth enough. My favorite section of the book was Chapter 6: Learn to Read Your Teacher. Hearing this information from a teachers perspective gave me another insight and helped me greatly.” – AC

“I absolutely loved the 5 Steps to School Success book and all of the advice it gave me. It gave me ideas on how to deal with my stress, anxiety, and constant worry about school. Yes, my stress and all that is still there and school seems to love to do that but it had definitely gotten better just by reading this book. In Ch 3 of Persist and Persevere, helped me lower my stress levels by listening to music as a work and watch movies and TV shows as a “reward” after finishing an assignment. I also really took the advice of talking to friends more often and enjoying nature which took my mind off of a lot of things.” – MR

Literary/Contemporary: Beyond Broken Pencils

Target age: upper middle school/high school

Content Warning: focuses on a school shooting

This is likely one of my hardest-hitting books. There’s definitely a fine line between violence and gore. I don’t usually have to put content warnings on my books, but I’m aware this one has a topic that not everybody will be comfortable with.

School shootings crop up in the media every few years. The pandemic has changed this too, but once things revert to normal, it’ll likely happen again. It’s tragic and often senseless. What makes people resort to violence? What do ordinary people do in such a crazy situation?

YA Science Fiction: Devya’s Children

Ashlynn’s Dreams was one of my earliest stories. I set out to write a kidnapping story and ended up with a soft science fiction that focused a lot on the relationships that build around kids placed in extraordinary situations. Jillian and her genetically altered siblings each have special Gifts. She’s a Dream Shaper. Nadia’s been given a very powerful mind. Malia can control emotions.

I loved the characters in Ashlynn’s Dreams enough to see where the tale would lead them next. Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, and Varick’s Quest came from that desire to know more about them. The Dark Side of Science is a prequel.

This series is written as letters and journal entries. Good for a discussion on epistolary works.

Children’s Short Story: Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts

This is a prequel series of short stories set well before Ashlynn’s Dreams opens. Before Jillian learns of her Gifts, she’s just a kid dealing with some life issues like her parents’ divorce, schoolyard bullies, and the urge to explore creepy places.

YA Christian Fantasy: Guardian Angel Files

Spirits Bane and Kindred Spirits both feature a pair of guardian angels-in-training. There are a lot of Christian themes in here, but it’s also pure fantasy. Allister and Mina share a Kindred Spirit Bond. Satan and his minions know. They know they’ll need to either control or destroy Allister and Mina.

The angels write journal entries. The demons write letters. Stylistically, a wee bit like The Screwtape Letters.

MG Fantasy: Redeemer Chronicles and Aeris Legends

Redeemer Chronicles started as fantasy with the Chosen One trope and spun into so much more. When it begins, Victoria Saveron knows little more than that she’s supposedly the Chosen One, but she’s frustrated by the fact that her friends have cooler powers than she does. She glows when dark things approach. That’s it. She can’t even remember any fight as she blacks out every single time. Awakening shows Vic coming into her power. The Holy War has her and a few close friends trying desperately to keep the magic races from destroying each other. Reclaim the Darklands depicts Vic’s epic battle to save Aeris from the Dark Man.

Redeemer Chronicles is mostly first person, but one of the 3 perspectives that cycle is the Lady. As an immortal, her first-person accounts read more like third limited.

Aeris Legends is a prequel trilogy which is also preceded by River’s Edge Ransom.

The Huntsman and the Healer starts where River’s Edge Ransom leaves off. It’s basically the story of how Vic’s parents met and married. The Dark Man’s Wrath and The Lady’s Grace round out what happened before Redeemer Chronicles opens.

Children’s Fantasy

Princess Melia’s Plight

This one exists as a beautifully drawn graphic novel or an ebook or an audiobook. It’s about a princess trying to save her kingdom from a madman. It’s a very short, fun tale. I highly recommend the graphic novel version. My friend, Tim Spavero, did an amazing job with the illustrations. Kate Poels brought her lovely British accent to bear bringing the story to life.

The Golden City Captives

In The Golden City Captives, Keio and Clara are captured and sent to the Golden City, but it’s nothing like they’ve been told all their lives. There’s a prophecy, but what will it cost them to fulfill it?

