Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper, Narrated by Amanda Ronconi

A review of both the audio and kindle version...

Better Homes and Hauntings is a standalone novel by one of my favorite author/narrator teams; Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi. I often wonder if they share the same brain waves because, without fail, Ms. Ronconi performs the story exactly the way I imagine Ms. Harper meant it to be performed.

Blurb…

When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

My thoughts…

I really am a huge fan of Molly Harper’s stories, with the Jane Jamison series being my favorite. Reading the stories is a great experience but nothing beats listening and reading along at the same time as Amanda Ronconi brings it all to life.

Though it took a little while for Better Homes and Hauntings to grab me, I enjoyed the whole book. Because this is a standalone, there was a lot of time spent on character introduction and plot set-up which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering there are actually 2 romances taking place – 3 if you count the dearly departed couple who are the foundation and driving force behind this story.

The bottom line…

If you’re interested in trying her work without investing in a series, Better Homes and Hauntings is a great place to start. It’s an entertaining story with awesome characters and lots of witty dialog. It’s romantic, steamy, funny, and spooky, and I really wish Ms. Harper would write more ‘ghostly’ tales.

Midsummer Moon (Audio Review) by Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton

I loved this story. Loved it! Not just a little, but over the moon loved it! Fun, romantic, sexy, poignant... I'm heartbroken that it's over.

Description...

When a powerful, decisive aristocrat undertakes to protect an absent-minded young inventress from England's enemies, he finds his orderly world turned into chaos. Merlin Lambourne's stubborn dream of flight puts her at risk, not to mention driving Ransom crazy. In spite of himself, he's oddly enchanted by this muddled miss and her eccentric ways... but can he overcome his own fears and realize her invention may be the answer to saving both their lives?

A whimsical Regency-era tale of flying machines, fancy, and love among the hedgehogs.

***** 

I've read some reviews and it seems that Merlin, our 'genius with little common sense or social skills' heroine, grated on some people's nerves, but not mine. Oh, no. Not mine! I love her! In fact, I found her to be refreshingly unique and completely endearing, and she's now one of my all time favorite heroines. She and Ransom, so different, so completely and totally different... but absolutely brilliant together. They made me laugh, made me sigh, kept me listening through the wee hours of the morning.

Nicholas Boulton is an amazing narrator. I wish he'd narrate ALL audio books. Heck, I wish he'd narrate my name! Just my name... I'd play it over and over and over. Such a deep, rich, sexy voice.

*sigh* I'm just rambling, so I'll quit here, except to say that Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton are, hands down, my favorite author/narrator team. I can't get enough of them! Ms. Kinsale personally chose Mr. Boulton to bring her stories to life, and I hope that she'll have him narrate all her books.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!  

My Sweet Folly (Audio Review) by Laura Kinsale and Nicholas Boulton

Poignant, romantic, mysterious...

When I'm in a reading slump I turn to authors who I know will put a smile on my face and a sigh in my heart. Kristen Ashley, Pamela Clare, Sarah MacLean, Lisa Kleypas, to name a few... and the Kinsale/Boulton author/narrator team. Without fail I have loved each book I've listened to and find it hard to leave them behind when review obligations demand I move on. But as soon as time permits I'm right back with them, escaping to new worlds and new adventures.

Description...

“My dear girl! I could never fall in love by letter. Though I have no doubt you are a notorious breaker of hearts, not to mention a princess in disguise, and if I were a few miles closer to Toot-above-the-Batch I would be in great danger. From the safe distance of another continent, I will admit to a modest desire to see how your pearl becomes you, even to know the color of your hair and eyes, but this is mere curiosity, I assure you.” -- Your knight, Robert

Through their innocent correspondence, a lonely young wife grows to love an imaginary man thousands of miles away. But when Folie finally meets him in truth, reality is turned upside down. She cannot find her own cherished Robert in the frightening stranger who claims her love.

