Audiobook Review – Death of the Matchmaker

Death of the Matchmaker by Angelica Kate

Missy Mays’s mother, Naomi, had been the best matchmaker on the west coast of the United States for the rich and unique clientele she worked for. Unfortunately, in Missy’s opinion, Naomi was also the meanest and most direct human that ever walked the earth. When she unexpectedly gets run over by one of her clients, Missy takes over the business and tries to make love matches for all the forlorn that cross her path. She believes in love, not as a transaction but as a finding of the other half of your soul, and intends to overturn the business style her mother was famous for.The only problem is it is nearly impossible to forge a new identity for the business when your mother refuses to let go. She wrestles with her love woes when the new divorce attorney moves in next door and spouts all his anti-love views. Then things get REALLY weird when her mother, in a bid to redeem herself and not get sent to the hot place down under, is sent back to earth to make ten enduring love matches before she can move into the light. Will Missy lose her mind trying to juggle clients and her dead mother’s plethora of opinions? What is a woman to do except try to help ten individuals as fast as possible find love, rid herself of a nosy ghost and try not to fall in love with the cynical divorce attorney next door?Follow along on this crazy ride of love, redemption, and motherly love gone wrong!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Missy has inherited her mum’s matchmaking agency, though she has very different ideas on how to run it. What she didn’t expect was for the ghost of her dead mother to be readily on hand to criticise. Well, who would?
Missy and her mum Naomi didn’t have the greatest mother and daughter relationship. But to save her mum from an eternity in hell, Missy agrees to a business-related challenge: to match 10 people in genuine love matches( unlike some of the “money-focused” and “status-oriented” matches that Naomi was famous for)
The challenge sees them bicker but, with the help of a great cast of characters, more is revealed about Naomi’s life that gives Missy the chance to finally understand why her mum was the way she was. The twist towards the end seals the deal in seeing the mother and daughter come closer, and allows them both to move on.
The secondary characters are funny, kind, and supportive and help make this an enjoyable story to listen to. The narration is clear and easy to follow and the story flows seamlessly, though I would have liked it to be longer.

As always,

Audiobook Review – Catch Me If You Dare (Jake Mathews #2)

Catch Me If You Dare

Book 2 in the Jake Mathews Series)

by Tobin Michael

Narrated by James Romick

Notorious mass murderer Max Baxter escapes from federal prison and has struck again. Three young women have gone missing from malls across the Midwest and are feared dead. But Max wants to play. He has challenged the best of the best, modern day United States Marshal Jake Mathews, to find and kill him within forty-eight hours or the girls die a horrible death. Deputy Mathews is plunged into a nightmare of treachery, violence and non-stop action until one of them is dead.

My Review

4/5 stars

Max Baxter is free, having escaped from prison. It’s no coincidence then that three women have disappeared too. Is the sociopathic serial killer up to his old tricks? Of course he is. But this time the stakes are higher still, since Mr Ego himself has challenged the country’s top Marshal to catch him before the women die.

Aided by his brother Frank, Max is convinced he has everything under control, and there is no way that Marshal Jake Mathews can catch him. The two men have history – and only one of them can survive this encounter.

Yet, he has seriously underestimated Jake, and not only him but the three women too. This is a fight to the end, with shocking twists at every turn.

The story alternates between Jake and Max as each man battles with his own desire to survive: Jake, so that he can save the women, and Max, so that he can kill them.

The women, too, are strong characters, brought to their knees at times, yet with such a desire to live that they find find an inner courage to keep going. Even Max’s brother, Frank, realises that helping Max escape from prison had not been his best decision.

Thrilling, tense and action-packed, the story is addictive, even more so because of the narrator, who has captured the essence of the suspense while not diminishing the emotional aspects the characters have to deal with.

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I received a free Arc in audiobook format and have reviewed this voluntarily.

 

As always,

 

 

AudioBook Review – Secrets and Lies … plus Giveaway!