Fun fact: This one was adapted to screenplay. I’ve seen the script, and it looks amazing. I may have to someday expand this one into a full novel.

Christian Inspirational Poetry

Last summer (2020), I got to travel to Michigan to record my poetry collection for audiobook format. Normally, I would hire somebody to do this for me, but most of the poems are also songs, and I didn’t have sheet music for them because they weren’t made with that in mind.

Thin Black Road, Just Like You, and My Champion are the individual collections. They’re also available as a combined volume called Made to Praise. I recommend buying the combo version if you want ebook. I need to create the individuals so they would be available as separate audiobooks.

Although a small number of the poems are stories, most are short thoughts about life, nature, the nature of God, and so forth.

Multiple Formats:

Most of my books are available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. I’ll expand more on this process later (See the 3/17/21 post when available), but for now, suffice to say, audio’s one of the fastest-growing parts of the book industry. I’ve worked really hard on hiring awesome people to bring these stories to life.

If you want to check out my audiobooks, go here in the US and here for the UK site.

Unifying Theme:

Throughout my stories, you’ll find the idea that everybody has gifts. Often the main characters have magical gifts, but even the ordinary people have gifts they use to help others. That and kidnapping. Lots of kidnapping going on in my tales. Not sure why that is, but regardless of their gifts, my characters tend to be stronger together.

Conclusion and Connections:

No matter what kind of story you’re looking for, I probably have something that will appeal to you. Get on my newsletter to keep up with news and get access to exclusive content (coming soon).

Don’t Miss a Beat … Check Out All the Awesome Blogs to Come

Catch up if you missed any to date. Don’t forget to come back on March 17th to hear about Clean Indie Audiobooks.

March 1^st Story Quest Academy

March 2^nd Ellie Naomi

March 3^rd Julie Gilbert

March 4^th Jasmine Natasha

March 5^th Liz Delton

March 6^th Mark Hansen

March 7^th Ian Vroon

March 8^th Story Quest Academy

March 9^th Nicholas Kotar

March 10^th J.M. Hackman

March 11^th Mark Hansen

March 12^th Courtenay Kasper

March 13^th Debbie Schreffler

March 14^th Story Quest Academy

March 15^th Steven Guglich

March 16^th Laurie Lucking

March 17^th Julie Gilbert

March 18^th Meg Dendler

March 19^th Nicholas Kotar

March 20^th Courtenay Kasper

March 21^st Story Quest Academy

March 22^nd Molly Casperson

March 23^rd D.J. Edwardson

March 24^th Marty C Lee

March 25^th Molly Casperson

March 26^th Mark Hansen

March 28^th Story Quest Academy

March 29^th Debbie Schreffler

March 30^th Nicholas Kotar

March 31^st Molly Casperson

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.45/5 Stars True Nobility by Lori Bates Wright

February 24, 2021February 20, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical, romance audiobooks, Austenne Grey, Christian romance, Lori Bates Wright

Narrated by Austenne Grey

Run Time: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Summary:

Victoria Haverwood and her father, the Earl of Wrenbrooke, go to America to keep her safe. Her father contracts Nicholas Saberton to bring them both across the ocean from England. But trouble follows.

Additional Comments:

Don’t read the blurb. It pretty much spells out the entire book.
Plot 4/5: It’s fun even with the super far-fetched parts. I typically find these kinds of books (Christian historical romance) terribly boring, but this one had enough action to keep things somewhat interesting at least the second half of the book. There were even a few nice twists.
Characters 4/5: The earl’s not very likable start to finish, which is weird because he’s all the girl has so she adores him. Victoria’s somewhat painfully naïve, but a nice enough lady. I liked her aunt and cousin. The villains are cookie cutter, but they function properly.
Humor: There was one section where Tori’s aunt was trying to explain marital relations to her that was downright hilarious. Nicholas and his family have a little lift to them.
Christian integration 3/5: Kind of superfluous. If you’d just told me this was a “clean” romance, I’d have gotten exactly the same vibe from it. About the only thing that would nudge it toward Christian are random scripture verses thrown in as epigraphs. According to some definitions, this wouldn’t even qualify as Christian fiction because there’s no distinguishable character development that supports it, but that’s nitpicky.
Narration 5/5: Austenne Grey put in a stellar performance. The voices of both male and female characters are distinguishable. Her British accent is distinct yet understandable.
Not sure how this works with being book 1 in a series unless later titles key in on somebody else loosely connected to the MCs. Not sure why this one focuses ¾ on Tori and ¼ on Nicholas if it’s about the Saberton Legacy, but my guess is that books 2 and so on have to do with his brothers.

