Hello! And welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of October 22nd.
Every week I find and post the audiobooks that catch my eye across multiple genres. Take a look and maybe you’ll find your next book!
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
Authors, narrators, producers, and publishers — any of the books featured here are prime candidates for review.
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Generation Ship by Michael Mammay
Narrated by Natalie Naudus
HarperAudio
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Michael Mammay
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Natalie Naudus
In this riveting, stand-alone novel from Michael Mammay, author of Planetside, the beginning of a new human colony must face tyrannical leaders, revolution, crippling instability, and an unknown alien planet that could easily destroy them all.
In 2108, Colony Ship Voyager departed Earth for the planet of Promissa with 18,000 of the world’s best and brightest on board. 250 years and 27 light years later, an arrival is imminent.
But all is not well.
The probes that they’ve sent ahead to gather the data needed to establish any kind of settlement aren’t responding, and the information they have received has presented more questions than answers. It’s a time when the entire crew should be coming together to solve the problem, but science officer Sheila Jackson can’t get people to listen.
With the finish line in sight, a group of crewmembers want an end to the draconian rules that their forebearers put in place generations before. However, security force officer Mark Rector and his department have different plans. As alliances form and fall, Governor Jared Pantel sees only one way to bring Voyager’s citizens together and secure his own power: a full-scale colonization effort. Yet, he may have underestimated the passion of those working for the other side…
Meanwhile, a harsh alien planet awaits that might have its own ideas about being colonized. A battle for control brews, and victory for one group could mean death for them all.
A Strangled Cry by Erik Carter
Narrated by Gary Bennett
Self Published
Read my review of A Strangled Cry here!
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Erik Carter
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Gary Bennett
The next stand-alone action thriller in the pulse-pounding series. Enter the world of Silence Jones. Hold on tight….
If you like action heroes with the steely resolve of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, the calculating will of Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X, and the raw power of Mark Greaney’s Gray Man, then you’ll love Silence Jones.
Unlock A Strangled Cry, and start your Silence Jones mission today!
The Human Trial by Audrey Gale
Narrated by Scott Graff
Audrey Gale
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Dr. Randall Archer is a misfit….
….in the brutal blue-collar home where he grew up.
….as a 16-year-old escaping to college, then medical school, on a full scholarship to Harvard.
….in the highest echelons of Boston society, where the woman he marries and the blueblood research partner with whom he shares his laboratory belong.
Even Archer’s brilliance as a pathologist catapults him into direct and dangerous conflict with the medical establishment he fought so hard to join.
As the Great Depression presses down around him, Archer teeters at the edge of a precipice. He must choose between his hard-won career and the sacred oaths he took as a doctor and scientist—before all his choices are lost forever.
Julia by Sandra Newman
Narrated by Louise Brearley
Sandra Newman
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
London, chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous province of Oceania. It’s 1984 and Julia Worthing works as a mechanic fixing the novel-writing machines in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party and its leader Big Brother, Julia is a model citizen – cheerfully cynical, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics. She routinely breaks the rules but also collaborates with the regime whenever necessary. Everyone likes Julia. A diligent member of the Junior Anti-Sex League (though she is secretly promiscuous) she knows how to survive in a world of constant surveillance, Thought Police, Newspeak, Doublethink, child spies and the black markets of the prole neighbourhoods. She’s very good at staying alive.
But Julia becomes intrigued by a colleague from the Records Department – a mid-level worker of the Outer Party called Winston Smith – when she sees him locking eyes with a superior from the Inner Party at the Two Minutes Hate. And when one day, finding herself walking toward Winston, she impulsively hands him a note – a potentially suicidal gesture – she comes to realise that she’s losing her grip and can no longer safely navigate her world.
Seventy-five years after Orwell finished writing his iconic novel, Sandra Newman has tackled the world of Big Brother in a truly convincing way, offering a dramatically different, feminist narrative that is true to and stands alongside the original. For the millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, here, finally, is a provocative, vital and utterly satisfying companion novel.
Big Island by Emily O’Beirne
Narrated by Cat Gould
Tantor Audio
$7.49 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
An opposites attract, young adult lesbian romance about finding a way to fight for your future.
At a summer journalism course for teens in Tasmania, privileged Samira, from a conservative, political family, and over-achiever country girl Alex bang heads.
While covering a news story together, their fiery clashes turn into first love. But when things fall apart, they’re left hurting.
A year later, they discover they’re both interning for the same university student paper. Awkward isn’t even the start of the tension between them. One thing that hasn’t died is the attraction between them. Still bruised and battling expectations from friends and family, can they be brave enough to repair what broke them?
