Audio: The Lieutenant's Nurse by Sara Ackerman

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 03-05-19

Language: English

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Historical fiction

Thank you Harper for this review copy

My Thoughts

How to begin, well it takes a while to get to the battle, but I liked that. Eva is on her ship, she meets a handsome soldier, there are feelings, but she has someone already on Hawaii. No, not a love triangle, it was more that her dad wanted them together and he was a really nice guy.

One strange thing though is her roommate, who then is never mentioned after she embarks...

Anyway, while we are on the ship there are short chapters about how the Japanese are sailing towards Hawaii too. Even though I know her ship will be fine it does feel dramatic.

And then obviously we later on will have Pearl Harbor and what that entails. And being a nurse she is in the middle of it. Heartbreaking and tragic.

Eva had secrets, but it is easy to guess as we get flashbacks. Not her fault, but it has consequences. I liked her, she was a great nurse who cared about patients.

And a certain lieutenant, well he does not really have secrets in that way, it is more what his job is. A really good guy.

One thing that struck me is that I would like to read a book how those of Japanese origin was treated during the war. I know what went on on the mainland, but what about here? There were so many there.

There is also suspense, how much did the US know about a coming attack? 

Narration

She did a good job with different voices. I liked how she did the Japanese Navy flashes, it brought suspense to it all.

A good one to listen at.

Blurb

She's never even seen the ocean before, but Eva Cassidy has her reasons for making the crossing to Hawaii, and they run a lot deeper than escaping a harsh Michigan winter. Newly enlisted as an Army Corps nurse, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man she is drawn to but who clearly has secrets of his own. But Eva's past-and the future she's trying to create-means that she's not free to follow her heart. Clark is a navy intelligence officer, and he warns her that the United States won't be able to hold off joining the war for long, but nothing can prepare them for the surprise attack that will change the world they know.In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Eva and her fellow nurses band together for the immense duty of keeping the American wounded alive. And the danger that finds Eva threatens everything she holds dear. Amid the chaos and heartbreak, Eva will have to decide whom to trust and how far she will go to protect those she loves.

Audio: California Girls - Susan Mallery

• Narrated by: Tanya Eby
• Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release date: 02-26-19
• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Womens fiction
• Thank you harper for this copy!

MY THOUGHTS

This is the story of 3 sisters who all get dumped on the same day.

Ali was my favorite of the sisters. She gets dumped 2 months before her wedding and her fiance does not even do it himself. The more I heard of him I was all, you should have dumped him long ago.

And his brother Daniel, omg, what a man! He was everything her sucky fiance should have been. So yes obvi something will start to grow there

Finola was somewhat cold. She was just so career oriented. Of course that did not give her husband  the right to cheat, talk people! I also feel that she clung to his memory too long.

Zennie, well I do understand why her family and friends felt like she rushed into things. I felt like she rushed into things. Her friends wanted a baby, she said yes to being their surrogate. But even though it was her egg she never thought more of it. I mean that is your baby! That is not their baby, that is half their baby and half yours! Yes, awesome thing to do, but still your baby.

They all deal with their own things as the story progresses, and with their mum getting rid of their old place.

It was a more, oh I can not find the right word, not slow, just peaceful (still not the right word). The only real drama being when Finola found out the truth.

A good book

Narrator
I felt she did justice to all the sisters. They had their own voices. She got the mood of the book too
I feel like I have listened to her before, and if not, then she has a voice that makes you feel at home

Blurb

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

Audio: The Familiars - Stacey Hall

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 02-19-19

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Historical fiction

Thank you Harper for this review copy!

My Thoughts

I do not know a lot of about English witch trials, but it seems Pendle Hill is really famous because they executed so many. So some things in this story are true, while other things are unknown so why not weave a story around it.

Fleetwood is the mistress of Shuttleworth. She is expecting her 4th child, and none of the previous ones have survived. And this pregnancy is making her ill. She was curious, she liked being outdoors, and some thought she should sit inside all day doing womanly things. But then being married was much better than staying under her mother's roof. And Fleetwood sure grows in this book. She will do anything to bear this child.

To be a woman in 1612, ugh, no thank you. Not to mention that they were hunting witches so women who actually knew things were getting killed. Witchtrials were such BS. Women who were strange, women who were disliked, some woman who had looked at you the wrong way. Someone who you disliked for no reason at all. Sure, accuse them of witchcraft and see them burn. People are idiots.

