carollistens

"Heat Rises" is one of my favourite audiobooks to listen to and enjoy over again.

An interesting plot that is made more exciting by it's heroine. Nikki Heat has strong convictions, and doesn't suffer fools. She is one of the strongest female leads I have ever read, equal measure confident and compassionate and smart. This is one of the few audiobooks I have bookmarked selections to go back and listen to over again.

The narration is clear and the voices distinct for the characters; however, I would have preferred hearing a woman's voice to match Nikki's view.

"Two for the Dough" is *hilarious*! I found myself laughing more and cringing less than while reading the first novel, as Stephanie has more experience with bounty hunting. Also her family and friends are more involved in her work life, Grandma Mazur being central to helping her solve the mystery. A fun time with Stephanie, I'm looking forward to "Three!"

Danger Point is an cozy murder mystery set in 1939, and begins when a young wife overhears disturbing gossip about her husband and his first wife. Miss Silver makes few appearances, I found myself wanting to read more about her! The story itself was entertaining; however the heroine was often listless and had such poor self-esteem that most of my motivation to finish was to learn how she would fair off.

My first Miss Silver mystery, not my last!

My attention was drawn to this great title... Living Successfully With Screwed Up People. But the book has much more substance than I had anticipated, and a little more heavy (emotionally) in areas than I would have cared for. There is great advice for how to deal with screwed up people of all kinds, whether it be your family, work colleague, or partner, and the situations in which they are giving you difficulty. I especially enjoyed the advice on humour and self-control.

A good deal of the book reflects back at the reader, asking if perhaps the reader is the screwed up person in these situations, and giving advice on how to deal with fixing that. A good listen!

Loretta LaRoche has long been a favourite inspirational speaker of mine, and I knew going into this audiobook that she would provide me with some much needed perspective on stress-related events in my life. She did not disappoint, and I enjoyed listening to her stories and advice in her own voice.

Listening to Loretta is like sitting down with a wise aunt or good friend, who has a clear perspective on people and relationships, and how stressful things were managed much better in her grandmother's time, and she steers you back on course with common sense and humour. Sometimes the message can be repetitive to listen to - after all, this is a 6 hour audiobook and I found myself breaking up chapters with a fictional audiobook. But even she doesn't take herself too seriously, as she advises not to look for all the answers in gurus like herself. Entertaining!

Happy, fun, and surprising!

Absolutely! There is some world building, as this may be the first story in the series but it's not Chet and Bernie's first adventure. Told from the POV of Chet the dog, he doesn't dwell on his mistakes or take life too seriously - as long as there's food and Bernie in his life, he's quite happy.

Chet is very capable and smart, though his memory isn't all that good. The mystery is suspenseful, especially when Chet is alone in scary situations and has to find a way out of them!

Jim Frangione has a carefree tone to his voice that goes great with Chet's attitude.

Without spoiling the book too much,Chet finds himself in a few life and death situations that had me on the edge of my seat, hoping he'd make it through okay!

Entertaining, Scary, Unpredictable!

A complex heroine and supporting characters help support a plot that has enough twists to keep the reader guessing what's next. The author has a good sense of timing - just enough description and dialogue, no setting feels extraneous. Lily's history as a witch and the people who are drawn to her reputation, her new friends and clients as a shop owner, her new familiar, and yes - the actual mystery, come together for a full, enjoyable book!

This is my first listen to Xe Sands, and I now consider myself a fan. Her gentle voice is a perfect match for a strong, grounded character.

When Lily and Matt are investigating Francis' house, I found myself genuinely scared, not something I would expect in a "cozy" mystery!

Looking forward to more books by Juliet Blackwell!!

The first novel in the Hamish MacBeth series, it's enjoyable to go back to the beginning and read how this series began, including Hamish's initial friendship with Priscilla and his lackadaisical lifestyle. The villagers don't play as prominent a role as in later books but it's interesting - knowing the adventures to come, to read (primarily) an outsider's POV of Lockdubh and Hamish.

One of the most memorable, and hilarious, moments was when Hamish was hiding from the Colonel in Priscilla's bed - the romance begins!

I have listened to other Hamish MacBeth mysteries narrated by Davina Porter and they are all very enjoyable listens. She gives each character a unique voice that suits the situation. I listen to books in a loud work setting and I could hear every word clearly, something that doesn't always happen with audiobooks.

Be careful what you fish for ;)