Know Your Newlywed - Elena Armas and Hillary Nussbaum and Heather Taylor

I love audio books and I often pair one up with - cleaning the house, doing laundry, or maybe just a quick rest on the couch with my eyes closed.

Hillary Nussbaum, Heather Taylor and Elena Armas made it very hard to get back up off the couch with their audio book  - Know Your Newlywed!

 

Do you remember watching game shows that had newlyweds for contestants? And the prizes might have been a kettle or a fridge? This new version boasts a prize much larger than that! And that's what prompts Javi and Cleo to apply. Javi and Cleo are characters that you can't help but like. I had my fingers crossed for them! A wonderful rom-com plot ensues. 

I've often said that I get more immerged in a tale when I listen to it. The was definitely the case with Know Your Newlywed. I loved the two leads, Tyler Posey and Mary Mouser. Their voices were perfect for the characters. Posey has a little gravel in his voice that really works for the character and his nature. He doesn't rush. Mouser easily captures her character with a faster pace of speaking. Her voice matches the character. The supporting cast is one of the largest I've ever listened to. I really liked that - I never had to guess who was speaking. A large cast presents a richer listen for me. Everyone spoke clearly and was easy on the ears. And another nice detail was the background noises - telephones, clapping, horns, and more.

An excellent presentation of a excellent and fun rom-com!  An easy 5 stars,

4 hours and 54 minutes

Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge - Lizzie Pook

Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook.

Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook is most definitely going on my 'favourite listens' list for 2024.

The cover and title captured my interest right away, especially the 'Glorious Revenge" part. Who? Why? What happened? Maude's sister Constance is reported as dead by the British Admiralty, who claims her death was an accident. I was hooked after reading the full synopsis. There's such an imaginative plot just waiting to be discovered by the listener. I truly wasn't able to put it down.   

What else? Well, the setting for sure. The book is set in Victorian London in the early 1850's. Pook did a wonderful job building her setting, capturing society, architecture, mores, language, current events and more. The details woven throughout create strong mental images and immerse the listener.

What about the characters? I loved Maude - her tenacity, her wily determination and her love for her family. We come to know Constance from her diary. And when you're looking for the antagonist? They won't be hard to find.

Does Maude get her revenge? Well, I'm not going to spoil things for you. Lets just say that there's lots of action. And a twist that was great. What a fantastic listen! An easy five stars for the writing and the performance.

The reader was Genevieve Gaunt and she was the perfect choice. She has a voice that is low and smoky. Words are slightly drawn out - and that immerses the listener even deeper into the book. Her speaking is clear and easy to understand. Her accent seems very fitting for the era. She does a great job of  capturing the emotion and action of  Pook's work. Voices are provided for other characters that are just as fitting.  

Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge.

Lying Beside You - Michael Robotham

If Michael Robotham is the author, then I'll be reading it! Lying Beside You is the third book in his Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac series.

As a child, Cyrus survived a horrendous crime. As an adult, he works as a forensic psychologist who consults with the police. Evie too has survived appalling damage as a child. The one unusual thing she has is her ability to know when someone is lying. Cyrus has taken Evie under his wing, providing a home, an education and someone who believes in her.

Cyrus has been called in to profile on a case involving a murder and the disappearance of a young woman. And at her new part time job at a bar, Evie calls an uber to make sure that an inebriated woman gets safely home. Except she's not safe - she's now missing. Evie was the last one to see her - and the driver. Home life is complicated as Cyrus's brother is now coming for visits - from a secure psychiatric prison. 

I really like this pair of lead characters. Cyrus's deductive reasoning and sensible, calm manner is a polar opposite to Evie. She questions authority, rules and struggles to fit in. The supporting cast brings back many familiar faces and new ones as well. I found it easy to discern who I didn't like!

And just as good as the characterizations is the plotting. Robotham never takes the reader on a straight path to the final answer. I now that and yet, I was pretty sure I knew who the culprit was many chapters from the end. I was happily proven wrong as the path took a large turn as the final pages  got closer.  

Lying Beside You is another fantastic book from Robotham. I'm looking forward to his next book!

I chose to listen to Lying Beside You. And that choice was made based on the reader - Joe Jameson. He read the first and second books and I appreciate the continuity. His voice is rich and full and his speaking voice is clear and easy to understand. He has created voices for each character that suit perfectly. Cyrus's is calm and measured - the voice of reason. The Evie voice is great - you can hear the walls she's put up, the chip on her shoulder and the attitude that hides her insecurity. Just as identifiable are the voices for the supporting players. Jameson interprets the book well and uses his voice effectively, capturing the  emotions, situations danger and action as the book plays out. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I find myself more drawn into a book when I listen to it. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Lying Beside You.

The Appeal - Janice Hallett

Oh my gosh! Janice Hallett's new novel, The Appeal, is absolutely brilliant!

From Simon and Schuster: "Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this “dazzlingly clever” (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick child—but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect.

Okay, so that descriptor alone had me hooked. But! What really had me excited was that book is an epistolary novel, told only through emails, messages, memos, newspaper stories, letters and more. I adore this style of story telling.

What else? Well there's a large (but manageable) set of characters (suspects), all with a connection to the Fairway Players, an amateur theater group. One of the troupe has been incarcerated after the death of one of their fellow thespians. Two young law students have been tasked with going through the correspondence in an effort to launch an appeal and clear that conviction.