Conclusion:

Intriguing historical fiction with fun characters, nice plot twists, and superb narration.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.25/5 Stars Doboro the Bottlenecker by Kevin M. Kraft

February 21, 2021February 20, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, drama audiobooks, Christian, disabilities, Kevin M. Kraft, Todd A. Thompson

Narrated by Todd A. Thompson

Run Time: 7 hrs and 59 mins.

Summary:

Dave Granger survives a devastating attack but is gravely wounded. The spiritual and emotional wounds are almost as deep as the physical ones.

Additional Comments:

Don’t read the blurb. It pretty much spells out the story.
I didn’t pick up on the fact that this was two books in one.
The S. Korean subplot was pretty unique.
Main Character 4/5: This guy definitely goes through a lot, but he also grows a lot along the way. The changes happen over enough time to be believable.
Side Characters 3.5/5: The trouble with having realistic characters sometimes is that they’re annoying and rude. Sometimes, the attitude fit the moment and other times it seemed way out of place. Even the MC has a few bouts of being a complete jerk for no reason.
Plot 4/5: It definitely stretched at points. Overall, that made for an exciting tale. A lot of the MC’s decisions are questionable. Several coincidences have to happen to get to certain plot points.
Action 4/5: There are LONG stretches with no action, but the action included is well described and cool.
Christianity integration 3.5/5: decent. The MC suffers through a lot. I kind of missed where he became a Christian though. That could just be because of the necessary time lapse.
Narration/ Performance 4/5: I’m separating out the performance because there were some tech issues. Todd A. Thompson put in a solid performance.
Production 2.5/5: Several whole sections of chs were repeated (at least 3 that I can recall).
Song at the end was cool.

Conclusion:

A unique and enjoyable book.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4.45/5 Stars Be Thou My Vision by Faith Blum

January 31, 2021January 10, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian Faith Blum, J. Grace Pennington

Narrated by J. Grace Pennington

Run Time: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Summary:

Anna Stuart’s whole world changes when she receives news of her little brother’s death. Desperate, she tries church again after a very long hiatus. There, she meets the pastor’s two young sons who are running a tad amok. Eager to be of help, Anna offers her services as a caretaker and child minder.

Additional Comments:

I’ve heard about a dozen of these kind of Western-ish Christian romance stories, but this one was refreshing in a few of the details. Most of the plot is very standard, but little things like the fate of Anna’s little brother and the tough time she had growing up made it more “real” than several others.
Anna’s struggles aren’t mind-blowingly unique, but her doubts and fears and solutions to such are still valid and relatable.
The gossip mill works itself into a fine fit over the pastor’s choice to court Anna, though I can’t believe they didn’t think of that before the kid said something.
John and James are cute, though at first, I thought the older boy would be the love interest. Took me a while to get his age was like 10 and not 16 ish because the language used seemed formal. James (the younger one, I think) is mute. Oddly enough, this is the second book in a row with a mute character. This sort of detail added a unique flavor to the book.

Conclusion:

Fun Christian romance set in the 1800’s.

Audiobook Promotions …

Many of my 43 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 Stars Reluctant to Wed by Anneliese Dalaba

January 28, 2021January 10, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, drama Alex Lee, Anneliese Dalaba

Narrated by Alex Lee

Run Time: 10 hrs and 57 min

(story 3/5; performance 4/5)

Disclaimer: This is one person’s opinion. This is not my go-to genre.

