Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of October 8th.
Comment below on any I missed or what you’re excited about!
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Across the Sand by Hugh Howey
Narrated by Jeremy Arthur
HarperAudio
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Hugh Howey
The first original novel from author Hugh Howey in six years, Across the Sand takes us back to the world of Sand, to a far future many generations after a disaster has destroyed civilization as we know it, where four siblings struggle to build their futures amid the harsh wastes of endless desert.
The old world is buried. A new one has been forged atop the shifting dunes, a land of howling wind and infernal sand.
In this barren home, siblings Conner, Rob, Palmer and Violet daily carve out a future. They live in the shadow of their father and oldest sister, Vic, two of the greatest sand divers ever to comb the desert’s depths. But these branches of their family tree are long gone, disappeared into the wastes beyond, leaving the younger siblings scratching in the dust, hopeful for a better life.
On the other side of No Man’s Land, Anya was born beside the abundant mines knowing her prospects would be to marry, have a family, and work in ore, in service to the Empire of the East. But when an atomic bomb delivered by a stranger destroys most of her town—murdering all her friends and community—she follows her father to a strange land of dunes to bring vengeance to their enemies.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
The Revivalists by Christopher M. Hood
Narrated by Gary Bennett
HarperAudio
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Gary Bennett
A stunning debut novel about a couple’s harrowing journey across a ravaged America to save their daughter.
Bill and Penelope are the lucky ones. Not only do they survive the Shark Flu emerging from the melting Icelandic permafrost to sweep like a scythe across the world, but they begin to rebuild a life in the wreckage of the old. A garden to feed themselves planted where the lawn used to be, a mattress pulled down to the living room fireplace for warmth. Even Bill’s psychology practice endures the collapse of the social order, the handful of remaining clients bartering cans of food for their sessions. But when their daughter’s voice over the radio in the kitchen announces that she’s joined a cult three thousand miles away in Bishop, California, they leave it all behind to embark on a perilous trek across the hollowed-out remains of America to save her.
Their journey is an unforgettable odyssey through communities scattered across the continent, but for all the ways that the world has changed, the hopes and fears of this little family remain the same as they always have been. In The Revivalists, Christopher M. Hood creates a haunting, moving, darkly funny, and ultimately hopeful portrait of a world and a marriage tested by extraordinary circumstances.
Into the Storm by Rachel Grant
Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella, Greg Tremblay
Self Published
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella, Greg Tremblay
As a storm rolls in, a team of elite Navy SEALs arrives at a remote lodge for a wilderness training exercise that becomes terrifyingly real….
Xavier Rivera planned the exercise down to the smallest detail, but he didn’t plan the arrival of archaeologist Audrey Kendrick—a woman he shared a passionate night with before betraying her in the worst way.
As the storm is unleashed on the historic lodge it becomes clear the training has been compromised. Trapped by weather, isolated by the remote wilderness, and silenced as communication with the world has been severed, unarmed SEALs face an unexpected and deadly foe.
Audrey and Xavier must set aside their distrust and desire and work together to save a team under fire and survive in a battle against the wild.
“INTO THE STORM showcases Grant’s talent for weaving together heart-pounding adventure and touching romance. Another page-turner!” (New York Times best-selling author Laura Griffin)
Hard Pressed by Aurora Rey
Narrated by Keira Grace
Bold Strokes Books Inc
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Aurora Rey
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Keira Grace
For Mira Lavigne, cider is about tradition, elegance, and class. She has little respect and even less patience for self-anointed mavericks who think their ticket to fame and fortune is throwing the rulebook out the window. Dylan Miller is one of those people. The only thing she loves more than pushing the envelope is finding ways to make cider, perry, and a few things she hasn’t even named yet more delicious and more accessible to everyone.
When Mira and Dylan are tapped to co-chair Finger Lakes Cider Week, neither can pass up the publicity and prestige of the role. But professional compromises raise personal stakes, and Dylan and Mira are hard-pressed to keep their businesses—and their hearts—out of harm’s way.
The Sweet Escape by Nicole Pyland
Narrated by Carolyn Eve
Self Published
Review Coming Soon!
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle edition currently available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Nicole Pyland
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Carolyn Eve
This is book #4 in the Holiday Series.
Eleanor Enger met someone special and thought they might have a chance at being more than friends of friends, but then Carmen McClain showed up to a weekend away with those friends with a date attached to her hip, and Ellie knew she’d lost her shot. When her little brother is kicked out of their parents’ house, Eleanor finds herself acting as parent and sorting through his problems while trying to deal with her own.
