Audiobook Review- The Proposition by Judith Ivory

Title: The Proposition

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Judith Ivory

Narrator: Steven Crossley

Publisher: Recorded Books, March 2009

Source: Purchase

Pages: Audiobook, 13 hours, 29 minutes

Rating: Story= 5, Narration= 5

Sexy Rating: 5

Violence Rating: 4

Description from Amazon.com:

Lady Edwina Bollash is a woman of importance and distinction who has never been the object of any man’s affection. However, when she meets Mick Tremore, a tall, handsome young man from the bottommost rung of society, she instantly attracts his attention. As Mick wants desperately to become a gentleman, Edwina decides to transform him into a man with class. From the start, she notices the way he looks at her. But what she doesn’t yet realize is that as much as she is preparing him, he is preparing her for a place in his heart–and in his bed. Narrator Steven Crossley elevates the mounting passion of Ivory’s prose, building tension with every breath and every sensuous word.

***

I have been enjoying my recent subscription to Audible’s Romance Package. This is by a classic author in the Historical Romance genre, Judith Ivory. It is a reversal on the old story of Pygmalion also better known to many as MY FAIR LADY. We meet Mick, a rat catcher in London. Edwina, a linguist and teacher, is charged with turning Mick into a gentleman in time for a Ton ball. Emile and Jeremy Laponte are wagering againist each other as to if Mick can pull off the deception. Edwina has 6 weeks to accomplish the goal.

This is a delightful tale of a spinster who is being wooed by a man from the wrong side of the tracks and how they are so wrong for each other that they can’t envision a way to be together. Steven Crossley does a wonderful job of performing both male and female voices along with various accents. But Judith Ivory’s ability to tell the story and bring to a satisfying conclusion is superb. I can highly recommend this Audiobook.

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General Fiction Review- The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Title: The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared

Genre: General Fiction

Author: Jonas Jonasson

Publisher: Hachette, Sept. 2012

Source: Free for review from the publisher

Pages: 402

Rating: 4.5

Sexy Rating: 0

Violence Rating: 5

Description from Amazon.com:

A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it’s not too late to start over . . .

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).

It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world….

**
And it has charmed this reader also. the book starts out in the present day (actually around 2005) and as Allan’s adventures continue there are flashback chapters chronicling his life. He meets quirky side characters in the present-day as well as in the past. One thing is certain, Allan always manages to get out of dire predicaments with few consequences…except for the few times he landed in jail.

This is a very enjoyable book filled with humor and so very well written. If I have any complaint at all it is that some chapters were a bit too wordy, but only a bit. If you are looking for a feel good read then look no further than this gem.

Deet’s Computer Woes

Others brag to me that they are still using Windows 7 or some other relic from 1999. I think I’m the Typhoid Mary of Computer Crashes. Yet another hard drive has gone to the great beyond. This is the second computer to crash due to busted hard drive in 6 years. I have purchased a new laptop and should be up to my old tricks soon enough. Good Grief!

 

Merry Christmas From Deet

Today we are happy to celebrate the holiday with neighbors who will arrive for a roast beef dinner and lots of good cheer.  Wishing you all a very

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve from Deet

This is a dollhouse I made several (like back in the 80’s) years ago.  I made the chairs, sofa and even the tree.  It was so much fun . I hope you have fun times to look back at today.  Sleep well, Santa comes tonight.

Advance Review- The Duke I Once Knew by Olivia Drake

Title: The Duke I Once Knew (Unlikely Duchesses, book #1)

Genre: Historical Romance

Author: Olivia Drake

Publisher: St. Martin’s, Dec. 18, 2018

Source: Free for review from the publisher

Pages: 333

Rating: 4

Sexy Rating: 5

Violence Rating: 4

Description from Amazon.com:
When two childhood sweethearts find themselves together after years apart, does their romance have a chance to be rekindled now that he’s a duke and she’s a governess? Olivia Drake’s new Unlikely Duchesses series begins with The Duke I Once Knew, where first love is always the sweetest…

