3.5/5 Stars Marriage Before Death by Uvi Poznansky

September 9, 2021August 11, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical, thriller Don Warrick, Uvi Poznansky

Narrated by Don Warrick

Run Time: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Summary:

Well, that back cover copy pretty much tells you what the story’s about. I tend not to read them because I usually get books I’m asked to review or base the judgement off the cover and tagline. Lenny K somehow gets separated from his unit, though it’s very vague as to which unit that is. He gets captured by the Nazis. A strange woman tries to save him.

Additional Comments:

Narration’s okay. His female voices are a tad painful. There are a lot of French accents, which makes sense because the bulk of the book is set in France just after the Normandy invasion.
This is a framed story. Those have their uses, but I’m not seeing much reason to frame this. It would be a heck of a lot more suspenseful if it was told as it unfolded as opposed to memories. I am guessing there’s supposed to be deeper meanings like some war stories are lost to time, but the ending is just annoying.
It’s a clean story that unfolds in 3 sections.
The characters are likable enough. I’m not sure we know the boy’s name. Maybe it was said once.
There are a LOT of coincidences.
The action sections are decently well-described. The spy portions are okay.
I would read more by the same author or narrator. Probably wouldn’t trip over myself to seek out either of ’em, but they’re decent.

Conclusion:

It’s a decent story, but I’m not sure I’d call it a thriller. Spy tale, maybe. If you’re in the mood for something light about WWII, this might fit the bill.

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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)

4/5 Stars Shadow of Shame by Barbara Goss

August 27, 2021August 23, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical, romance Barbara Goss, Tom Jordan

The Shadow Series Book 1

Narrated by Tom Jordan

Run Time: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Genre: Christian romance, historical fic

Summary:

Ivy Jeffries falls hard for Jonas Armstrong, but he doesn’t want to taint her with his past. He married at 18 because a woman said she was carrying his child. Falsely, by the way.

Additional Comments:

Besides the bad guys, all the characters are saints.
I’d listened to book 3 before 1 accidentally, so I knew some of the names. It was probably more interesting this round, knowing their pasts.
It’s not exactly a deep-thinking series, but then again, none of these are.
They’ve got a general good message of letting go of your past regrets because God forgives sins.
They follow the historical romance pattern right down to the characters not feeling good enough for the other person, so they try to drive the other way, see the error of their ways, and finally let themselves be loved and love the other person.
As with others in the series, there’s talk of sex as part of marriage (good) or outside of marriage (bad), but it’s still a clean read.
It’s not exactly a Western, though this does include a smidge of danger and action, which is a nice change of pace between the she loves me, she loves me not routine.

Conclusion:

Intriguing Christian historical romance.

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5/5 Stars Field of Redemption by Lori Bates Wright

August 25, 2021July 30, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Christian, historical Austenne Grey, Lori Bates Wright, Saberton

Series: The Saberton Legacy 2

Run Time: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Genre: Christian historical fiction

Narrated by Austenne Grey

Summary:

The back cover copy pretty much outlines the entire story. Abigail McFadden travels down South then gets stuck there in the middle of the Civil War. The womenfolk of Macon sort of take her in.

Colonel Ian Saberton has orders to prep the cities and towns for Sherman’s march through Georgia.

Additional Comments:

Disclaimer: I really like Civil War tales, so that is in this book’s favor.
As with book 1, Austenne Grey did a lovely job with the narration. She has credible male, female, British, Southern, and normal American accents. Some scenes weren’t easy because they had several Southern ladies and gents present, but the narrator handled these well.
Stayed up late to finish. That’s always a great sign for a book’s quality.
The title doesn’t quite fit. Oh it nails the genre swell, but as far as I can tell, has zip to do with the book itself. That’s a fairly minor complaint.
I don’t think it’s meant to be a funny book, but there are plenty of hilarious situations. One of my favorite little parts is when Cora, pretty much the queen in that town, tells this poor soldier kid he’ll let them by or she’ll have a word with his momma.
Bad guy’s a little over the top evil, but it fits the book well.
Even though parts of the book are small town drama, I never felt like nothing was happening, which is a rarity.
4/5 Characters: Abby and Ian are both paragons of good, but it works. Cora and the townswomen are deliciously meddlesome. Abby’s flaws of not being able to cook or sew make sense given her background.
End twist was a nice touch.

Conclusion:

A near picture-perfect Christian historical fiction novel.

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:

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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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 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 Abandoned Wharf Sisters by Faye Godwin

August 5, 2021July 30, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical British, Faye Godwin, Gareth Richards, historical

Narrated by: Gareth Richards

Run Time: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Summary:

Effie and John, 13 and 10/11 respectively, struggle to help their 3 younger sisters alive. But the best they can do is beg or work on the docks selling fish. London in 1895 is unforgiving to poor people in the winter, especially kids on their own.

Additional Comments:

The title fits but is kinda unfair to poor John because he too was abandoned.
One can’t help but want to hug Effie and her siblings. Not sure how anybody could just abandon their kids, but I guess people do what they do.
There are several time skips in here, but it makes sense in this story.
There are quite a few repeated lines in the book, which is downright disconcerting to hear.
The romance angle was okay. The kid didn’t have much choice even if she didn’t fall in love with her childhood friend.
Several plot points were a stretch.
I had to stop listening at some points because it was just downright depressing.
I wondered why they selected a male narrator when the MC was a 13-year-old girl. He did a nice job, but a woman probably would have fit Effie better. As this did not have a first-person perspective, it worked out fine.

