Welcome to the September 2021 Audio Book of the Month Poll!
Here are all our Audio Reviews rated 4.5 & 5 hearts and up 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 week. The actual closing time will vary depending on blog staff schedules….
Whisper by Tal Bauer (Author) & John Solo (Narrator)
Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: Whisper
AUTHOR: Tal Bauer
NARRATOR: John Solo
PUBLISHER: Tantor
LENGTH: 25 hrs and 55 mins
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2021
BLURB:
On September 11th, 2001, Kris Caldera was a junior member of the CIA’s Alec Station, the unit dedicated to finding and stopping Osama Bin Laden. They failed.
Ten days later, he was on the ground in Afghanistan with a Special Forces team. On the battlefield, he meets Special Forces Sergeant David Haddad. David – Arab American, Muslim, and gay – becomes the man Kris loves, the man he lives for, and the man he kills for, through the long years of the raging wars.
When a botched mission rips David from Kris’ life, Kris’ world falls into ruin and ash.
After being captured, tortured to the edge of his life, and left for dead by his comrades, David doesn’t know how much of himself is left. He vanished in the tribal belt of Pakistan, and the man who walks out almost a decade later is someone new: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.
Intelligence from multiple sources overseas points to something new. Something deadly and moving to strike the United States. Intercepts say an army from Khorasan, the land of the dead where the Apocalypse of Islam will rise, is coming. And, at the head of this army, a shadowy figure the US hasn’t seen before: Al Dakhil Al-Khorasani.
David is coming home.
Contains mature themes.
Read More »
Audible
Full Contact (Wrecked: Guardians, Book 2) by Kelly Fox (Author) and Zane Daniels (Narrator)
Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Full Contact
SERIES: Wrecked: Guardians, Book 2
AUTHOR: Kelly Fox
NARRATOR: Zane Daniels
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 5 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2021
BLURB:
If that joker doesn’t stop annoying me, I’m going to give that mouth of his something better to do.
The first time I saw Anders F–king Bash, he was shirtless, armed, and simultaneously the most beautiful and frustrating man I’ve ever met.
He has not gotten any uglier. Or any less frustrating. And today I finally took a swing at him.
Our boss thinks a simple op in East Texas is exactly the thing we need to mend our relationship and restore the team dynamic.
I think two men are driving to the Pineywoods and only one is coming back. Look y’all – sane isn’t really where I shine.
Does it make sense to mess with the Guardians’ new hired gun every chance I get? No. Does it mean I’m going to stop? Also no.
Honestly, there’s nothing more fun than irritating a sexy grump who can’t stand how pretty I am.
That said…the more I get to know him, the more I realize how much he’s hiding behind those walls of his. And this little road trip is the perfect opportunity to thoroughly explore the real Omar.
I just hope I haven’t pushed him too far this time.
Full Contact is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin and the Pineywoods of East Texas. It features smoking hot mortal enemies, a small vehicle fire, inappropriate bumper stickers, and a couple of alligators named Millie and Dave.
Brothersong (Green Creek #4) by T.J. Klune (Author) & Kirt Graves (Narrator)
Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Brothersong
SERIES: (Green Creek #4)
AUTHOR: T.J. Klune
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 19 hours and 33 minutes
RELEASE DATE: October 27th ,2020
BLURB:
In the ruins of Caswell, Maine, Carter Bennett learned the truth of what had been right in front of him the entire time. And then it—he—was gone.
Desperate for answers, Carter takes to the road, leaving family and the safety of his pack behind, all in the name of a man he only knows as a feral wolf. But therein lies the danger: wolves are pack animals, and the longer Carter is on his own, the more his mind slips toward the endless void of Omega insanity.
But he pushes on, following the trail left by Gavin.
Gavin, the son of Robert Livingstone. The half-brother of Gordo Livingstone.
What Carter finds will change the course of the wolves forever. Because Gavin’s history with the Bennett pack goes back further than anyone knows, a secret kept hidden by Carter’s father, Thomas Bennett.
And with this knowledge comes a price: the sins of the fathers now rest upon the shoulders of their sons.
Home Plate (Eastern U Pirates Book 2) by Christina Lee (Author) and Iggy Toma and Kale Williams (Narrators)
Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Home Plate
SERIES: Eastern U Pirates Book 2
AUTHOR: Christina Lee
NARRATOR: Iggy Toma, Kale Williams
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 7 hours
RELEASE DATE: July 20, 2021
BLURB:
Dominic Girard
My final baseball season with the Easton U Pirates feels bittersweet. I’d like to go out on a high note, graduate, and focus on the family business. But a certain pitcher is making senior year a challenge. Not only because Maclain is stubborn as hell, but because he makes me feel things I never have about another guy. With each snarky comment and hard-won grin, he reveals a little more of himself, and before I know it, I’m in over my head.
