Gaele

Again, Elaine Raco chase creates dialogue that repeatedly reinforces my belief that hers is some of the best I have read (or heard). With a remastered story that was originally published in 1987, there are some elements that feel dated, but really – what doesn’t in this ever-changing world? People haven’t evolved dramatically, and their need to find love and fulfillment with a partner is a constant, no matter the year. Both of these characters are dimensional people – not all good or all bad, they come with baggage and aren’t afraid to show it.

The heroine, Cam, is rough and tough, independent and comes from a family of daredevils who hide that trait by becoming masters of their game – stunt performers. Thor is a bit of an old-school cowboy, with a Dudley-Do-Right protecting his Nell at every step. When the two worlds collide, and Thor realizes that Cam is not a damsel in distress needing to be saved, it rankles.

Finding the two discover a common ground, and realize that they are good together, despite the frequent dust ups about danger is a great listen. There is humor, snark and gorgeous descriptions that place you in the wilds of Montana, with the never fail to amuse stops in the action. There is steam, there is swearing, and most of all – this is a feel good book, that will have you laughing and smiling throughout.

The narration was really good, although there were several times when it felt as if the two narrators were stepping on each other’s lines. The conversation in Elaine Raco Chase’s books is so well crafted that it’s not necessary to adjust the pacing; there is time to breathe and still not lose the context or emotional impact of the words. A clever story with just enough heat to feel contemporary but not a purely erotic romance, this is one that is a good introduction to this author’s works and a great listen for an afternoon or two.

I received a copy of the audiobook from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.

This was a really funny, very adult reworking of Peter Pan, with Wendy as the most important character, and the narrator of the story. While it is totally off-kilter and completely foreign to the original, the seemingly offhanded interlaced quotes and scenarios from the original story work their magic in unusual ways: always reminding the reader of the genesis of the story, while twisting off into several marvellous side streets and alleyways.

The narration provided by Nicole Colburn provides less emotional range than I would normally hope for, her voice is lovely, but should have enhanced story and plot. While not distracting, the delivery of some incredibly clever written words could have been improved with inflection, as it was rather flat in affect and impression. Perhaps even speaking with a smile, for that is always noticeable to a listener, would have improved delivery: there are truly laugh-out-loud moments in this book, and I can’t imagine the narrator not smiling herself.

Throughout some truly slapstick moments, the character of Wendy is clearly defined and presented: the reluctant caretaker to an oversexed and pharmaceutically enhanced Hook her offbeat and often smart ass comments and responses combine to spice up the story, providing a break in the never-ending tension that could feel oppressive. Imagery is evocative, the writing and dialogue are silky smooth, and the story is truly just fun. It is my first introduction to this author’s work, and most certainly will not be my last.

I received an AudioBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

AudioBook Review:

I have read and reviewed this title in eBook format, after devouring the full length novels in the Countermeasure series. As the book description explains, Trevor and Cassie are starting their married lives: Trevor has planned a lovely seaside getaway for their honeymoon.

The connections between the two is strengthened and deepened, the true enjoyment of one another is readily apparent. Almeida and Aubrey have delivered on their promise to make these shorts character-driven pieces, and I am actually rather jealous of those of you who are just coming to the series - you can make your own combinations of read / listen to the series and it's Bytes in order, a real treat.

Skillfully narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, he has become one of my favorite listens. With a soft touch of Irish accent in his narration, more distinctly apparent for Trevor, and a softer tone, without great exaggeration in pitch to 'sound' overtly female for Cassie: the characters are easily distinguished; put forth with the proper inflection and emphasis that fully present the emotional subtext in the spoken dialogue. Even the erotic scenes (and they are frequent) are voiced with breathless pauses, soft murmurs and give the listener a feel of voyeuristic delight.

As always, these are truly wonderful glimpses into the 'between adventure' times for the characters: and do provide interesting and informative insight, a perfect adjunct to the full length novels, with just enough substance to give a quick fix when you only have a little time, or want more about the characters in what will become a favorite series for those who encounter it.
I was provided an audiobook copy from the authors for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

I really enjoyed this story, with well-developed characters that are engaging, to the interplay between Josh and Lexa, and even the pearls of “wisdom” sprinkled throughout the story by the seniors that provide a secondary story line, each character has a distinct level of importance to the story and its forward movement to the climax. While Alexa is very much the “good girl” who is very much invested in being needed, sorting problems and becoming a sense of strength for others, her underlying insecurities and determination to be independent are often influences warring within her. Josh is far less burdened by his past experiences, wanting simply to love and be loved in return, while being able to take care of his woman’s every need.

