Audiobook Review: Hail Mary by Andy Weir

📚 Audiobook Review – Hail Mary by Andy Weir

🎧 Narrated by: Ray Porter

🥃 Rating: ★★★★★

---

This book blindsided me in the best possible way. I wasn’t expecting to fall for a story that opens with a man waking up alone in a spaceship—but here we are. There’s a bit of mystery, a lot of science, and a surprising amount of heart… which is impressive for a book where one of the main characters isn’t even human.

Ryland Grace is an accidental astronaut with a snarky streak and a heart of gold. He’s alone in space (for reasons I won’t spoil), and the weight of the entire planet rests on his very-unqualified shoulders. Watching him puzzle through each challenge—while recovering memories piece by piece—had me totally hooked. It’s like a sci-fi escape room… except the room is a spaceship and Earth explodes if you fail.

Audiobook Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

🏴‍☠️ The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃

Heat: 🔥🔥

Let me just say, if you're looking for historically accurate regency romance, bless your heart and move along. But if you’ve ever wanted to read a book where lady pirates live in flying mansions and casually lob grenades between tea services, then congratulations, you’re my kind of unhinged—and The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels is your new favorite fever dream.

Our heroine, Cecilia, is all prim manners and deadly precision—like if Mary Poppins joined a fight club. She’s been raised by a league of proper piratical aunties who judge everything from posture to pistol technique. And she is done with everyone’s nonsense, especially when it interferes with her schedule or threatens her reading time.

Audiobook Review: Capture the Sun by Jessie Milhalik

 

📚 Capture the Sun – Jessie Mihalik

🥃🥃🥃 Bourbons

🔥🔥🔥 Heat Level

I love this world. Truly. Jessie Mihalik has built a universe that hits all my sci-fi romance buttons—spaceships, political maneuvering, badass heroines, and rogues with hidden hearts of gold. The series is fun, clever, and richly layered. But if I’m being honest, this installment didn’t quite hit the same as the others.

Part of that is on me. I read the first two books back to back, and I was fully immersed. But by the time this one came around, I’d let too much time pass and most of the plot details from book two had drifted off into the void. The emotional weight just didn’t carry the same punch when I couldn’t remember what everyone was mad about. Totally a me problem, not a Mihalik problem.

Movie Review: Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

🎬 Movie Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986)

Rating: 🥃
Flames: 🔥

Cold as prehistoric soup

I went into this movie hoping for a nostalgic, if slightly cheesy, adaptation of Jean M. Auel’s The Clan of the Cave Bear. What I got instead was… a mostly silent, confusing, and emotionally flat experience that would’ve completely lost me if I hadn’t read the books.

The biggest issue? No subtitles for the sign language. The Clan communicates almost entirely through hand signals, and while that’s true to the source material, it completely alienates the viewer here. There’s no narration, no explanation, and no way to form a connection with the characters. It’s all grunts, glares, and gestures—with zero emotional weight behind it. I found myself constantly guessing what was happening, and not in a good way.

Audiobook Review: Plains of Passage by Jean Auel

 

📚 Plains of Passage – Jean M. Auel

Earth’s Children, Book Four

🥃🥃🥃 Bourbons |

 🔥🔥 Flames

Ayla and Jondalar are back on the move, trekking across Ice Age Europe with horses, a wolf, and enough gear to start a small civilization. If that sounds like a lot—it is. Plains of Passage is the definition of old-school epic: sweeping landscapes, deeply researched prehistoric culture, and a writing style that insists on telling you every single thing that’s happening, whether it moves the plot forward or not.

This book is detailed to a fault. We don’t just know what Ayla does—we know how, why, what time of day, what herbs she uses, and probably how her grandmother’s cousin once did it, too. It's impressive in its own way, but also exhausting. At times it reads less like a novel and more like a prehistoric field guide with relationship angst.

Review: False Start by Steve Shipley

Series: Blake Willis Thriller #2

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃½

Flame Level: 🔥🔥

Format: eBook

Story Snapshot:

Another whisky heist. A team on shaky ground. Buried secrets rising to the surface. When an ambush leaves Blake Willis reeling, he’ll have to rebuild, recalibrate, and figure out who he can trust before it’s too late.

My Thoughts:

We’re back with Blake Willis, and if you thought things were messy in False Trust, buckle up — it only gets twistier from here. This one kicks off with a literal bang, and Blake is thrown into survival mode fast. The fallout from the last book hits hard, and you can feel it ripple through everything — the mission, the team, even Blake’s judgment.

One of my favorite things about this installment is that it doesn’t shy away from the emotional aftermath. Blake is trying to move forward, but the ghosts of betrayal are still riding shotgun. And honestly? I love a man with trust issues when there's a legit reason for it. It gives him a little extra bite.

Audiobook Review: The Mammoth Hunters by Jean Auel

Series: Earth’s Children #3

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃

Flame Level: 🔥🔥

Format: Audiobook

Story Snapshot:

Ice-Age survival—with mammoth hunts, wolf-taming, and slow-burn romance. A deep dive into prehistoric life that’s more animal bond than modern hookup.

