Day: March 31, 2015

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The Last Thing He Needs Audiobook by JH Knight Narrated by Michael Stellman

Dreamspinner Presents:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Last-Thing-He-Needs-Audiobook/B00V8S7KOW/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1427654492&sr=1-1

last thing audioBlurb
Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters without any help from his drug abusing father and stepmother. Since he was fifteen years old, he’s managed to keep the children fed and out of foster care. It takes up every ounce of his energy and the last thing he needs is romance complicating his life further.

Rookie cop Bobby McAlister doesn’t belong in Tommy’s harsh world, but Tommy can’t push him out. As their unlikely friendship turns into a tentative relationship, they weather the daily storm of Tommy’s life with a lot of laughs and more than a few arguments.

Tommy isn’t used to trusting outsiders, and he’s never asked for help in his life. But when a tragedy strikes the O’Shea family and threatens everything he’s fought for, he’ll have to learn to do both to recover from the brutal hit.
Review

(Book reviewed here previously.)

Tommy O’Shea has a rough, rough life. He’s in charge of his 6 younger siblings, didn’t finish high school, has drug-addled parents messing things up, and he’s very, very poor.

Bobby McAlister has been around for most of Tommy’s life. He’s an only child who lives at home with his recently widowed mother. He’s a gay cop who only wants to love and be loved.

It isn’t easy for Tommy to trust, everyone he knows has let him down, so when Bobby comes around, he is immediately treated with a heavy dose of skepticism.

Through time, perseverance and a lot of love, Bobby worms his way in and the result is this amazing love story written by JH Knight.

JH Knight a new author to me, but she now goes on my “must read” list.  I was blown away.
The story is so sweet, so tender, yet tough and gritty at the same time.

The problems Tommy and his family face are realistic and heart-breaking and I really loved that the “gay” part was really the least of their worries.

This was a story about trust, devotion, optimism and most of all, family. Despite all the odds and all the reasons why things really should not have worked out, family prevails, and in ways we could never predict.

I really loved the relationship between Bobby and his mother, June. I just think her involvement in the story added that the icing to this delicious cake of a book. She rounded out the family and brought everyone in that much tighter. She reminded us that you’re never too old to need a “Mommy”.

I felt the love scenes were erotic and touching and just numerous enough to add texture to the story without being the focus. The kids were amazing and I really hope we see more of their stories in the future.

I fell in love with this book and will definitely be reading it again.

JH Knight gave us a WONDERFUL present with this “Epilogue”:  https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/7586073-have-yourself-a-merry-little-free-short-read

Audio

Michael Stellman did a fantastic job with his narration here. He doesn’t do anything over the top with the voices but does a really solid job with the emotion and the timing of the story. He subtly changes the tenor to differentiate the different characters and it allows you to become immersed in the story. I really got swallowed up by both the wonderful words of JH Knight and the way it is so artfully told by Michael Stellman. This is one of those audiobooks I will listen to again and again and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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How to Howl at the Moon Audiobook (Dog Shifters of Mad Creek #1) by Eli Easton Narrated by Matthew Shaw

Pinkerton Road Presents:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/How-to-Howl-at-the-Moon-Audiobook/B00UVVHOTI/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1427652540&sr=1-1

howlaudioBlurb

Sheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of ‘quickened’—dogs who have gained the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come.

Tim Weston is looking for a safe haven. After learning that his boss patented all of Tim’s work on vegetable hybrids in his own name, Tim quit his old job. A client offers him use of her cabin in Mad Creek, and Tim sees a chance for a new start. But the shy gardener has a way of fumbling and sounding like a liar around strangers, particularly gorgeous alpha men like Sheriff Beaufort.

Lance’s hackles are definitely raised by the lanky young stranger. He’s concerned about marijuana growers moving into Mad Creek, and he’s not satisfied with the boy’s story. Lance decides a bit of undercover work is called for. When Tim hits a beautiful black collie with his car and adopts the dog, its love at first sight for both Tim and Lance’s inner dog. Pretending to be a pet is about to get Sheriff Beaufort in very hot water.

Review

(Book review previously done on this site.)

Lance is a fourth generation “quickened” shifter, hailing from a long line of Border Collie shifters and the Sherriff of Mad Creek.  A “quickened” shifter is a dog (born a dog) who was so beloved by his or her master that they receive the “gift” of turning human at will.  That ability is then transferred to their off-spring and thus a shifter is born.

Tim is a horticulturist whose hybrid plant ideas were ripped off by his ex-boss.  He’s currently living on the last of his money and hopes to build back his business with the help of a friend.

Tim also is very nervous in front of alpha-males and Lance is ALL alpha.

At first, Lance thinks Tim is growing an illegal crop and stoops to using his shifted form to spy on Tim.  But the lonely and sad and socially inept Tim cracks through Lance’s tough shell until both the dog and the man can’t get enough of Tim.

However, how is Lance going to break it to Tim that the dog he loves is really the man he fears?  And… is Tim’s boss going to make trouble for Tim in his new home?  And someone really is growing illegal drugs near Mad Creek and they don’t like competition.

**

Through a combination of  amazingly astute observations on the various dog breeds and imagining them to be humans, Eli has managed the unbelievable – a unique shifter story!  Sure, there are some common threads, but by and large this is a truly unique look at shifter lore.

Because they were dogs first the transition to being human is both touching at times (Roman’s devotion to his past master) and hilarious (the friendly and chatty Mr. Beagle).

You know that since it’s Eli Easton, the writing is impeccable.  The sex is hot.  The emotion is deep and abiding.  And the humor is sharp and witty.

If I could describe a perfect book it would be this:  Eli Easton writing a shifter book.  And yet, it gets even better because it’s going to be an entire SERIES!  It’s true – there is a heaven!

The slow burn between Tim and Lance is delicious and when Lance finally “comes out” to Tim it is both hysterical and touching.

I loved the meddling mother and the “vindictive” vet scene.  Superb!

All in all I can’t wait for the next book, am so excited the audio book is on it’s way and will likely have read this book at least three more times before I get my hands on the audio version.

PS

Look here for fun facts about writing the book and a sample of the audiobook.  http://elieaston.com/

Audio

Matthew Shaw did a fantastic job of narrating Eli Easton’s new shifter book.  From interviews, I know Matthew voiced some of Eli’s games in the past and so he’s a new narrator to the m/m genre.  He did great!  He was funny and easy to listen to.  His voice is rich and flowing, with the right amount of emotion and “acting”.  I really enjoyed listening to this story and will be listening to it again and again!

6 of 5 hearts!

amazing

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