Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooks

Posted December 27, 2020 by Robin in Book Review / 4 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These reads were all audiobooks.  Three were library books, the rest I purchased

Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksRhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
Narrator: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
Published by MacMillan Audio on November 17, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 57 hours, 26 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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one-flame
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

After forming a coalition of human resistance against the enemy invasion, Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant have spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. Neither side has gained an advantage.

Now, as new technological discoveries begin to change the face of the war, the enemy prepares a bold and dangerous operation. The arms race that follows will challenge the very core of the Radiant ideals, and potentially reveal the secrets of the ancient tower that was once the heart of their strength.

At the same time that Kaladin Stormblessed must come to grips with his changing role within the Knights Radiant, his Windrunners face their own problem: As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants. Adolin and Shallan must lead the coalition’s envoy to the honorspren stronghold of Lasting Integrity and either convince the spren to join the cause against the evil god Odium, or personally face the storm of failure.

Rhythm of War really dropped my rate of reading since it is a massive 50+ hours of epicness.  This is my all-time favorite Epic Fantasy series and no one does them better.  Sanderson has built one of the best worlds, with engaging characters that both delights and breaks my heart.  There are always so many great moments in each of the books in this series and if you like Epic Fantasy at all I hope you give it a shot.

Narration:

Machael Kramer and Kate Reading do an absolutely fantastic job with the series.  There are so many characters but each is done fantastically.  They are pro narrators and it shows, making this book even better.

Listen to the clip: 


Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksThe Ickabog Published by Audible on November 10, 2020
Length: 7 hours, 52 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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zero-flames
One StarOne StarOne Star

Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.

But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands... the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it's just a myth...

And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children — best friends Bert and Daisy — embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.

You know when you read an author and you hope to recapture the wonder you felt when you first read something by them. I’m always hoping with a J.K. Rowling book that this will happen. But alas, Harry Potter holds such a special place in my memory that it never quite lives up and while not fair it just means that something new by Rowling inevitably ends up being not quite as good as I want it to be.

The Ickabog was a little bit dark  for the age group it was intended for, but it was a decent read and definitely had the good vs evil going for it, showing just how bad a kingdom can become when it is run poorly.

Narration:

Stephen Fry is a fantastic narrator and was well suited to this story.  I loved his voice and interpretation of all the characters and the Ickabog itself.

Listen to the clip:


Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksSmoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs
Narrator: Lorelei King
Series: Mercy Thompson #12
on March 17, 2020
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 10 hours, 9 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

I am Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman.
My only "superpowers" are that I turn into a thirty-five pound coyote and fix Volkswagens. But I have friends in odd places and a pack of werewolves at my back. It looks like I'm going to need them.

Centuries ago, the fae dwelt in Underhill--until she locked her doors against them. They left behind their great castles and troves of magical artifacts. They abandoned their prisoners and their pets. Without the fae to mind them, those creatures who remained behind roamed freely through Underhill wreaking havoc. Only the deadliest survived.

Now one of those prisoners has escaped. It can look like anyone, any creature it chooses. But if it bites you, it controls you. It lives for chaos and destruction. It can make you do anything--even kill the person you love the most. Now it is here, in the Tri-Cities. In my territory.

It won't, can't, remain. Not if I have anything to say about it.

Smoke Bitten is another good installment of the long running series.  Mercy is again fighting on three different fronts.  She needs to find out what Underhill let into her back yard; there are some werewolves in their territory that need to be sorted out and last, but not least, Adam is acting really funny and there is something amiss in her marriage.  Mercy is going to need her coyote cunning if she is going to juggle all of that and anything else life throws at her.  I’m a big fan of the series so this was an easy read for me.

Narration:

Lorelei King is always fantastic and she did it again bringing Mercy and Co to life for me.

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Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksA Touch of Stone and Snow Narrator: Nicole Poole
Published by Tantor Audio on September 8, 2020
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Length: 12 hours, 15 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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three-half-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Danger lurks in the western realms. Though an evil king has been defeated, a sorcerer warlord has risen and nobody is safe. This demon-possessed warlord creates magical terrors, attacking nations with the ultimate goal to weaken and demolish them before the Destroyer's imminent return.