Author: Andrew Cunningham

Narrator: Greg Hernandez

Length: 5 hours 46 minutes

Series: Lies Mystery Thriller Series, Book 4

Publisher: Andrew Cunningham

Released: Nov. 15, 2019

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Horrific plane crash, murderous deception, and a deadly chase in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades!

On the afternoon of May 11, 1996, ValuJet 592 plunged into the Florida Everglades. There were no survivors. But something came through the crash unscathed: a small box with huge implications for humankind. And the one man unlucky enough to discover its whereabouts disappeared without a trace.

Now, 20 years later, the mystery of Flight 592 hits close to home for Del Honeycutt and best-selling mystery author Sabrina Spencer. A shocking revelation launches them into the middle of a dark conspiracy, and locating the box becomes a matter of life or death. They are not alone in the hunt for the mysterious package and very quickly learn that others will stop at nothing to find it, eliminating anyone who stands in their way.

With killers hot on their trail, Del and Sabrina must navigate dangers lurking both above and below the swamp waters of the Everglades in order to find the box…and to survive.

I’m the author of novels in several genres, including, mystery, thriller, and post-apocalyptic science fiction. Under the name A.R. Cunningham, I’ve also written the Arthur MacArthur series of mysteries for children.

I was born in England, but have spent most of my life living in the U.S.—including 25 years on Cape Cod before moving to Florida. A former interpreter for the deaf and long-time independent bookseller, I’ve been a full-time freelance writer and copy editor for many years. A 4th-degree Master Black belt in Tang Soo Do, I finally retired from active training when my body said, “Enough already! Why are you doing this to yourself?” I’m married, with two grown children and two awesome grandsons. My wife and I spend as much time traveling as we can, and are especially fond of cruising the Caribbean.

​I have been gratified by the response to my books. When I published Eden Rising back in the spring of 2013, I had no idea what to expect. When I sold my first few copies, I was excited beyond belief that someone was willing to take a chance on it. Numerous books and thousands of copies later, I am still humbled by the emails I get from readers telling me that my books kept them up late into the night.

In October of 2014, Wisdom Spring made me an official Amazon Bestselling author, a thrill I never thought would happen. But it still comes down to being able to bring a few hours of escape to a reader. That’s what it’s all about for me.

I hope you will try my books. Please feel free to email me with your comments.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Amazon

Author-preferred Narrator of Mysteries & Thrillers

Narrating audiobooks is highly gratifying. I immerse myself into an author’s story in order to bring it to life for the listener. I’ve enjoyed working with Andrew Cunningham for several years. His books are filled with rich characters, and the stories keep me turning the pages.

I also work as a background actor in movies and TV shows.

For more than 20 years, I worked as a radio news reporter and news writer. I spent half of my broadcasting career at ABC News Radio in the Washington, D.C., bureau. I covered all the federal agencies as well as Congress and the White House. I reported on a wide range of stories during my career, including financial and entertainment industry news.

For nearly 24 years, I worked as a federal government spokesman at three separate agencies—National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Mint and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Twitter

5/5 stars

I listened to this story with a sense of glee at being reunited with Del and Sabrina again. It was like meeting up with old friends … but by the end I was happy to be the listener, and very glad not be to shot at!

Secrets and Lies is Seymour’s story. Until now, he’s been the grump in the downstairs apartment with a close bond only with Mo, a fact which bemuses and baffles Del as he’s never even see the two of them together.

Well, now the reason for that bond is revealed, as is Seymour’s true identity. Believe me when I say he’s one dark horse, and very handy with a shotgun. When two guys come to the apartment intent on killing him, it is Seymour who is victorious. His handiwork leaves the two men dead, and Seymour’s secret past can stay hidden no more.

Without giving away the plot, the four residents head for Florida’s Everglades, where twenty years earlier “Seymour” was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a plane crash left no human survivors. But, a box on that flight was recovered …and hidden. Now, “Seymour” wants to collect the box before more loons connected to those who came to kill him at the apartment get their hands on it.

