Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of April 24th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
Narrated by Piper Goodeve
Tantor Audio
After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with the worst possible person: her nemesis, Irene Abraham, who is as beautiful as she is mean. When the damage sends Irene’s car to the shop for weeks’ worth of repairs, the girls are forced to carpool for the foreseeable future.
Their rocky start only gets bumpier the more time they spend together. But when an opportunity presents itself for Scottie to get back at her toxic ex (and climb their school’s social ladder at the same time), she bribes Irene into playing along.
The Key to You and Me by Jaye Robin Brown
Narrated by Katherine Littrell, Jennifer Jill Araya
Harper Audio
A sweet and funny ownvoices LGBTQ+ romance perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Julie Murphy, from the critically acclaimed author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit!
Piper Kitts is spending the summer living with her grandmother, training at the barn of a former Olympic horseback rider, and trying to get over her ex-girlfriend. Much to Piper’s dismay, her grandmother is making her face her fear of driving by taking lessons from a girl in town.
Kat Pearson has always suspected that she likes girls but fears her North Carolina town is too small to color outside the lines. But when Piper’s grandmother hires Kat to give her driving lessons, everything changes. Piper’s not sure if she’s ready to let go of her ex. Kat’s navigating uncharted territory with her new crush. With the summer running out, will they be able to unlock a future together?
“Piper and Kat are imperfect, but always trying their best – aren’t we all? – and Brown had me rooting for them all the way through this sweet, slow burn romance. Their triumphs, their blunders, and the way they swing between confidence and self-doubt are utterly relatable.” (Misa Sigura, award-winning author of It’s Not Like It’s a Secret)
A Heart to Trust by A.L. Brooks
Narrated by Anastasia Watley
Tantor Audio
Change is not Jenny Quinn’s strong suit, but she’s happy enough with her easy-going life, friends, and job as a TV production assistant. That is until a company shake-up foists the infuriating Olivia Sinclair on her. The woman is uptight, snobby, and has some perfect and famous motor-racing husband.
TV and theater producer Olivia moved to New York from the UK to marry her longtime friend. It’s a sham marriage, a favor to a man she loves as a brother, but the strain is beginning to take its toll. How can she even meet women when she’s the picture of heterosexual bliss? Add in her stressful new job, an irritating colleague called Jenny, who thinks being goofy is some kind of admirable work ethic, and life can be a grind some days. The worst part isn’t the office politics or clashing personalities, but the fact there’s an attraction between both women that’s gradually becoming impossible to ignore.
So…should they stop ignoring it? That would mean learning to trust your heart that this is the right woman. And that’s a huge step.
Contains mature themes.
Rising Tide by Wayne Stinnett
Narrated by Nick Sullivan
Self Published
When a small homemade boat drifts under the Seven Mile Bridge, Jesse McDermitt doesn’t hesitate to jump in and pull the boat ashore on Pigeon Key with an injured boy aboard.
The boy provides more questions than answers. He’s believed to be a Cuban refugee, yet when he regains consciousness, he speaks perfect English, but can’t even remember his name.
Clues point to the boy coming from Fort Myers, Jesse’s hometown. After going to war with drug smugglers there, Jesse has no desire to go back. But something is pulling at his wife’s heart strings.
With only a week before he has to leave for bigger, broader horizons, will Jesse be able to solve the mystery of the “lost boy” in time. Will the clues he finds along the way lead him deeper into the world of gang warfare than he wants to go?
Things are about to get hot in the Florida Keys, and it’s not just the spring weather.
Deadly Tide by B.R. Spangler
Narrated by A.W. Miller
Tantor Audio
Sheriff Jericho Flynn’s life in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is shattered following the mysterious death of his wife.
A broken man, Jericho is forced to emerge from the depths of his despair when his only son is suddenly accused of an unspeakable crime. Murder.
With his son shrouded beneath a cloud of suspicion, Jericho finds himself deeply immersed in the investigation and connects the murder with the recent disappearance of a child.
A crab pot and a sunken duffle bag lead Jericho to the gruesome discovery of a second missing child. He soon untangles a string of kidnappings and murder, revealing a chilling timeline – a deadly tide, a cycle that is set to repeat.
Peeling back the layers of deception and cruel betrayal, his wife’s mysterious secrets begin to surface and have a disturbing connection to the case. Time is running out, and Jericho is in the fight of his life to prove his son’s innocence and to unmask the killer before another child dies.
The Long Weekend by Clare Lydon
Narrated by Claire Storey
Clare Lydon
Secrets. Lies. Romance. Wine.
When nine friends reunite for a weekend at the charming English seaside, their complicated personal lives lead to laughs as well as drama. Can they all find the happy endings they deserve?
A captivating novel about friendship and love and one hell of a long weekend!
Lucky Break by Christine Gael
Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella
Self Published
When an abstract sculpture made from human body parts shows up in front of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC homicide detective Lucky Strickland and her partner are called in to catch the killer….
Little do they know that this murder is only the opening gambit of a madman hell-bent on revenge. The sweltering city streets become a killing field as a new body is discovered on another block each day, with no end in sight. Can this psychopath be stopped before he reaches the end game, or has Lucky’s luck just run out?
3 Hour Tour by LP Snyder
Narrated by Andrew Tell
Podium Audio
Stranded on a desert island, friendship is the first thing to go.