Summary:

An American woman goes to England to marry a guy, the Earl of Devonport. The guy has to marry this stranger because of a deal his father and her grandfather made. Something about land and inheriting more property or not.

Additional Comments:

I spent much of the book thinking it’d be worlds better if somebody up and kidnapped the woman. For several hours’ worth of story it seemed nothing was happening. It was a he-said, she-said middle school like gossip-fest.
The Christian aspects were very strong, which is fine.
Devon’s turnabout from nincompoop to knight in shiny armor seemed kind of sudden.
Emma was pretty steady throughout.
I did NOT like Devon’s friend. It takes a fair amount of skill to create somebody that unlikable, but still, he came across as a mean-spirited, meddlesome louse. After all the trouble, Devon doesn’t even kick him to the curb – that at least would have been highly satisfying, just a “oh, sorry, old-boy, thought I was doing you a favor” kind of thing. Also, his motive didn’t seem strong enough to hate women and think they’re all exactly the same brand of manipulative witch.
I did enjoy the epilogue.

Conclusion:

If you like Christian regency style romance, you should give this one a shot.

Audiobook Promotions …

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy)

Devya’s Children Series Links:

Guardian Angel Files:

4/5 Stars: Pinkie Promise by John Thornton

October 27, 2020September 27, 2020 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, Family, romance, Young Adult Amber Schueler, audiobooks, John Thornton, Pinkie Promise

Narrated by Amber Schueler

Run Time: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Summary:

Aaron and Erin Thibodeaux aren’t related, but they happen to have names that are pronounced the same way and the same odd last name. They meet at a summer camp, make a pinkie promise to marry if they’re both unattached and old (26??).

Additional Comments:

I’m going to start with this (Christian romance) isn’t my go-to genre.
I’ve got no issues with the values presented in the book. Wish more books held to them. It did belabor the point a few times though. Most notably, Misty’s conversation with Aaron at the camp reunion of sorts.
I enjoyed the little bits of background on Erin and Aaron later. I missed the connection between Erin’s boss’s brother being one of her failed dates, but that was kind of glossed over. It’s also not a huge point. Their reactions did seem a tad overdone though.
The Erin and Aaron thing I can easily buy. The fact that they both happen to have the same weird last name, not so much. If they were both Smith, sure. Apparently, it’s a prominent French surname. Good to know.
There are a few other coincidences that had to happen to move the plot forward. They’re handled very well. (Jacky and Jackie)
I liked that it’s not set in the modern world, so it’s a time without cell phones.
Narrator’s performance is good. Kinda hated the voice she used for Russell, but he wasn’t in there enough to become a problem.
I had to stop listening for a while at the third act comedy of errors part. It works for the story, but the amount of times the two MCs jumped to conclusions was disturbing.
Story is predictable but satisfying.
I enjoyed that the author worked in some action near the end.
Content Warnings: None. It’s sickeningly sweet. Totally kid-friendly.

Conclusion:

If you’re in the mood for sweet Christian romance and don’t mind coincidences, give this one a chance.

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Audiobook Promotions:

33 of my 41 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.

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:

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

Audiobook Reviews 4/5 Stars Captured Heart by Barbara Goss

June 5, 2020June 1, 2020 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Barbara Goss, Jan Ross

Narrated by Jan Ross

Run time: 5 hrs and 12 mins

Summary:

Amanda’s family dies along the Oregon Trail. Two men are interested in her for different reasons. She’s not really talking to God.

Additional Comments:

Amanda’s anger with God was justified, but her solution (not talking to Him) seemed childish and pointless. Guess grief doesn’t make people rational. Left a lot of room for her to grow though, which is a good thing.
The narrator didn’t fit the main character very well (IMHO), but she fit my favorite side character perfectly. I enjoyed that character’s redemption arc.
Luke and his family were fun to hear about. Don’t remember much about the other guy. I finished this a few weeks ago.
The jealousy angle with some of the side characters took some interesting turns.

Conclusion:

This is clean Christian romance. The book follows genre guidelines pretty closely, but it’s still a compelling story. If that’s not your thing, you’ll probably be disappointed. If it is your thing, then you should find it satisfactory.

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