Tag: audiobook

Book Review: Broken Dove (Silver Elite #2) by Dani Frances

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dystopian Romance
Length: 593 pages
Author: Dani Frances
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the heart-pounding sequel to the New York Times bestselling dystopian romance Silver Elite, lines will be crossed, loyalties will be tested, and the fight for the Continent is only just beginning as Wren Darlington finds herself caught in the middle of two wars: one for the fate of her home and another for the fate of her heart.

LINES WILL BE CROSSED.

After blowing her cover as a double agent within Silver Elite and fleeing the Prime-controlled capital, Wren Darlington is finally safe behind allied lines. As her lover and former commander Cross Redden works to disrupt the Primes from inside their ranks, Wren turns her focus toward assisting the Uprising in overthrowing their rule once and for all.

LOYALTIES WILL BE TESTED.

Though she’s back among her own people, trust is hard-won and hidden agendas abound on the Mod base. And beyond those walls, Wren can’t help but worry that Cross is keeping secrets of his own . . . secrets that could jeopardize everything. Complicating matters even further is her shocking reunion with hotshot fighter pilot and undercover operative Grayson Blake. Once her closest friend in Silver Elite, Gray seems to understand Wren on a level she never thought possible.

AND THE FIGHT FOR THE CONTINENT IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING.

With the war between Mods and Primes growing more brutal by the day, and with her own role in the conflict becoming more essential than ever, Wren must confront some gut-wrenching questions. Who is she fighting for . . . and who is she willing to lose?

CAN’T HELP MYSELF.

Yeah so I loved this.

It was probably a combination of the fact I do listen to audiobooks on 3x and that I went in with low expectations (because I’m absolutely still bugged nobody knows who this author is???). And that worked in my favor. I went in for the vibes and didn’t read any friends reviews until afterwards. Highly recommend this method.

I actually really liked the romantic progression. And that’s also practically all I can say because *INSERT SPOILERS*. Could I be convinced of a different trajectory in book three? I think so. Maybe. We’ll see.

Also I am ALWAYS here for an insane cliffhanger. Bring back this kind of chaos. Because WHAT. I can’t even begin to tell you what happens in the next installment and that is a compliment. I love that I don’t know.

Good action. Good romance. Good found family. While you can tell me your issues and I would probably agree, I’m just having the best time with this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Dystopian Romance
  • Language: moderate+
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: The Stranger I Wed (The Doves of New York #1) by Harper St. George

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Romance
Length: 344 pages
Author: Harper St. George
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: April 23rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New to wealth and to London high society, American heiress Cora Dove discovers that with the right man, marriage might not be such an inconvenience after all. . . .

Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.

Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets…

But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.

DOWN BAD FOR MOC.

Gosh I eat this trope up. Every time. I should have read this so much sooner. MISTAKES WERE MADE. I am grateful to have rectified this now. I loved the chemistry between Leopold and Cora. There’s a great slow burn and many moments where you get to see them work together and let each other in. It’s sweet and heated and wow did I fly through this book.

I liked how the over arching story wove into the romance. I liked seeing the hints about Cora’s sisters and getting all of the background info on her family. I loved having Leo’s POV too (and I do wish the audiobook was dual narrators!!).

Any kind of third act nonsense that would have bugged me was swiftly handled and boy do I love COMMUNICATION. We love a man who falls hard y’all. Many memorable scenes and I’m stoked to continue the series!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 3ish open door; moderate innuendo
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: attempted kidnapping

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Book Review: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Dystopian Sci-FI/LitRPG
Length: 590 pages
Author: Matt Dinniman
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: March 11th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.

You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent.

A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps.

It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked.

Here’s the thing. It’s never easy. Carl and his team can’t go it alone. Not this time. They must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can’t-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted?

Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.

CURRENT FAV.

I think (after the first book) this is my current favorite of the series. There was something ultra magnetic about the story telling and maybe it’s just because I’ve gotten a few levels down in the dungeon and I’m more attached to all of the things happening. I felt like I had a better grasp of the characters and their personalities and I loved that I got some background on Carl too.

It’s another wild adventure of too many hard decisions, explosions, and trying to find the next path forward. I feel like a lot of the plot points were heightened and made me 100% invested in continuing the series (of which I was going to anyways, but the encouragement helps!).

I still highly recommend going the audiobook route for this series. I do think I would have less enjoyment eyeball reading because it’s not my typical genre and I can get bogged down in keeping up that way. The production is great.

Overall audience notes:

  • LitRPG / Dystopian Sci-Fi
  • Language: moderate+
  • Romance: none
  • Violence: high

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ALC Book Review: Fall Into Me (Willow Creek) by Juliana Smith

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Novella
Length: 3 hours
Author: Juliana Smith
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Brimming with Southern charm, Juliana Smith is back with a new adult novella in the same world as her Willow Creek series. When Oak Ridge’s biggest wedding of the year puts Dakota and Elliot face-to-face with their exes—who just happen to be dating each other—the solution is fake date their way through the weekend.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the gifted ALC.

GOOD NOVELLA!

After enjoying Smith’s young adult novel in Willow Creek I jumped at the chance to try out this novella. It is adult!! Just going to declare that again in case you missed it. It’s closed door but there is some light innuendo and overall adult vibe to the story.

I LOVED the duet narration. Gosh it’s just the best way to listen to a book. Both narrators did a fantastic job and it was easy to lock into this romance.

The fake dating to get back at exes isn’t always my favorite because I feel like the exes play too much into the story (and that did happen here to a degree) but I loved all of the moments that Dakota and Elliot had together. There’s a good amount of wedding shenanigans alongside times where they got to be by themselves. I loved the contrasting personalities and the banter. Elliot is such a cinnamon roll and I loved his nature. And I loved that SHE was the professional bull rider.

Things move quickly but without feeling like it’s insta-love. I thought the connection came across genuine and I would love to see these two pop up in a future Willow Creek book to see how they are doing.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance Novella
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses; light innuendo

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