Contains mature themes.
Slow Burn by Missouri Vaun
Narrated by Paige McKinney
Bold Strokes Book, Inc.
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
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Firefighter Grayson Reeves barely survived a harrowing California wildfire, and the experience has shaken everything she believes about herself. Returning to her hometown of Sky Valley, NC, to heal and regroup seems like a good idea, but past mistakes and a small town that never forgets are painful reminders of why she left.
Faith Owen didn’t grow up in Sky Valley, but when an opportunity arises to relocate to one of her favorite childhood haunts, she jumps at the chance. A new environment is just what she needs to refocus on her art and regain her confidence after her last ill-fated relationship left her with loads of self-doubt.
When Faith meets Gray, she sees a suffering soul in need of saving. Gray can only see a woman for whom she could never be enough. Despite their misgivings, their mutual attraction ignites passions neither can fight.
Always Allie by Melissa Tereze
Narrated by K. A. Walsh
Self Published
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
When leaving feels like it’s forever, but home is always right there waiting for you to come back…
Cassidy Lewis had always dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps, opening an award-winning florist. But Cassidy wanted bigger and better. She wanted to be thriving among the hustle and bustle of London; something her sleepy town of Plumstoke lacked. Finding the perfect store for her dream to flourish was easy, what was hard was moving to a whole new city and leaving behind the one person she thought she’d never be without. Allie. When her mother passes away suddenly, she’s forced to head back home alone to deal with the hardest good-bye a person ever has to say.
Allie Campbell, resident sweetheart, has been pushing through loss after loss. When she watched Cassidy—the woman who should have been her wife—drive away three years ago, Allie never thought she’d see her again. Sadly, the most dreadful of circumstances has brought her back. Can Allie be the friend that’s needed, the shoulder to cry on, the hand to hold? Will Cassidy realize that she doesn’t want to let go this time?
If you enjoy small-town second-chance romances filled with bucket loads of hope and love, don’t miss Melissa Tereze’s brand-new release!
Lost in Paradise by Rachel Lacey
Narrated by Ellie Gossage
Tantor Audio
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Rachel Lacey
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Ellie Gossage
When a Manhattan businesswoman and a reclusive French artist are stranded together on a deserted island, opposites attract . . . and sparks fly. But with love on the horizon, will they survive to claim their happy ending?
Nicole Morella boards a private Mediterranean cruise with one goal: to reclaim herself after her divorce. When she sits next to a beautiful blonde in the ship’s lounge, she’s knocked off balance by the immediate attraction between them, and it’s not just because Nicole hasn’t found her sea legs yet. Fiona stirs things in Nicole that haven’t been stirred in a long time, but a fiery kiss turns dangerous when the ship is hijacked.
Fiona Boone has been adrift most of her life, but never in such a literal sense. She’s a survivor, though, so when they land on a deserted island, Fiona’s ready to do whatever it takes to stay alive until they’re rescued. Although they’re lost, Fiona finds something unexpected in the comfort of Nicole’s touch. But when an injury puts her life in jeopardy, they begin to worry help won’t arrive in time. If she survives their ordeal, Fiona might just face her biggest challenge yet: falling in love.
Contains mature themes.
Against All Odds by Cara Malone
Narrated by Rowan Marlowe
Self Published
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
How far will they go to say “I do” when the whole world is against them?
The pessimistic side of Sage thought she’d never find The One. A butch woman in a small town with mental health issues and introverted hobbies, the odds were against her.
Then she met Rosalie.
Rosalie, who gives her side-stitches every time they talk. Rosalie, who wanted to tour the inside of a life-size blue whale exhibit on their third date. Rosalie, who enthusiastically educated herself on Sage’s condition when Sage confided in her about it.
So Sage proposed—luckiest woman in the world, right?
And now people are coming out of the woodwork to tell them how wrong this is. From Sage’s overbearing mom to Rosalie’s mysteriously absent dad and even the wedding planner—they have a hundred reasons to stop this wedding. Sage just needs one reason to go through with it.
Rosalie.
But will she have her?
Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer
Narrated by Tim Paige, Savannah Peachwood
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 Stephanie Archer
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Tim Paige
He’s the hot, grumpy goalie I had a crush on in high school…and now I’m his live-in assistant.
After my ex crushed my dreams in the music industry, I’m done with getting my heart broken. Working as an assistant for an NHL player was supposed to be a breeze, but nothing about Jamie Streicher is easy. He’s an intimidatingly hot, grouchy jerk who can’t stand me. The guy has a massive ego. Keeping things professional will be no problem, even when he demands I move in with him.
Beneath his surliness, though, Jamie’s surprisingly sweet and protective.