When Lizzan leads the Kothan army against these terrors, only to see her soldiers massacred and to emerge as the only survivor, she is called a coward. A disgrace. A failure. Shunned from her home, Lizzan now wanders in solitude through the lands as a mercenary for hire, until she encounters a group of warriors seeking new alliances with the northern kingdoms--a group that includes Aerax, the bastard prince of Koth, and the man who sent her into exile. Though they were former childhood friends, Aerax cannot trust the woman whose failure led to the fall of a kingdom. But when a goddess's demand binds them together, Lizzan and Aerax must find a way to overcome their painful pasts. Or there will be no future for the western realms..

Romantasy!!!  This series is a blending of two of my favorite things Fantasy + Romance.  Usually it is either too much of one or the other but Milla Vane has a great blend of both.  A Touch of Stone and Snow is a story about childhood friends who fell in love and then were ripped apart.  Each has secrets they are holding back. Aerax let Lizzan go once to save her, now they are in each others path again he will do everything he can to bring her back into his life and into the bed they never got to share.  I loved them both.  In a world with Gods, demons and some monsters around, the story was a heroic tale of redemption.

Narration:

Nicole Poole did a wonderful job with the emotion the characters felt.  I enjoyed her performance, she is doing a really good job with this series.

Listen to the clip: HERE


Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksReady Player Two Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Published by Penguin Audio on November 24, 2020
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Length: 13 hours, 46 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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zero-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Days after Oasis founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vault, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis thousand times more wondrous, and addictive, than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle and a new quest. The last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize. And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who will kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Will you like this book?  I think that really is going to depend on if you remember and love all things from the 80s and early 90s.  For me, that is a resounding yes, of course, but I think  if you don’t have a lot of history with Sega games, John Hughes movies and Prince then some of the wonder of this book might be lost on you.  There is a whole new quest to find the seven shards of the siren’s soul and Wade needs to find them fast if he is going to save his friends and the Oasis.  For me, it was interesting to see what the oasis evolved into under the High Five and how their lives changed.

Narration:

Narrated by the fantastic Will Wheaton who was probably perfect for this geek fest.

Listen to the clip:


Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates @kimbacaffeinate @AudiobookMel @BookofMyHeart @angels_gp #LoveAudiobooksDream Maker by Kristen Ashley
Narrator: Susannah Jones
Published by Hachette Audio on May 26, 2020
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Length: 12 hours, 57 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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three-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

Evie is a bonafide nerd and a hyper-intelligent chick who has only ever been able to rely on herself. So when she decides to earn an engineering degree, she takes a job dancing at Smithie's club to make the tuition money she needs. But between her lack of dancing skills and an alpha bad boy who becomes overly protective, Evie realizes this gig might not be as easy as she thought.

Daniel "Mag" Magnusson knows a thing or two about pain, but the mask he wears is excellent. No one can tell that this good-looking, quick-witted, and roguish guy has deep-seated issues. Mag puts on a funny-guy routine so he can hide his broken heart and PTSD. But when Evie dances her way into Mag's life, he realizes that he needs to come face to face with the demons of his past if he wants a future with her.

Dream Maker is Kristen Ashley’s mash up of a few of her series.  She has taken the strippers from Smithie’s in the Rock Chick and hooked those girls up with the Commandos on Hawk Delgato’s team and thrown them together Rock Chick style.  This is alpha men and girls in over their head goodness.  There are kidnappings and bad guys and family drama like only Kristen Ashley knows how to do.

Narration:

Savanna Jones is a good pick for this series.  She has a voice that really encompasses the characters well and makes you feel like you are hanging out with friends.  Sometimes a KA book is like coming home to me since I’ve read so many in her catalog.

Listen to the clip:

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • Robin Audio20
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Posted December 27, 2020 by Robin in Book Review / 4 Comments


4 responses to “Robin’s Audiobooks for November / December 2020 Challenge Updates