Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…
Okay so it’s only in my part of the world, but Guy Fawkes’ Night/Firework Night/Bonfire Night is generally a bigger deal here in the UK than Halloween, so I get to make a fuss about it! Yes, we commemorate the failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill a king by… lighting bonfires and setting off fireworks, but it was a tradition started in 1605, immediately after the plot was thwarted as a way of celebrating the King’s escape from assassination. If you’re celebrating tonight, stay safe and warm!
And in other news… Here’s what the Gals are listening to this week.
BJ
Narrated by B.J. Harrison
Caz
Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella & Greg Tremblay
Kaetrin
Narrated by Lidia Dornet & Chris Brinkley
Melinda
Narrated by Charlotte Beaumont
I’ve recently done a relisten to The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook (fun to revisit!), finished Flash Rip by Keira Andrews, narrated by Joel Leslie (decent story with great narration), and finished Catalyst by Rachel Grant,narrated by Greg Tremblay (enjoyable RS with great narration).
Right now I’m listening to Hard Ride by A.M.Arthur, narrated by Greg Boudreaux, which is a bit predictable but decent and Boudreaux is such a joy to listen to.
I bought His Wicked Reputation by Madeline Hunter for a few dollars on Chirp. I read a few good reviews and I do enjoy Mary Jane Wells,the narrator. We’ll see how that goes.
Yep, sometimes a decent story with outstanding narration just hits the spot!
His Wicked Reputation is the best of that series, IMO – the story is, again, decent, and the narration is great. The other two in the series are quite good, but I did them in print becuase the audios got a different narrator for some reason, and she was pretty awful.
Thanks for the heads up about the narrator change! The other two books are also on sale at Chirp and I was going to buy them if I liked this, but I didn’t realize the narrator changed. I might not have even checked since I assumed all three were done by Wells! I’ll skip them, at least on audio. I honestly bought this in large part because of my past enjoyment of this narrator.
And yes to a decent story with great narration. All the books I listed above were like this except The Iron Duke. For that one (for me at least) it’s a great story with a decent narration, but that works, too!
I reviewed the MJW one and Kaetrin reviewed book 2, narrated by Lulu Russell – https://www.audiogals.net/2015/11/tall-dark-and-wicked-by-madeline-hunter/
She gave her a C for narration, and after I listened to the sample, I didn’t bother with any more.
I also just listened to Flash Rip and had similar thoughts. The level of angst from the closeted ex athlete was a little much for me, but then again, I’m not in those shoes so can’t really judge. Joel Leslie is a champ narrator. I seek out titles with him associated just because his voice and style are comfort to me.
I was feeling that way, then it occurred to me that the “closeted angst” in Rip Flash was presented more like PTSD or a severe panic disorder, which is how I decided to take it. Then it felt more understandable and believable. His parents were definitely emotionally abusive. I have several family members with PTSD and/or panic disorders and when I thought about it, I realized Andrew’s did a good job with the representation.
This week, I’ve finished listening to Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox, narrated by Chris Clog. Caz gave it an A for both story and narration and I would too. Wonderful story of two lovely, damaged men trying to get their lives back on track after WW2, with a narration that was a perfect fit. I also loved the supernatural element to it, which is not usually my thing but fitted well in this story.
I fancied something completely different next, so started listening to Sailor Proof last night, which I am enjoying so far. The names make me laugh, though – Arthur and Derrick have to be among the least sexy names for MCs!
Hah, yes! Derrick and Arthur are right up there with Kevin, Colin and Trevor for unsexy names!
True about the names, but I have to say, I’m tired of trendy and/or pretentious names. I’d rather Derrick or Arthur! :-)
I have to agree on that – they might not be the most romantic names around, but they’re kind of solid and dependable-sounding! I think heroines have it even worse – CR seems populated with Harpers and Skylars, names, which, thankfully, don’t seem to have migrated over here!