Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of March 18th.
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Hayden’s World: Volume 1 by S.D. Falchetti
Narrated by Shamaan Casey
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by S.D. Falchetti
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Shamaan Casey
Survival tales in the skies of Uranus, desperate struggles at the solar system’s edge, and near-lightspeed interstellar expeditions await in this hard science fiction collection of seven Hayden’s World short stories.
Forty-Three Seconds: James Hayden has a dream, and the Riggs test vehicle is going to take him there. But when failure after failure leads to his last chance exploding spectacularly, he must partner with an AI and gamble everything for one last shot at the stars.
Silver-Side Up: Two old friends, a silver space ship, and a perfect day for a test flight.
Erebus: In one month, Sarah will take the helm of the newest Riggs ship. But growing opposition may shut down the program before she gets her chance. When James’s last-ditch publicity stunt traps him light-days from rescue, Sarah must decide just how far she’s willing to go to save a friend.
Signal Loss: Life aboard the Aristarchus isn’t much of an adventure, and Kyan just wants to do his job and get back to his family. When he discovers a mysterious object at the edge of the solar system and an unexpected contact during comms loss, data running turns life-or-death 13 billion kilometers from home.
Last Stand: Kyan testifies about the events in Signal Loss, but other agendas are in play.
Aero One: Jia can’t breathe, her ship is minutes from breaking apart in Uranus’s atmosphere, and the lifepod just burned up. Things aren’t going well. When her injured engineer’s solution sends them plummeting into the icy stratosphere, they find themselves trapped in a life-or-death battle against time, the elements, and unexpected visitors.
Titan’s Shadow: A year later after the events of Aero One, Jia is trying to restart her life as a freelancer aboard Saturn’s newly-built Cassini Station. But Cassini has its own secrets. When a chance encounter with a past adversary sets old battles in motion, she must unravel the mystery of Titan’s Shadow before more lives are lost.
Antimatter Blues by Edward Ashton
Narrated by John Pirhalla, Katharine Chin
Macmillan Audio
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Edward Ashton
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by John Pirhalla, Katharine Chin
Edward Ashton’s Antimatter Blues is the thrilling follow up to Mickey7, in which an expendable heads out to explore new terrain for human habitation.
Summer has come to Niflheim. The lichens are growing, the six-winged bat-things are chirping, and much to his own surprise, Mickey Barnes is still alive—that last part thanks almost entirely to the fact that Commander Marshall believes that the colony’s creeper neighbors are holding an antimatter bomb, and that Mickey is the only one who’s keeping them from using it. Mickey’s just another colonist now. Instead of cleaning out the reactor core, he spends his time these days cleaning out the rabbit hutches. It’s not a bad life.
It’s not going to last.
It may be sunny now, but winter is coming. The antimatter that fuels the colony is running low, and Marshall wants his bomb back. If Mickey agrees to retrieve it, he’ll be giving up the only thing that’s kept his head off of the chopping block. If he refuses, he might doom the entire colony. Meanwhile, the creepers have their own worries, and they’re not going to surrender the bomb without getting something in return. Once again, Mickey finds the fate of two species resting in his hands. If something goes wrong this time, though, he won’t be coming back.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
Deep Fake by Ward Larsen
Narrated by Braden Wright
Macmillan Audio
Absolute Power meets The Manchurian Candidate in this explosive political thriller from USA Today bestselling author Ward Larsen, Deep Fake.
The Cold War is back—but for some it never ended.
Sarah Ridgeway is living the life she’s always envisioned. She has a devoted husband, a loving daughter, and a comfortable home. The path to reach it, however, has not always been smooth. For twelve years her husband, Bryce, served in the Army, deployed to some of the world’s worst trouble spots. After his service ended with a combat injury, the future had seemed precarious, but with Sarah’s support and that of his wealthy family, combined with his exemplary service record, he is elected to Congress.
Then, in a moment, everything changes: at a drab Washington fundraiser, the junior congressman intervenes in a terrorist attack, and narrowly escapes with his life. When videos of his bravery go viral, he quickly becomes a national hero. The timing could not be more fortuitous. The presidential primaries are heating up, and Bryce’s party is desperate for a fresh candidate to challenge the vulnerable incumbent.
Amid the whirlwind, Sarah senses something amiss. Since the attack, Bryce has been forgetful and acting strangely. Could it be the stress? she wonders. Might the recent explosion have aggravated his combat trauma? For the first time ever, she finds herself doubting a man she has always trusted. Confessing her fears to her closest friend, together they quietly search for answers. What they uncover is stunning: the man who might soon be president has a deeply held secret. A secret that will likely destroy Sarah’s life—and certainly lead the nation to ruin.
The Cord by Jim O’Loughlin
Narrated by Cathy Crosman
BHC Press
Between Earth and outer space lies The Cord….
In the distant future lies Station, an orbiting space station tethered by a cord to Earth, allowing people to use the space elevator to travel into low-orbit without rockets, allowing for unprecedented space exploration and tourism.
Envisioned as a secure and enjoyable place to work and visit, the cord is a valuable resource—one that people are willing to fight for to gain control.
Travel along with a robot repairman who uncovers a disturbing conspiracy, a teenage girl who is caught up in a revolution, and a tour guide in space trying to reestablish a lost connection with his brother on Earth.
Beginning at the end and ending at the beginning, this unfolding story told over future locales and times reveals the enigma of the cord, and the secrets between the fragile ties connecting lovers, friends, and the generations who traverse the cord.
