Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of February 8th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
Narrated by Michael Crouch, Jonathan Davis, Gabra Zackman, January LaVoy, Angelo Di Loreto, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Dorothy Dillingham Blue, Cynthia Farrell, Soneela Nankani, Sullivan Jones, Bahni Turpin, Phil Stamper
Listening Library
Teen boys find love when their parents’ NASA mission uproots their lives in this sweet debut perfect for Adam Silvera fans.
As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, 17-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston, and are thrust into a media circus.
Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid”, and finds himself falling head over heels – fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.
Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.
Malice by Pintip Dunn
Narrated by Suzy Jackson
Recorded Books
What I know: a boy in my school will one day wipe out two-thirds of the population with a virus.
What I don’t know: who he is.
In a race against the clock, I not only have to figure out his identity, but I’ll have to outwit a voice from the future telling me to kill him. Because I’m starting to realize no one is telling the truth. But how can I play chess with someone who already knows the outcome of my every move? Someone so filled with malice they’ve lost all hope in humanity? Well, I’ll just have to find a way – because now they’ve drawn a target on the only boy I’ve ever loved….
SUB ZERO by Matt James
Narrated by Daniel Henning
Tantor Audio
The only thing colder than the Antarctic air is the icy chill of death….
Off the coast of McMurdo Station, in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean, a new species of Antarctic octopus is unintentionally discovered. Specialists aboard a state-of-the-art DARPA research vessel aim to apply the animal’s “sub-zero venom” to one of their projects: an experimental painkiller designed for soldiers on the front lines.
All is going according to plan until the ship is caught in an intense storm. The retrofitted tanker is rocked, and the onboard laboratory is destroyed. Amid the chaos, the lead scientist is infected by a strange virus while conducting the specimen’s dissection.
The scientist didn’t die in the accident. He changed.
Witness X by SE Moorhead
Narrated by Madeleine Brolly
Orion Publishing Group
From one of the most original new voices in fiction comes a startling vision of a world where hero Kyra must fight the past to save our future. A genre-bending thriller for the Netflix generation, for fans of Altered Carbon, Dark and Mindhunter.
Fourteen years ago, the police caged a notorious serial killer who abducted and butchered two victims every February. When a body is discovered, and a second person is reported missing, the race is on to catch the real killer. Neuropsychologist Kyra Sullivan, a police psychologist on the original investigation, fights to use a new technology that accesses the minds of the original witnesses. Will Kyra discover the truth, and if so, at what cost?
From an exciting debut talent, Witness X is a brilliantly twisty tale that is at once mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human – an addictive thriller about choices, paths not taken and how far we’ll go to change the past, perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Altered Carbon and Ready Player One.
The Last Day by Andrew Hunter Murray
Narrated by Gemma Whelan
Penguin Audio
A visionary and powerful debut thriller set in a terrifyingly plausible dystopian near-future – with clear parallels to today’s headlines – in which the future of humanity lies in the hands of one woman, a scientist who has stumbled upon a secret that the government will go to any lengths to keep hidden.
A world half in darkness. A secret she must bring to light.
It is 2059, and the world has crashed. Forty years ago, a solar catastrophe began to slow the planet’s rotation to a stop. Now, one half of the globe is permanently sunlit, the other half trapped in an endless night. The United States has colonized the southern half of Great Britain – lucky enough to find itself in the narrow habitable region left between frozen darkness and scorching sunlight – where both nations have managed to survive the ensuing chaos by isolating themselves from the rest of the world.
Ellen Hopper is a scientist living on a frostbitten rig in the cold Atlantic. She wants nothing more to do with her country after its slide into casual violence and brutal authoritarianism. Yet when two government officials arrive demanding she return to London to see her dying college mentor, she accepts – and begins to unravel a secret that threatens not only the nation’s fragile balance, but the future of the whole human race.
Battle Master by Damian Boyle
Narrated by Steve Campbell
Aethon Audio
Shipwrecked by fate. Hunted by moonlight. Hardened by battle.
Paul is an Aberrant, one of few able to enter a fantasy game world called Valheim. Kidnapped to a secret lab, he is forced into a government program that sends Aberrants to Valheim against their will. Most die within a day, but some have survived for months.
Mira, a famous gamer who recently went missing, is one such survivor. Finding her is Paul’s best shot at staying alive. But all his plans are dashed when he finds himself washed up on a tropical beach in the middle of the Wild.
With E-rank beasts roaming the jungle and an Orc tribe on the hunt, Paul must recruit a party, level up, unlock abilities, and build defenses to hold off the savage raids against his camp. But each raid is stronger than the last, leaving only one option: Attack the orc dungeon and kill the Blood Shaman who rules them.
Join Paul in the battle of a lifetime in the Blood Crown Series, a LitRPG adventure featuring party management, base building, army building, kingdom building, class development, and tactical combat.
Grab your copy today! It’s perfect for fans of Dean Henegar, Shemer Kuznits, and Dave Willmarth.
Valkyrie by Craig Alanson
Narrated by R. C. Bray
Podium Publishing
After saving the world many times, the Merry Band of Pirates have accepted the inevitable: Earth is doomed.
All they can do is try to bring a few thousand people to safety, before vicious aliens arrive to destroy humanity’s home world.
No.
There is one other thing they can do: hit the enemy so hard that the aliens will regret they ever heard of humans.
First Encounter by Jasper T. Scott
Narrated by Ben Jaeger-Thomas
Audible, Inc.
FROM MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER JASPER T. SCOTT
The Forerunners set out from Earth to colonize neighboring star systems
And to search for intelligent life…
The United Nations of Earth sent out the Forerunner ships to explore and colonize the four most promising star systems within 50 light-years of Earth.