This is a fast-paced story, with so many secrets and lies (great title, eh?) coming out of the woodwork, all leading back to “Seymour’s” old life. The revelations come in droves – his past life was certainly way more colourful than the life he’s been leading since. There’s little – if anything – to compare selling things on eBay to the race for the mystery box and its contents.

This seemed to be a fitting story to connect each of the four characters; they’ve all had major story-lines as individuals, and their relationships have grown stronger. It’s true, Del and Sabrina have a knack for being dragged into a drama; trouble seems to seek them out. But, the story – in fact, the whole series – is not just about solving a mystery. It’s about people: Del’s self-deprecating humour made him seem more vulnerable at times, and he found his strength through others. Sabrina, as an author, found fans everywhere – and I mean everywhere, and her ability to write best-selling mysteries allowed her to read between the lines and see clues that the others took for granted. Mo’s story is developed here, and despite everything that happens, she just wants to be a school teacher. As for “Seymour”, this story reveals a totally different character – a strong man, just and fair, and with a great sense of humour. Who knew?

As always, the narrator brings this all to life, keeps the pace up, lets the listener share in the humour and keeps the flow easy to follow. Once you start listening, then you’ll be hooked.

*** Update *** I was under the impression this was the last in the series , but … apparently there’s a fifth book; available on Kindle or in paperback. It’ll be interesting to see if real reading (and not listening to Greg’s narration) will be as satisfying.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Greg Hernandez. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

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Jan. 26th:

4 the Love of Audiobooks

Nesie’s Place

Bookriot

Jan. 27th:

Avonna Loves Genres

Comfy Chair Books

Jan. 28th:

Eileen Troemel

Audiobook News Blog

Jan. 29th:

The World As I See It

Jazzy Book Reviews

I’m Shelfish

Jan. 30th:

The Clipped Nightingale

Just 4 My Books

T’s Stuff

Jan. 31st:

Momma Says To Read or Not to Read

Super Booked!

Feb. 1st:

Shalini’s Books & Reviews

Teatime and Books

Page Princess

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If at first you don’t succeed …

Success is a subjective matter. Rather like the saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
You can measure success in so many ways, but as this is my book blog, then you can guess where I’m going …well, sort of anyway.

So many of my author friends have been going down the audiobook path recently. To be honest, it wasn’t something I’d considered, even though I devour audiobooks when my eyes are too tired to read.

After having listened to a few snippets of books I’d already read, I was amazed at how the whole story drew me in again. Believe me, I’m not one for re-reading books or re-watching movies. Very few of either form of entertainment actually make it to my ‘repeated viewing’ pile.

But there was something special about hearing a story being told. The actors brought the characters to life again and made me want to continue listening.

Naturally, with one’s interest piqued, one had to investigate further. Didn’t one? (Yeah, I lapse into third person when things don’t go my way – it’s a way to distance myself from the issue and make it less personal.)

The findings took one by surprise. The great powers that be—the giant that is Amazon/Audible/ACX—said no. Or rather they said “not yet”, but that’s as good as a “no”.

By virtue of living outside of their “English-speaking Empire” one is not able to use this service at the moment.

Cue angry face! Not going to rest though!

This was personal: I’m getting rather fed up of being the poor relation, the last to lick up the dregs after the great high-and-mighty nations have had their fill.

Alternative options do exist – but they also cost a pretty euro more. In fact, the costs involved reach into the realm of ‘never  gone make that back in a month of Sundays’.

So … while I might not be able to transform Lacey’s Law into an audiobook just yet, I’ve found something to sweeten the pill.

I’ve created an audioblurb.

Free audio, free photos from Pixabay and an hour or so faffing about on Movie Maker and …hey presto, let me present to you the audioblurb for Casualty of Court. (The link will take you to YouTube)

One is feeling rather impressed with oneself, right now. Success? Yep, I think so 😉

Thanks for popping by and have a stress-free day 🙂