Audiobook Review: In a Badger Way by Shelly Laurenston

Series:	Honey Badgers #2
Pub. Date:	March 26, 2019
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Charlotte Kane
Length:	13 hrs 43 min
Source:	Hoopla

Shelly Laurenston's honey badgers are a ridiculously good time - and whether you are reading or listening to them, they can't help but make you smile. It's hard to believe this is only the second book in the series, because these seem like beloved characters that have been around for a while.

Audiobook Review: Fireborn by Katie MacAlister

Series:	Born Prophecy #1
Pub. Date:	Nov 20, 2018 June 11, 2019
Publishers:	Tantor Audio Kensington
Narrator:	Zehra Jane Naqvi
Length:	10 hrs 1 min 298 pgs
Source:	Hoopla / NetGalley

I had this book in my TBR on Hoopla when I saw it come across my NetGalley feed, and realized that Kensington was doing a re-release this past June. That having renewed my interest, I decided it would be a good time to do an audio/print read along, so I snatched this one up. Unfortunately, life and work travel got in the way that prevented me from getting the book read (and reviewed) prior to that re-release date... which seems to be the story of my life this year. But I'm glad I finally got to enjoy the story and meet a new cast of characters from Katie MacAlister.

Audiobook Review: Archangel's Prophecy by Nalini Singh

Series:	Guild Hunter #11
Pub. Date:	Oct. 30, 2018
Publisher:	Berkley / Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Justine Eyre
Length:	11 hrs 44 min
Source:	NetGalley / Hoopla

Elena and Raphael are back center-stage in this eleventh installment of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series. I always love coming back to spend some time with our power couple that started it all. Elena is still the beloved mortal-turned-angel of New York, and consort to Raphael, our increasingly power archangel of the territory.

Audiobook Review: Queen Takes Queen by Joely Sue Burkhart

Series:	Their Vampire Queen #3
Pub. Date:	June 26, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Cassandra Myles
Length:	9 hrs 11 min
Source:	Publisher

Queen Takes Queen is the third book in the reverse harem series, Their Vampire Queen. The series is getting progressively better, with the addition of new characters in each installment as our vampire queen grows in power with her harem.

Audiobook Review: Divorced, Desperate and Dangerous by Christie Craig

Series:	Divorced and Desperate #3.5
Pub. Date:	May 1, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Wendy Tremont King
Length:	3 hrs 37 min
Source:	Publisher

Divorced, Desperate and Dangerous is a novella in the Divorced and Desperate series, which started off with a posse of women who were, as the title suggests, divorced and desperate. With failed marriages and man trouble in their lives, the women were on the hunt and somewhat sex obsessed, but commitment phobic. I have only read the first book, Divorced, Desperate and Delicious, but I don't think you necessarily need to read this series in order.

Audiobook Review: Faery Born by Donna Joy Usher

Series:	War Faery #1
Pub. Date:	June 12, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Rachael Beresford
Length:	7 hrs 39 min
Source:	Publisher

Faery Born was a somewhat surprising read. I didn't realize it was young adult when I started it, and while I do read some young adult, it's not something that I pick up often. This story did seem somewhat juvenile, but I think that was partially because the narrator sounded so young. So I wasn't sure that I was going to finish the story at first, but something about it kept my attention and kept me listening until the end. So I think the story was good, I just had to get over the age and maturity level of the characters.

Audiobook Review: Queen Takes King by Joely Sue Burkhart

Series:	Their Vampire Queen #2
Pub. Date:	May 29, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Tristan James Cassandra Myles
Length:	8 hrs 22 min
Source:	Publisher

Their Vampire Queen has been my first foray into the recently trending reverse harem genre. I wasn't sure how I felt after the first book, Queen Takes Knights, but the story is starting to shape up and I was more interested in this installment.

Audiobook Review: Getting Wilde by Jenn Stark

Series:	Immortal Vegas #1
Pub. Date:	June 19, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Stephanie Bentley
Length:	7 hrs 37 min
Source:	Publisher

I have been looking for a new urban fantasy series to read, and this one caught my interest right away. The genre has been dwindling over the last few years, and there just aren't as many of these stories being written.