For years, Abigail Linton devoted herself to caring for her parents and her siblings’ children. Now, eager to create a life of her own, Abby seizes upon a position as a governess on a neighboring estate. Unfortunately, her absentee employer is Maxwell Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, the notorious rake who once broke her youthful heart. But since he hasn’t set foot on his estate for fifteen years, Abby assumes she’ll never have to lay eyes on him ever again. Then, from out of nowhere, Max appears. He is stunned to come face to face with the girl next door he fell for years ago—before he went away, and she stopped writing to him. . .even though Abby swears that he is the one who left her without a word. Could it be that this spirited, witty spinster has won Max’s heart all over again—and that they may have a second chance at love?
***
That description pretty much gives you the whole gist of this book. But there is so much more to discover in the wonderful construction of character, action , Regency morality and just delightful story telling. There are an abundance of dissipated aristocrats to look down their noses at the sweet, clever country girl. There is a close knit family who actually care for one another in spite of being wrapped in their individual dramas. Thank you, Olivia Drake for this lovely romance.

Review- The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

Title: The Grand Sophy
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Georgette Heyer
Narrator: Sarah Woodward
Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
Source: Purchase from Audible
Naration rating: 4.5
Rating: 5
Sexy Rating: 2
Violence Rating: 0
Publisher’s Summary
Resourceful, adventurous and utterly indefatigable, Sophy is hardly the mild-mannered girl that the Rivenhalls expect when they agree to take her in. Kind-hearted Aunt Lizzy is shocked; stern Cousin Charles and his humorless fiancée Eugenia are disapproving.
With her inimitable mixture of exuberance and grace Sophy soon sets about endearing herself to her family, but finds herself increasingly drawn to her cousin. Can she really be falling in love with him, and he with her? And what of his betrothal to Eugenia?
**
This is my first foray into the extensive Georgette Heyer library. I certainly hope that I have not started with the best and will be disappointed with further reading. Her fans tell me not to worry. I chose to listen to the audiobook of this one and I was delighted with the narration of Sarah Woodward.
Sophy was a delight, part Mary Poppins, Anne Shirley and maybe even a touch of Pippa Longstocking. She was everything the very proper Ravenhill household was not. Charles Ravenhill was the quintessential proper heir to his Papa. His betrothed Miss Waxton was an amusing picture of the disapproving ton. Sophy worked her magic through intelligence and common sense and found HEA’s for all of those in the household. This is a funny and heartwarming look at the Regency. I recommend it highly. Thanks to Rebecca B. for giving me the push to read this truly enjoyable novel.

Note: That “R” on the Audio cover indicates that I acquired this audio through Audible’s Romance membership. They offered a one month free membership with unlimited downloads and I jumped on it. Keep your eyes open for offers from Audible.

Release Day Review- What A Widow Wants by Jenna Jaxon

Title: What A Widow Wants (The Widows Club book #3)
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Jenna Jaxon
Publisher: Lyrical. Dec. 18, 2018
Source: Free for review from the publisher
Pages: 352
Rating: 3
Sexy Rating: 5
Violence Rating: 5
Description from Amazon.com:
The widowed Lady Stephen Tarkington, Fanny to her friends, has finished mourning her cad of a husband and is ready to enjoy her freedom. The kind of freedom neither a gently bred miss nor a close-watched wife is permitted: dressing up as Aphrodite for a masquerade, drawing gentlemen away from the party, and hinting at late-night assignations with her dance partners. All is going pleasurably according to plan—until the Roman god Fanny kisses during a masquerade turns out to be Matthew, Lord Lathbury, whose proposal she refused years ago . . .