My Thoughts:

I didn’t expect to spend 25 hours of my life wrapped up in mammoth fur, dodging jealous lovers, and emotionally adopting a prehistoric wolf pup… but here we are.

This was a whole Ice Age vibe. Ayla is that girl — competent, strong, bonding with wild animals like she’s auditioning for Animal Planet. But when it comes to men? Whew. Let’s just say she handles a spear better than she handles her feelings for Jondalar. I wanted to shake her a little… then him a lot.

Audiobook Review: The Valley of Horses by Jean Auel

 

Series: Earth’s Children #2

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃

Flame Level: 🔥🔥

Format: Audiobook

Story Snapshot:

Self-sufficient cave girl meets wandering Ice Age himbo. Horses are tamed. Sparks fly. Everything is described in detail — including the body parts.

My Thoughts:

Look, I didn’t come here to fall for a blond prehistoric himbo with trust issues… but here we are.

This one split its time between two lonely hearts and a lot of long, frozen travel sequences. On one hand: Ayla, abandoned, self-sufficient, learning how to hunt like a beast and raise her own dang horses and cave lion. On the other: Jondalar, pouty and pretty, taking the longest route to personal growth I’ve ever read.

Audiobook Review: The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel

Series: Earth’s Children #1

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃

Format: Audiobook

Story Snapshot:

Self-sufficient cave girl defies clan norms in this immersive prehistoric saga — with 1980s vibes.

My Thoughts:

This is where it all begins — reindeer hides, clan drama, and a girl who’s clearly not built for quiet obedience.

Ayla was hard for me to connect to at first. She’s smart, she’s strong, but she feels a little distant — like we’re watching her through a sheet of Ice Age glass. That said, I admired the hell out of her perseverance. She never stopped trying, even when the odds (and the Clan’s traditions) were stacked against her.

Review: False Trust by Steve Shipley

Series: Blake Willis Thriller #1

Rating: 🥃🥃🥃🥃

Flame Level: 🔥🔥

Format: eBook

Story Snapshot:

Rare whisky heist. Missing wife. Corporate betrayal in Australian wine country. If you like your thrillers smooth with a smoky finish, pour yourself a glass and settle in.

My Thoughts:

As a bourbon enthusiast, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of a great whisky heist. I mean, how could I not be? It gave major Pappygate vibes, and honestly, that was my favorite aspect of the entire story.

I loved that we got a little peek into the aging process of whisky, but I was definitely hoping for more nerdy detail — filtering, proofing, barrel to bottle… give me the caramel nectar science! There were also quite a few references to wine, wineries, and Australia. While I can appreciate the vibe, I was left yearning for the warm familiarity of bourbon.

Audiobook Review: One Fell Sweep

Buy on Amazon

One Fell Sweep sees Dina and Sean reunited, and that made me very happy. It is clear this duo cares deeply about one another given the sacrifices each made in Sweep in Peace. I enjoy seeing them growing closer together as the series progresses, and deepening the bonds between them, the inn, and the community.

This installment Innkeeper Chronicles started off with a bang, and the rescue of Dina’s sister, Maud, from a vigilante alien planet. Having been married to a vampire, Maud has taken on vampiric characteristics and is quite the fighter and survivalist. I liked her immensely. In addition, Maud’s daughter, Helen, provided a necessary touch of softness and vulnerability for her otherwise fierce demeanor. Bringing these characters into the story also allowed us to see another side of Dina and her protective nature.

With the entry of new characters, we also saw the reappearance of Sean and Arland, which were further developed as secondary characters and love interests. Caledonia and Orro continued to provide comedic relief, but I also loved the banter between Maud and Arland as well.

As Maud is just getting settled back on Earth, the sisters are presented with an exceptionally tempting and dangerous offer to aid a hunted alien species in preserving their race. This will put Gertrude Hunt (the inn), Dina and her guests and family smack in the crosshairs of genocidal lunatics. The action in this story was stellar, and the victimization of the Hiru created an easy rally point for engagement by the entire cast to do the right and moral thing. I enjoyed the pace of this story and thought the ending wrapped up beautifully.



View all my reviews

Audiobook Review: Sweep in Peace

But on Amazon/Audible

Sweep in Peace is the second book in The Innkeeper Chronicles, featuring intergalactic innkeeper, Dina Demille and her snarly shihtzu, Beast. I really enjoyed this pair in the first audiobook, Clean Sweep, and Renee Raudman’s narration was superb. I tried this installment in the graphic audio version, which I had not experienced before. The sound effects gave the story added dimension and fun, but I did miss some of Renee’s southern accent for Dina.

In this story, to ensure the prosperity of her inn, Dina accepts a questionable offer from an intergalactic arbitrator, George. This agreement will require that Gertrude Hunt serve as a mediation point for alien factions warring on the planet Nexus. This will challenge Dina to feed large hordes, maintain peace among hothead military leaders, and keep all her guests safe against inside and outside threats.

One of my favorite aspects of this installment was the addition of Orro, the overly dramatic (former) red clever chef. Orro is a Quillonian, which I am having a hard time picturing but I imagine to be somewhat of a large hedgehog. His dramatic antics were a nice addition to Caledonia’s spry wit. The two of them add some comedic relief to the action points in the story and Dina’s reserved nature.

