A Good Audiobook Speaks Volumes Holiday Blog Tour and Giveaway

I'm today's stop on the APA's A Good Audiobook Speaks Volumes Holiday Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I absolutely adore audiobooks! I've always got one or two on the go. I listen to them in the car back and forth to work, family road trips, when I'm sewing or cleaning or when I can't sleep at night. And it's another way to find time to 'read'. I find listening immerses me in the story - often more that reading would have. Here's a few I've recently listened to....

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike. Narrated by Toni Frutin. (Such an amazing Scottish accent!) Historical fiction at it's best. "Philippa Gregory meets Game of Thrones in this sweeping historical fiction trilogy that breathes new life into the story of Camelot."Listen to an excerpt of The Lost Queen.My review.

Elevation by Stephen King. Narrated by the author himself. A novella that's a timely tale for anyone, especially at this time of the year. Not the horror story but you might have assumed, but some otherworldly, unexplainable elements. Uplifting, you might say! Listen to an excerpt of Elevation. My review.

And here's what I have cued up next.Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by&Beth Macy.Narrated by the author herself. I 'read' most of my non-fiction in audiobook format.Listen to an excerpt of Dopesick.

I loved the ensemble cast of Dry. And the premise? Closer to reality than you think...."When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival." So good! My review.

Check out what the other bloggers on the 'A Good Audiobook Speaks Volumes Holiday Blog Tour' are listening to....full schedule can be found here. #loveaudiobooks

And if you enjoy or want to try listening to audiobooks, I have an amazing giveaway for you today - 8 amazing titles to download courtesy of some great publishers. Enter to win using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US only, ends December 8th. The winner will be sent codes to download the books from libro.fm.

1. Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak,courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio
2. Spill by Leigh Fondakowski, courtesy of LA Theatre Works
3. How to Be Less Stupid About Race by Crystal Fleming, courtesy of Beacon Press
4. An America Marriage by Tayari Jones, courtesy of HighBridge Audio
5. Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton, courtesy of Tantor Audio
6. The Hunger Games: Special Edition by Suzanne Collins, courtesy of Scholastic
7. The Library Book by Susan Orlean, courtesy of Simon Audio
8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty, courtesy of Macmillan Audio

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Her Nightly Embrace - Adi Tantimedh

Her Nightly Embrace by Adi Tantimedh is the first in a planned trilogy - The Ravi PI books.

"Before we start, there's something you should know.
I see gods.
Usually in the corner of my eye. They just pop up from time to time, deities from the Hindu pantheon.
I never talk to them. I don't want to.
They never talk to me, just watch in silent judgement. Occasionally they tut-tut and tweet about me to one another on their phones.
I'm not mentally ill. Honest
Back when this started, I was switching from anti-psychotics, to mood stabilizers to anti-anxiety to anti-depressant medications before I finally got it under control.
I haven't been seeing many gods lately. That must be a good sign."

Ravi Singh is a failed religious scholar and secondary school teacher. There was that breakdown with the god thing. But the meds seemed to have helped and he's embarked on a new career as a  private investigator at the prestigious Golden Sentinel Investigations. (His friend David got him in) Golden Sentinel takes on cases for the rich, celebrities and those who need their cases handled with the utmost discretion.

Now, you might be questioning Ravi being asked to join such a prestigious firm. But the rest of the employees are all a little, well, quirky also. Each is very talented in their own way. I love ensemble casts. It might takes a few chapters to keep everyone straight, but they all have strong personalities and talents, so it really won't take you long. And let's not forget the gods. They start by showing up, but as the cases progress, they start interacting.....

"My coworkers are a bunch of brilliant f***ups with nowhere else to go. They're ex-coppers, lawyers, hackers, tech geeks. I feel under-qualified next to them. I'm not sure I belong, but I have nowhere else to go, either."

Ravi is still the newbie on the team, but is given a case involving a high profile politician as a bit of a test. You see, the politician insists that his girlfriend is showing up in the middle of the night and having sex with him. He has body fluids for proof. The problem you ask? Well, his girlfriend is dead. Seems like this is the perfect case for Ravi as those Hindu gods are showing up again.

There are four cases in Her Nightly Embrace. Each reads like a short story on their own, but there are threads joining them together in the form of supporting characters as well as Ravi's personal life. I adored his family - especially his parents. That little gambling problem his mother has only goes to prove that addiction does run in families.