Stability Island by Thomas Kelso
Narrated by James Fouhey
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
It is an ordinary day in the ER for orthopedic surgeon Mark Thurman, until he finds a mysterious sphere that defies gravity. Thurman’s discovery throws him into a dangerous world of murder and espionage. It soon turns personal when his cousin and fellow surgeon, Steve Emerson, is kidnapped.
Thurman finds himself in a globetrotting race against time to save Steve and prevent one of modern history’s most significant scientific discoveries from falling into the wrong hands. He soon realizes that sometimes even a surgeon has to get his hands dirty.
Red London by Alma Katsu
Narrated by Mozhan Marno, Fiona Hardingham
Penguin Audio
CIA agent Lyndsey Duncan’s newest asset might just be her long-needed confidante…or her greatest betrayal.
After her role in taking down a well-placed mole inside the CIA, Agent Lyndsey Duncan arrives in London fully focused on her newest Russian asset, deadly war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko. That is until her MI6 counterpart, Davis Ranford, personally calls for her help.
Following a suspicious attack on Russian oligarch Mikhail Rotenberg’s property in a tony part of London, Davis needs Lyndsey to cozy up to the billionaire’s aristocratic British wife, Emily Rotenberg. Fortunately for Lyndsey, there’s little to dissuade Emily from taking in a much-needed confidante. Even being one of the richest women in the world is no guarantee of happiness. But before Lyndsey can cover much ground with her newfound friend, the CIA unveils a perturbing connection between Mikhail and Russia’s geoplitical past, one that could upend the world order and jeopardize Lyndsey’s longtime allegiance to the Agency.
Red London is a sharp and nuanced race-against-the-clock story ripped from today’s headlines, a testament to author Alma Katsu’s thirty-five-year career in national security. It’s a rare spy novel written by an insider that feels as prescient as it is thrilling and utterly unforgettable.
The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Zachary Webber
Penguin Audio
Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number.
Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs onto the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she snuck out of.
After agreeing they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie realize they’re each other’s perfect wing-person in their searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward.
Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together. Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they both struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.
Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon
Narrated by Brent Billings
Bryant Street Publishing
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Jack Harbon
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Brent Billings
Jordan Collins doesn’t need a man.
What he needs is for his favorite author to release another one of her sexy supernatural novels and more people to sign up for the romance book club that he fears is slowly and steadily losing its steam. He also needs for the new employee at his local bookstore to stop making fun of him for reading things meant for “grandmas.”
The very last thing he needs is for that same employee, Rex Bailey, to waltz into his living room and ask to join Meet Cute Club. Despite his immediate thoughts—like laughing in his face and telling him to kick rocks—Jordan decides that if he wants this club to continue thriving, he can’t turn away any new members. Not even ones like Rex, who somehow manage to be both frustratingly obnoxious and breathtakingly handsome.
As Jordan and Rex team up to bring the club back from the ashes, Jordan soon discovers that Rex might not be the arrogant troll he made himself out to be, and that, like with all things in life, maybe he was wrong to judge a book by its cover.
Playing Pretend by Eden Summers
Narrated by Gideon Frost, Samantha Brentmoor
Self Published
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
One bed. Two best friends. Three nights playing pretend.
When I agreed to let Rome be my fake boyfriend on a work trip, I didn’t think acting like a couple would be that complicated.
He’d flash his killer smile at my colleagues.
Impress them with his charm.
While keeping my toxic ex at bay.
But that’s not the reality I’m currently drowning in.
From the moment we arrive at the resort, Rome’s hands are all over me.
His whispered words in my ear more scandalously filthy than sweet.
He’s acting like a lust-drunk fool who’s dying for a taste, and I can’t stop blushing or panicking, because there’s only one bed in our hotel room, and Rome Cavanaugh wouldn’t know how to sleep in anything other than his birthday suit.
Here’s the Thing by Emily O’Beirne
Narrated by Cat Gould
Tantor Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Emily O’Beirne
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Cat Gould
It’s only for a year. That’s what sixteen-year-old Zel keeps telling herself after moving to Sydney for her dad’s work. She’ll just wait it out until she gets back to New York and Prim, her epic crush/best friend, and the unfinished subway project. Even if Prim hasn’t spoken to her since that day on Coney Island.
But Zel soon finds life in Sydney won’t let her hide. There’s her art teacher, who keeps forcing her to dig deeper. There’s the band of sweet, strange misfits her cousin has forced her to join for a Drama project. And then there’s the curiosity that is the always-late Stella.
As she waits for Prim to explain her radio silence and she begins to forge new friendships, Zel feels strung between two worlds. Finally, she must figure out how to move on while leaving no one behind.
Revolution by James Fox
Narrated by Dion Graham, Emily Woo Zeller, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Lauren Fortgang, Chris Ciulla
Leonardo Audio
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Dion Graham, Emily Woo Zeller, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Lauren Fortgang, Chris Ciulla
War is good for business…and business is about to boom.
General Keith Brennan would rather face an army with his trusty rifle than attend another state dinner. When the president of the solar system is assassinated on Mars, Brennan is the obvious choice to investigate. If he comes up with the wrong answer, though, his career will be over.
However, duty is never so simple. When the investigation uncovers a trail of corruption and a conspiracy on a system-wide scale, Brennan’s career is the least of his worries.
With Earth and Mars on the brink of a shooting war and forces behind the scenes determined to push them over the edge, only Marine General Keith Brennan can stop the slaughter before it’s too late. Unless, of course, it already is….
Revolution is the first in a new gritty sci-fi saga with enemies at every turn. Grab your rifle, pick your side, and join the revolution now!