But can Dee Sanders survive without it? He just wanted a nice vacation, but the cruise he and his friends took turns into a disaster. Now, after a rogue wave and a harrowing night, they’re on a beach with few options. Will a power struggle threaten their chance for rescue?
The island isn’t just sunshine, coconuts, and palm trees. It holds secrets and dangers, but the biggest peril may come from within their group. Can they stick together? Will Dee be a loner or a leader? How will they get off the island?
The Gene by Timothy Browne
Narrated by Kevin Clay
Self Published
We are the dwelling place of God – it is woven into our very DNA. Do we change the core of who we are by manipulating our genes? Is gene-therapy a miraculous cure or a slippery slope into eugenics?
Following their marriage, Dr. Nicklaus Hart and Maggie Russell enjoy the splendor and passion of a honeymoon in Hawaii. They learn that their union has brought new life, but the overflowing joy of Maggie’s pregnancy and their romantic getaway is interrupted by the shocking news of a genetic disorder discovered in Maggie’s family lineage. The devastating possibility that both Maggie and the baby carry the mutated gene for the horrific Huntington’s disease, shakes their faith.
Faced with this dreadful diagnosis, Nick and Maggie seek peace as they wrestle with the heartbreaking discovery of a genetic disease versus the knowledge that God is good. He has made their baby in his image and knit him together in Maggie’s womb. Like the millions of people around the world affected with genetic disorders, Nick and Maggie look for answers. With the belief that people are the dwelling place of God, and he is woven into the DNA, what should they do when that DNA has been corrupted?
Nick and Maggie travel to Poland, where the top geneticist, Emmanuelle Christianson, has founded and operates BioGenics whose mission statement is: Advancing the Human Genome. They understand that medical advances always cost something, but they face impossible decisions. They are unaware that the sinister side of genetic research has slithered in from the horrors of Nazi death camps into this modern-day technology. Their journey reveals more than the fight for knowledge, it uncovers a simmering evil left over from World War II. One that puts their lives in danger.
The Gene is the fourth book in a series of skillfully crafted medical thrillers. If you like fast-paced adventure, international settings, sizzling medical suspense, then you’ll love this heart-pounding thriller by Timothy Browne.
Adaptation by Malinda Lo
Narrated by Melissa Moran
Tantor Audio
Across North America, flocks of birds hurl themselves into airplanes, causing at least a dozen to crash. Thousands of people die. Fearing terrorism, the United States government grounds all flights, and millions of travelers are stranded.
Among them are Reese and her debate team partner and longtime crush David, who are in Arizona when the disaster occurs. On their drive home to San Francisco, along a stretch of empty highway in the middle of the Nevada night, a bird flies into their headlights. The car flips over. When they wake up in a military hospital, the doctor won’t tell them what happened, where they are – or how they’ve been miraculously healed.
Things become even stranger when Reese returns home. San Francisco feels like a different place with police enforcing curfew, hazmat teams collecting dead birds, and a strange presence that seems to be following her. When Reese unexpectedly collides with the beautiful Amber Gray, her search for the truth is forced in an entirely new direction – and threatens to expose a vast global conspiracy that the government has worked for decades to keep secret.
Sweet Talk by Cara Bastone
Narrated by Lidia Dornet, Chris Brinkley
Audible Studios
Stay up all night with this funny, surprising romantic comedy from Audie Award nominee Cara Bastone—scripted exclusively for audio!
It’s officially booty o’clock, I’m alone again in my kitchen choking down a slice of terrible chocolate cake…and I’m pretty sure I just got drunk texted by the man I have a ginormous crush on.
I’ve been daydreaming about Eliot Hoffman’s dimples for two months, and even though I’m sure this was a mistake on his end, it doesn’t mean it’s not an opportunity on mine. It’s the middle of the night, and I just wanna talk to him. So I text him back.
And then somehow we keep talking…ALL NIGHT. We’re both insomniacs, so talking all night soon turns into talking EVERY night.
And talking about nothing soon turns into talking about something.
And here we go, from in-depth analysis of reality TV to my relationship with my family to his amazing artwork. There’s no topic we don’t cover…
Except for who I really am. It’s the only question of his I won’t answer.
As my crush turns into an avalanche of Eliot, I think of him all the time now. But if he knew who I was, the entire house of cards we’ve built this relationship on would come toppling down. I want him to be mine, but we might never be more than just a sweet dream.
Swipe Right by Stephie Chapman
Narrated by Emma Carter
SAGA Egmont
This hilarious romantic comedy is When Harry Met Sally for the Tinder age. Perfect for fans of Mhairi MacFarlane, Laura Jane Williams and Sophie Ranald.
The love of your life might be in your phone… or he could be standing right in front of you.
When Fran meets Ollie, it’s eye-roll at first sight. Who does he think he is – with his Ray-Bans, piss-taking and artfully styled hair? But forced into working together at a trendy media content agency, they soon realise that they could be BFFs.
When Fran’s relationship crumbles and Ollie sets off on a round-the-world trip with his girlfriend, Fran decides to start an anonymous dating column. Detailing all the perils of dating online, Fran begins to wonder: maybe there aren’t plenty more fish in the sea?
But Fran’s about to learn that sometimes love can be where you least expect it… you just have to put down your phone.
Stephie was born in England in the mid-1980s, which makes her thirty-something (but if you ask, she’ll probably tell you she’s 27). Now, she lives on the South Coast of the UK, has a day job to keep her holiday budget topped up, and two kids and a husband to keep an eye on.
