Counting on Love

Counting on Love: Carson Hill Ranch, Book 3

Written by: Amelia Rose

Narrated by: Valerie Gilbert

Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins

Series: Carson Hill Ranch, Book 3

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:09-05-14

Publisher: Gold Crown

I really enjoyed this audio from the author to the narrator both add so much with a lot of passion. There are many serious issues being dealt with that your heart goes out to so many of these characters. I thought this was written in a very touching, caring way that really was done with class. The author gives you a compelling story of a lady with a very checked past trying to outrun it when the lower class won’t let her she runs away so she doesn’t bring the fall out to her employers. You have a man who had a bad accident and in so much pain that he can hardly move who turns to drinking and drugs to help ease the pain. With a family who wants to support him but only sees he in a downward spiral. Everyone thinks the pain is in his head that if they can get in off the drugs and his drinking he will get better. From here we go through the steps to bring him around with the help of Emma hopefully he will get the help he needs to bring back the old lovable cowboy he use to be.

Ms. Gilbert does a wonderful job of narration from the passion she puts into the read to the powerful emotion she brings to it. She really hits each emotion right on the money giving the listener the full effect of how serious and important the issue is along with how each character is feeling with their pain, sorrow, loss, helplessness and the smiles you can hear in her voice. There are no background noises if any breaks were taken you could not tell. I really enjoyed her many different character voice from her deep rich male to her soft sexy female one. You have no trouble knowing who is talking and just what they are feeling. Listening to the narrator it was so easy to picture what they were going through as each character has their own feelings on Joseph problems. But what if they are wrong the narrator really bring in the powerful feeling and emotion of self doubt. Ms. Gilbert gives you a clear, clean, crisp audio that pulls you in as the characters take over giving you a story you can’t put down. I really love how her emotions show through her tones really giving the listener a compelling audio. I can’t wait to listen to more of her work.

Emma has been down the road that Joseph is going on she was hooked on drugs along with doing things she really didn’t want to when she was in need of a fix. She has finally gotten out of the life and is living a clean clear life. People from her old life isn’t willing to let her go so easy, then things get out of hand where she works she decides it is time to move on. There is a lot going on in this part of the story that really has the reader hooked to know the outcome. This is where things get really interesting when she goes to help Joseph get through his ordeal with some powerful emotions. Emma is such a sweet soul, she is kind and caring someone you would be proud to call a friend. You can see the ordeal she has went through to get clean and stay that way. This is one lady that deserves her HEA she went through enough it is time to see her smile, laugh and in love.

All the characters really grabs your heart touching it in ways you won’t believe. Out of all of them the one that really gets into your soul is Joseph. There is no way you can read this and not know how much pain and sorrow he is dealing with. I found myself really just wanting to reach him pull him out of the pages and really give him the TLC he needs to get all well. He is driven to an addiction to deal with the pain. There is little doubt he is in pain but is it from the accident or his need of more drugs and booze?

This is a book I couldn’t put down from the start the author pulls you in as she twist her way through each character and their issues. One man is down but it affects his whole family and how they deal with the issues. It is really just a powerful lovely romance. Watching these two work through the issues, leaning on the other and watching their budding romance just warms your heart. There might be a place or two that moves a little fast but it is a very short sweet listen that you are so totally hooked it seems to all work. I am not sure how I started with book 3 but I will sure have to go back and listen to the other ones in this series. I know I have made is seem all down but there is some wonderful humor here that will make you smile. You can really hear the smiles and laughter coming right off the pages. I really enjoyed this listen. It is truly a series you do not want to miss.

Buy Links

Audible

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Counting-on-Love-Audiobook/B00NACEE9I

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Counting-Contemporary-Cowboy-Romance-Carson-ebook/dp/B00HVHY2JK/ref=cm_cr_if_orig_subj?ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=audiblecom0f-20

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/counting-on-love-carson-hill-ranch-book-3

B&N

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/counting-on-love-amelia-rose/1119254451;jsessionid=35D943E53FCCB2698D6236BBA369A5C8.prodny_store01-atgap04?ean=2940045831789

Summary

A contemporary cowboy romance novel.
The twins' younger brother Joseph is trapped in a downward spiral of drinking and drugs, all in an effort to cope with the daily pain he lives with after being thrown from his horse months ago. Not sure what to do or believe, the family enlists the help of Emma, a girl with a shady past, who knows the nightmare of addiction all too well. Can Emma help Joseph find his way out of the pit, before they lose him for good?