And Fleetwood gets caught up in all of it when her midwife is accused of witchcraft. But she shows true spirit then. She will let her voice be heard.

Her husband, well something comes up and I was so unsure what to think. But he does love her, and well this is not a romance.

Roger, grrr, ok so you do not know who Roger is, but that thing at the end, fu Roger, FU!

And in the end, who knows if witchcraft is real or not, maybe there is a true witch here and there ;)

Conclusion:

An interesting book. 

Narrator

I liked her narration, except that her voice for Alice was strange. It was so slow, like she did not even know how to speak. Then someone else showed up talking like that too, so was it a dialect thing? Really strange

But she brought great atmosphere to the story, and had a nice range. And a very creepy voice for a certain creepy child. Ugh, do not even get me started on that. Kids are evil

Blurb

To save her child, she will trust a stranger. To protect her secret, she must risk her life.

1612 Pendle Hill, England

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth is with child again. As the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, she is anxious to provide her husband with an heir. But none of her previous pregnancies have come to term. Then she discovers a hidden letter from her physician that warns her husband that she will not survive another pregnancy. Distraught over the frightening revelation, Fleetwood wanders the woods of Pendle Hill, where she comes across a young local woman named Alice Gray who is gathering herbs. A midwife, Alice promises Fleetwood she can help her deliver a healthy baby. But soon Alice is drawn into the frenzied accusations of witchcraft sweeping the countryside. Even the woodland creatures, the familiars, are suspected of practicing the dark arts. Can Fleetwood trust that Alice is really who she says she is?

As the two women's lives become intertwined, Fleetwood must risk everything to prove Alice's innocence in order to save her own unborn child. The hunt for witches reaches fever pitch. Time is running out. The trials are about to begin. Both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the real Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, this rich and compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives and rights of seventeenth-century women, ultimately raising the question of whether witch-hunting is really just women-hunting. 

Audio: The Lost Girls of Paris - Pam Jenoff

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Henrietta Meire, Candace Thaxton

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 01-29-19

Language: English

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Thank you Harper for this copy!

Historical fiction

My Thoughts

This one has 3 POVS and takes place in 1944 and 1946.

In 1944 Eleanor Trigg gets permission to starts a women's division for "spies" to be sent to France. Women can blend in more than men can at that time, but even though she wants this she also wants to make sure the women can take care of themselves.

Marie is one of the women that gets sent to France. She is unlikely to make it and we follow her to a dangerous time. Oh Marie, some of the decisions she made. 

In 1946 Clare finds 12 photographs and tries to find out what happened to those women.

It's not the first book I read about female radio operators, messengers and saboteurs in France. And Germany's Nacht und Nebel program. So I knew it would be sad. But there is always hope and I kept that hope until the end.

Considering Clare's pov was only 2 years later that felt weird. Sure things were fresh in everyone's mind, but, oh I do not know. Maybe cos the author wanted to mention other things still going on then. I also felt that Clare should have made another decision at the end, no spoilers ;)

The France bits were obviously exciting. The training they had to have to make it. I still remember this other book were a woman looks the wrong before crossing the street and gets taken by the Germans that way. I could sure not have done it.

Conclusion:

A good book that reminds us that men were not the only ones fighting in the WWII

NarratioN
Elizabeth Knowelden, Henrietta Meire, Candace Thaxton
I liked that there were 3 different narrators. That did make it see the povs clearer. They all did well and had different voices that fitted their characters

Blurb

1946, Manhattan

Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances 

Audio: Flare up - Shannon Stacey

By: Shannon Stacey

Narrated by: Tatiana Sokolov

Series: Boston Fire, Book 6

Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 01-29-19

Language: English

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Contemporary romance

My Thoughts:

There was a whole lovestory that we missed, instead the book opens with them meeting again. And what a meeting. Grant saves Ren from a burning building.

I get why Ren broke up and ran from him. Sometimes the answer is s silly but here, I got that she was scared and needed to run. Yes she should have talked to him, but I understood. And she was such a great person!

Grant, poor guy, he was all heartbroken and still he was willing to help her out after the fire. He as such a great guy, the best! Awww, oh Grant, yes he was a keeper.

