Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of February 4th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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Critical Mass by Daniel Suarez
Narrated by Jeff Gurner
Penguin Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Daniel Suarez
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Jeff Gurner
In New York Times best-selling author Daniel Suarez’s latest space-tech thriller, a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth’s climate crisis could well hang in the balance.
When unforeseen circumstances during an innovative—and unsanctioned—commercial asteroid-mining mission leave two crew members stranded, those who make it back must engineer a rescue, all while navigating a shifting web of global political alliances and renewed Cold War tensions. With Earth governments consumed by the ravages of climate change and unable to take the risks necessary to make rapid progress in space, the crew must build their own next-gen spacecraft capable of mounting a rescue in time for the asteroid’s next swing by Earth.
In the process, they’ll need to establish the first spin-gravity station in deep space, the first orbiting solar power satellite and refinery, and historic infrastructure on the moon’s surface—all of which could alleviate a deepening ecological, political, and economic crisis back on Earth, and prove that space-based industry is not only profitable, but possibly humanity’s best hope for a livable, peaceful future.
The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson
Narrated by Em Eldridge
Brilliance Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$1.99 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Sariah Wilson
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Em Eldridge
True love requires a little research and development in a funny, heart-racing romance by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Paid Bridesmaid.
How can Anna Ellis, a geeky, brilliant, and hopelessly smitten cosmetic chemist possibly win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams—who also happens to be her boss? The answer is Craig’s empathetic (and handsome) CEO half brother, Marco. The makeup mogul knows Craig for the ridiculously competitive rival he is. Whatever Marco has, Craig wants. That can be Anna, if she’s game to play.
All Anna and Marco have to do is pretend they’re falling in love and let the rumors begin. If the experiment in attraction works, a jealous Craig will swoop in and give Anna her happily ever after—if it weren’t for one hitch in the plan. There’s more to Marco than meets the eye. With every fake date, Anna’s feelings are starting to become dizzyingly real.
Blame it on chemistry. It’s unpredictable, exciting, and occasionally combustible. If Anna and Marco are really falling in love, who are they to argue with science?
The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz
Narrated by Emily Lawrence
Macmillan Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Annalee Newitz
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Emily Lawrence
This program includes original sound design.
From science fiction visionary Annalee Newitz comes The Terraformers, a sweeping, uplifting, and illuminating exploration of the future.
Destry’s life is dedicated to terraforming Sask-E. As part of the Environmental Rescue Team, she cares for the planet and its burgeoning eco-systems as her parents and their parents did before her.
But the bright, clean future they’re building comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden inside a massive volcano.
As she uncovers more about their past, Destry begins to question the mission she’s devoted her life to, and must make a choice that will reverberate through Sask-E’s future for generations to come.
A science fiction epic for our times and a love letter to our future, The Terraformers will take you on a journey spanning thousands of years and exploring the triumphs, strife, and hope that find us wherever we make our home.
“Brilliantly thoughtful, prescient, and gripping.”—Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries
A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.
You’re Fired by Shaya Crabtree
Narrated by Anastasia Watley
Tantor Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Anastasia Watley
When poor college student Rose Walsh gives out an inappropriate gag gift at her office Christmas party, it backfires horribly. The gift’s recipient is her boss, the esteemed president of Gio Corp., Vivian Tracey, and the only thing that can save Rose now is her smarts.
Instead of firing her, Vivian blackmails math major Rose into joining her on a business trip to New York to investigate an embezzlement. A week out of state with a woman she can barely stand seems like the last thing Rose wants to do with her winter vacation. Only, maybe Vivian is not as bad as she seems. Maybe they can even become friends . . . or more.
Contains mature themes.
The Loudest Silence by Olivia Janae
Narrated by Abby Craden
Tantor Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Olivia Janae
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Abby Craden
A beautiful, opposites attract lesbian romance about hearing the music in your heart.
Rising star cellist Kate Flynn is new to Chicago and her job at the Windy City Chamber Ensemble. On day one, she is surprised by the board’s intriguing president, Vivian Kensington. Not only does the woman come with a formidable reputation, but she’s also deaf.