As the two start to explore their relationship and feelings for one another, Lexi realizes that she may finally be able to share her secret with Josh, yet she delays and procrastinates, allowing passion to take over and sex to speak for her heart as her lips remained silent. The sex scenes are beautifully written, if slightly retro in feel, bringing to mind a sensibility more suited to the 90’s: while that is never a bad thing, some of the references did bring a giggle.

Narrated by Johnny Peppers, there were some unusual moments that distracted and felt at odds with the story. Peppers has a beautiful voice, although there were tonal and voice adjustments that were meant to convey specific characters, many felt too ‘false’ to the character. While this is not the first (and will not be the last) male narrator I have heard voice a romance, his female voices felt more drag-queen and were distracting. Far more effective were the pacing changes, with slight distinctions in accent that distinguished the narration from the character voices, and I did notice several instances of multi-syllabic words losing a syllable. A dual narration utilizing male and female voice actors, or removing the focus from ‘sounding’ more female, and adopting those changes to concentrate more on volume, pacing and delivery would have made this a more enjoyable listen.

Overall, this was a good version, with a few voicing inconsistencies that distracted more than I would have hoped from the author’s very clever romance.

I received an AudioBook copy from the author for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

In another thoroughly enjoyable story from the pen of Donna Fasano, this audiobook version of His Wife for A While was the perfect afternoon listen: who can resist a sweet romance when the week gets too long?

Meet Chelsea: bookkeeper at the family orchard owned by Ben. With the recent death of his grandfather, Ben has some unusual conditions that he must meet to finalize the terms of the will, and save the orchard. Chelsea has overheard the discussions about this strange “condition” of the will: Ben must marry to keep his inheritance.

With narration provided with the perfect amount of emotional remove and insecurity while voicing Chelsea, and the hints of utter bewilderment featured in Ben’s interactions with her, Mary Lynn Bowen manages to incorporate the character’s emotions without overwhelming use of inflection or tone; providing an enhancement and not a distraction to the author’s words.

Chelsea is a bit difficult to appreciate, until she allows herself to remember the difficult times, and be vulnerable: her standoffish manner is easily misinterpreted as cold and calculating, not a defensive mechanism. With the addition of the narration, Bowen manages to convey the turmoil that is hidden within Chelsea, her deep insecurities and her inability to believe in herself. Ben is trying very hard to understand and give her the understanding she needs, but even he is often stymied at what to do. His general affable character and honest appreciation of Chelsea, his appreciation of the family and orchard, and even his underlying good humor all come through in his characterization, and make his character even more perfect a fit for Chelsea.

What feels like it could easily translate into a rather calculated means to an end plan concocted by Chelsea is quickly turned upside down, as she learns to trust and grow confident in her own worth; especially when seen through Ben’s eyes. This is a wonderful short and sweet romance that will leave you smiling.

I received an audiobook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Meet Casey, Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist for a well-regarded yet financially strapped Boston weekly. Daughter of a renown sports journalist, the 6’1” beauty is on the edge of a burnout breakdown, her emotional fragility is apparent to all who encounter her. After resigning her long-term position with the paper, the editor / owner, more family than friend, provides her with a villa in Mexico, all expenses paid, as she decides her next move.

Barely a day passes when Casey’s tranquility and isolation are breached by the strappingly handsome intruder, Travis. A friend of her editor’s son, Travis is also in need of a break, and has been offered the same villa for time to regroup as he strategizes for the next takeover.

Sparks fly, initially ignited from annoyance at intrusions into personal time and space, later from the realization of the sexual attraction. While Travis is very confident, and very tired of the ‘femme fatale’ types, and is instantly drawn to Casey’s beauty, lack of pretention and brains, his mission is to get her to realize all that she is. Casey is incredibly insecure and unsure, her height, lack of experience and two failed romantic interludes led her to believe that she is incapable of competing at that level, wishing instead to be tiny and helpless.

