Mini Audiobook Reviews
I never could do audiobooks or podcasts... until this year. And OMG, what a game changer!! I decided to use my free month with Audible and have gone short story crazy. WHO AM I? (Before you @ me, I'm not going to pay for a subscription to Audible and am leaning towards Scribd & Libro.fm)
Found some of my favorite authors and listened to these goodies - check out my mini reviews below!
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publish Date: September 27, 2018
Audiobook
1 hr 36 minutes
Dark Corners Collection
Genres: Horror, Short Stories
A woman on the run finds refuge in a motel at the edge of the woods, with plenty of vacancies. Check in for the night with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.
Eve has a fake ID, a .38, and a violent lover receding in the rearview mirror. He’ll never find her at the isolated motel, and its kindly manager is happy to ease her fears. But if Eve is the only guest, whom does she keep hearing on the other side of the wall? Eve won’t get a good night’s rest until she finds out.
Lisa Unger’s The Sleep Tight Motel is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.
My Review:
I LOVE Lisa Unger - and this short story really does pack a punch. Creepily delicious, you'll want a big spoonful. I will say though that the narration felt robotic - it was like Siri or Alexa was reading this to me... which weirdly became oddly comforting as I got used to it. However, it did make certain parts comedic and I couldn't help but giggle here and there. Random hotels always gives me the creeps but if I found I was the ONLY tenant, I probably would skedaddle along... though I'm glad Eve didn't. 😈
★★★
& Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: Audible Original
Publish Date: April 30, 2020
Audiobook
2 hrs 24 minutes
Standalone
Genre: Thriller
A weekend at the Lakewood Retreat is exactly what Chloe Powell needs. Freshly unemployed after her boss loses a reelection campaign, the former press secretary desperately wants a break from the bustle of Washington DC. A flier posted at her yoga studio leads her to the getaway, which looks amazing: organic meals, celebrity testimonials, and a serene private property within driving distance of the city.
It's so perfect, in fact, that Chloe's barely bothered by the intensely personal questions she's asked in her application, or the unnerving social experiments her enigmatic host, Sebastian, imposes on her once she arrives at his remote cabin. But when a mysterious new guest shows up, Chloe can no longer suppress her rising panic: This place is not at all what it seems.
A pulse-pounding story from the first minute to the last, The Getaway explores the weight of the small choices we make every day, and their staggering, unintended consequences.
My Review:
I'm a fan of these authors and couldn't help but listen to this and my expectations were met wholeheartedly! A weekend getaway, but the first to arrive... an odd host who started out by pretending to be her Uber driver. I mean, that's normal.. right? The pacing ramps up fairly quickly and I found myself rooting for Chloe... while trying to figure out exactly what was happening with the arrival of this new guest. Hmmm... hit that panic button and good luck getting... away. 😉
★★★★
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publish Date: September 1, 2020
Audiobook
1 hr 24 minutes
Out of Line Collection
Genres: Short Story, Contemporary
What’s a woman to do when she fails to live up to feminine ideals? It depends on what she’s willing to give up in this darkly comic short story by Caroline Kepnes, the bestselling author of You.
Shelby is struggling with parenthood, marriage, a passive-aggressive mother, and unemployment. But she also has a sweet escape in her beloved Hallmark movies. When a secret admirer promises to sweep her away into a world of those same romantic tropes, the temptation is so heady, Shelby can already smell the pumpkin spice. But this rom-com dream has a whiff of conspiracy…
Caroline Kepnes’s Sweet Virginia is part of Out of Line, an incisive collection of funny, enraging, and hopeful stories of women’s empowerment and escape. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single thought-provoking sitting.
My Review:
Regardless of hit or misses, I can't help but read Kepnes. This is such an odd but FUN story. I was instantly riveted and omg, I so related to Shelby and would obviously be a W2 🤣 with a one way ticket to Winter's Bottom. Some people just don't know how to be a complete woman but you'll get a chance to learn.... and that ending. W..T..F... I'm not sure how I feel about this "open to interpretation" ending but I absolutely loved listening to this one. Kristen Bell was absolutely fantastic as the narrator.
★★★★
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Publish Date: July 11, 2017
Audiobook
4 hrs 1 minute
Series: The Good Daughter #0.5
Genres: Thriller, Novella
Protecting someone always comes at a cost.
At the age of thirteen, Charlie Quinn’s childhood came to an abrupt and devastating end. Two men, with a grudge against her lawyer father, broke into her home—and after that shocking night, Charlie’s world was never the same.
Now a lawyer herself, Charlie has made it her mission to defend those with no one else to turn to. So when Flora Faulkner, a motherless teen, begs for help, Charlie is reminded of her own past, and is powerless to say no.
But honor-student Flora is in far deeper trouble than Charlie could ever have anticipated. Soon she must ask herself: How far should she go to protect her client? And can she truly believe everything she is being told?
My Review:
Ahhhhh... I loved The Good Daughter so when I saw this as the prequel, I just HAD to. It's been a while since I've been Slaughtered and I relished every single minute of this. The narrator is excellent and I enjoyed the storyline fully. I don't usually do the "0.5" novellas/short stories that authors do sometimes in their series. I don't even care that this was a bit of a cliff hanger. Slaughter, as usual, is brilliant and you can't tell me otherwise. 😉
★★★★★
Publisher: Audible Audio
Publish Date: April 26, 2018
Audiobook
2 hrs 1 minute
Series: Jane Hawk #0.5
Genres: Short Story, Thriller
An audio original novella featuring bestselling author Dean Koontz's compelling new heroine, Jane Hawk. From the case files of the former FBI agent before she became the nation's most wanted fugitive - The Bone Farm details a desperate man-hunt for a serial killer before he murders again.
Katherine Haskell, a young college co-ed is on her way back to school, but she never makes it there. Instead, she becomes the latest prey of the rapist and murderer dubbed by the tabloids the "Mother Hater." He is a twisted soul who kidnaps young girls for pleasure then discards them.
Katherine is missing, but she's not yet dead. FBI agents Jane Hawk and her partner Gary Burkett must descend into the hell of this killer's mind to solve the case before it is too late. The question is - will they both get out alive?
My Review:
I do love me some Jane Hawk! And I couldn't pass up seeing her in action prior to becoming a wanted fugitive. And despite this being a part of the series, it can absolutely be read as a standlone. I wish I couldn't learned a little more about her but the chase after the "Mother Hater" was fun to read... despite the terrible nickname for a serial killer. If he writes it, I'll read it!
★★★
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