However, between a familiar face Kate isn’t ready to see again and the difficulties of being a single mom, she isn’t sure Chicago is the right place for her.
When tendrils of friendship develop with Vivian, Kate finds beneath her prickly ice queen persona unexpected kindness and warmth. Is the promise of more enough to make her stay? Can two such different women, one from a world of sound and one a world of silence, truly understand one another?
Contains mature themes.
Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Narrated by Lori Prince
Forever
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Lori Prince
Fans of Abby Jimenez and Meryl Wilsner will fall in love with this hilarious and refreshingly authentic novel about second chances, pugs, and finding the perfect muse . . .
Business consultant Rose Josten might not have officially reached “pug lady” middle age, but she’s already got the pugs—along with their little Gucci coats and trash-lovin’ appetites. Still, life is good, with her work, her sisters, and a secret hobby creating incredibly tactile (if surprisingly sexy) mindfulness videos. So why does it feel like it’s not quite enough? Which is exactly when former filmmaker Ash Stewart enters camera left, and Rose’s world suddenly goes full technicolor . . .
Ash never looks at anyone. Not since her ex ripped her heart from her chest in Spielberg-esque style, crushing Ash’s reputation, dreams, and directorial career in one brutal blow. But Rose is altogether different. She’s curvy, beautiful, and just so damn put together. And her business expertise might be Ash’s best bet for getting her last film—and her last chance—financed. Now if they can just keep their attraction under wraps, Ash’s lost dream could finally come true. But are they creating movie magic . . . or setting the stage for disaster?
Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni
Narrated by Christine Mirzayan
Penguin Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
An Armenian-American woman rediscovers her roots and embraces who she really is in this vibrant and heartfelt queer rom-com by debut author Taleen Voskuni.
When Nareh Bedrossian’s non-Armenian boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to her in front of a room full of drunk San Francisco tech boys, she realizes it’s time to find someone who shares her idea of romance.
Enter her mother: armed with plenty of mom-guilt and a spreadsheet of Facebook-stalked Armenian men, she convinces Nar to attend Explore Armenia, a month-long series of events in the city. But it’s not the mom-approved playboy doctor or the wealthy engineer who catches Nar’s eye—it’s Erebuni, a woman as immersed in the witchy arts as she is in preserving Armenian identity. Suddenly, with Erebuni as her wingwoman, the events feel like far less of a chore, and much more of an adventure. Who knew cooking up kuftes together could be so . . . sexy?
Erebuni helps Nar see the beauty of their shared culture and makes her feel understood in a way she never has before. But there’s one teeny problem: Nar’s not exactly out as bisexual. The clock is ticking on her double life—the Explore Armenia closing banquet is coming up, and her entire extended family will be there, along with Erebuni. Her worlds will inevitably collide, but Nar is determined to be brave and to claim her happiness: proudly Armenian, proudly bisexual, and proudly herself for the first time in her life.
Blank Tapes by Melissa Brown
Narrated by Aricka Parent
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
The year is 1995 and Marley Gallagher is obsessed with her new computer…and the guys she meets in AOL chat rooms—they’re the perfect escape from her introverted nature and strict upbringing. A townie, and a shy one at that, Marley is finally embracing a little independence as she moves into her first dorm. The chat rooms online offer her the chance to reinvent herself, and maybe fall in love in the process. The only problem is, she’s so focused on the guys on her computer screen, she doesn’t see the one whose right in front of her nose…her co-worker at Spotlight Video, Emmett.
Emmett Roberts has been in love with Marley since their first shift together. And it’s obvious to everyone but Marley. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, or make things really awkward if she turns him down, Emmett avoids asking her out in person. With a little help from his friends at work, though, he devises a plan to win her heart. But, when Marley discovers that her latest online love interest is actually her co-worker in disguise, will Emmett lose his chances with her altogether?
The Muse by Jeffery Deaver
Narrated by Dan Bittner
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Jeffery Deaver
The inspiration for evil may hold the key to murder in this edge-of-your-seat story from Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Jeffery Deaver.
