Tag: Audiobook

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: As Long As We Both Shall Live by JoAnn Chaney

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Spoilers*

“My wife! I think she’s dead!” Matt frantically tells park rangers that he and his wife, Marie, were hiking when she fell off a cliff into the raging river below. They start a search, but they aren’t hopeful: no one could have survived that fall. It was a tragic accident.

But Matt’s first wife also died in suspicious circumstances. And when the police pull a body out of the river, they have a lot more questions for Matt.

Detectives Loren and Spengler want to know if Matt is a grieving, twice-unlucky husband or a cold-blooded murderer. They dig into the couple’s lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love’s got teeth, it’s got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it’s tough to rip yourself free.

So what happens when you’re done making it work?

I am a fan of crime and mystery novels as well as true crime documentaries. When the spouse gets murdered, it’s usually their “dearly beloved” who committed the crime. So this novel caught my interest from the start.

This is told from a vulgar, and negative perspective of how a marriage can be. I was shocked by how vile some of the language is. So if you are sensitive to that kind of thing, you might want to give this one a pass.

Despite the language, I found this novel to be thrilling and hooked me from the first chapter. What happens when the wife comes home early from work and finds her husband in bed with the secretary? Anything can happen.

I felt this novel was put together well. It took logical leaps and bounds, “things aren’t what you think they are”. I found the plot twists weren’t too illogical or bewildering.

The ending was neatly wrapped up, and there weren’t any loose plot threads. I enjoy a novel that’s well written and wrapped up nice and neat.

I would recommend this novel to lovers of crime, mystery, and hard-boiled detective novels. I enjoyed this audiobook and think that you will enjoy it as well!

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Blood Oath (Nathaniel Cade #1) by Christopher Farnsworth

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*No Major Spoilers*

Zach Barrows is an ambitious young White House staffer whose career takes an unexpected turn when he’s partnered with Nathaniel Cade, a secret agent sworn to protect the President. But Cade is no ordinary civil servant. Bound by a special blood oath, he is a vampire. Cade battles nightmares before they can break into the daylight world of the American dream, enemies far stranger-and far more dangerous-than civilians have ever imagined.

My mom read this novel before I did. I thought it would be something like she has been reading, FBI, secret agent, stuff like that. When she finished I asked her what her thoughts were, and she said it was different but good. So I knew then I was in for a good read!

This novel starts off slow, setting the scenes, and explaining how Cade became a vampire and how he started working for the President. I found this to be an interesting addition to the story. I felt like this added more to Cade’s character and made him more relatable.

Nathanial Cade is a man who’s unfortunate circumstances made him into an immortal monster. He was turned into a vampire after Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnston took the role of President.

The author was able to convey both Cade and Zach as full-fledged characters. He could have easily focused all on Cade and made Zach a jerk and whiny brat. However, as the novel progresses you see Zach grow as a character. It was very well written and I enjoyed this novel.

My favorite character besides the two main characters was Sgt. Griff. Even though he was on the verge of retirement from taking care of Cade on top of worsening health issues, he was still able to do his job and serves his country with courage and valor.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It had a good mix of action, history, and horror. Cade and Zach were well developed and I felt bad for both characters at certain times. I would highly recommend this novel for lovers of historical fiction, horror, and action. As well as covert government secrets.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: The Fixer (Lawson Vampire #1) by Jon F. Merz

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Major Spoilers*

The members of the Council believe that vampires can coexist with humans. Some vamps disagree. That’s where Lawson comes in. He’s a Fixer. When a Nosferatu gets delusions of grandeur about taking over the world, it’s his job to take them out — with extreme prejudice.

I can’t remember the last time I read a vampire book. It feels like it’s been a while, and I’m excited to be back with the vampire subgenre.

This audiobook caught my attention because the model on the cover looked like a better and younger Tom Cruise. I’m all about secret agents and conspiracies. Action and mystery on every page are how I like my vampire novels.

I like how each author takes their own spin on vampire mythology. Some exaggerate their abilities and powers, some like this author make them more realistic to an extent. They look and act like any other human, but they live longer and wood is their enemy.