Ravi is suave, quick thinking and a smooth talker. Half the fun in this book were the somewhat (okay a bit more than somewhat) outlandish cases. The other half is the way Ravi handles things - again, not how you would expect.

As the book progresses, we learn a bit more about the founders of the agency. And the plot thickens a bit here, setting up lots of fodder for the next two books.

Ravi is the narrator, so the reader only sees events through his eyes. I found this a bit one sided - I think I would like to see the other character's viewpoints once in awhile. Tantimedh's writing is definitely plot driven. The details of Ravi's personal life and some of his observations came across as somewhat dispassionate.

All in all, Her Nightly Embrace was a completely fun and different look at the PI genre. Read an excerpt of Her Nightly Embrace. (For gentle readers - be advised that her Nightly Embrace does contain some sex and violence.)

Tantimedh says that "I originally thought I’d write some short stories about Ravi and his cases and perhaps pitch them as a TV series later on. I just wanted to update private detective fiction and tell stories that hadn’t been seen before in the genre." Well, Ravi PI is currently in development as a TV series set to star Sendhil Ramamurthy (NBC’s Heroes and Heroes Reborn) He's a great choice for this character! Sendhil will also be voicing the audiobook.

“Her Nightly Embrace introduces us to an exciting and dynamic new world of storytelling in which spirituality and science are inextricably entwined. Ravi is a character unlike any that readers have quite encountered before, and as he starts to see increasingly wild and fascinating visions, so will those lucky enough to dive into this rich narrative.” -- Deepak Chopra

"Adi Tantimedh has a BA in English Literature from Bennington College and an MFA in Film and Television Production from New York University. He is of Chinese-Thai descent and came of age in Singapore and London. He has written radio plays and television scripts for the BBC and screenplays for various Hollywood companies, as well as graphic novels for DC Comics and Big Head Press, and a weekly column about pop culture for BleedingCool.com. He wrote “Zinky Boys Go Underground,” the first post-Cold War Russian gangster thriller, which won the BAFTA for Best Short Film in 1995." You can connect with Adi on Twitter.

The Kept Woman - Karin Slaughter

I stumbled across Karin Slaughter's first book, Blindsighted, back in 2002. On turning the last page, I knew she was an author I wanted more from. And Slaughter has not disappointed! Her latest book is The Kept Woman, newly released and the eighth book in the Trent series.

Over the years, two series have evolved - The Grant County and Will Trent books. (along with some really great stand-alones)

Will and his partner Faith (both whom work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation) are called out to a murder at a construction site. The body is identified as that of an ex-cop - and then things get a little more complicated. There's blood evidence at the scene of a badly hurt second victim, but no body. And if that's not enough, the building site belongs to a high profile athlete who's run afoul of the GBI in the past.

What has made Slaughter one of my all time favourite authors? Her characters - I feel like I've come to know them - and yes, care about them. Each new entry in this series has me wondering what will happen in their lives. And there's no predicting - Slaughter absolutely keeps the reader on their toes, anticipating  - and fearing - what might happen next. There are characters I don't like as well. But, Slaughter has given them just as much development. The 'negative' characters, if you will, have a full background and reasons behind their personalities and actions.

Plotting. Oh, man can Slaughter write a story. I often wonder how far ahead she has the series planned. With each book, a little more about the continuing storyline is revealed. This runs parallel the the mystery within each book. Both are just excellent. The first half of the book I was totally engrossed, really enjoying the story, thinking I knew where the plot was headed. (And I had mixed feelings about the direction I thought Slaughter was taking) And then BAM....she totally sucker punched me.....and took the plot in another direction. And then, just when I thought there couldn't be any more surprises in order, there's another revelation. Secrets everywhere. Loved it!

And the ending - well, the case is sewed up.....but there's an ominous last line that leaves the door open for the next book. And this reader will be eagerly waiting for it. Highly recommended - five stars for me. I would recommend reading the backlist to get a full appreciation for the long game plot Slaughter is unravelling before reading this latest. Trust me, you'll be a fan. Read an excerpt of The Kept Woman.