Lathbury is charming, passionate, inventive, everything Fanny wants in a lover—but unfortunately, he’s on the hunt for a wife. He’s more than willing to use all his wicked skills to persuade her back to the altar, but he can’t wait forever. And now Fanny’s position is more precarious than she once thought. If the tongues of the ton set to wagging, it’s possible no offer in the world will save her from ruin. But does she want to be saved? . . .
**
This book started off with me not liking Fanny, our heroine, and not liking Matthew, our hero. She was just a tad too much the loose woman and he was almost a bully with his insistent marriage proposals. How I managed to stay with the story I’m afraid I can’t say. Actually I kept putting the book aside. But at about the 50-60% mark this story took off with some surprises, action and adventure that made the ending an okay read. Fanny was not totally redeemed but Matthew earned some admiration.
I do think you will have a better feel for this story if you have started with the first two books in the series although this is a standalone book. Characters from the beginning books in the series do play important roles in this book.
Trigger warning: There is an attempted rape in this book.

Recent Release Review- The Girl With The Sweetest Secret by Betina Krahn

Title: The Girl with the Sweetest Secret
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Betina Krahn
Publisher: Zebra, Nov. 2018
Source: Free for review from the publisher via Amazon Vine
Pages: 320
Rating: 4
Sexy Rating: 5
Violence Rating: 5
Description from Amazon.com:
When Frances Bumgarten encounters a handsome stranger in her kitchen in the middle of the night, her first impulse is to wallop the scoundrel on the head with a bread paddle. And when Frankie discovers he is “The Fox,” a disarmingly arrogant purveyor of gossip among England’s aristocracy, she’s tempted to take a second swing . . .

Never mind that Reynard Boulton, nephew of the Viscount Tannehill, is returning her inebriated uncle safely home. This chiseled intruder has sparked an infuriating physical sensation unlike anything the feisty Nevada silver heiress has experienced. In fact, the noblemen of London are so dull, Frankie’s sworn off marriage entirely. She will, however, help her younger sister win her own love match—even if it means secretly enlisting Reynard’s enquiring mind . . .

But secrets, as Reynard knows too well, can be costly. For Frankie is yet unaware that a villainous duke is scheming to claim her—and ruin him. Soon they’re racing to uncover the truth—and fueling a passion that won’t stay hidden . . .

**
A really good read! This one had me hooked and I got absolutely nothing else done until I finished reading. The characters are well drawn with Reynard deliciously hunky, Frankie sufficiently empowered and the Duke of Ottenberg evil and smarmy. Frankie’s sister Claire was a bit too silly and thus she brought my rating down from a 5 to a 4. Also Claire’s romantic outcome was a bit too coincidental. Frankie and Claire’s mother was over the top as a determined mother out to marry her daughters off to nobility.  But inspite of some minor complaints I found this book delightful.

Some Thoughts and Some Suggestions: Audiobooks

I have been listening to Audiobooks lately. They are not new to me but during the last few weeks I’ve become quite addicted to them. I tend to like the male narrators much better than the females. That said, Julia Whelan is just astonishing, she is the author and narrator (performer) of the book My Oxford Year. It is truly a terrific book and performance. I have had discussions with audio-listener friends who really love the good female narrators like Rosalyn Landor and Kate Reading but for me they just can’t perform the male voices to my liking.

Now when it comes to the male narrators (performers), Alex Wyndham is the one who gets A+ for his narration of the Lucinda Brandt and Stella Riley books. I also give high marks to Tim Campbell narrating Christi Caldwell books and Nicholas Boulton narrating Laura Kinsale’s Flowers From the Storm. They all do justice to the female voices and can do different voices for all the book’s characters, it is like listening to a play or movie without the visual, of course.

Becoming a member of Audible online is not cheap. It costs $14.95/month and for that you get one free? book and some shorter “Audible Originals”. I have been picking up books at reduced rates by watching for deals bundled with a Kindle book purchase. If you keep your eyes out you can score an audiobook for as little as $1.99, but more often $7.49. That is much less expensive than the $20-$25 cost of many audiobooks.

I recently took advantage of an Audible offer that gives me a 3 month membership for $6.95/month with the option to cancel any time. I’m taking advantage by getting some of my pricey-ist books during this member period.

Here are some of the Historical Romance (and one Contemporary) audiobooks that rate 5-stars with me: