Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of February 5th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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The Takeover by Darren Wearmouth
Narrated by Steve Campbell
Blackstone Audio
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Darren Wearmouth
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Steve Campbell
Thousands of years ago, the world’s population shrunk to a dangerous low….
Nobody could say why with total confidence….
Until humanity’s greatest enemy resurfaces again to start a deadly colonization.
A strange vine is uncovered beneath the remains of a lost civilization. Before anyone can examine the alien plant, pink pollen erupts from its huge buds. Moments later, 99 percent of the archeological team freeze like statues, but only for a minute. They brutally attack anyone unaffected by the phenomenon, dragging victims away for what becomes a chilling evolutionary process beyond anyone’s worst nightmare. As this happens, the pollen drifts toward the wider world.
Deep Sleep by Steven Konkoly
Narrated by Seth Podowitz
Brilliance Publishing
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Steven Konkoly
Stopping the most dangerous conspiracy to ever threaten America means believing the unthinkable in an explosive novel by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Steven Konkoly.
Countersurveillance expert Devin Gray is unwittingly thrown headfirst into dangerous new territory after the death of his mother. Helen Gray, a paranoid and disgraced former CIA officer, believed she was on the verge of preventing a national catastrophe – a mission worth dying for. Others, including Devin, believe she was chasing delusions. Until he finds what she left behind.
With the help of longtime friend and former Marine helicopter pilot Marnie Young and a loyal team of covert operatives Helen summoned just before her death, Devin is propelled into a high-stakes chase across the country. What he uncovers, clue by clue, is a conspiracy more widespread and insidious than anyone could have imagined.
Now it’s Devin’s mission to destroy a covert network poised to deliver a fatal blow to the future of the United States. And also to vindicate his mother, by seeing the mission through to its treacherous end.
Unidentified by Douglas E. Richards
Narrated by Dan Bittner
Audible Studios
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Douglas E. Richards
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
UFOs are real. When Jason Ridley discovers their shocking agenda, his actions will either transform humanity…or destroy it entirely. Unidentified details the actual evidence that UFOs are here, while offering a mind-blowing fictional take on the reasons why. A riveting pause-resister packed with nonstop action, epic ideas, and astonishing twists.
Ripped from today’s headlines, Unidentified is the latest thriller from the NY Times best-selling author whose books have sold more than two million copies.
Between 2017 and 2021, the US military admitted to having undeniable evidence that UFOs (now UAVs or UAPs) are here and defy the laws of physics. When Jason Ramsey, a popular science-fiction writer, becomes obsessed with the subject, he undertakes a relentless quest to uncover what is really going on. After recruiting Tessa Barrett, an extraordinarily talented mercenary, Jason devises a risky, desperate plan to get to the bottom of it all. But the truth is far more shocking, convoluted, and dangerous than anyone could have guessed, and he has no idea who he can trust.
Jason soon realizes that he can only be certain of two things. He somehow holds the key to the future of the galaxy itself…and his chances of living out the week are vanishingly small.
Black Squadron by Michael Stephen Fuchs
Narrated by R.C. Bray
Podium Audio
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by R.C. Bray
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
One troop of beyond-Tier-1 operators gone completely off the reservation. One platoon of stalwart Army Rangers, pledged to protect them, but now pushed too far. A thousand tribes of enemy fighters who just want them all gone.
Black Squadron is a secret cadre within DEVGRU (a.k.a. SEAL Team Six), consisting of master sniper and recon experts who carry out sensitive and dangerous advance force operations (AFO) in the most lethal cesspools and ash-heaps around the war-torn globe. They are an elite within an elite (within an elite).
But now they are being deployed to the darkest heart of the last days of the blood-drenched Syrian civil war, where they are surrounded by thousands of Syrian regulars, dozens of head-hacking Islamist militias, the hardest of the hardcore ISIS and al-Qaeda remnants, fierce Kurdish Peshmerga freedom fighters, ruthless Iranian Qods Force agitators, as well as Putin’s hyper-lethal and utterly merciless pipehitters from Spetsnaz GRU.
They’ve also been saddled with a blocking force, a platoon of US Army Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment – a unit that has fought in every US engagement from the invasion of Sicily to Black Hawk Down. The Rangers are upright, loyal, and never leave their brothers behind. But now the Rangers may be the only ones who can stop a rogue Black Squadron from leaving everyone bleeding out in the street, and also kicking off a shooting war between two nuclear powers.
Black Hawk Down meets Training Day in this explosive collision of two legendary special-operations units battling to survive and prevail in the most dangerous city on the planet.
Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
Narrated by Lauren Sweet
Harper Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
“Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone… There’s a sparkling quality here, one that mirrors the starry title. Bellefleur writes as if she’s captured fairy lights in a mason jar, twinkly and lovely within something solid yet fragile.” (Entertainment Weekly)
Following Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, Lambda Literary Award winner and national best-selling author Alexandria Bellefleur pens another steamy queer rom-com about former best friends who might be each other’s second chance at love….
Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found “the one” and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant – her childhood friend, her first love, her first…well, everything. It’s been 10 years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.
Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married…and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.
When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?
Welcome to Paradise by Lise Gold
Narrated by Jessica Jeffries
Self Published
Paradise Hotel is anything but paradise. Lisa Walker comes to that conclusion the moment she arrives at the all-inclusive resort in Benidorm, Spain. Recovering from a painful breakup as well as the impact of the pandemic – including the loss of her job and her flat – she was hoping the low-budget escape might do her good, yet she couldn’t have been more wrong.