I felt like I could relate to the main character, Lawson. He is just a hitman with a job to do. In this novel, Lawson is after an old enemy. A vampire whose family has tainted blood and thus, makes him insane.

My favorite part was when Lawson and his human partner Talia were staking out the nightclubs trying to find their target, and the description of the clubs and what goes on in those places sounds about right, people being drunk and crazy.

Overall, I found this novel to be engaging and exciting. The action and adventure were enough to get my imagination going into high gear. I would highly recommend this novel for anyone who is looking for a good vampire story. Also for lovers of the supernatural and action, this is definitely worth a read.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham

Posted on by elishasbookreview
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*No Major Spoilers*

Sebastiene was human… once. He might look like a nineteenth-century nobleman, but in truth, he is a ruthless hunter. He likes nothing more than luring difficult opposition to a planet, then hunting them down for sport. And now he’s caught them all – from Zargregs to Moogs, and even the odd Eternal. In fact, Sebastiene is after only one more prize. For this trophy, he knows he is going to need help. He’s brought together the finest hunters in the universe to play the most dangerous game for the deadliest quarry of them all. They are hunting for the last of the Time Lords – the Doctor!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

One of my favorite underrated companions of the Tenth Doctor has been Donna Noble. I find her to be relatable and I can relate to her background and the way she grew up. So to see her included into a story outside of the main cannon makes he happy.

I enjoyed this audiobook, it was action-packed and full of the Doctor’s cleverness and quirks. The characters were loveable and enjoyable. Even though this is an audiobook you have to focus on, it still was a fun listen and had a great story behind it.

One of my favorite parts of this story is how Donna tries to find her own way to escape from Sebastiene’s prison. She kept knocking down doors, trying to find a way out of the hotel she was trapped in.

Overall, I would highly recommend this audiobook for lovers of Doctor Who, the Doctor Who novels and Science Fiction.

Posted in Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Novels

REVIEW: Awakened by James S. Murray with Darren Wearmouth

Posted on by elishasbookreview

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*No Spoilers*

After years of waiting, New York’s newest subway line is finally ready, an express train that connects the city with the burgeoning communities across the Hudson River. The shining jewel of this state-of-the-art line is a breathtaking visitors’ pavilion beneath the river.  Major dignitaries, including New York City’s Mayor and the President of the United States, are in attendance for the inaugural run, as the first train slowly pulls in.

Under the station’s bright ceiling lights, the shiny silver cars gleam. But as the train comes closer into view, a far different scene becomes visible.

All the train’s cars are empty.

All the cars’ interiors are drenched in blood.

As chaos descends, all those in the pavilion scramble to get out. But the horror is only beginning. High levels of deadly methane fill the tunnels. The structure begins to flood. For those who don’t drown, choke or spark an explosion, another terrifying danger awaits—the thing that killed all those people on the train. It’s out there…and it’s coming.

There’s something living beneath New York City, and it’s not happy we’ve woken it up.

I have noticed a trend with my reading preference, this is the second horror novel that involves a monster that I’ve read and reviewed recently. Maybe I need to change it up a bit haha.

I enjoyed this novel a lot, a “locked room escape” is thrilling and exhilarating. To think that there are creatures and monsters that are unknown to the world, and having to fight against the unknown. It makes for your classic monster story.

I liked the fact that there was a small main group of citizens, reporters, police, and politicians where the main attack occurred. However, when they started bringing in “rescue teams” I felt like it made the list of main characters too many.

This novel is graphic and heavily violent. They describe the carnage in detail, so this isn’t for the faint of heart. They describe the creatures ripping bodies limb from limb leaving blood, gore, and entrails of everything from intestines to brain matter. There is no bit of violence left unsaid.

The exhilaration I felt while reading this was absolutely intense, I could sense the fear, pain, and wonderment of the entire story!

Overall, this story isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s still an excellent read! Anyone interested in gore, horror or knockoff Xenomorphs will definitely love this one!