Cowgirl Fever: Novak Springs, Book 1

Cowgirl Fever: Novak Springs, Book 1

Written by: Dawn Brower

Narrated by: Anne Valliere

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:11-07-16

Publisher: DawnBrower

I really liked this story from the sassy women to the hot cowboys who is over confident. Oh the attraction is there big time until he opens his mouth and sticks foot in it. I had to laugh at how over powering he came across and just how this cowboy was put in his place at least for a few minutes.   Dallas knows what he knows and yes she will be his for as long as he wants her.  Ginnifer said nice, hot, what a body that is until he makes moves on her in an ungentlemanly way and then she said take a hike. This was a very cute and fun read that has the reader shaking their head at the twist these two put on what they want and how they plan on working that out. It is one step forward with two steps back what a nice two step these two have going on.

I really liked Ms. Valliere narration that is after the first few pages she just doesn’t seem comfortable at first but then she really gets into it and brings the characters to life. I loved the emotion she brings to the characters I found myself giving Dallas the evil eye a time or two. For the most part I just said hum let’s see how that works out for you big boy. Yep that is the way I thought it would. I had to laugh shaking my head at him.  I did not hear any background noise just a clear, clean and crisp audio that the reader really gets into. There were no places where the volume was higher or lower than any of the other places. If breaks were taken you could not tell. The narrator really pulled off some highly emotional scenes giving them such power and meaning.  I really enjoyed her character voices you always knew who was talking and what they were feeling. I look forward to listening to more of her work in the near future.

The author really pulls her reader in with the baiting and head butting of these characters. I really fell in love with them all and can’t wait to listen/read more of this series. The author really has setup the stories for the next few books in this series. You will really be hook on their stories and can’t wait to read them as they come out. Dallas is a hot cocky cowboy who knows how to get to a woman and also how to make them back away. He sure isn’t letting that get in his way, the longer the hunt the sweet the prize.  He is very much against this Yoga ranch but does his best to help and stay out of their way. With one sassy sister who knows how to get around her brother to get her way he finds his self knee deep in a mess of women. When things start looking up for this couple something else gets in their way leaving them torn and us guessing at the outcome.

Ginnifer may think he is hot but he has a thing or two to learn about his one liners they just do not work on her. She hates the cute nickname he gives her you are in for a treat to her come back. This is one author that had me laughing out loud as these two chase each other around the ranch either trying to find the other or trying to get away. My heart really went out to her and her need for coffee the author had me wanting to shake the silly cowboy. I loved how caring she was as well as how strong and sassy, she is willing to stand up for herself giving back as good as she gets.

I really enjoyed the supporting characters and the build up for the stories to come. Each one had me shaking my head and laughing out loud at the messes these couples get into.  Out of all the characters Dallas’s sister and her ex really touched my heart the most. I can’t wait to read their story. This is a book full of misunderstandings, over cockiness, pain, hurt, needs, wants, demands, passion, lust, and good old down home fun. The author gives you action in more than one way that really is very entertaining.  You will find yourself laughing you won’t be able to help yourself as well as giving the evil eye a time or two. I really got invested in the characters and the story which really made this a hard audio to put down.  If you looking for a pick me up, need a laugh or just want to have a few minutes to yourself this would be a great story to listen to.

Buy Links

Audible

http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Cowgirl-Fever-Audiobook/B01MQDAO6M

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Cowgirl-Fever-Novak-Springs-Book/dp/B01MDUMODP/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

B&N

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cowgirl-fever-dawn-brower/1120257041?ean=9781536876901

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/cowgirl-fever-2

Summary

Dallas Novak swore off women after his fiancée broke their engagement. His plans change when he becomes responsible for his family and their ranch, Novak Springs. Resigned to his new life, he throws himself into making the ranch successful.
Ginnifer Zeiss is a well-established journalist from New York. When approached to write an article on Cowgirl Yoga, she drops everything to experience what a real ranch is like. She secretly loves ranches and is attracted to sexy cowboys.
When Dallas meets Ginnifer he is instantly attracted to her. As he spends time in her company, he starts to wonder if he can live without her. Can he move past the betrayal his ex-fiancée dealt him long enough to grab happiness?