So they start things again. And that danger is still there, that running away from danger. I actually expected it to get really dangerous, but it never truly did. But then this is not suspense, this is romance.

This is book 6, and yes there are a lot of couples nearby, but you do not feel lost. It did make me want to read about them though. It is such a great tight knit friendgroup.

Conclusin:

Romance, firemen and great friends. Makes for a sweet story.

Cover

Nothing to complain about

Narrator Tatiana Sokolov

I am so sure I have listened to her before, but then I looked at her books and found nothing. A real mystery. But hey I guess that is a good thing, I felt at home with that voice.

Ok so I am not a Bostonian and I do not know if she did it justice, but I certainly liked it. I do not know why but I really enjoy hearing the Boston A. 

She worked well with the different voices, and big A for the A

Story:

Meet the tough, dedicated men of Boston Fire-and the women who turn their lives upside down. 

Nursing a broken heart while everybody around him seems to be drowning in happiness has Grant Cutter wondering whether staying with Engine 59-or even Boston Fire-is in his future. It's tempting as hell to pack up what fits in his Jeep and hit the road. But then a 911 call brings the woman who shattered his heart back into his life, and he knows he won't ever be able to fully leave her in his rearview mirror. 

For a few months, Wren Everett had thought the nightmare of her past was behind her and she might live happily ever after with Grant. Until she got the phone call letting her know the time her ex had spent in jail for assault hadn't cooled his temper or determination that she belonged with him. Cutting ties with Grant was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, but it was also the only way to keep him safe.Now that Grant is back, he's not letting Wren push him away again. And even with the trust issues between them, Wren dares to hope she and Grant might have a future together after all...if they're willing to fight for it. 

Audio. 29 Dates - Melissa de la Cruz

Narrated by: Greta Jung

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged Audiobook

Release date: 12-18-18

Language: English

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

My Thoughts

isu is about to start her last year of HS when her parents sent her to San Francisco. There she will focus on school, get great grades and get into a great College. I must say that school in Seoul sounds horrible, Jisu thinks so too. And at the same time she wants those good grades because that is what ger parents want. As for her parents, evil! They just said pack your bags, you are leaving tonight! 

But San Francisco is great for her. She gets to be more on her own. She finds new friends, she gets to take more photographs without her parents telling her to study instead.

Of course one of the keypoints of the book is the matchmaking thing she is part of. Her parents wants her to find a  good boyfriend, with good parents, and he has to have a good future. So she goes on dates and we take part of horrible ones, nice ones, but no amazing ones.

She continues these dates in SF, and she also crushes on a classmate.

I liked Jisu. She was at her best when idiot dates annoyed her. She sure knew how to speak back.

I also really want to try Korean food! Why can't someone open a restaurant!? 

It was very YA. Cute, fun and everything working out in the end.

Narrator

I liked her Jisu voice. It made me want to be friends with her. And her Austin, omg I could so see him before me

Synopsis:

Jisu's traditional South Korean parents are concerned by what they see as her lack of attention to her schoolwork and her future. Working with Seoul's premiere matchmaker to find the right boyfriend is one step toward ensuring Jisu's success, and going on the recommended dates is Jisu's compromise to please her parents while finding space to figure out her own dreams. But when she flubs a test then skips out on a date to spend time with friends, her fed-up parents shock her by shipping her off to a private school in San Francisco. Where she'll have the opportunity to shine academically—and be set up on more dates!

Navigating her host family, her new city and school, and more dates, Jisu finds comfort in taking the photographs that populate her ever-growing social media account. Soon attention from two very different boys sends Jisu into a tailspin of soul-searching. As her passion for photography lights her on fire, does she even want to find The One? And what if her One isn't parent and matchmaker approved? 

Audio: The Christmas Sisters - Sarah Morgan

12 hours, 32 minutes

Audio CD, Unabridged

Published November 6th 2018 by Harlequin Audio (first published September 25th 2018)

Women's fiction

Thank you Harper for this copy!

My Thoughts:

I thought this was more a romancy book, but it was women's fiction. The name fooled me but I was pleasantly surprised.

It is the story of four women. Suzanne who still has nightmares of an event 25 years ago. She tries to make every Christmas the best Christmas ever. And I get that. She tried so hard.