Forerunner One left Earth under the command of Captain Clayton Cross, heading for Trappist-1. After a ninety year journey to reach it, the crew encountered not only a habitable world, but alien life already inhabiting it, and dark secrets lurking beneath the surface.
The revelation of who these aliens are and what they want proves more terrifying than promising, and Captain Cross is forced to make tough decisions that will affect not only his crew, but the fate of the entire human race.
A Cold Trail by Robert Dugoni
Narrated by Emily Sutton-Smith
Brilliance Publishing
In New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s riveting series, Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite returns home to a brutal murder and her haunted past.
The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape.
Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous. It’s stirring up her own haunted past and a decades-old conspiracy in Cedar Grove that has erupted in murder. Getting to the truth is all that matters. But what’s Tracy willing to risk as a killer gets closer to her and threatens everyone she loves?
Brooklyn Summer by Maggie Cummings
Narrated by Lori Prince
Bold Strokes Books Inc
Ashleigh McAllister’s life is a total disaster. Her ex dumped her for a guy, and she can’t seem to stop bumping into them in their suddenly way too small Brooklyn neighborhood. At least Mother Nature is on her side. Summer is here and the forecast is all sun. Ashleigh needs a little excitement, and things get exponentially hotter when Kellan Dwyer walks into her life.
Fresh out of the army, Kellan is killing time apartment sitting before returning home to a scripted future in Colorado. Her itinerary consists solely of having a blast.
Ashleigh and Kellan decide friends with benefits is hot, and fun, and sexy as hell, but romance? Terrible idea.
With the New York City skyline as their backdrop, the summer heats up fast. They just have to keep their feelings in check before someone gets hurt. When opposites attract, can a summer of passion lead to a lifetime of love?
Say You’ll Love Me Again by Kiki Archer
Narrated by Ella Lynch
Kiki Archer
Do you know how to keep a secret? Sophie, a 23-year-old piano teacher, does, and it’s kept her hidden for the past five years, but now, she’s gone and broken her golden rule: Never let anyone “see” you.
Jazz, a wild and carefree comedian, does more than “see” Sophie, but that’s because your soulmate’s the stranger you recognize, right?
With the woman she used to be threatening to surface, will Sophie succumb to the pull of passion and risk everything for Jazz, or will she hide from happiness to avoid further intertwining their lives, which might ultimately cause the unraveling of everything?
Say You’ll Love Me Again is an exciting, flirty book by the best-selling, award-winning author Kiki Archer, filled with laugh-out-loud moments and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed
Narrated by Michael Crouch, Tiya Sircar
HarperAudio
YES
Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate – as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone) Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.
NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing – with some awkward dude she hardly knows – is beyond her.
MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer – and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Narrated by Rebecca Mozo, Wayne Mitchell
HarperAudio
“A romantic comedy that’s fun and flirty, young and fresh.” (Popsugar) (22 of the Best Books This Winter Has to Offer)
One of Oprah Magazine’s 22 Romance Novels That Are Set to Be the Best of 2020
Mia Sosa delivers a sassy, steamy #ownvoices enemies-to-lovers novel, perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Helen Hoang, and Sally Thorne!
A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch…she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials.
Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning – absolutely off-limits – ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own.
Soon Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again….
Crooked River by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Narrated by Jefferson Mays
Grand Central Publishing
Racing to uncover the mystery of several light green-shoe-clad severed feet found floating in the Atlantic, Agent Pendergast is faced with most inexplicable challenge of his career in this installment of the number-one New York Times best-selling series.
A startling crime with dozens of victims.
Appearing out of nowhere to horrify the quiet resort town of Sanibel Island, Florida, dozens of identical, ordinary-looking shoes float in on the tide and are washed up on the tropical beach – each one with a crudely severed human foot inside.
A ghastly enigma with no apparent solution.
Called away from vacation elsewhere in the state, Agent Pendergast reluctantly agrees to visit the crime scene – and, despite himself, is quickly drawn in by the incomprehensible puzzle. An early pathology report only adds to the mystery. With an ocean of possibilities confronting the investigation, no one is sure what happened, why, or from where the feet originated. And they desperately need to know: are the victims still alive?
A worthy challenge for a brilliant mind.
In short order, Pendergast finds himself facing the most complex and inexplicable challenge of his career: a tangled thread of evidence that spans seas and traverses continents, connected to one of the most baffling mysteries in modern medical science. Through shocking twists and turns, all trails lead back to a powerful adversary with a sadistic agenda and who – in a cruel irony – ultimately sees in Pendergast the ideal subject for their malevolent research.
The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman
Narrated by John Rubinstein
Random House Audio
Psychologist Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis struggle to make sense of a seemingly inexplicable massacre in this electrifying psychological thriller from the number one New York Times best-selling master of suspense.
LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis has solved a lot of murder cases. On many of them – the ones he calls “different” – he taps the brain of brilliant psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware. But neither Alex nor Milo are prepared for what they find on an early morning call to a deserted mansion in Bel Air. This one’s beyond different. This is predation, premeditation, and cruelty on a whole new level.
Four people have been slaughtered and left displayed bizarrely and horrifically in a stretch limousine. Confounding the investigation, none of the victims seems to have any connection to any other, and a variety of methods have been used to dispatch them. As Alex and Milo make their way through blind alleys and mazes baited with misdirection, they encounter a crime so vicious that it stretches the definitions of evil.
- Disease X by N.J. Croft (Narrated by Joshua Saxon) - December 1, 2023
- A Purrfect Gift by Jae (Narrated by Anastasia Watley) - November 30, 2023
- Wraith King (Wraith Knight #3) by C.T. Phipps (Narrated Narrated by Samuel E. Hoke) - November 28, 2023