Although warring factions were residing within Gertrude Hunt, I found this installment to be lacking in the action/excitement that we experienced in the first book. There was more intrigue, but less fighting. It fell on Dina to discover the motivations of all the parties, including the “neutral” arbitrator. I think we will see a lot of machinations come along from George in the future, and I am looking forward to that. As a lawyer, I would have had more interest in the arbitration proceedings, but we were left somewhat on the periphery of those. So I would have preferred a peak into what was happening in the walled off room with the sect leadership.

This story did have some nice twists and turns, a little heartache, and the reappearance of a favorite secondary character. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and performance, just not quite as good as the first and third installments.

3.5 stars

View all my reviews

Audiobook Review: Clean Sweep

Buy on Amazon/Audible

I am just now getting around to the Innkeeper Chronicles, and I can’t believe I waited this long. I am doing this series in audio while I do some projects around the house, and this one sure made raking leaves less loathsome.

Dina Demille is the innkeeper of a bed-and-breakfast in a small Texas town. She has a crazy shih tzu, Beast, which could be perfectly portrayed by my Priss. She also knows bourbon, and the value and rarity of a bottle of Pappy 15. I could definitely hang with her, if I had some magical abilities or something. I would definitely stay at her inn. Dina was no nonsense, cared about her inn, her guests, and chose doing the right thing over rules or societal norms.

This series is a bit unique as it seems to be fantasy mixed with space opera. There are other planets, werewolves, vampires, and who knows what other goodies we will find as the story progresses. I liked the dimensional doors, and the backstory for the werewolves. I do hope we will see more of Sean and Arland, as the love interest for our heroine was left up in the air. But there was a little chemistry there with those two.

This story line has a big bad of questionable alienage and weird hunting creatures that are difficult to kill. We got lots of action and betrayal, but also quite a bit of world building. While we saw some of the wider-world being described, I am interested to learn more about this small town in Texas and just how ordinary or extraordinary it is.

I’m a huge fan of Ilona Andrews, so I am sure I will speed through this series now that I’ve started. Stay tuned for reviews of the later books.

4 stars / 1 flame.

View all my reviews

Review: Soul Taken

Buy on Amazon

This installment of the Mercy Thompson series was a bit unexpected for me. This Harvester storyline was not something I envisioned, but I have to say that it fits in with the time of the year (near Halloween) quite well, complete with a pumpkin patch. It reminded me of an old school scary movie with a scythe-wielding maniac stealing souls around the Tri-Cities. (It’s a sickle!)

Review: Final Heir

Buy on Amazon

The Final Heir is the action-packed finale to the Jane Yellowrock series, and I am so sad that the saga is over. I want to go back and read it from the beginning! There were some chapters closed for Jane in this last book, some good closures and some sad. It seemed like the interaction between Jane and her mentor “in the smoke” at the beginning was super poignant, but then it didn’t feel resolved and I felt it like a gaping wound as I read.

Review: Smoke Bitten

Buy on Amazon

I got a bit behind on this series, so I’m binging the latest 3 books. It bothers my OCD that I don’t have time to go re-read the whole series (which I love) because I have forgotten some details in my absence. Like, I can remember who Wolfe (the vampy Wolfe) is or where he came from. And I like him. He’s just the right mischievous and dangerous element for the story. And, he makes me laugh.

Review: Ruby Fever

Buy on Amazon

Ruby Fever concludes the Catalina Baylor portion of the Hidden Legacy series, and much like the rest of this series, it did not disappoint. Ruby Fever was packed with action, magic, team work, family and drama. I moved to Houston around the inception of this series, so I have loved “growing” into my new residence along with this series, and seeing all the familiar areas and places mentioned. I can’t help but “look” for Nevada, Connor, Catalina and friends as I happen upon places like Buffalo Bayou, River Oaks, etc.

Review: Rogue's Possession

Buy on Amazon

Rogue’s Possession is the second book in the re-released series, Covenant of Thorns. Gwynn seems to have adjusted to her new life in Faery, but is still firmly ensconced as the battle sorceress for Lord Falcon’s war. I have to admit that I still don’t see the point to the war, but I think that is by design. I’m not sure the warring parties actually know the purpose of their war either. In any event, the pitched battles are entertaining and Gwynn usually finds a way to meet the terms of her deal without loss of human life. And I will never complain about mermaids, dragons and sea monsters in a book. 😜

Review: Gladiator

Buy on Amazon

I got on a bit of a space opera kick last month, so my friend thought I might like this sci-fi romance in audio to keep me occupied on my latest road trip. This one is not a space opera, but involves different aliens (animal and humanoid), kidnapping, intergalactic slavery, arena fights, and steamy chemistry!

Review: The Girl in the Mist

Buy on Amazon

I am woefully behind on my Kristen Ashley reading, and I was in a romantic suspense mood, so I decided on The Girl in the Mist for my roadtrip. In true KA fashion, she kept me engaged and entertained for the long drive.