Hannah is the one who tries not to feel things, and never lets go. She has built this wall around her. And she has a secret! In a way I liked her the best.

Beth has a sort of midlife crisis. She has two kids, she is a stay at home mom, but she wants to work again and her husband does not get how much she actually does. Before you hate on the hubbie, he is a darling, truly, in the end. But Beth has to learn a thing or two too.

Posey is the youngest of the 3 siblings. She wants more than the village has to offer, but she does not want to tell her parents that so she stays. She was the fun one, the one least traumatized from the event that left them orphans.

There will be romance within all points. New love, old love rekindled, and letting yourself be loved. Not to mention connecting with family again. 

New truths will be had, there will be lots of Christmas preparations and maybe at last wounds will be healed.

And yes these people really should have discussed that accident long ago.

Family drama, and lots of it. And showing how old wounds can take a long time to heal

Conclusion:
I liked the story, and it made me wish for Christmas

Narrator Mandy Weston

She sounded so familiar, but have not heard her before. Strange. Or she just have one of those likable voices that you like at once. 

Synopsis

In the snowy Highlands of Scotland, Suzanne McBride is dreaming of the perfect cozy Christmas. Her three adopted daughters are coming home for the holidays and she can’t wait to see them. But tensions are running high…

Workaholic Hannah knows she can’t avoid spending the holidays with her family two years in a row. But it’s not the weight of their expectations that’s panicking her - it’s the life-changing secret she’s hiding. Stay-at-home mom Beth is having a personal crisis. All she wants for Christmas is time to decide if she’s ready to return to work - seeing everyone was supposed to help her stress levels, not increase them! Posy isn’t sure she’s living her best life, but with her parents depending on her, making a change seems risky. But not as risky as falling for gorgeous new neighbor Luke…

As Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect McBride Christmas unravel, she must rely on the magic of the season to bring her daughters together. But will this new togetherness teach the sisters that their close-knit bond is strong enough to withstand anything - including a family Christmas? 

Audio: The Lady Travelers Guide to Deception with an Unlikely Earl - Victoria Alexander

Series: Lady Travelers Society

By: Victoria Alexander

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins

Release date: 20-11-2018

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

My Thoughts:

Off we go on an adventure to Egypt! And since we did spend most of the time in Egypt I was glad for it, (no long sea journey ;)

Sydney writes short stories for a paper, a heroine called Millicent who lives the life of an adventurer in Egypt. Just, it seems everyone thinks she is real! And while Sydney loves Egypt she has never been there.

Harry spent almost 20 years in Egypt and he is trying to write a novel, with facts! Not silly adventures that does not show reality. And so he sets of a sparring match with The Queen of the Desert. To show what a phony she is.

Off to Egypt she goes to prove him wrong (well even if he is right ;) and he goes with to keep check. Along with a reporter, and a few aunts. Nothing beats a trio of sweet and opinionated old ladies!

Obviously Sydney the liar and Harry who pretends to be his own nephew will fall in love. Obviously they have both lied to each other. And along the way they then find love and have an adventure or two. 

Conclusion

I enjoyed them trying to prove each other wrong. Nice banter, and awesome trio of aunts. Fun book.

Narrator Marian Hussey

She has a nice voice and does different characters well. She brought in smiles and humour.

Synopsis:

Harry Armstrong has spent years in Egypt, recovering relics and disregarding rules. Now, he’s back in England with a new title and a new purpose: penning his exploits. But his efforts are overshadowed by London’s favorite writer about Egypt - a woman they call "The Queen of the Desert", of all things. Worse, her stories - serialized in newspapers and reprinted in books - are complete rubbish. 

Miss Sidney Honeywell didn’t set out to deceive anyone. It’s not her fault readers assumed her Tales of a Lady Adventurer in Egypt were real! Admitting her inadvertent deception now would destroy her reputation and her livelihood. But when the earl of Brenton challenges her to travel to Egypt to prove her expertise, accompanied by his dashing, arrogant nephew, what choice does she have but to pack her bags?

With the matchmaking founders of the Lady Travelers Society in tow, Harry is determined to expose Sidney’s secret. But the truth might not be as great a revelation as discovering that love can strike even the most stubborn of hearts.