Simply The Best 2014: Round Four – The Year In Reviews and a Giveaway

Hi, everyone!

We are thisclose to the end of our best of the best selections for this year. In case you missed the earlier selections, Sammy’s and Tina’s can be found HERE, Jackie’s, Lana’s, and Jules’ can be found HERE, and Lynn’s and Chris’s HERE.

Since Kim and Kathie are the audio connoisseurs in our group, today’s feature are their top picks in the audiobook category, and guess what? TNA is going to give you the chance to win TWO of the listed titles. And guess what else? If you’re selected as the winner, you get to choose which titles you’d like in either audio or e-book format.

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED

And now, here they are, the best listens of 2014 from Kim and Kathie.

Kim:

Dirty Secret by Rhys Ford – Narrated by Greg Tremblay: “Greg Tremblay is Cole McGinnis! Since there’s seemingly no rush to make a movie of Dirty Secret, this audio version is, by far, the best route to my imagination, and to how the scenes should play out. Mr. Tremblay also gets a well done for Jae’s fabulous voice characterization, as well as his narration of the secondary voices. I’d also like to add that there were parts of the story that had me sad, tense, shocked, amazed, and, at one point, gagging. Sorry, I’m a sympathetic vomiter. Even though it was funny as all hell, Rhys and Greg, you did too good a job of describing that particular part of the story.”

Shattered Glass by Dani Alexander – Narrated by Joseph Northton: “Thanks to a friend who loaned me the book Shattered Glass a couple of years ago, I haven’t been able to look at a pair of bunny slippers without fantasizing about seeing a pair of legs up in the air, bunny slippers bouncing merrily off the feet of someone who is being thoroughly….

Well…as you can see, Shattered Glass appealed to me and fed my warped sense of humor. It’s also on my top 20 list of all time favorite reads, and now it’s on audio! Woohoo! Did it meet my expectations? Oh yeah!”

Scales and a Tail by Stormy Glenn – Narrated by Johnny East: “The blurb really is good at explaining Beauregard, but what it doesn’t mention is that Sebastian can be a bit of a jerk, and Beauregard is not one to be mistaken as lite and fluffy. This bunny can bite when he needs to stand up for himself.

Stormy Glenn, with the help of vocals by Johnny East, brings to life a rather cute, funny, and sweet tale of two unlikely people meeting and falling in love with each other. I’ve never heard of Johnny East before, but his performance had me oohing and aahing, as well as laughing my fanny off!”

Tell Me It’s Real by TJ Klune – Narrated by Michael Lesley: “I absolutely loved Paul’s grandmother’s homophobic parrot, Johnny Depp. He’s just too cute to describe. What can I say? You know TJ Klune. Tell Me It’s Real is a very funny story! If I had to choose between reading and listening, I have to say listening wins, mainly because of the emotion thrown into the narrator’s performance.”

Family Unit by Z.A. Maxfield – Narrated by JP Handler: “Okay, so I’d seen Family Unit come out in audio format, and after squealing like a pig, I decided it was a must have! All I can say about the audio version of Family Unit is that I still love it! JP Handler did an excellent job of bringing this story to life! It was a perfect way to re-experience the story and to give it a new perspective.”

Kathie:

When Love Comes to Town by Jacob Z. Flores – Narrated by TJ Jamesin: “In this book, it’s all about criteria, or standards, if you must call them something. Brody wants to fall in love, with some expectations, and Eric has no expectations to ever fall in love again. Maddie and the rest of the cast of characters from the series have other ideas, though, and that is the journey we get to read—Eric and Brody falling in love—and it’s so worth it.

The writing is excellent and the narrator is, again, TJ Jamesin. He does a great job giving each character their voice. He especially gets Maddie—just a hint of sarcasm sprinkled with a touch of insecurity. I am not sure how he does it, but that’s the magic of a good narrator and an excellent author.”

Fish and Ghosts by Rhys Ford – Narrated by Tristan James: “I hit the audiobook lottery this week! I listened to/enjoyed the two best audiobooks I have ever! Ever! listened to. But, they were excellent for two completely different reasons.

The first audio I reviewed this week I considered the best because of the narration. This audio, Fish and Ghosts, is one of the best because of the story. Tristan and Wolf are on the ride of a lifetime, filled with ghosts, a poltergeist, all kinds of spirit animals—including a dog with a red ball, an elephant and a camel. Tristan is the caretaker of an amazing mansion, Hoxne Grange, which is described to us in rich detail. As a matter of fact, most of the book’s characters, which includes the mansion, are laid out for us with such care that you feel like you could just walk in the front door and be greeted by Tristan.”

Feathers from the Sky by Posy Roberts – Narrated by Paul Morey: “Posy Roberts is an excellent author, and Feathers from the Sky is just another example of the quality of her work. Posy‘s character development, pace of the story, and care for the small details makes her stand out among a growing contingency of authors in the Male/Male genre.

Posy was able to develop Cal and Phillip into likable characters that I could celebrate within the 100 minutes of this audio.”

Hound Dog and Bean by B.G. Thomas – Narrated by Charlie David: “We all read or listen to books for many different reasons. Sometimes I want a story to grab me by the throat and scare me, sometimes I want to help solve a murder, and sometimes I want to listen to a romance blossom into love. B.G. Thomas never disappointments me with his stories; gentle romance filled with laughter, some hardships, and sensual love making fill his books.

I’m a big fan of all…”

Behind the Curtain by Amy Lane – Narrated by Hugh Bradley: “Mr. Bradley brought to life Dawson, Jared and Benji. He gave them each their own distinct voice, and it was immediately obvious that he understood the character and their motivation. An example would be Jared’s Voice; as you read the story, you learn that Jared has had to endure a lot of pain for his craft, but I knew that from the minute Jared first talked to Dawson. You could hear it in his voice. If a narrator is good, you, as the listener, will become part of the story. You will share in the pain—Dawson’s as he struggles to understand Jared , of loving someone so much but not being able to protect them all the time; the friendship between Benji and Dawson , as they taunt each other and always have each other’s backs; and Amber with monosyllabic conversational skills, with such a rough exterior and a vulnerability that Dawson will protect to the end; you get to be a part of it and it’s an amazing journey. And that, my friend’s, that is why you buy the audio version of this book. Mr. Bradley doesn’t just tell us the story, he brings us with him on the journey.”