Life appears to imitate art when a series of sadistic murders grips the city. Investigating the carefully orchestrated killings, Detective Gene Tripp and his partner discover that the perp might have been inspired by the bestselling novels and stories of popular thriller author Brody Pierce. Or has the demon of writer’s block driven Brody himself to step over the line between fiction and reality and exploit the dark side of his imagination?
As the detectives race to uncover the truth before more people die, they learn that perhaps yet another boundary has been crossed:
That between real life and the supernatural.
Double Dose by F. Paul Wilson
Narrated by Stephanie Willing, Michael Crouch, Rupert Degas, Pete Cross
Dreamscape Media
Check out my reviews of other titles written by F. Paul Wilson
So many secrets in Nespodee Springs…the biggest is revealed when Rhys and Daley track down the second half of the Pendry film and learn the secrets of the clan’s Tesla tower and the catastrophic details of the plan to bring the Visitors back to Earth. But the insidious malady known as “the horrors” remains a mystery, claiming more and more victims every day.
Daley and Pard learn they can cure it—if only the powers that be will allow them. Daley finds herself in an ironic situation: for the first time in her life she’s trying to play it straight—help people instead of scam them—and no one will let her. In the past, when she’s spun a web of lies, the marks lapped it up like honey. Now, when she’s telling the truth—a life-saving truth—no one believes her. And meanwhile, over the Salton Sea, an ominous darkness is growing…
Thin Ice by Meg O’Brien
Narrated by Paige Reisenfeld
Crossroad Publishing
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Gifted biologist Mary Clare Ryan’s car has plunged into the Potomac River. Nicole Ryan suspects that her sister’s death was no accident, but when she tries to find out what research Mary was pursuing, Mary’s colleagues are evasive, even hostile. Nicole is left with nothing except Mary’s plane ticket to Los Angeles and a notebook she’d given Nicole…in case anything happened to her.
Fleeing Georgetown’s rain-slicked cobblestones and her own stagnant life as a professor, Nicole infiltrates the West Coast medical conference where her sister was slated to speak. She learns that just before Mary died she made a major scientific breakthrough, which she had gone to great lengths to conceal. Furthermore, those who stand to profit from her discovery have now targeted Nicole as the one most likely to have been in Mary’s confidence.
As she seeks out the truth about her sister’s death, it becomes increasingly apparent that someone is stalking Nicole, tracking her movements in the sultry shadowy California night….
The Abandoned Chase by Cap Daniels
Narrated by P.J. Ochlan
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by P.J. Ochlan
With the scalding sting of betrayal still tearing at his soul, American covert operative Chase Fulton steps through a door he believes he can never reopen and into a world unlike the one he’d known since stepping off the playing field and onto the battlefield.
Can the warrior inside embrace the simple, quiet life, or does the siren call of smoke, fire, and victory beckoning on wind and wave prove itself to be an undeniable thirst quenched only on the edge of the sword and the gleaming tip of the spear?
Driven by a boundless yearning to unseat the powerful men who nearly delivered him and his team into the jaws of the relentless beast in the name of revenge, Chase plots a course for justice and ultimate vengeance. But will his single-minded determination upon that course prove to be the blinders that hide his true foe? Will Chase Fulton summon the fortitude to survive the relentless assault of the enemy within, or will the powerful retain their throne and add his body to the swelling mound of those who tried and failed?
In this, the 20th installment of the Chase Fulton Novels, witness unprecedented power, evil, and suspense as Cap Daniels spins a web of deception, deceit, and determination unlike anything you’ve listened to before.
Smoke Screen by Bradley Wright
Narrated by Jarret Lemaster
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Jarret Lemaster
How do you fight what you can’t see?
Alexander King is taking a break, spending time with Natalie, and finally living life like a civilian. The problem for him is that the bad guys never take a day off.
An enemy from King’s past has been watching him, and his family. Everything they are doing is to throw this special operator off his game. And it’s working.
While they shroud King and his team in a smoke screen, their very real, and sinister plot threatens thousands of American lives. If King and his team don’t see through the misdirection, a lot of people are going to die.
From California to Paris, through London, and back to the United States via Montana, King and his team chase their tails, and the bad guys, desperately trying to end the game they’ve been forced to play before it blows up in King’s beloved country’s face.