Cr:Alison Rosa

"Karin Slaughter is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the Will Trent and Grant County series and the instant New York Times bestselling standalones, Cop Town and Pretty Girls. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print around the world." Find out more about Karin at her website and connect with her on Facebook. See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

I received this book for review from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

The Kept Woman - Karin Slaughter

I stumbled across Karin Slaughter's first book, Blindsighted, back in 2002. On turning the last page, I knew she was an author I wanted more from. And Slaughter has not disappointed! Her latest book is The Kept Woman, newly released and the eighth book in the Trent series.

Over the years, two series have evolved - The Grant County and Will Trent books. (along with some really great stand-alones)

Will and his partner Faith (both whom work for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation) are called out to a murder at a construction site. The body is identified as that of an ex-cop - and then things get a little more complicated. There's blood evidence at the scene of a badly hurt second victim, but no body. And if that's not enough, the building site belongs to a high profile athlete who's run afoul of the GBI in the past.

What has made Slaughter one of my all time favourite authors? Her characters - I feel like I've come to know them - and yes, care about them. Each new entry in this series has me wondering what will happen in their lives. And there's no predicting - Slaughter absolutely keeps the reader on their toes, anticipating  - and fearing - what might happen next. There are characters I don't like as well. But, Slaughter has given them just as much development. The 'negative' characters, if you will, have a full background and reasons behind their personalities and actions.

Plotting. Oh, man can Slaughter write a story. I often wonder how far ahead she has the series planned. With each book, a little more about the continuing storyline is revealed. This runs parallel the the mystery within each book. Both are just excellent. The first half of the book I was totally engrossed, really enjoying the story, thinking I knew where the plot was headed. (And I had mixed feelings about the direction I thought Slaughter was taking) And then BAM....she totally sucker punched me.....and took the plot in another direction. And then, just when I thought there couldn't be any more surprises in order, there's another revelation. Secrets everywhere. Loved it!

And the ending - well, the case is sewed up.....but there's an ominous last line that leaves the door open for the next book. And this reader will be eagerly waiting for it. Highly recommended - five stars for me. I would recommend reading the backlist to get a full appreciation for the long game plot Slaughter is unravelling before reading this latest. Trust me, you'll be a fan. Read an excerpt of The Kept Woman.

Cr:Alison Rosa

"Karin Slaughter is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including the Will Trent and Grant County series and the instant New York Times bestselling standalones, Cop Town and Pretty Girls. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print around the world." Find out more about Karin at her website and connect with her on Facebook. See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

I received this book for review from HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

The Ex - Alafair Burke

I don't even look at the flyleaf when I see Alafair Burke's name on the cover - I just know I'm going to enjoy it. Burke's latest is The Ex.  

The first few chapters of a book are always important to me - is my interest piqued? Do I want to know what happens next? Burke absolutely had me curious. The first few pages are the transcript of a police interview. Jack Harris believes he's helping the police with their investigation - he was in the vicinity when a shooter killed three people. Instead, it turns out they think Jack did it......

Olivia Randall is a powerhouse criminal defense lawyer - tough, brash and dedicated to her clients. She's also the woman who broke Jack's heart twenty years ago when she walked out on him. When Jack's daughter approaches her to defend Jack, she immediately says yes. After all, the Jack she knows couldn't kill anyone...........could he?

I liked the character of Olivia - flaws and all - she's someone you would want in your corner. The flaws and doubts made her believable. Jack was a tricky one - he comes across as likable, but there was just something about him. And that niggling doubt kept me reading another chapter...and another. Burke drops hints, teasers and memories as the book progresses. I did have my suspicions as the end neared, but Burke's gotcha at the end was well played.

Burke herself is a lawyer - the legal and courtroom scenes in the book benefit from her expertise. I would love to see another book with Olivia - perhaps she'll get her own series?

Burke has done it again - an excellent premise, great plotting and an entertaining, addictive, satisfying read. See for yourself - here's an excerpt of The Ex.

"Alafair Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of ten previous novels, including the standalone thrillers Long Gone and If You Were Here, and the Ellie Hatcher series: All Day and a Night, Never Tell, 212, Angel’s Tip, and Dead Connection. She is also the coauthor of the Under Suspicion series with Mary Higgins Clark. A former prosecutor, she is now a professor of criminal law and lives in Manhattan."  Find out more about Alafair at her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter. See what others on the TLC book tour thought - full schedule can be found here.