Stella Castillo, poolside manager at Paradise Hotel, is delighted to be back at work after a long lockdown. The guests are equally excited, celebrating life going back to normal. Apart from one woman, who her colleagues refer to as “Miss Grumpy”.
When Stella’s colleague makes a faux pas and insults Lisa, Stella steps in to try and smooth over the situation. What starts out as a tentative friendship soon leads to more, and as Stella begins to understand why Lisa is so unhappy, she unexpectedly finds herself falling head over heels with the beautiful Brit.
Welcome to Paradise is the first book in the Resort series by best-selling author Lise Gold.
The Writing on the Wall by Nicole Pyland
Narrated by Carolyn Eve
Self Published
See my review of The Writing on the Wall here
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Nicole Pyland
This is book one in the Holiday series.
Weston White just got dumped, right before the New Year, and she hasn’t ever felt particularly lucky in love. Her only love has been writing and working on this novel that she’s been trying to finish for years now. Finally, feeling like she’s ready to put it out to the world, she decides to get a literary agent to help her get published. Little does she know, her book getting published would be the second best thing to happen to her this year.
Annie Halifax is the third-generation part owner of The Halifax Agency, a literary agency that’s been dying on the vine for years with the advent of self-publishing. Her job is to carry the torch for the family and ensure the agency doesn’t go under on her watch. When her father decides to retire and instead puts her uninterested and sometimes flighty older sister in charge, Annie is left to figure out why – and to find her new place either at the agency or somewhere else entirely.
When Weston meets Annie, she’s taken aback instantly – but navigating through getting her first book published, while also falling in love with the agent representing her, isn’t easy. And with Annie trying to find out what her future looks like at the agency on top of it, things get complicated.
Watch these two women try to make things work just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Chemistry Lessons by Jae
Narrated by Abby Craden
Tantor Audio
See my review of Chemistry Lessons here
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Jae
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Abby Craden
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
A beautiful friends-to-lovers lesbian romance about taking risks and figuring out that sometimes the perfect person has been right in front of you all along.
Kylie and Regan have been best friends since kindergarten, supporting each other through thick and thin.
While everyone thinks they would be perfect for each other, they insist there’s no chemistry between them – and Regan should know since she’s a chemistry teacher.
To prove it, they agree to a little chemistry experiment: They’ll go on three dates with each other.
So what if their gazes start to linger and accidental touches no longer feel platonic? They chalk it up to the romantic atmosphere – until a friendly good night kiss turns passionate.
Can their friendship go back to the way it was before? Do they even want it to? Or will they risk losing what they have for a chance at love?
Contains mature themes.
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
Narrated by Hillary Huber
Random House Audio
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Hillary Huber
$11.97 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Three generations of abused women must navigate their chilling new reality as a mysterious epidemic of violence sweeps the nation in this compelling novel of self-discovery, legacy, and hope.
When Chelsea Martin kisses her husband hello at the door of their perfect home, a chilled bottle of beer in hand and dinner on the table, she may look like the ideal wife, mother, and homemaker – but in fact, she’s following an unwritten rulebook, carefully navigating David’s stormy moods in a desperate nightly bid to avoid catastrophe. If family time doesn’t go exactly the way David wants, bad things happen – to Chelsea, and to the couple’s 17-year-old daughter, Ella. Cut off from all support, controlled, and manipulated for years, Chelsea has no resources and no one to turn to. Her wealthy, narcissistic mother, Patricia, would rather focus on the dust on her chandelier than acknowledge Chelsea’s bruises. After all, Patricia’s life looks perfect on the surface, too.
But the façade crumbles when a mysterious condition overtakes the nation. Known as the Violence, it causes the infected to experience sudden, explosive bursts of animalistic rage and attack anyone in their path. The ensuing chaos brings opportunity for Chelsea – and inspires a plan to liberate herself and her family once and for all.
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Narrated by Frankie Corzo
Harper Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
The critically acclaimed author of Polaris Rising takes listeners on an exciting journey with the start of her brand-new series about a female bounty hunter and the man who is her sworn enemy.
“Jessie Mihalik is an author to watch.” (Ilona Andrews, number-one New York Times best-selling author)
Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny close-knit bounty-hunting crew together – even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse – no matter how much she’d like to.
With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons – for both anger and desire – she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.
But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie – with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.
Shakedowners by Justin Woolley
Narrated by Grant Cartwright
Tantor Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Some starship captains explore strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations. Some lead missions of discovery through wormholes to the other side of the galaxy. Then there’s Captain Iridius B. Franklin, someone who spent too long seeking out strange new bars and new alien cocktails.
After graduating bottom of his class at Space Command Academy, Iridius Franklin hasn’t had the glamorous career he envisioned – instead he hauls cargo ships full of mining waste, alien land whale dung, and artificially intelligent toy dogs across the stars.
Iridius does have talent, though – he is exceptionally good at breaking starships. So, when not hauling freight, he is captain of a shakedown crew, a skeleton crew used to test newly constructed ships for faults before the real crew takes over.
While on a routine shakedown mission aboard the FSC Gallaway, soon to be pride of the Federation Fleet, Earth is attacked by an unknown alien life-form. With the galaxy in chaos, Captain Iridius B. Franklin finds himself, unqualified, understaffed, and completely unprepared, in command of the most advanced starship in the galaxy.
Now, he just needs to not break it.
- No Rules of Engagement by Tracey Richardson (Narrated by Joana Garcia) - September 28, 2023
- Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan (Narrated Narrated by Lori Prince) - September 26, 2023
- New and Notable Audiobook Releases for the Week of September 23rd on Brian’s Book Blog - September 23, 2023