As the two interact with witty repartee and a great sense of freedom that comes with those “vacation’ romances, the sexual tension and not so veiled innuendo flows freely. Narrated with a sense of the character’s personalities and allowing the rhythm of the written word to guide their delivery, the dual narrations of Destiny Landon and Lee James fit the characters beautifully, and the delivery helps to reinforce the emotions conveyed in the text, as clearly as if the reader / listener was in that situation. No one paces or crafts dialogue as well as Elaine Raco Chase, and the narrators do not miss a beat throughout the story, those natural pace changes in conversation, emphasis on specific words, trailing off softly in confusion – all performed with aplomb.

With a liberal addition of erotically tempting details and scenes that fit both the timing and the characters, the relationship arc moves in a solidly real trajectory, even as we know that Travis is instantly gobsmacked by everything about Casey. And, for those of us who want, no need that “happy ever after”, this has that, and more moments that will bring a smile to your face and a sparkle in your eye.

I received an audiobook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Time travel back to the 1980’s and let Elaine Raco Chase be your guide. Meet Amanda, driven and accomplished businesswoman, with a flair for all things fashion. Her long-term friend Lucas, now a lawyer and her ‘go to’ for all questions of business has invited her down to his Texas home, under the auspices of a vacation / decorating trip.

While their relationship dances between ‘just friends’ and perhaps more, other entrants to the game of romance dance about the edges, creating conflict and choices until ultimate decisions must be made.

Again, Elaine has created a winner: from the overt feel of the 80’s in reference and innocence, to the beautiful use of alliteration and description that enforce the visual imagery created, this story has so many elements to enjoy that choosing just one is near impossible. As always, her dialogue is spot-on, banter is quick, sharp and realistic, with plenty of humor derived from words and situations . The narration by Jill Arehart is pleasant and smooth, without creating distraction from the story, and enhancing the emotion through small timbre and pitch changes. Her voice seems to delight in the luxe and verdant descriptions of fashion greats, and provides the simple note of tentative hesitation through the spotlighted descriptions that fit so well with the questioning nature of bot h Lucas and Amanda’s reactions to one another as the romantic ante is increased.

This is a description rich story, that allows the reader or listener to visualize each element, setting a scene beautifully, and again, presenting the hesitation as they slowly test the waters with one another’s reactions. Phrases like “the hand moved left” and “the eyes roamed” all reinforced their internal questions about moving the relationship onto another plane, and were particularly effective for Amanda in all of her encounters, as she is reticent and reserved, not willing to share herself or her heart with men.

Secondary characters are a mixed bag: while I did not like Wade, and found him overbearing and arrogant, Kitty was truly a non-entity both to the story and in Lucas’ estimation of her. As a spotlight to the question of platonic or romantic, this story worked on all fronts, and was a wonderful listen for an afternoon, especially for those of us who remember the 80’s.

I received an audiobook copy from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I truly enjoy the Countermeasure Series, and these short Bytes of Life extras are no exception. Uncharted spends 48 hours in the life of Trevor’s parents, Conor and Maeve. Written as a prequel to the Countermeasure series, but actually released after both of the full length stories, this Byte holds a special poignancy for those who are familiar with the series and the characters.

While setting the stage for the underlying personal mystery that threads through Trevor’s life, Tim Gerard Reynolds brings the characters to life with his mellifluous delivery and that special “something” that provides added emotional impact to the character’s voices. With small inflection and tonal changes, beautiful enunciation and that ‘touch of Eire in his voice, this short comes alive, and will bring reader’s familiar with the series to tears.

This is a lovely addition to the series, as an introduction the sense of characterization and emotional honesty that these authors bring: and wrap it all up neatly in a mystery. What more could you possibly want? A few more hours to listen to the rest of the series, or a weekend off to read the entire thing!

I was provided an audiobook copy from the authors for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

To Russia With love is the second book that I read in this series and the second Audio-Book production from this team of authors with the narration provided by Tim Gerard Reynolds. When I read these books last year – this was my favorite of the two: and the same holds true for the audiobook version. While Countermeasure served to introduce readers to the series, this installment helps to clearly display and define their dependence and reliance on one another, while they battle against the odds to solve another piece of the mystery.

