Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of June 19th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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Biostorm by Anthony J. Melchiorri
Narrated by Peter Berkrot
Podium Audio
Two covert operatives stand between an insidious scientific conspiracy and global catastrophe.
Alex Wolfe is an elite agent with the CIA. He has a proven track record of stopping international bioweapons programs. Skylar Cruz is a skilled Marine whose battlefield injury sidelined her from serving her country. When they’re recruited for a brand-new covert-op group, Vector, combating biological and chemical weapons threats, their first mission had better be a success. Because it’s not just their careers at stake. It’s all of humanity.
Wolfe and Cruz embark on a deadly race against bands of mercenaries and diabolical government forces through the bustling markets of Istanbul to crime-infested Russian port cities and Vietnamese jungles hiding forgotten conspiracies. Only they can stop a rampant airborne bioweapon unlike any the world has ever seen.
Danger is in the air. Literally.
Biostorm is the first book in the Vector series, where high-octane action and suspense collide with real science and technology.
Friday Night Massacre by Michael Patrick Hicks
Narrated by Harry Shaw
Fireside Horror
Night of the Demons meets Olympus Has Fallen in this novel of White House horror from “one of the supreme rulers of delivering unsettling, gore-filled bursts of violence” (Steve Stred, author of Ritual).
After succumbing to a deadly virus and incurring the wrath of voters in the 2020 election, the president of the United States makes a deathbed deal with the devil.
Imbued with supernatural power, President Tyler Coleridge refuses to surrender office after being defeated by his rival candidate and rings in the New Year with a White House bloodbath.
After turning against the press and his own Secret Service detail in a violent display of savagery, it’s up to the lone survivor of Coleridge’s protective detail, Mike Hutchinson, to put a stop to the US president’s reign of madness before the nation is utterly crippled.
Inspired by recent events, Friday Night Massacre is a splatterpunk horror action novel in the grindhouse fashion, with a dash of comic book sensibility.
Friday Night Massacre contains graphic content that may be upsetting to some and is recommended for fans of extreme horror.
The Ice Lion by Kathleen O’Neal Gear
Narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Sisi Aisha Johnson
Brilliance Publishing
This cli-fi novel from a notable archaeologist and anthropologist explores a frozen future where archaic species struggle to survive an apocalyptic Ice Age
One thousand years in the future, the zyme, a thick blanket of luminous green slime, covers the oceans. Glaciers three-miles-high rise over the continents. The old stories say that when the Jemen, godlike beings from the past, realized their efforts to halt global warming had gone terribly wrong, they made a desperate gamble to save life on earth and recreated species that had survived the worst of the earth’s Ice Ages.
Sixteen-summers-old Lynx and his best friend Quiller are members of the Sealion People – archaic humans known as Denisovans. They live in a world growing colder, a world filled with monstrous predators that hunt them for food. When they flee to a new land, they meet a strange old man who impossibly seems to be the last of the Jemen. He tells Lynx the only way he can save his world is by sacrificing himself to the last true god, a quantum computer named Quancee.
Wayward State by A. R. Shaw
Narrated by Brian Callanan
Self Published
From USA Today best-selling author AR Shaw!
Is it wrong to kill a killer?
Dane Talbot uses a world of civil unrest to her advantage and avenges all those who’ve done her wrong.
With a list in mind, known only to herself, Dane marks off one enemy and goes for the next, letting no one stand in her way. But then, the unthinkable happens…
Start the journey.
Get your copy today!
The Hollywood Spiral by Paul Neilan
Narrated by P.J. Ochlan
Grand Central Publishing
The long-awaited literary return of the author of the critically acclaimed cult classic Apathy and Other Small Victories: a darkly comic novel, set in the near future, about the race to find a missing cyber program with the power to bend reality, all before a fast-approaching comet destroys the Earth.
In the near future, after the internet grinds to a halt amid a wave of cyberattacks, a company named Zodiac steps in to replace it with an evolved, augmented-reality version called the Grid.
Harrigan, a hard-drinking private detective living as off-Grid as possible, is about to be evicted from his apartment when a stranger shows up asking for his help in finding Anna, an escort who’s absconded with more than just his heart. Turns out that through Harrigan’s new client, Anna has come into possession of a program/entity called Mirror, Mirror, which has the capacity to merge the Grid and reality, bending both to the whims of the program’s user.
Soon Harrigan finds himself up against the last surviving organized crime gangs in Los Angeles, Zodiac’s mercenaries, and a mysterious group called the First Church Multiverse, all of whom are hot on the trail of Mirror, Mirror – if the comet rapidly approaching Earth doesn’t kill them all first.