The clues are slowly revealed from differing viewpoints. I felt like I was in an Agatha Christie novel, trying to ferret out the damning piece of evidence, ready to point my finger with a satisfied ah ha! Well, point I did, but at almost every character along the way. Hallett's plotting is deliciously devious. It's all so very, very clever. The Appeal is easily one of my favorites for the year!

I chose to listen to The Appeal. I wondered if the epistolary element would translated to the audio version well. For this listener it was even better. The readers were Aysha Kala, Daniel Philpott, Rachel Adedeji and Sid Sagar. They all did a spectacular job. There are two female characters that 'speak' more than others. The voices for these two were perfect - Sarah Jane is no nonsense and forceful. Izzy is not as sure of herself and a little clueless and her voice reflects that. The male characters' voices were also perfect for the mental images I was creating - smooth and cultured - and yes, a little bit smarmy. The British accents are very easy to understand. The speed of speaking was just right and was easy to understand. All of the readers captured the tone of the book and interpreted it well, doing justice to Hallett's book. As much as I know I would have enjoyed reading The Appeal, I found the audio version to be even better. Soooooo good!! Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of The Appeal.

Yours Cheerfully - AJ Pearce

I absolutely adored AJ Pearce's debut novel, Dear Mrs. Bird. I was thrilled to find she had written a second book featuring the indomitable Emmy Lake. Yours Cheerfully is newly released - and it's just as wonderful as the first book!

1941 Britain. Emmeline Lake works for Women's Friend magazine. She's now in charge of the advice column, Yours Cheerfully. Her role expands even further when women's magazines are asked to help recruit female workers to the war effort, such as working in munitions factories.

What has endeared this series to me? Pearce has created an absolutely delightful character in Emmy. She's plucky, (don't you love that descriptor?) irrepressible and so darn likeable. The supporting cast includes best friend Bunty, the magazine staff, the women in the factories and more and are just as well drawn. I easily became invested in their stories.

Pearce has captured the stalwart attitude of the Brits in the war years, the 'can do' attitude, the camaraderie of the women and their determination to help the war effort. Her plotting is based on historical happening. Her detailed descriptions paint vivid mental images of wartime Britain. And I quite liked the features, stories and letters from the magazine.

Pearce also weaves romance into her books, both found and lost. Again, all capturing the time period. The social mores, the joy in simple things, the making do and more. And more is what I want! Pearce is working on the third book and I can't wait to see what's next for Emmy and et al. Absolutely recommended! 

I chose to listen to Yours Cheerfully. The narrator was Anna Popplewell and she was the perfect choice. Her voice matched the mental image I had created for Emmy. Popplewell also voiced the first book and the continuity is appreciated. She has a lovely rich British accent that is very pleasant to listen to. She enunciates well and speaks at a good speed. Her voice has movement, rising and falling as she narrates She easily captures the emotions of the characters, the tone of situations and the action of the book with her voice. An excellent performance. Hear for yourself - listen to an excerpt of Yours Cheerfully.

The Other Passenger - Louise Candlish

I've had Louise Candlish's new novel, The Other Passenger, on my must listen list after seeing praise from other suspense authors that I enjoy, such as Ruth Ware, B.A. Paris, Lucey Foley etc. The audio version has just released.

I love books that open with strangers meeting on a train, a plane, or in this case, a water bus. There's a wealth of directions that a plot could travel from such an opener. Do they reveal personal details? Or is it just nice to have met some fellow commuters suffering the drudge of getting to work?

Jamie and Kit meet on the water bus and it turns out that their partners also work together. Jamie and Clare are older, but they enjoy Kit and Melia's company. Fast forward - Kit goes missing and the police want to question Jamie.

Okay, that's the (very) short version. There is so much that happens between that initial meeting and Kit going missing. Friendship, rivalry, truth, lies, secrets....and guess what? Yup, someone's lying.

The Other Passenger is told through Jamie's eyes - his thoughts, his actions, his recounting of what Clare did or thought, his opinion and take on Kit and Melia, as well as the other two members of the 'Water Rats' that take the water bus. And while I felt like I should be on Jamie's side, I had a hard time with that. I didn't find him to be likable, actually I didn't like any of the four main players. I do applaud Candlish's skill in creating them. They're perfectly unlikable.

But what's even better is Candlish's plotting! She adroitly manipulates the listener, taking us down one path, only to jump the hedge with no warning and take us in a completely different direction. (I actually rewound a couple of times, just to make sure I had hear right!) Detailed, devious and downright diabolical. And the ending? Not what I expected at all, but very fitting.

This was a first listen/reading of Louise Candlish and it most definitely won't be my last. Excellent!

I chose to listen to The Other Passenger. The narrator was BAFTA-nominated actor Steven Mackintosh.  What a fantastic choice!

 And how about this!? "Candlish said: "I'm guessing it's rare for a character in a novel to be written for a specific actor, but I've been a huge Steve Mackintosh fan for decades and always had him in mind for Jamie. He brings him to life with such charisma and sardonic menace. This is a very special treat for audio lovers - and for me!"

Mackinstosh has such a wonderfully expressive voice. He immediately draws you into the story and keeps you there, listening to just one more chapter, then another. Mackinstosh takes that unlikable character and gives the perfect tone - an innocent caught up in something beyond him, but then smug and condescending. His inner thoughts are very well played. His voice is easy to understand (British accent). This was interesting - Jamie is quite nervous at times and Mackintosh's swallows to highlight the character's state of mine. Odd, but it totally worked. His pace of speaking is just right, pausing to punctate and point or thought.An excellent performance. Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of The Other Passenger.