My Sweet Folly is such a unique story. There were moments that things seemed to drag, but Nicholas Boulton's performance is brilliant, as always, and I loved every minute I spent with Folly and Robert!        

Slave to Sensation - Psy-Changling #1 - by Nalini Singh

Description…

Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart…

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

***********

4.5 Holy Hot Shifters stars!

Slave to Sensation is the first book in Nalini Singh’s wildly popular Psy-Changling series. This world she’s created is exciting, passionate, poignant… it’s like none I’ve ever read before. I’ll start by saying that I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf for years, but never felt the pull to read it. My awesome Goodreads friend, Kristen, and I were chatting on the phone and she started raving about the audio version so, me being a recent convert to audio books, decided to give it a listen.

Sweet Mary! Am I ever glad I did!!

There are so many awesome reviews already written, but even though everything that needs to be said has already been said, I want to share my thoughts, too. Like I mentioned above; it’s an exciting, passionate, poignant world, and it’s so unique that if you asked me to compare it to some other series, or another author’s writing, I wouldn’t be able to do it. PNR and Fantasy are what lay the foundation for this world, and even though I am not a fan of the Fantasy genre, this worked for me, no doubt about it. A big part of why it worked is that the characters are people whose lives make this a very emotionally charged, poignant read, and those characters are people whose stories demand to be told.

Angela Dawe is the narrator and she did a fantastic job of showing the emotions these people feel; frustration, helplessness, pain… and yet hope, strength and joy.

I hear these stories just get better and better and I cannot wait to find out for myself!

Thanks for the not so gentle nudge to listen, Kristen! YOU ROCK!

Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon - Includes Audio Book Review

Kindle freebie at the time of posting - Click here to purchase

Description...

Maddy, Christine, and Amy find that an old college roommate has written about them in her new self-help book-and they're furious that she's used them as examples of how women screw up their lives. And the worst part is, it's sort of true. Together they make a pact: they'll face down their fears-and maybe show Miss Perfect a thing or two!

Maddy rejected her high school sweetheart's marriage proposal for art school years ago. Now her friends challenge her to rediscover her lost passion for arts. In doing so, she crosses paths with her old flame, Joe, at an art camp. Perhaps it's about time that Maddy reignites another old passion.

***** 

This is a review of both the Audible and the Kindle versions.

I haven't enjoyed a new-to-me author this much in a long time and it just goes to prove the old adage about never judging a book by its cover - but in this case, its 'never judge a book by its price.' See, I've had Almost Perfect sitting on my Kindle forever! Seriously, at least couple years, I'm sure. But I had this idea that because it had been free, it probably wasn't all that good, so I was in no hurry to get to it. Yeeaaah, no! I was totally wrong about that and I'm kicking myself for having waited so long to read this story!

My review...

There are a few things that stand out in my mind as to what makes this such an entertaining story. Most definitely Christine and Amy and their friendship with Maddy - true friends who tell you what you need to hear, even when it's not what you want to hear. Their relationship added a bit of a chick-lit feel, but not too much. This truly is a romance driven novel. And a steamy one, at that!

Another thing I loved is the theme of never giving up on your dreams. In fact, that's the jumping off point and the foundation of the story. And while the friendship is the catalyst for Maddie reaching for her dreams, Joe is also there, cheering her on.

But for me, best of all, I loved this second chance romance that, against almost impossible odds, was truly wonderful. No hurried forgiveness, no lame excuses that are acceptable just to move things along...the whole story, start to finish, drew me in and kept me totally invested in these very real, totally normal, compelling flawed people. (And an FYI to those I know will be wondering - there was no cheating involved when the relationship ended the first time.)

The audio...

Jane Cramer did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice and personality. Her own voice is smooth, pleasant, and so, so easy to listen to!

I'm excited to read more by this talented author/narrator team!

My thanks to the Ortolons for providing me with a copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review. It was such a pleasure!

At the time of this posting, book 1, Almost Perfect, is a Kindle Freebie. Use the link below to order: