Category: audiobooks (Page 56 of 93)

A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

November 19, 2016 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my own TBL. I don’t recommend listening to it without first reading/listening to the earlier books in the series, at the very least Komarr (but really, most of the Vorkosigan books are needed to fully appreciate this one.)

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Miles Vorkosigan has a problem: unrequited love for the beautiful widow Ekaterin Vorsoisson, violently allergic to marriage after her first exposure. If a frontal assault won’t do, Miles thinks, try subterfuge. He has a cunning plan…Lord Mark Vorkosigan also has a problem: his love has just become unrequited again. But he has a cunning plan…Lord Ivan Vorpatril has a problem: unrequited love in general. But he too has a cunning plan…If no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, just imagine what all Miles’ friends and relatives can do to his romantic strategy!

Warning: Series spoilers ahoy

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I have been hanging out to finally listen to A Civil Campaign. Especially after meeting Ekaterin in Komarr, I was completely unable to not immediately start this one next. Continue reading

Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

November 14, 2016 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: This is one from my own TBL.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) Komarr could be a garden – with a thousand more years work. Or an uninhabitable wasteland, if the terraforming fails. Now the solar mirror vital to the terraforming of the conquered planet has been shattered by a ship hurtling off course. The Emperor of Barrayar sends his newest Imperial Auditor, Lord Miles Vorkosigan, to find out why. The choice is not a popular one on Komarr, where a betrayal a generation before drenched the name of Vorkosigan in blood. In the political and physical claustrophobia of the domed cities, are the Komarrans surrounding Miles loyal subjects, potential hostages, innocent victims, or rebels bidding for revenge? Lies within lies, treachery within treachery – Miles is caught in a race against time to stop a plot that could exile him from Barrayar forever. His burning hope lies in an unexpected ally, one with wounds as deep and honor as beleaguered as his own.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): I’ve been biding my time, listening to this series in order and determined not to jump ahead to the “Miles romance” books. Komarr was my (first) reward. It is here Miles falls in love with Ekaterin Vorsoisson, who is, when they first meet, married to the Terraforming Administrator of the Serifosa Sector in Komarr. While, by the end of the book, that no longer represents an impediment to Miles because reasons (and not cheaty reasons either), this is not the book where Miles gets his HEA either. (That is the next one: A Civil Campaign.) There are sniffs and hints of Ekaterin beginning to have feelings for Miles but, for many reasons, it wasn’t the right time or place for that to be fully explored. It makes sense and it satisfies but, at the same time, I could not resist immediately starting A Civil Campaign after I finished Komarr.
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October Round Up

November 1, 2016 / Kaetrin

Monthly Mini Review

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner – B I am slowly making my way through the Vorkosigan saga. (Next are the 2 Miles romance books and I’m so excited!!) I had heard that Memory was very sad and many of my friends report sobbing as they read/listened. I must be heartless because I didn’t have that reaction at all.

I was a bit grumpy with Miles at the start because he was being dishonest and cheating on Ellie (Quinn). At least by the end of the book he had acknowledged that he was in the wrong on the latter (in relation to the former this happened much earlier in the story). Still, Miles is supposed to be better than that!

I also thought the story took a long time to set up and get going. I knew from previous books that all of the beginning would turn out to be relevant to the tale but it didn’t have any sense of urgency for me until after Miles starts investigating what’s happening at ImpSec (I won’t spoil the story by saying exactly what he’s investigating). Continue reading

Kulti by Mariana Zapata, narrated by Callie Dalton

October 23, 2016 / Kaetrin

Why I read it: Lots of my friends enjoyed this one so I bought it.

What it’s about: (from Goodreads) “Trust me, I’ve wanted to punch you in the face a time or five.”

When the man you worshipped as a kid becomes your coach, it’s supposed to be the greatest thing in the world. Keywords: supposed to.

It didn’t take a week for 27-year-old Sal Casillas to wonder what she’d seen in the international soccer icon – why she’d ever had his posters on her wall or ever envisioned marrying him and having super-playing soccer babies.

Sal had long ago gotten over the worst non-break-up in the history of imaginary relationships with a man who hadn’t known she’d existed. So she isn’t prepared for this version of Reiner Kulti who shows up to her team’s season: a quiet, reclusive shadow of the explosive, passionate man he’d once been.

What worked for me (and what didn’t): Kulti is a slow burn, enemies to friends (well, at least one enemy anyway), then friends to lovers story and it is fabulous. Sal Casillas is a professional soccer player. She’s a woman so of course, she doesn’t get paid as much money as her male counterparts and her team doesn’t draw huge crowds but she’s as talented and skilled and dedicated to her sport as any man. Sal has a job doing gardening and landscaping work as well as playing soccer.
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Review at AudioGals

October 7, 2016 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of Well Hung by Lauren Blakely, narrated by Sebastian York. More sexy good fun from a reliably great author/narrator team.

Review at AudioGals

September 29, 2016 / Kaetrin

I’m over at AudioGals with a review of The Protector by Jodi Ellen Malpas, narrated by Alexandra Baldwin and Owen MacMahon. I kept getting hung up on the author’s strange word choices which distracted me from the story, I didn’t think much of the main characters and I can’t say I was wowed by the narration. Best thing about it? The cover.