Mason Maclain
I’ll be graduating college this year, which also means the end of baseball, a sport I’ve played my entire life. It feels like a significant chapter is coming to a close, leaving behind a void I’m unwilling to face. Something else I don’t want to face? The impossibly charming Pirates catcher, whose quick wit and killer smirk poke holes in all my defenses. With each lingering look and quiet exchange, I want to push him away and pull him closer at the same time. I’ve never felt this intense draw before, and there’s no way I’ll ever admit it.
When Coach proposes a team-building activity to improve our chemistry on the field, little does he know things are heating up behind the scenes as well. A flicker of a connection sparks into a firestorm, and soon Girard and I are experiencing things for the first time — together. But outside the haven of our hotel room, reality infringes all too soon. I’m clinging to my fraying relationship with my dad, and for Girard, coming out is still scary, loving family or not. Resisting the pull to Girard seems futile, but I struggle at every turn. Any longer and I’ll lose the only person who makes my pulse thud quicker than a fastball over home plate.
There’s a pitcher-and-catcher joke in there somewhere.
Nothing Like Paris (Bend or Break #2) by Amy Jo Cousins (Author) & Cooper North (Narrator)
Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Nothing Like Paris
SERIES: (Bend or Break #2)
AUTHOR: Amy Jo Cousins
NARRATOR: Cooper North
PUBLISHER: Insatiable Press
LENGTH: 8 hours and 2 minutes
RELEASE DATE: October 7th 2016
BLURB:
Humble pie wasn’t supposed to taste this sweet.
Jack Tarkington’s life is in the toilet. He was supposed to be spending his junior year studying someplace cool, like Paris or Rome. Instead, after taking out his anger on the campus golden boy, whose dad ripped off his parents, Jack is facing possible expulsion.
Sure, it’s all his own fault, but coming back to the small Iowa town he thought he’d escaped, after crowing about his admission to a prestigious school, has been a humbling experience.
When he runs into Miguel, Jack braces for backlash over the way he lorded it over his old friend and flame. Instead Miguel offers him friendship – and a job at his growing farm-to-table store and café.
Against the odds both guys bond over broken dreams and find common ground in music. But when Jack’s college gives him a second chance, he’s torn between achieving a dream that will take him far from home and a love that strikes a chord he’ll never find anywhere else.
Warning: This book contains a humbled guy who’s on the brink of losing it all, a determined entrepreneur who seems to have it all together, apologies issued through banjo-picking duets, and two lovers who can play each other’s bodies like virtuosos.
Purpose by Andrew Q. Gordon (Author) & Darcy Stark (Narrator)
Reviewed by Stephen K.
TITLE: Purpose
AUTHOR: Andrew Q. Gordon
NARRATOR: Darcy Stark
PUBLISHER: Andrew Q. Gordon
LENGTH: 9 hrs and 17 mins
RELEASE DATE: May 25th 2020
BLURB:
Forty years ago the Spirit of Vengeance—a Purpose—took William Morgan as its host, demanding he avenge the innocent by killing the guilty. Since then, Will has retreated behind Gar, a façade he uses to avoid dealing with what he’s become. Cold, impassive, and devoid of emotion, Gar goes about his life alone—until his tidy, orderly world is upended when he meets Ryan, a broken young man cast out by his family. Spurred to action for reasons he can’t understand, Gar saves Ryan from death and finds himself confronted by his humanity.
Spending time with Ryan helps Will claw out from under Gar’s shadow. He recognizes Ryan is the key to his reclaiming his humanity and facing his past. As Will struggles to control the Purpose, Ryan challenges him to rethink everything he knew about himself and the spirit that possesses him. In the process, he pushes Will to do something he hasn’t done in decades: care.
The Endless Road to Sunshine by Nicky James (Author) & Nick J. Russo (Narrator)
Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Endless Road to Sunshine
AUTHOR: Nicky James
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 13 hours and 26 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2021
BLURB:
My name is Jason Atkinson, and I married a serial killer.
My world shattered on a cold April morning when they took my husband away in cuffs.
The life I knew, the man I loved, and the world I believed in was nothing but a lie. He stole my trust, my happiness, and my faith in humanity, and I’m not sure how to move on.
With my mental health hanging by a thread and a media circus following me everywhere I go, escape seems like the only answer.
Shedding my old life and starting fresh.
A new city. A new job. A new name.
Maybe everyone will leave me alone and let me wallow in peace.
But Skylar Dawson, a student almost twenty years my junior, has a different plan.
Everything about him is endless – his eyes, his smile, even his babbling mouth.
He shines with a blinding inner light I can’t ignore.
He’s a ray of sunshine in my dark world.
Skylar Dawson will not be ignored.
But will his energy and patience run out when he realizes I’m too tormented and broken to love him back?
This is a hurt/comfort, student/teacher, grumpy/sunshine, age gap (25/43) MM romance novel with a moderate amount of angst.
Audible
Hard Target (Wrecked: Guardians, Book 1) by Kelly Fox (Author) and Zane Daniels (Narrator)
Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Hard Target
SERIES: Wrecked: Guardians, Book 1
AUTHOR: Kelly Fox
NARRATOR: Zane Daniels
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 6 hours and 12 minutes
RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2021
BLURB:
Everett: There are a ton of reasons why falling for my tiny, adorkable best friend is a terrible idea – starting with the body in my trunk.
I have other reasons – he still mourns his late husband. I’m way older, he’s a foot shorter, my tattoo shop is a front, he’s an assistant professor at UT.
Still, I can’t help but think we’d be perfect for each other if I didn’t kill people (very, very bad people) for a living.
Rafi: How the f–k did I not realize how hot my best friend is? Yeah, grief, or whatever, but were my eyes not working?
Silver fox, check. Tattooed hotness, check. Cuddles with me on Monday nights while we watch Australian melodramas, check. Says he’s not a good person but totally is, check.
New goal: Get Everett to stop looking at me like a grieving widower and start seeing me as someone he’d like to pin against the wall.
Now, if I only knew what was behind the door marked Portal to Nowhere…
Hard Target is a mercenary MM romance set in Austin and the Texas Hill Country. It features tattooed hotties, adorably complicated twinks, best friend antics, an illegally confiscated vineyard, and a team of killer do-gooders.
This is the first book in the Wrecked: Guardians Series. Several characters from the Wrecked series make an appearance, but the Guardians books can be listened to as stand-alones.
Nothing Special Box Set (Series Books #1-5) by A.E. Via (Author) and Aiden Snow (Narrator)
Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Nothing Special Box Set Books #1-5
SERIES: Nothing Special
AUTHOR: A.E. Via
NARRATOR: Aiden Snow
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
LENGTH: 51 hours and 39 minutes
RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2020
BLURB:
A bundle of the award-winning Nothing Special series by internationally best-selling author A. E. Via.
To be accepted into the most notorious narcotics task force on the East Coast is an incredible honor. A rogue collection of the most feared and unorthodox detectives, independent of standard departmental jurisdiction. Headed up by two of the baddest lieutenants with the Atlanta Police Department – Cashel “God” Godfrey and Leonidis Day.
“We were a unit tonight, moving as one. Even apart, we are deadly, but when combined – we are f–kin’ unstoppable.” (God)
Set contains books one through five:
- Nothing Special (God and Day)
- Embracing His Syn (Detective Corbin Sydney and Furious Barkley)
- Here Comes Trouble (Detectives Mark Ruxsberg and Chris Green)
- Don’t Judge (Detective Austin Michaels and Bounty Hunter, Judge Josephson)
- Nothing Special V (Detectives Edwin Steele and Shawn Murphy, “Tech”)
Extra Whip (Bold Brew #8) by L.A. Witt (Author) & Michael Ferraiuolo (Narrator)
Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Extra Whip
SERIES: Bold Brew #8
AUTHOR: LA Witt
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 13 hours and 36 minute
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2021
BLURB:
Will and Aaron Taylor have a perfectly imperfect marriage. For 20 years, even when their desires haven’t quite matched, they’ve always found ways to adapt…until now. When Aaron’s needs push past his Dom’s limits, their best hope for compromise is finding a unicorn — a third person who checks both men’s boxes.
After his estranged father wills him a house he doesn’t want in a town he doesn’t know, Kelly Griffith is itching to find his place in this unfamiliar new world. When he finds an ad from a couple looking for a sub like him, he jumps at the opportunity. A chance to be what someone needs and wants instead of being a perpetual disappointment? Yes, please.
The chemistry sizzles from the get-go. Will and Aaron insist they don’t want to be poly, and Kelly doesn’t want to be anyone’s third wheel, but playing together? Any time, any place. All they have to do is keep emotions from joining the party as the trust and intimacy deepen between them.
But by the time they realize they’re in over their heads, hitting the brakes is no longer as simple as using a safe word.
Extra Whip is a Venti-sized (140,000-word) stand-alone novel in the Bold Brew shared universe centered around an inclusive coffee shop set in a fictional small city. Each steaming hot coffee shop romance can be enjoyed alone, but collect all 10 for the most fun! This ménage romance contains a happily married couple in their 40s, a sassy 30-something submissive, lots of fluffy steam, and a guaranteed happy ending!
Audible