Conclusion:

Not much happens if you think about it. Try not to starve. Try not to starve. Rinse and repeat. But rendered in the lovely British accent and complete with the descriptions of the 1890’s, it’s still worth experiencing.

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4.5/5 Stars Ace Carroway and the Great War by Guy Worthey

July 29, 2021July 20, 2021 Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, historical Ace Carroway, Guy Worthey, Keira Grace

Narrated by Keira Grace

Run Time: 2 hrs and 53 mins

Summary:

At the beginning of the Great War, Cecilia Carroway lies about her age and enlists as a pilot. She makes a name for herself by being excellent at it, but one day, she’s forced to land on an enemy runaway. She meets several colorful fellow prisoners, and together, they hatch a plan to escape.

Additional Comments:

Ace is an overpowered but very fun character. She’s good at languages, flying, hand-to-hand combat, forming plans, and finding trouble.
The performance works, but I still find duet audiobooks odd. Keira Grace fits the main character very well, and the high number of male characters makes it fitting to have a man voice them. I suppose it could be her, but I highly doubt it. That’d be some range.
The description pretty much spells out the story, but it also has a newsy feel to it that fits the story well.
Even with only 5 male side characters, it’s kind of hard to keep who’s who straight.
You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the story.
I’m guessing the rest of the series is worth checking out.
They have the general feel of old school Nancy Drew books. You know you’re in for a perfect character, but you can still enjoy the ride as she gets into and out of trouble, meeting cool people along the way.

Conclusion:

Solid historical fiction with fun characters.

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3.75/5 Rosedale in Love

June 29, 2021June 24, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical 20th century, Lev Raphael, Robin Siegerman

Narrated by Robin Siegerman

Genre: historical fiction

Disclaimer: Not a genre I read a lot.

Summary:

A rich Jewish man desperately trying to climb the social ladder in early 20th century America, has chosen a woman well out of his league whose fortunes are fading fast.

Additional Comments:

– I maintain than all these kinds of books would be worlds better if somebody up and kidnapped the heroine.

– 4/5 Performance- The performance fits the narrative very well. There is a nice rhythm and flow.

– 4/5 Main Characters: I liked Florence and her mother troubles and her unacknowledged love for her cousin.

– 3.5/5 Plot – maybe I just read too much mystery thriller stuff. It makes things like this almost deadly dull. He pines, makes a social blunder, pines some more, goes to a party, goes to the theater, pines some more, hears something scandalous, more social blunders, attends another tedious party, etc, etc. It would seem odd and futile if there wasn’t still a set of uber rich people who put on airs to fit in.

– side characters: they aren’t very likable. Except for Florence’s eccentric actress friend.

– It has a happy ending. Sort of.

– There are a lot of fifty-cent words in here. I think that is part of it being a period piece, but still, I would not have finished the book if it wasn’t in audio format. The narrator handled the biggie words well.

– The cat and mouse games people play with each other in here are well-described but still frustrating. The people are exceedingly fake to come across as kind and generous. It’s exhausting. Guess it’s a commentary on people in general, and in that way, it’s accurate.

– This sort of reminds me of The Great Gatsby, which a lot of people love, love, love. I thought that one was a waste of my time, but it has been a while. Maybe I would have a different opinion if forced to read it again. I did like this book better than Gatsby, but to be honest, that’s a low bar to hop for me. I think the mental link is rich people being snobby to each other.

– Who is this book for? Fans of early 20th century literature. Historical fiction buffs.

– While the book didn’t connect well with me, I have hotdog/hamburger/French fries taste in books and this is caviar/lobster/and fooffy super-expensive icky foods fare. There is certainly a set of people who love this sort of thing.

Conclusion:

A study of a man who thinks he’s in love but really loves himself, his wealth, and the great social climb.

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4/5 Stars Dawn Empress by Faith L. Justice

June 8, 2021June 5, 2021 Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical Faith L. Justice, Kathleen Li

Performance and story 4 stars

Narrated by Kathleen Li

Run Time 12 hrs and 41 mins

Summary:

When her parents die young, Pulcheria takes it upon herself to protect her younger siblings. Her brother, Theodosius II, becomes emperor as a kid. The plots and schemes of church people, guardians, and many more keep the princess busy. She practically raises her kid brother, but can she save him from himself?

Additional Comments:

Historical fiction of the sort isn’t my typical audio-fare, but this was good.
It goes into a tad too much detail on certain developmental life stages for the young princess, but that’s forgivable and probably a necessary evil in terms of discussing certain schemes launched at her and how she countered the moves.
Kathleen Li provides a solid performance and keeps the reading engaging.
Pulcheria had quite the handful keeping her brother safe. The intrigue in here is more subtle than I’m used to. It’s more about controlling the emperor than getting in a sword fight. Sweeping changes were made with little more than whispers placed in the man’s ears. The golden apple affair true or not was fun. Still wanted somebody to run the scheming eunuch through with a sword, but alas, sometimes, history is more boring than that.
I could feel Pulcheria’s frustration when her brother gave her the “gift” of retirement. I mean, that’s essentially what she did years earlier with some of the scheming people in charge of her brother.
I enjoyed the descriptions of her work with the poor.
Pretty sure I missed some important details throughout like the significance of certain political moves or alliances. Still, I enjoyed this bit of history.
Thank goodness for the beginning part that explained titles.

Conclusion:

A fascinating look into the life of a brave young empress.

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