When Jamie learns how bad my ex was in bed, his competitive nature flares, and he encourages and spoils me in every way. The creative spark I used to feel about songwriting? It’s back, and I’m writing music again. Between wearing his jersey at games, rowdy parties with the team, and being brave on stage again, I’m falling for him.
He could break my heart, but it might be worth it.
Behind the Net is a grumpy-sunshine pro hockey romance with lots of spice and an HEA. It’s the first book in the Vancouver Storm series, and can be listened to as a stand-alone.
Tropes:
- Grumpy sunshine
- Slow burn
- Boy obsessed
- Pro hockey
- Forced proximity (boss vs. assistant + roommates)
- Spice coaching
Friends Don’t Fall in Love by Erin Hahn
Narrated by Kale Williams, Lisa Zimmerman
Spotify Audiobooks
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Erin Hahn’s Friends Don’t Fall in Love is about long-time friends, taking chances, and finding out that, sometimes, your perfect person was right there in your corner all along.
Lorelai Jones had it all: a thriving country music career and a superstar fiancé. Then she played one teenie tiny protest song at a concert and ruined her entire future, including her impending celebrity marriage. But five years later, she refuses to be done with her dreams and calls up the one person who stuck by her, her dear friend and her former fiancé’s co-writer and bandmate, Craig.
Craig Boseman’s held a torch for Lorelai for years, but even he knows the backup bass player never gets the girl. Things are different now, though. Craig owns his own indie record label and his songwriting career is taking off. If he can confront his past and embrace his gifts, he might just be able to help Lorelai earn the comeback she deserves—and maybe win her heart in the process.
But when the two reunite to rebuild her career and finally scratch that itch that’s been building between them for years, Lorelai realizes a lot about what friends don’t do. For one, friends don’t have scratch-that-itch sex. They also don’t almost-kiss on street corners, publish secret erotic poetry about each other, have counter-top sex, write songs for each other, have no-strings motorcycle sex, or go on dates. And they sure as heck don’t fall in love… right?
All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters
Narrated by Lori Prince
Harper Audio
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Lori Prince
Ninth House meets The Dead and the Dark in this gothic dark academia novel that delves into the human capacity for great love, great art, and great evil.
Magni animi numquam moriuntur. Great minds never die.
The students in Corbin College’s elite academic society, Magni Viri, have it all—free tuition, inspirational professors, and dream jobs once they graduate. When first-gen college student Tara is offered a chance to enroll, she doesn’t hesitate.
Except once she’s settled into the gorgeous Victorian dormitory, something strange starts to happen. She’s finally writing, but her stories are dark and twisted. Her dreams feel as if they could bury her alive. An unseen presence seems to stalk her through the halls.
And a chilling secret awaits Tara at the heart of Magni Viri—one that just might turn her nightmares into reality; one that might destroy her before she has a chance to escape.
All That Consumes Us will pull listeners into a hypnotizing, dark reverie that blurs the lines of reality and shows that the addictive nature of ambition—and its inevitable price—always claims its due.
The System Apocalypse: Australia Books 1-3 by Tao Wong, KT Hanna
Narrated by Andrea Parsneau
Starlit Publishing
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Tao Wong, KT Hanna
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Andrea Parsneau
More mutated Australian wildlife than you can shake your beam rifle at….
When the System arrives, no one is ready. Most of all Kira Kent, plant biologist and single mum. She’s pulling an all-nighter, her children in tow when her beloved wildlife begins to mutate.
No more cute koala bears, bouncy kangaroos, or fuzzy wallabies. Now, everything is mutated and aggressive? Who made the spiders so big? The world’s most dangerous continent just got a lot more dangerous, and no one, not even the alien Galactics who arrive, are ready for it.
Kira is going to have to pull together a community of survivors to forge a safe zone for her son and daughter, figure out a long-term survival plan, and make nice with the aliens. Otherwise, she will see everyone and everything she has loved die.
The System Apocalypse: Australia omnibus edition includes the first three books in the series:
- Town Under
- Flat Out
- Bloody Oath
Set in the same universe as Tao Wong’s The System Apocalypse and starts in the same time period as Life in the North but focuses on the changes in the deadliest of continents—Australia. Fans of the original series, LitRPG, fantasy, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic novels will want to take a look.
- Cuffing Season by Monica McCallan (Narrated by Lori Prince) - December 8, 2023
- Bit Rot (Bit Rot #1) by Jason Baronette (Narrated by Bill Davis) - December 6, 2023
- Muted (Silence Jones #10 by Erik Carter (Narrated by Gary Bennett) - December 4, 2023