Bath Haus by P. J. Vernon
Narrated by Michael Crouch, Daniel Henning
Random House Audio
“Stylish, smart, and scary as hell.” (Chris Bohjalian, number-one New York Times best-selling author)
“A nightmarish white-knuckler.” (O, The Oprah Magazine)
Oliver Park, a recovering addict from Indiana, finally has everything he ever wanted: sobriety and a loving, wealthy partner in Nathan, a prominent DC trauma surgeon. Despite their difference in age and disparate backgrounds, they’ve made a perfect life together. With everything to lose, Oliver shouldn’t be visiting Haus, a gay bathhouse. But through the entrance he goes, and it’s a line crossed. Inside, he follows a man into a private room, and it’s the final line. Whatever happens next, Nathan can never know. But then, everything goes wrong, terribly wrong, and Oliver barely escapes with his life.
He races home in full-blown terror as the hand-shaped bruise grows dark on his neck. The truth will destroy Nathan and everything they have together, so Oliver does the thing he used to do so well: He lies.
What follows is a classic runaway-train narrative, full of the exquisite escalations, edge-of-your-seat thrills, and oh-my-god twists. P. J. Vernon’s Bath Haus is a scintillating thriller with an emotional punch, perfect for listeners curious for their next must-listen novel.
The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe by Hannah Moskowitz
Narrated by Lori Prince
Tantor Audio
Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things.
She’s my best friend. She’s the center of attention. She is, without fail, the hottest girl in the room. Anytime. Anyplace.
She has freckles and dimples and bright green eyes, and with someone else’s energy she’d be adorable. But there is nothing cute about Ivy. She is ice and hot metal and electricity.
She is the girl who every lesbian wants, but she has never been with the same person twice. She’s one-of-a-kind but also predictable, so I will always be Andie, her best friend, never Andie, her girlfriend.
Then she meets Dot, and Ivy does something even I would have never guessed – she sees Dot another day. And another. And another.
Now my world is slowly going up in smoke, and no matter what I do, the flames grow higher. She lit that match without knowing who or what it would burn.
Ivy K. Harlowe is a lot of things. But falling in love wasn’t supposed to be one of them…unless it was with me.
Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey
Narrated by Patti Murin
Penguin Audio
A charming and heartwarming new romantic comedy by the acclaimed author of Waiting for Tom Hanks, Kerry Winfrey.
Teddy Phillips never thought she would still be spending every day surrounded by toys at almost 30 years old. But working at a vintage toy store is pretty much all she has going on in her life after being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend. The one joy that she has kept is her not-so-guilty pleasure: Everett’s Place, a local children’s show hosted by Everett St. James, a man whom Teddy finds very soothing…and, okay, cute.
Teddy finds the courage to write to him, feeling slightly like one of the children who write to him on his show. He always gives sound advice and seems like he has everything figured out – and he pretty much does: Everett has a great support system, wonderful friends, and his dream job. But there is still that persistent feeling in the back of his mind that something is missing.
When a woman named Theodora starts writing to Everett, he is drawn to her honesty and vulnerability. They continue writing to each other, all the while living their lives without meeting. When their worlds collide, however, they must both let go of their fears and figure out what they truly want – and if the future they want includes each other.
The Layover by Lacie Waldon
Narrated by Jorjeana Marie
Penguin Audio
The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this breezy debut romantic comedy about life – and love – 30,000 feet above the ground.
After 10 years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She’s got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then, she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone – the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she’s held a secret grudge against for year – is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn’t remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land….
But when their plane encounters mechanical problems, what should have been a quick stop at the Belize airport suddenly becomes a weekend layover. Getting stuck on a three-hour flight with her nemesis was bad enough. Being stranded with him at a luxury resort in paradise? Even with the sultry breeze and white sand to distract her, it will take all the rum punch in the country to drown out his larger-than-life presence.
Yet the more time Ava spends with him under the hot Caribbean sun, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him…and everything she thought she wanted from her life. And all too soon, she might have to choose between keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds….
Shutter by Melissa Larsen
Narrated by Megan Tusing
Penguin Audio
A Most Anticipated Novel by PopSugar * Bustle * Buzzfeed * and more!
“[A] chilling debut novel.” (The New York Times Book Review)
A young woman agrees to star in a filmmaker’s latest project, but soon realizes the movie is not what she expected in this chilling debut novel.
In the wake of her father’s death, Betty Roux doesn’t allow herself to mourn. Instead, she pushes away her mother, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves everything behind to move to New York City. She doesn’t know what she wants, except to run.
When she’s offered the chance to play the leading role in mysterious indie filmmaker Anthony Marino’s new project, she jumps at the opportunity. For a month Betty will live in a cabin on a private island off the coast of Maine, with a five-person cast and crew. Her mother warns against it, but Betty is too drawn to the charismatic Anthony to say no.
Anthony gives her a new identity – Lola – and Betty tells herself that this is exactly what she’s been looking for. The chance to reinvent herself. That is, until they begin filming and she meets Sammy, the island’s caretaker, and Betty realizes just how little she knows about the movie and its director.
