Welcome to the January 2018 Audio Book of the Month Poll!
Here are all our Audio Reviews from the previous month, in no particular order. Please vote for your favorites. As with all of our Polls, you can vote for as many as you want, but you only get one visit, so make it count!
The top two will go through to the Audio of the Year Poll!
POLL SCHEDULE:
This poll will remain open until at least 6PM, Amsterdam time next Friday. The actual closing time will vary depending on blog staff schedules…
The Master Will Appear by L.A. Witt (Author) & Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
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ITLE: The Master Will Appear
AUTHOR: L.A. Witt
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH: 12 hours, 59 minutes
RELEASE DATE: January 2, 2018
BLURB:
Dr. Mikhail “Misha” Budnikov takes one look at fellow fencer Ryan O’Connor and instantly knows his type. The undisciplined hothead is all ego with no finesse and even less control. In short, Misha’s pet peeves personified. To put the arrogant kid in check, Misha challenges him to a sparring match, which he predictably wins.
Not so predictably, Ryan asks him to be a mentor and show him how to fence. Startled by the moment of humility, Misha agrees.
What begins as fencing lessons becomes something much hotter, and before they know it, Misha is giving Ryan an entirely different kind of education. Dominance, submission, pain, pleasure—at the hands of an older, experienced man, a whole new world is opening up for Ryan.
As the trust deepens and their bond strengthens, though, Ryan retreats because that sham called love left him jaded long ago. Cynical beyond his years, he’s not letting his guard down, least of all for a thrice-divorced man twice his age.
Now Misha has to find a way to crack through those defenses…or accept defeat and walk away from the submissive who might just be the love of his life. Read more
The Devil’s Brew (Sinners #2.5) by Rhys Ford (Author) & Tristan James (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: The Devil’s Brew
SERIES: Sinners #2.5
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
NARRATOR: Tristan James
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2014
LENGTH: 1 hour 34 minutes
BLURB:
Miki St. John’s life has been turned upside down, but it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
His best friend, Damien Mitchell, is back from the dead. He has a dog named Dude. And more importantly, he and his lover SFPD Inspector Kane Morgan now share Miki’s converted warehouse.
For the first time ever, Miki’s living a happy and normal-ish life, but when Valentine’s Day rolls around, Miki realizes he knows next to nothing about being domestic or domesticated. Nothing about the traditional lover’s holiday makes sense to him, but Miki wants to give Kane a Valentine’s Day the man will never forget.
Can he pull off a day of wine and roses? Or will his screwed-up childhood come back and bite Miki in the ass?
Again. Read more
Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1) by A.M. Arthur (Author) & Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: Wild Trail
SERIES: Clean Slate Ranch #1
AUTHOR: A.M. Arthur
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
PUBLISHER: Harlequin Audio
LENGTH: 9 hours, 17 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2017
BLURB:
Welcome to Clean Slate Ranch: home of tight jeans, cowboy boots, and rough trails. For some men, it’s a fantasy come true.
Mack Garrett loves the rolling hills surrounding his Northern California dude ranch. Leading vacationers on horse trails with his two best friends is enough – romance is definitely not in the cards. When a sexy tourist shows up at Clean Slate, he’s as far from Mack’s type as can be. So why is the handsome city slicker so far under his skin in less than a day?
Roughing it in the middle of nowhere isn’t anywhere near Wes Bentley’s idea of fun. Then he lays eyes on the gruffest, hottest papa bear he’s ever seen. But Mack is as hard to pin down as he looks – distant, sharp-tongued, and in desperate need of a shave. Until a campout gone wrong strands both men in the mountains with nothing to do but get to know each other.
Mack intends to keep his closely guarded heart out of Wes’ very talented hands. But for a seven-day cowboy, Wes is packing some long-term possibility. The cold country air can do wonders for bringing bodies together – but it will take more than that to bridge the distance between two men whose lives are worlds apart. Read more
Sinner’s Gin (Sinners #1) by Rhys Ford (Author) & Tristan James (Narrator )
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Sinner’s Gin
SERIES: Sinners #1
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
NARRATOR: Tristan James
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: January 3, 2014
LENGTH: 7 hours 57 minutes
BLURB:
There’s a dead man in Miki St. John’s vintage Pontiac GTO, and he has no idea how it got there.