Carmen McClain just opened a bakery with her two best friends and had planned on having some one-night fun and maybe a casual relationship or two because she didn’t have time for anything serious while being so focused on the business. When her best friend’s new girlfriend came with a lot of close friends as a package, Carmen began spending more time with one of them and started thinking that casual might not be what she wanted after all.
Eleanor’s crush turned into something more, and Carmen realized she didn’t want to be just friends right around the time of her birthday, which happened to be on Halloween, while her holiday-obsessed parents are having a special birthday event for their daughter that they do every year. Watch Eleanor and Carmen fall in love over cupcakes, coffee, and a haunted house.
Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
Narrated by Tavia Gilbert
Penguin Audio
The holidays were never her thing, until she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit…before her very eyes.
Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.
Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.
But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall’s time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?
All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox
Narrated by Sophie Amoss, Sean Patrick Hopkins
Penguin Audio
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Maggie Knox
Check out my reviews of other titles Narrated by Sophie Amoss, Sean Patrick Hopkins
A pitch-perfect holiday rom com about two oil-and-water reality-star country singers who must fake a relationship in order to win the opportunity of a lifetime, perfect for fans of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game and Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze.
Will they hit the right notes this holiday season?
When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show Starmaker, each thinks they’ve finally gotten their big Nashville break. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their romantic onstage chemistry. With fans going wild for #Saxie the network demands that they remain a duo on and offstage, or exit the competition. Faking a relationship until their final performance in the Starmaker holiday special shouldn’t be too hard, except for one small problem—Sadie and Max can’t stand each other.
But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their fake relationship be exposed before they can win? Or might their phony connection turn real by the Christmas finale?
Did Not Finish by Nicola Marsh
Narrated by Kendra Murray, Connor Brown
Dreamscape Media, LLC
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase – Kindle edition currently available with Kindle Unlimited
Stranded…with my nemesis.
AXEL: It’s bad enough an unseasonal blizzard means I’m stuck with my PA’s annoying cat, but to make matters worse, Mia Samson and her poison pen are in my house too. The renowned reviewer has tanked enough books with her dreaded DNF and I need to teach her a lesson. But my enemy is not what I expect and if I’m not careful, I’m in danger of revealing my secret to the one person who can use it against me.
MIA: I know people in publishing call me the career-wrecker behind my back. What they don’t know is, I’m writing a novel, and when I’m lucky enough to win a week-long retreat with bestselling Axel Low in quaint Sugar Plain, Nebraska, I’m thrilled. Until I discover being snowed in with the reclusive grump is merely the first trope my life has turned into, and soon I’m sorely tempted to enact enemies to lovers…
Which one of us will lose the plot first?
So This Is Christmas by Jenny Holiday
Narrated by Cynthia Farrell
HarperAudio
USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday concludes her beloved royal Christmas series with an unforgettable romance about a confident American woman and the strait-laced royal advisor who falls hopelessly in love with her.
Matteo Benz has spent his life serving at the pleasure of the Eldovian crown. His work is his life and his life, well…he doesn’t have much of one. When he is tasked to aid a management consultant who has been flown in to help straighten out the king’s affairs, he is instantly disturbed by her brash American manner—as well by an inconvenient attraction to the brainy beauty.
Cara Delaney is in Eldovia to help clean up the king’s financial affairs, but soon finds herself at odds with the very proper Mr. Benz. As intrigued by his good looks as she is annoyed by his dedication to tradition for its own sake, she slowly begins to see the real man behind the royal throne.
As they work together to return Eldovia to its former glory during the country’s magical Christmas season, Matteo discovers he is falling hopelessly in love with the unconventional American. But a man who has devoted his life to tradition doesn’t change easily. Can he become the man Cara needs, or will their love be another sacrifice to the crown?
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
Narrated by Jason Genao, Anthony Keyvan, Kyla Garcia
HarperAudio
In this prequel to #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon They Both Die at the End, two new strangers spend a life-changing day together after Death-Cast first makes their fateful calls.
It’s the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?
Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he’s going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what’s coming.
Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.
Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever—one of them receives a call, and the other doesn’t. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together…even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.
Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera’s signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.
- Muted (Silence Jones #10 by Erik Carter (Narrated by Gary Bennett) - December 4, 2023
- New and Notable Audiobook Releases for the Week of December 3rd on Brian’s Book Blog - December 3, 2023
- Disease X by N.J. Croft (Narrated by Joshua Saxon) - December 1, 2023