Plot Twist by Bethany Turner
Narrated by Talon David
Thomas Nelson
An aspiring screenwriter has a chance encounter with an actor who could be the man of her dreams. Over the next 10 years, she’ll write the story…but will he end up being the star?
February 4, 2003, promises to be a typical day for Olivia Ross – a greeting card writer whose passion project is a screenplay of her own. But after she and a handsome actor have a magical meet-cute in a coffee shop, they make a spontaneous pact: In 10 years, after they’ve found the success they’re just sure they’re going to achieve, they’ll return to the coffeehouse to partner up and make a film together. The only problem? Olivia neglected to get the stranger’s name. But she doesn’t forget his face – or the date.
For the next 10 years, every February 4 is marked with coincidences and ironies for Olivia. As men come and go and return to her life, she continues to write, but still wonders about the guy from the coffee shop – the nameless actor she’s almost certain has turned out to be Hamish MacDougal, now a famous A-lister and Hollywood leading man.
But a lot can happen in 10 years, and while waiting for the curtain to rise on her fate, the true story of Olivia’s life is being written – and if she’s not careful, she’ll completely miss the real-life romantic comedy playing out right before her eyes.
“Plot Twist gave my rom-com loving heart everything it could hope for…. Perfect for anyone who loves love or dreams about meeting George Clooney.” (Kerry Winfrey, author of Waiting for Tom Hanks)
“Funny, clever, and sweet, Plot Twist reminds us that sometimes love doesn’t look just like the movies – and that it can be so, so much better than we ever dreamed.” (Melissa Ferguson, best-selling author of The Cul-de-Sac War)
“Bethany Turner just keeps getting better! Plot Twist is like experiencing the best parts of all my favorite rom-coms, tied together with Turner’s pitch-perfect comedic timing, an achingly sweet ‘will they or won’t they?’ romance, and the BFF relationship most girls dream of.” (Carla Laureano, RITA Award-winning author of The Saturday Night Supper Club and Provenance)
Sweet and thoughtful contemporary rom-com
Full-length, stand-alone novel (approx. 86,000 words)
For fans of Sophie Kinsella and Katherine Reay
Tell Me When You Feel Something by Vicki Grant
Narrated by Jamie Bloch, Hailey Gillis, Eamon Stocks, M. John Kennedy
Penguin Teen
The perfect afterschool job turns deadly for teens working as “simulated patients” at the local med school. Everyone has something to hide and no one is safe in this contemporary YA thriller that exposes the dark reality of #MeToo in the world of medicine, for fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson.
It seemed like a cool part-time program – being a “simulated” patient for med school students to practice on. But now vivacious, charismatic Viv lies in a very real coma. Cellphone footage just leads to more questions. What really happened? Other kids suspect it was not an intentional overdose – but each has a reason why they can’t tell the truth.
Through intertwining and conflicting narratives, a twisted story unfolds of trust betrayed as we sift through the seemingly innocent events leading up to the tragic night. Perhaps simulated patients aren’t the only people pretending to be something they’re not….
19 Souls by J.D. Allen
Narrated by A.T. Chandler
Podium Audio
Her bloody finger left a translucent smear on the phone screen as she glanced through the list of private investigators in Vegas.
Her stained nail came to rest on Sin City Investigations. Jim Bean would serve her well.
Private investigator Jim Bean is a straightforward, to-the-point man. He likes his cases to follow suit. But when his latest client, Sophie Evers, asks him to find her brother Daniel, Jim has no idea how complicated his life is about to become. As he falls deep into a manipulative game of cat and mouse, Jim uncovers the horrible truth about Sophie. Now he must set things right before her plan leads to the loss of innocent souls…even more than it already has.
Echo by Michael C. Grumley
Narrated by Scott Brick
Self Published
It began with a breakthrough. In interspecies communication. Leading both John Clay and Alison Shaw through a series of startling discoveries and life-altering revelations. Divulging who we really are as a species. Why we are here…and who is here with us. And the greatest lesson of all, that our brains are not as rare and unique as humans had assumed. But rather just one of three brains between three extraordinary species. All influenced by a fluke of evolution and something that should never have existed on Earth in the first place. Something we are now finally on the verge of understanding.
It will take more than just one brain to do it. More than just one species. And courage from all three. Courage in the face of those still trying to stop Clay and Alison before their stranglehold on the world is lost. But Clay and his team already know the truth. That there is no courage without fear, and no victory without sacrifice.
- The Mayor’s Mission (Home to Milford College #2) by Piper Huguley (Narrated by Shamaan Casey) - September 18, 2023
- New and Notable Audiobook Releases for the Week of September 17th on Brian’s Book Blog - September 18, 2023
- Trust in Truth by Emily Banting (Narrated by Lulu Russell) - September 15, 2023