After Miki survives the tragic accident that killed his best friend and the other members of their band, Sinner’s Gin, all he wants is to hide from the world in the refurbished warehouse he bought before their last tour. But when the man who sexually abused him as a boy is killed and his remains are dumped in Miki’s car, Miki fears death isn’t done with him yet.
Kane Morgan, the SFPD inspector renting space in the art co-op next door, initially suspects Miki had a hand in the man’s murder, but Kane soon realizes Miki is as much a victim as the man splattered inside the GTO. As the murderer’s body count rises, the attraction between Miki and Kane heats up. Neither man knows if they can make a relationship work, but despite Miki’s emotional damage, Kane is determined to teach him how to love and be loved – provided, of course, Kane can catch the killer before Miki becomes the murderer’s final victim. Read more
Oversight by Santino Hassell (Author) & Greg Boudreaux (Narrator)
Reviewed by Christian (Brianna)
TITLE: Oversight
SERIES: The Community Series, Book 2
AUTHOR: Santino Hassell
NARRATOR: Greg Boudreaux
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 6 hrs and 44 mins
RELEASE DATE: Januari 18, 2018
BLURB:
Holden Payne has it all…or so he thinks. As heir to the founder of the Community – an organization that finds, protects, and manages psychics – he’s rich, powerful, and treated like royalty. But after a series of disappearances and murders rock the Community, he’s branded the fall guy for the scandal and saddled with a babysitter.
Sixtus Rossi is a broad-shouldered, tattooed lumbersexual with a man bun and a steely gaze. He’s also an invulnerable – supposedly impervious to both psychic abilities and Holden’s charms. It’s a claim Holden takes as a challenge. Especially if sleeping with Six may help him learn whether the Community had more to do with the disappearances than they claimed.
As Holden uncovers the truth, he also finds himself getting in deep with the man sent to watch him. His plan to seduce Six for information leads to a connection so intense that some of Six’s shields come crashing down. And with that comes a frightening realization: Holden has to either stand by the Community that has given him everything, or abandon his old life to protect the people he loves. Read more
Reviewed by Louisa
TITLE: Five Dares 
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
NARRATOR: Tristan Josiah
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 6h 9m
RELEASE DATE: December 19th 2017
BLURB:
Andy Tyler has been the class daredevil since middle school. Over the years, he’s convinced his best friend, Jake Masterson, to perform some dangerous-looking stunts with him. But the dare they attempt on the night of their college graduation goes sideways. The firecrackers explode too soon and both of them end up with badly burned palms.
But hey, nothing gets the “terrible two-o” down for long, and they recuperate in style at Andy’s family cottage in Cape Cod. As the weeks go by, both Andy and Jake grow frustrated over the inability to use their hands for all sorts of daily activities—including getting off. So Andy begins a new series of dares that don’t just cross the friendship line, they obliterate it.
But what might be mere sexual relief to Andy is serious business to Jake, who only recently got over years of secret pining for his straight best friend. Inevitably, the burns heal, summer ends, and hearts are broken. To fix things, Andy will have to face the greatest dare of all. Read more
Love Wanted by John Inman (Author) & Ezekiel Robison (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Love Wanted
AUTHOR: John Inman
NARRATOR: Ezekiel Robison
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
RELEASE DATE: October 18, 2017
LENGTH: 9 hours 15 minutes
BLURB:
When it rains, it pours. Not only has Larry Walls been evicted from his apartment, but his hours have also been cut at the department store where he works, leaving him facing homelessness.
Meanwhile, Bo Lansing, a total stranger to Larry, toils at a dead-end job as a fry cook while attending night classes to become a certified chef. When the school closes its doors without warning, leaving Bo in the lurch for thousands of dollars in tuition, his dream of becoming a chef is shattered and his financial troubles spiral.