Audiobook Review: Chosen by the Vampire Kings by Charlene Hartnady

Series:	The Chosen #1
Pub. Date:	May 22, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Tatiana Sokolov
Length:	12 hrs 19 min
Source:	Publisher

This is my first read by Charlene Hartnady, even though this book has been on my TBR for a bit. I'm not a fan of serials, so I was happy to see that it was released as one book in both print and audio. It's been a while since I've read a new vampire book, and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 

Audiobook Review: The Devil of Dunakin Castle by Heather McCollum

Series:	Highland Isles #4
Pub. Date:	May 8, 2018
Publisher:	Entangled Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Tim Campbell
Length:	6 hrs 49 min
Source:	Publisher

This is my first read by Heather McCollum, and I'm sorry that I haven't already read the rest of the Highland Isles series. I quite liked this one! If you are just discovering this author like me, I don't think its absolutely necessary for you to read the earlier books. There are some references to events in earlier books, and maybe a slight spoiler, but nothing major. 

Our heroine is an English lass, Grace Ellington, who has been living on the Isle of Mull with her sister (heroine of a previous book). The only thing I missed by not reading the earlier books was Grace's backstory. I wanted to know how she got to Mull, what happened in her past (it was referenced a few times but not explained), and how she became a healer. While Grace had a couple of reluctant moments early on, she didn't grind on my "reluctant heroine" nerve, and I liked her quite a bit. She was assertive and not afraid to speak her mind, particularly when it came to our hero. She was intelligent and kind and brave. All great qualities.

Audiobook Review: Deerskin by Robin McKinley

Pub. Date:	May 15, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Xe Sands
Length:	11 hrs 54 min
Source:	Publisher

This is my first read from Robin McKinley, and the beautiful cover with the hound really drew my eye. Deerskin was first released in the early 1990s, but is just now being brought to audio by Tantor Audio. The narrator, Xe Sands, did a great job with the performance, pacing and characters.

This is the story about the coming-of-age of Princess Lissla Lissar, a quiet child largely ignored by her larger-than-life parents. The King and Queen were beloved by their people, seemingly more for their beauty and fairytale origins than for any good deeds or benevolence. When the Queen's beauty fades and passes away, Lissar is thrown more into the spotlight than she has been in the past. This draws some horribly unwanted and incestuous attention from the King, which leads to a series of tragic events. Trigger warnings weren't the thing back in the 90s, but this story probably warrants one with today's societal trends.

Audiobook Review: Queen takes Knights by Joely Sue Burkhart

Series: Their Vampire Queen #1 Pub. Date: May 8, 2018 Publisher: Tantor Audio Narrators: Tristan James Cassandra Myles Length: 5 hrs 31 min Source: Publisher

So my friend Deanna has been raving about a lot of reverse harem lately, a new trend/trope in the romance community, particularly with indie authors. It seems that most of these stories are written in the young adult and new adult age groups, but I wanted to give it a shot and see what all the hoopla is about. The Their Vampire Queen seemed liked a good and steamy place to start, with each book being a quick read of about novella length.

Shara Isador grew up not knowing what she was or anything about her heritage. All Shara knew was that she was in constant danger, and both of her parents died protecting her. But when two handsome strangers come to Shara's rescue one night in the middle of Arkansas, it begins an enlightening and awakening for Shara where she will learn her true nature, potential, and power.

Audiobook Review: Grigori by Lauren Smith

Series:	Ash and Fire #1
Pub. Date:	April 24, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Lucy Rivers
Length:	7 hrs 42 min
Source:	NetGalley

Grigori is the first book in Lauren Smith's Brothers of Ash and Fire series. It was my first time reading this author, and I was pleasantly surprised. This series follows three brothers who are centuries old... dragon shifters!!! Woo Hoo! You know how I feel about dragons. 

Audiobook Review: The Shadow King by Heather Killough-Walden

Series:	The Kings #7
Pub. Date:	April 10, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Antony Ferguson
Length:	6 hrs 25 min
Source:	Publisher

The Shadow King is the 7th book in the Kings series, which revolves around 13 paranormal kings of various supernatural species. These are quick reads that really work well as a binge series, and I find that I am having a hard time remembering some of the earlier books after waiting a few years between the first books and these last few. I do think this series is a candidate for the re-read pile though, so I will definitely look to binge them one day in the future.

