I have two audio books to share with you today in completely different genres, yet they share some of the same elements that makes for good reading/listening. Hope you find them enticing.
THE BETRAYED by Heather Graham
In Author Heather Graham’s THE BETRAYED, the town of Sleepy Hollow is the scene of a crime when an up and coming politician, Richard Highsmith, goes missing.
Narrator Luke Daniels does a wonderful job giving voice to the various characters. His cadence and mannerisms matches and enhances the emotions of the story. His delivery of the dialogue adds depth to the already tantalizing story.
FBI Agent Aiden Mahoney, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters (the FBI’s unit of paranormal investigators), is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate Highsmith’s disappearance. He and Highsmith are old friends from Sleepy Hollow, but no one knows Highsmith came to him in a dream the night before he was reported missing.
In Sleepy Hollow Maureen ‘Mo’ Deaville and her dog, Rollo, are known for finding missing people. They quickly find Highsmith, but it’s only his head on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman. When a headless body is discover a short time later, it’s a woman and they realize a bizarre killer is in town.
Aiden is drawn to Mo as they begin working together to find the connection between the two victims and the town. They soon realize they also share a unique talent – they can see and talk with the dead. As their attraction grows so does the body county. The killer is closer than they think and closing in on them fast.
Graham’s rich descriptions of the setting brings Sleepy Hollow to life. Her characters are intriguing and likable. The story flows smoothly with numerous twists and turns hiding the identity of the real killer until the end.
THE BETRAYED is the 14th installment in the Krewe of Hunters series, but can be read/listened to on its own. Each installment, while bringing in some characters from previous stories, deals with new members of the group each time adding to an already fascinating assembly of characters.
Graham blends suspense, murder, humor, romance and a touch of paranormal into an engaging story also filled with bits of history. The Headless Horseman takes on a whole new twist.
The Betrayed by Heather Graham, Krewe of Hunters Book #14, Narrated by Luke Daniels, Brilliance Audio, @2014, ISBN: 978-1469221915, Unabridged, 8 Discs, Run Time: 9 Hours and 46 Minutes
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.
THE CHRISTMAS BOUQUET by Sherryl Woods
Caitlyn Winters is the most irritating protagonist I have ever listened to, but at the same time found to be a strong character.Narrator Christina Traister does an excellent job bringing the various characters to life in this Chesapeake Shores novel. Her cadence and varied accents enhances the story. Her mannerisms add depth.
Caitlyn Winters thought catching the bridal bouquet at a Christmas wedding was the worst thing she had ever done. It wasn’t because since then she had fallen in love with Noah McIlroy, but because she now found herself unexpectedly pregnant and her life’s plans spinning out of her control. An extremely driven medical student, Caitlyn’s plans were to become a doctor in Africa and Noah, a family medicine resident, was to open his own practice in an out of the way community that needed his help.
Now Noah and her O’Brien relatives think she should put her plans on hold, marry and raise her child. It will take a lot of understand and persuasion to get Caitlyn onboard with this new plan that would have her living in Chesapeake Shores and practicing medicine with her new husband.
This is a cute story that I have a love/hate attitude about. I love the plot, most of the characters and the setting is delightful. I hate that the Caitlyn character comes across as caring for her dream of helping sick children overseas so much more than she cares for her own unborn child. She’s even more concerned about being a good doctor than she is taking proper care of herself during her pregnancy. I like that she is dedicated to her cause, but it does go to the extreme.
THE CHRISTMAS BOUQUET is a charming story that deals with love, patience, understanding and acceptance. While I found myself wanting to shake some sense into Caitlyn, I also understood her fears at times.
In the end, author Sherryl Woods’ talent for crafting holiday magic shines through.
The Christmas Bouquet by Sherryl Woods, Chesapeake Shores Series Book #11, Narrated by Christina Traister, Brilliance Audio, @2014, ISBN: 978-1480582804, Unabridged, 6 Discs, Run Time: 6 Hours and 30 Minutes
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.
Thanks for stopping by today. Hope your Saturday is going well and the weather is not making for a terrible day. Our forecast is for rain off and on today so it’ll be a good day to do some baking and a lot of audio book listening. Have you ever enjoyed a book, but not the main character? Would you like to spend some time in Sleepy Hollow or have you already visited?
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My wife would probably like the second one.
ReplyDeleteMason - It is interesting how sometimes, audio narration can make a story really 'come alive' and give depth to some of the characters. Thanks for sharing these.
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely cover the first one has
ReplyDeleteThank you. I don't think the second one is for me - but the first is tempting.
ReplyDeleteI like the first one. I like how the dog finds missing people too!
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