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers: The Jane Barnaby Adventures, Book 1

Written by: J.J. DiBenedetto

Narrated by: Cait Frizzell

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Series: Jane Barnaby Adventures, Book 1

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:04-15-16

Publisher: James J DiBenedetto

I do not even know where to start with this review. I have listen or read other books from this author and have really enjoyed them.  This one I spent a lot of time saying What, Why and that just doesn’t work. There is a lot of filler here that really isn’t needed and has nothing to do with the story. I am clueless to the reasoning of why Jane did the things she did. My first thought would have been police not going after the art work or doing high speed to out run the bad guy. Unlike other works by this author this story just didn’t work for me. I am at a lost whether to rate it at 2.5 or a 3 so we will round it up. It has some interesting action but it is out of place for the character that Jane truly is without these things you would not have a story….I know it worked for some sadly just not for me.

Ms. Fizzell as narrator I thought did a good job I loved her many accents as she bought the characters to life. You had no trouble knowing who was talking or what they were feeling. I hear no background noise just a clean, clear audio. I didn’t like the music at the ending at first I thought it was noise from the mic but it was not. I thought it took away from the ending and was out of place. I did think some of her character voices were close to others but it doesn’t take away from the listen. I found her male voices to be just as pleasant as her female ones. She really did bring the characters to life giving them feeling and meaning. If any breaks were taken you could not tell. There were not any places where the volume changes or any high/ low places. I really did enjoy her narration.

What worked for me was how Jane came up with what to do with the box I thought that was outstanding. I believe one characters name was John who lost the box but him went after that works. It was easy to understand why Jane took on the easy task of getting the professor work and car to him. Jane was a likeable character really for the most part most of them were. Alex worked up to a point but he was just out of character most of the time.

What didn’t work for me was the touch and go on the romance. Alex on his wishy washy ways along with Jane touch and go romance feelings. If I thought someone was giving me a line to get the box I had there is no way I would think oh my if he does this I am lost. Yes being taken in from the start works great just not when she knew he wasn’t on the up and up. I just do not see her following him down a long dark road she is a smart lady and should know better than to do most of what she did. Jane not going to the police when she found out the boxes wasn’t right that she decided to take on bad men to get it back. The reference to movies and characters in them I thought that took away from what the author was trying to get across. Her going Barney Bad a^^ was so out of her character. For what the author wanted to bring out the characters just didn’t have reasoning or the strength they needed to carry off the story. This is just not a believable story after the first few pages. There is no way that art work that is worth millions would have been left like it was. Jane’s action was just to over the top. Other works of this author I have loved just not this one.  I wonder how many unhelpful marks I will get for this review. I am sorry I tried to really like the story but the truth is this isn’t the authors best work.

There are so many that have loved this story please do not let my review stop you from giving it a listen. I know a lot of people will love the action, thrills and the touch of romance but for me it was just out of place leaving me shaking my head. Please pick it up and give it a try and let me know what you think.

Buy Link

Audible

http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Finders-Keepers-Audiobook/B01E9D6CGO/ref=a_search_c4_1_2_srTtl?qid=1480379738&sr=1-2

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Finders-Keepers-Jane-Barnaby-Adventures-ebook/dp/B01BSYBM8K/ref=cm_cr_if_orig_subj?ie=UTF8&linkCode=xm2&tag=audiblecom0f-20

B&N

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finders-keepers-jj-dibenedetto/1123524878?ean=9781530384204&st=AFF&2sid=Goodreads,%20Inc_2227948_NA&sourceId=AFFGoodreads,%20IncM000004

Summary

It should have been a simple job. All archaeology student Jane Barnaby had to do was pick up a box her professor needed and deliver it to him at his dig site, along with his new car. Yes, his office was in Oxfordshire, and his dig site was in Spain, a trip of 1,400 miles across three countries and two bodies of water. Still, it should have been simple.
And it was, until Jane discovered she picked up the wrong box by mistake. Not the one with boring pottery samples, but instead the one with priceless ancient Egyptian artifacts. The one that a team of international art thieves is after.
Now she's chasing - and being chased by - the thieves. And she's picked up a pair of passengers who claim they can help her outwit them, get her professor's pottery back and return the artifacts to their rightful owner. If only she could figure out which one of them is working with the thieves and which one she can trust in this high-stakes game of finders keepers.