Audiobook Review: Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Ice Planet Barbarians #4
Pub. Date:	April 24, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Mason Lloyd Hollie Jackson
Length:	5 hrs 36 min
Source:	Publisher

Barbarian Mine is the fourth book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, and takes place somewhat consecutively with the last book, Barbarian Lover. While we have previously met our heroine, Harlow, our hero is a new and unexpected addition to the series. This series has a fairly linear and chronological storyline, so I recommend that you read the books in order. 

If you recall from Barbarian Lover, our flame-haired and freckled Harlow was bonked over the head while she was out trying to piece together a travoy for one of the wounded aliens. We didn't hear from her the rest of the story. Though when she realizes that she has been abducted by an unknown big blue guy, Harlow takes everything in stride and doesn't get overly freaked out. That may have something to do with the constant purring in her chest that tells her she and the totally naked alien will be compatible... in all ways. I liked Harlow quite a bit. She was patient and understanding with our hero, and was able to teach him quite a few things to make survival more pleasant.

Audiobook Review: Barbarian Lover by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Ice Planet Barbarians #3
Pub. Date:	April 10, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators::	Mason Lloyd Hollie Jackson
Length:	5 hrs 47 min
Source:	Hoopla

Barbarian Alien is the third book in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, and the series is progressing right along with each book advancing the timeline chronologically. The aliens and humans are settling into the caves and becoming comfortable with one another, and waiting to see who will resonate or get knocked up next.

Audiobook Review: The Unseelie King by Heather Killough-Walden

Series:	The Kings #6
Pub. Date:	March 20, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Antony Ferguson
Length:	6 hrs 51 min
Source:	Publisher

Man, it's been four or five years since I've read the earlier books in this series and I couldn't for the life of me remember what happened in those books. I probably should have went back and re-read at least the last book, but I was being optimistic. Luckily, I was still entertained even though my memory failed me.

Audiobook Review: Lauren's Barbarian by Ruby Dixon

Series:	Icehome #1
Pub. Date:	March 20, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrators:	Felicity Munroe Sean Crisden
Length:	8 hrs 24 min
Source:	Publisher

Lauren's Barbarian is the first book in the Icehome series, a spinoff of Ice Planet Barbarians. As I have committed to listening to Ice Planet Barbarians in audio, I have not finished reading that series before embarking on this spinoff. While I don't think it's absolutely necessary that you have finished the first series... I didn't like starting this spinoff without reading the other books. There was just too much that had happened on the Ice Planet and I felt like I was missing out. Otherwise, this book is just as good as the others that I have read.

Audiobook Review: By His Touch by Adriana Anders

Series:	Blank Canvas #2
Pub. Date:	June 20, 2017
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Wendy Tremont King
Length:	13 hrs 25 min
Source:	Hoopla

This is another of my blogger shame books that fell through the cracks last year, but I was happy to find it in audio for my latest road trip. I really liked the first book, and I was glad to see that the Blank Canvas series is staying in small town Virginia with our philanthropic dermatologist and her tattooed and traumatized patients.

Audiobook Review: Cowboy SEAL Homecoming by Nicole Helm

Series:	Navy SEAL Cowboys #1
Pub. Date:	Jan. 2, 2018
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Narrator:	Romy Nordlinger
Length:	10 hrs 24 min
Source:	Publisher

Cowboy SEAL Homecoming is set on a horse and cattle ranch in a small town in Big Sky Country - Montana. Three wounded Navy SEALs have returned to the ranch with our hero to start an equine therapy center for wounded veterans, but must heal themselves in the process. 

Rebecca Denton is an extremely sheltered young woman who was left half of the ranch by her recently deceased stepfather. After having meningitis as a child, Rebecca was coddled and sheltered by her smother, who still treats Becca as if she is naive and incapable of caring for herself and knowing her own mind. As a result, Becca has made friends on the farm and has a wide array of furry companions like Ron Swanson (the goat) and Rasputin (the rooster), among others. Becca talks to the animals as if they were people, which gives you some insight into her life and loneliness. Deciding to open an equine therapy ranch for wounded veterans with her stepbrother and his comrades is a huge step for Becca, but one at which she is determined to succeed (and have her way). I liked watching Becca come out of her shell and start to stand up for herself, her wants and needs. She didn't back down from the military men, and she earned their respect in the process.