Audiobook Review: Just Three Words – By Melissa Brayden, narrated by Felicity Munroe

Amazon Summary

Sometimes the one you want is the one you least suspect...

Accountant Samantha Ennis craves order and structure. As the bookkeeper at the boutique advertising agency she owns with her three best friends, it's her job to apply logic to the chaos. When one of those best friends, laid back Hunter Blair, moves in to share her loft apartment, Sam's carefully organized world is thrown wildly askew.

Hunter Blair's been the coolest one in the room since elementary school. Until recently, her biggest worry in the world was which of the girls in her cell phone to call on a Saturday night. But it's not long before Samantha sparks a fire in Hunter that has her questioning her old habits and longing for new ones. Isn't it a bad idea to fall for one of your best friends? Samantha and Hunter are about to find out.

The Story

This was my first Melissa Brayden book, (which is probably not something I should say out loud lest my lesbian card be revoked) but I was intrigued after listening to an interview with her on the Lesbian Talkshow podcast and decided to have a listen.  I was not disappointed!  The scenes were deftly described, the characters were nuanced and interesting, and the dialogue was hilariously witty and fast paced.  It was also nice to have a bit of diversity amongst the cast, and Sam’s bisexuality was presented brilliantly. 

The Audio

This is what a professional and highly talented audiobook narration sounds like – and I took copious notes so I could glean a few lessons from a master!  Felicity Munroe was the perfect choice to pair with this story, and she effortlessly brought each character to life and added a level of snark that fit the story perfectly.  Her Hawaiian accent was spot on and reminded me instantly of my Hawaiian friends - she didn’t go over the line into impressions but kept it authentic and believable. 

Summary

There is honestly nothing I can think of that was not brilliant with this audiobook.  If you’d like an introduction to Melissa Brayden or Felicity Munroe’s work, this is a great audiobook to get your ears on.  Highly recommended!

Score

5 Stars

Audiobook Review: Daughter of Dust and Bone by Laini Taylor, Narrated by Khristine Hvam

When Brimstone calls, you always listen.  That’s a lesson that Karou, the blue haired and mysterious art student in Prague, has learned well in her 17 years.  She keeps her two lives separate, practicing her art at school and in her spare time running errands for monsters that live in a shop – a shop that doubles as a portal between earth and “Elsewhere”.  Brimstone and his band of monsters are the closest thing to a family she’s ever known.  Karou has no idea where “Elsewhere” is, or how she came to be part of this strange little family.  She is plagued by the feeling that she isn’t whole, and that secrets are being kept from her.  When the doors to “Elsewhere” start to close forever she is faced with a choice – stay in the earthly life she knows or risk the war-torn world on the other side of the portal?

This book is the first in a trilogy, and sets the scene perfectly for the larger story arc.  Laini Taylor uses beautiful language to weave together the threads of her tale, and expertly pulls the reader in with just the right amount of intrigue and action.  The character’s conflicts are laid out at just the right pace to have the reader crossing their fingers hoping that things work out – and set their heart pounding at the thought that they might not! 

Khristine Hvam was the perfect pick to narrate this book - her inflections, tones and voices were spot on and made it easy for the listener to completely lose themselves in the story.  The production quality of this audiobook was also top notch, without any issues of background noise or poor audio.  Kristine Hvam didn’t just read this book to the listener, but performed it in that way that brought each character to life in their individual uniqueness.

This knockout team of Laini Taylor and Khristin Hvam meant this audiobook easily earned 5 stars, and had this reviewer instantly purchasing the rest of the trilogy to continue the adventure.  But a word of warning, dear listeners, don’t expect to get much sleep when listening to this as you won’t be able to put it down for long!