Desperate for a new beginning, each man answers an ad for live-in help posted by a wealthy recluse, and wonder of wonders, they are both hired! Just as their lives begin to improve, a young Kumeyaay Indian named Jimmy Blackstone joins the workforce at the Stanhope mansion.
When Mr. Stanhope’s true reason for hiring the young men is discovered by one of the three, a fourth entity makes its presence known.
Greed.
With all these players vying for position in a game of intrigue orchestrated by one lonely old man and a mischievous ghost, can a simple thing like love ever hope to survive the fray? Read more
Dyeing to be Loved (Curl Up and Dye Mysteries #1) by Aimee Nicole Walker (Author) & Joel Leslie (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Dyeing to be Loved
SERIES: Curl Up and Dye #1
AUTHOR: Aimee Nicole Walker
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Self Published
RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2017
LENGTH: 8 hours 49 minutes
BLURB:
Gabriel Wyatt is a big city Detective living in a small Ohio town. He expects a peaceful existence once he moves from Miami, Florida, but that’s the last thing he finds. Instead, Gabe discovers murder, mayhem, and one smart-mouthed stylist he can’t get out of his head.
Josh “Jazz” Roman is a small town salon owner with big dreams and an attitude to match. He finds himself in the middle of a case that brings the dreamy detective to his front door. Josh learns that the biggest threat to him isn’t a killer; it’s a man who wants something from him that he vowed to never give again – his heart.
Both men deny that there’s something between them, even though they’re drawn together like magnets. Can Gabe convince Josh to let down his guard or will Josh let past hurts destroy his chance at a happy future? Read more
Dragon’s Hoard by M.A Church (Author) & Dorian Bane (Narrator)
REVIEWED by LOLA
TITLE: Dragon’s Hoard
SERIES:Dreamspun Beyond, Book 5
AUTHOR: M. A. Church
NARRATOR: Dorian Bane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press LLC
LENGTH:6 hrs and 54 mins
RELEASE DATE: December 12, 2017
BLURB:
To be loved by a dragon is to be treasured.
100 years ago, werewolf alpha Montgomery took a risk driven by desperation – he borrowed money from the ancient dragon Warwick Ehecatl, putting up the pack lands as collateral.
Now the debt is due, and dragons don’t forget – or forgive. Warwick demands Montgomery’s son, Avery, and three businesses as compensation. As an omega, Avery knows he is basically useless to his pack, so he might as well agree.
He soon has second thoughts, though. Warwick is fearsome, and he’s free to do as he likes with Avery.
Warwick knows his race’s reputation, and he even admits some of it is deserved.
But he’d rather cut off his tail than let his innocent mate’s light go out. It won’t be easy, but buried deep, there’s something between them worth safeguarding. Read more
Flight or Fight By Dirk Greyson (Author) and Mark Westfield (Narrator)
Reviewed by Roberta
TITLE: Flight or Fight
AUTHOR: Dirk Greyson
NARRATOR: Mark Westfield
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press LLC
LENGTH: 6 hrs and 39 mins
RELEASE DATE: December 26, 2017
BLURB:
Life in the big city wasn’t what Mackenzie “Mack” Redford expected, and now he’s come home to Hartwick County, South Dakota, to serve as sheriff.
Brantley Calderone is looking for a new life. After leaving New York and buying a ranch, he’s settling in and getting used to living at a different pace – until he finds a dead woman on his porch and himself the prime suspect in her murder.
Mack and Brantley quickly realize several things: someone is trying to frame Brantley; he is no longer safe alone on his ranch; and there’s a definite attraction developing between them, one that only increases when Mack offers to let Brantley stay in his home. But as their romance escalates, so does the killer. They’ll have to stay one step ahead and figure out who wants Brantley dead before it’s too late. Only then can they start the life they’re both seeking – together. Read more
Uncommonly Tidy Poldergeists by Angel Martinez (Author) & Michael Pauley (Narrator)
Reviewed by Brianna
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ITLE: Uncommonly Tidy Poltergeists
AUTHOR: Angel Martinez
NARRATOR: Michael Pauley
PUBLISHER: Mischief Corner Books, LLC
LENGTH: 4 hrs and 2 mins
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2017
BLURB:
A poltergeist haunts Taro, dogging his international travels. It washes glasses, puts dishes away, and even dusts. At least he hopes it’s a cleaning-obsessed poltergeist and not his own anxieties burbling over into neat freak fits he doesn’t remember. When his property manager suggests he call paranormal expert, Jack Montrose, Taro’s skeptical but desperate enough to try even a ghost hunter.
Jack’s arrival crushes Taro’s hopes of a dashing Van Helsing-style hero. Instead of an invincible hunter, he gets Ichabod Crane. As the paranormal puzzles multiply and Jack begins to suggest the entity might not be a ghostly one, Taro adds a budding friendship with Jack to his pile of anxieties. It’s a race to see whether Taro’s poltergeist or his relationship with the obviously-not-ace Jack will reach maximum strangeness first. Read more
The Garden (Lavender Shares #2) by Rosalind Abel (Author) & Kirt Graves (Narrator)
Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: The Garden
SERIES: Lavender Shores #2
AUTHOR: Rosalind Abel
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves
PUBLISHER: Wings of Ink Publications
LENGTH: 8 hours, 23 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2017
BLURB:
Beautiful Gilbert Bryant designs jewelry for the rich and famous, and he made his escape from his gossipy little hometown of Lavender Shores. However, with so many friends and family, he keeps getting pulled back. When he attends his best friend’s engagement party, Gilbert can’t help but sample one of the new men in town. It’s just some innocent—or not so innocent—fun. Nothing that will even cross his mind once he gets back to his everyday life.
Walden Thompson dreamed about living in Lavender Shores since he visited as a child. He finally gets his chance, and he embraces the opportunity to start over, to become someone new. He leaves both hurts and dangerous habits in the past, where they belong. When Gilbert crosses his path, Walden gives in to his baser instincts. He can indulge in the carnal pleasures this once and still be okay. Their few hours together haunt Gilbert, the two-hundred-mile buffer from home no longer shutting out the past or the sexy man he left behind. Walden is just beginning to recover from the smoldering encounter with Gilbert when they are thrust together once more. This time, neither of them can walk away, no matter how hard they try. But when their pasts crash into each other as surely as the magnetism that pulls them together, walking away may be the only option. Read more
Third Solstice (Tyack & Frayne #6) by Harper Fox (Author) & Tim Gilbert (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Third Solstice
SERIES: The Tyack & Frayne Mysteries #6
AUTHOR: Harper Fox
NARRATOR: Tim Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Audible Studios
RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2017
LENGTH: 3 hours 29 minutes
BLURB: Gideon’s managed to swing a few festive days off, and he and Lee are looking forward to celebrating their little girl’s first birthday. But duty calls, and Gideon is too good an officer to ignore the summons. He finds himself on the streets of Penzance, helping police the midwinter Montol celebrations.
It’s his third winter solstice with Lee, and disturbance, danger and magic are in the air. His daughter is beginning to show some remarkable gifts, and not all the family can cope with them. As the Montol festivities reach their fiery heights, will Lee and Gideon find a way to keep those they love best on the right side of the solstice gate? Read more
Guardians of the Haunted Moor by Harper Fox (Author) and Tim Gilbert (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Guardians of the Haunted Moor
SERIES: The Tyack & Frayne Mysteries #5
AUTHOR: Harper Fox
NARRATOR: Tim Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Audible Studios
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2017
LENGTH: 5 hours 43 minutes
BLURB:
The wedding is just the beginning…Gideon and Lee have spent a year in chaotic married bliss, with all the trimmings – a dog, tricky in-laws, and a baby girl they both adore. But even the best of lives can be fragile, and a shocking family loss hits their new world like a demolition ball.
Gideon has little energy left to investigate a murder that’s taken place in the fields outside Dark. He still has his duties to his community, though, and with Lee at his side, he begins to unfold the mysterious death of Farmer John Bowe. It’s harvest time, ancient West Country magic in the air, and rumors are flying through the village of an enemy Gideon thought he’d left behind long ago.
Can the beast of Bodmin possibly be real? Everything in Gideon’s stoical police-sergeant’s nature says no. But Lee has taught him to see the world differently, and now they must pool their resources to unmask a killer before more lives are lost – and somehow find a way to mend their shattered family, too. Read more
Kitto by Harper Fox (Author) and Tim Gilbert (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Kitto
SERIES: The Tyack & Frayne Mysteries #4
AUTHOR: Harper Fox
NARRATOR: Tim Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Audible Studios
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2017
LENGTH: 5 hours 6 minutes
BLURB:
Now Lee is free from the malevolent ghost of Morris Hawke, his clairvoyant gifts are expanding fast. Too fast for comfort, and he and Gideon find themselves wrestling with his unsettling capacity to see the future. In some ways this new power is wonderful, and Lee finds himself a local hero after predicting a flood.
But there’s one aspect he can’t bear, and that’s the blind spot he sees when he thinks about the wedding plans he and Gideon have started to make. It’s as if this event, which he wants more than life, simply isn’t going to happen. He’s troubled and stressed out, and Gideon decides to intervene, whisking him off to an isolated creekside cabin in the mysterious Cornish ria country. All is peaceful there, and the clamour in Lee’s head subsides. It’s time for companionship, peace, good food, and plenty of sex….
Then a young man wanders out of the woods and turns their blissed-out retreat into chaos. Kitto is harmless – a charming drifter, very handsome. To Gideon he’s just a kid, flesh and blood and a bit of a nuisance. But Lee reacts with horror. Since when can Gideon – Lee’s rock, his connection to the real world and sanity – see ghosts?
Mysterious midsummer is rising in the deep green Cornish countryside, and as the village gears up for the eerie Golowan festival, Lee and Gideon face their toughest case yet: a battle between the real and spirit worlds that threatens to tear their own apart. Read more
Gummy Bears and Grenades by Charlie Cochet (Author) & Mark Westfield (Narrator)
Reviewed by Brianna
TITLE: Gummy Bears and Grenades
SERIES: THIRDS (Book 9.5)
AUTHOR: Charlie Cochet
NARRATOR: Mark Westfield
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 3 hrs and 35 mins
RELEASE DATE: 11/8/2017
BLURB:
THIRDS agent Dexter J. Daley can’t wait to marry his fiancé, Team Leader Sloane Brodie, but first he’s looking forward to celebrating his bachelor party—which he intends to be a shenanigans-free evening of getting his groove on with family and friends.
Of course events don’t work out as planned, but for Dex that’s nothing new. One thing is for sure, dodging drug dealers and hired thugs amid booze, dancing—and even a bear costume—will guarantee it’s a night Dex will never forget. Now he just needs to survive all the fun. Read more
Don’t Let Go by Harper Fox (Author) and Tim Gilbert (Narrator)
Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: Don’t Let Go
SERIES: The Tyack & Frayne Mysteries #3
AUTHOR: Harper Fox
NARRATOR: Tim Gilbert
PUBLISHER: Audible Studios
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2017
LENGTH: 5 hours 5 minutes
BLURB:
What’s haunting Lee Tyack? He’s moved in with Gideon Frayne, and they’re both loving their new lives. But the shadow is still there – a voice from hell that torments clairvoyant Lee, and which even the pragmatic copper Gideon can hear.
Gideon’s determined to protect his lover. But after a serious injury on duty, Gideon finds out the hard way that he needs protection too. His job’s on the line and he’s scared. Worst of all, he thinks he knows who that voice belongs to – and he can’t stop Lee from heading off to confront this most terrifying ghost from his past.
When the full spring moon rises over Cornwall’s rugged coast, and the veil between the worlds grows thin, Tyack and Frayne must join forces to solve a decades-old mystery that still has the power to tear their world apart. Read more