Tim Gerard Reynolds has a lovely style and voice for narration: his un-characterized accent is just touched with a dash of lilting Irish softness that maintains clear enunciation and ease for all listeners. When character voices and accents are called for, the soft lilt becomes a strong brogue, and even manages to bring in a solid Putin-esque Russian guttural clip to the characters from Russia. Particularly genius is his ability to insert a soft pause between the voices of different characters without causing undue hesitation in the rapid-fire dialogue. This pairing of Reynolds with the work of Almeida and Aubrey is a well-polished production, with the narration serving only to highlight the work and not distract from the story.

Don’t despair listeners: there is a TON of action, adventure, danger and humor in this story, with a plot line that again could be ripped from the headlines. These authors have done their homework and manage to convey highly technical information with a sense of immediacy and context that never feels “teachy” or is hard to follow. Mixing those elements with the underlying love story of Cass and Trevor, with the moments of knee-shakingly erotic scenes will be sure to please, and serve to deepen the reader’s / listener’s appreciation for the love between the two.

This production is a winner on all fronts – and one that is sure to please fans of the series. Just be sure that you have read or heard Countermeasure first. You will appreciate To Russia With Love much more if you have.

I received an audiobook copy of this book from the authors for purpose of honest review at the Heard Word on I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Anyone who has followed this blog understands that I am a fan of Elaine Raco Chase’s writing – particularly her dialogue: there are few who write dialogue as well, that feels as natural and realistic. In Lady Be Bad she continues to produce dialogue that is both real and in some places, blindingly poignant.

In this story, Chase has mixed up the expectations for the reader: taking a story that starts with the heartbreak of love lost and focuses on Marlayna as she regroups and redirects her life, finding success although no answers in the life she built for herself after running from Atlanta after an unexpected divorce. Putting her best face forward, literally and figuratively, her modelling contract for a leading cosmetics company has her living comfortably if not entirely happily.

Invited to a weekend party to celebrate the cosmetic company owner’s daughter’s engagement was a ‘must appear’ for Marlayna: even though the proposed son in law was her ex-husband, Noah.
Now Noah was easy to dislike. Granted his reasoning for leaving Marlayna and not providing an answer was misguided selfishness, but his utter dishonesty towards his new, young and very immature fiancé was horrible. And even though his feelings for Marlayna are wholly apparent in word and description, any man who would remain silent as his fiancé explains that his “liking me is enough, I can live with that, I know you don’t love me”, is despicable.

Both Noah and Marlayna are beautifully portrayed, with decided development and growth for both as they face their past, their feelings and they hope for a future. The sexual tension and chemistry is apparent, even after all the years apart. The narration of Jill Arehart clearly delineates the underlying emotional state of the characters, from the immature tone and stridency, to frustration, playful teasing and flirting and even despair, without over-reaching in either tone or inflection.

This is a romance that is loaded with nuanced characters set within a story of love lost and regained, guaranteed to put a smile on your face by the end. Take some time to lose yourself and listen. You will not be disappointed.

I received a copy of the AudioBook from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.

I’m going to make a confession: there is no better way to relax after a long day or week than with a more ‘traditional’ contemporary romance: knowing that there is a guaranteed happy ending, where the characters and the writer’s skill combine to give you that perfect escape. This is where Donna Fasano excels, creating stories that everyone can relate to, merging romantic tension and interest with family and work concerns, real life issues, conflicts and conversations that could (and may have) happened in your very own living room.

Nanny and the Professor is another winner that has everything that I enjoy in a romance: great characters that have just enough baggage and flaws to be interesting, realistic family issues, sexual tension, humor and even a secret. Putting voice to these elements and bringing the story alive is Laura Jennings. I’ve said it before: you can hear the smile in her voice, and she incorporates minor differences in tone, pitch and pacing to distinguish the characters, all of which enhance the words that she is reading.

There are no great surprises here – except one. If you think that you could never enjoy a more ‘traditional’ contemporary romance that is set in a town near you, this story will change your mind, and leave you smiling and relaxed.

I received an AudioBook version from the author for purpose of honest review for the Heard Word at I am, Indeed. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.