Daddy's Little Secret: A Daughter's Quest to Solve Her Father's Brutal Murder

Daddy's Little Secret: A Daughter's Quest to Solve Her Father's Brutal Murder

Written by: Denise Wallace

Narrated by: Sara Morsey

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:11-03-16

Publisher: WildBlue Press

My first love has always been true crime when I saw this on audio I had to have it. The author show the hard struggle of thinking she knew her father only to find out she didn’t know him as well as she thought, her painful memories of her childhood and her love of her father. Her fight for justices as well as her fight for the truth along with her fairness for the events that happened and the man who killed him is easily shown in these pages.  I really wanted to not like the killer but I found my heart softened a little for him. I also found I really liked her father even though he used addiction of others to get what he wanted he was still a very likable man. As with most murders there are truly no winners here only a sad lonely man who has found a way to get what he needs and wants through using young men and the young man who would do anything to get the money he needed. Let’s not forget the daughter who so dearly loved her father that he was truly her hero and in many ways will always be, finds shocking things she never dreamed of. The author will take you through her younger years, teen and her older years trying to understand a man who is driven by lust.

Some might think the killer deserved what he got or he should have gotten more or that the victim got what he had coming to him due to how he found young men and used their needs against them.   What I found was a man still trapped in the 50’s and not knowing how to handle what people would think of him. Driven by his alternative lifestyle and finding away to get what he wants without paying for it or having a relationship where he might be judged. I also found a young man for whatever reason trapped in his addiction for drugs doing whatever he had to, to get them.

The narration of Ms. Morsey was very good her character voices were nice she put real emotion into the story. I did think some of her voices were close to others but you still knew who was talking and what they were feeling. I found no background noises or any places where the audio was higher or lower in volume than any other place in the audio. If breaks were taken you could not tell. The audio was clean, clear and crisp told in a way you could feel the pain, shock, uneasiness and sorrow of each character. Her male voices were as nice as her female ones giving you a nice listen. The narrator pulls you in waiting to see what happens next. I really had trouble putting this down I really wanted to understand the characters and what drove them. I felt the narrator was able to do this as well as she was able with the facts she was given.

I thought this was well written giving both side as it keeps you informed as the author gives you the full impact of each character. This was not bias but gives the story from all sides.  All the facts are there written in a style that is clear and pretty clean. The murder scene is there but doesn’t go into a lot of detail but at the same time gives you all you need to know to paint the picture in your mind. There is no doubt the author was daddy’s little girl and she loved him dearly. The pain and confusion she had to go through not only to find his killer but to see the man he really was is shown and felt by the reader. Her father was very complex and I felt she wrote it from a stand point of trying to understand him, who he truly was and what he became but still able to show how much she loved him and would miss him along with her confusion of the events around her.   I do not mean that in a bad way but in the way he used the addiction to get his pleasure when he most likely could have found young men who would have gladly have given him what he wanted. I would have liked to have known the man better and why he didn’t just find someone to have a relationship with but that will be forever locked in his mind. I felt the author filled in all the blanks as best she could since she could not talk with her father to understand what he was going through.

This was a touching heartbreaking read from all areas. It was a story I could not turn off I wanted to try to understand the man who was daddy’s little girl and the effect it had on the author. If you enjoy true crime this is well worth the listen. It will be an audio I will most likely listen to again.

Buy Links

Audible

http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Daddys-Little-Secret-Audiobook/B01MPZGPO4

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Daddys-Little-Secret-Daughters-Fathers-ebook/dp/B01HT13ZQ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1480246476&sr=1-1&keywords=Denise+Wallace

B&N

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daddys-little-secret-denise-wallace/1124168839;jsessionid=727CE47B302AD701FCDCA0FEDF7AEF6F.prodny_store02-atgap09?ean=9781942266518

Summary

Daddy's Little Secret: A Daughter's Quest to Solve Her Father's Brutal Murder is a poignant true crime story about a daughter who, upon her father's murder, learns of his alternative lifestyle. She had looked the other way about other secrets of his as well - deadly secrets that could help his killer escape the death penalty, should she come forward. An inside look at the complex and fascinating psyche of a father who shared an uncommon bond with his daughter.
She had spent years hiding deadly secrets about her enigmatic father, Wesley Wallace. Wes was a trusted security guard at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach. He was supposed to protect those who found themselves in his care. But a closer look into his brutal murder revealed a split personality - one that his daughter may have seen but tried to ignore. However, detectives assigned to the case persuaded her to assist them in the capture of her father's killer. The trail would lead from the glitz of Palm Beach to the murky streets of Dixie Highway and end in a courtroom where her father's secret life, and his dangerous penchant for sex slaves, would be revealed.