Hello! And welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s weekly New and Notable Audiobooks Post for the Week of October 14th.
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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The Last Guardian by Simon Gervais
Narrated by Jeffrey Kafer
Brilliance Audio
$1.99 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Simon Gervais
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In this thrilling installment of the Clayton White series, the former Secret Service agent must sift through layers of deception to uncover the truth behind the FBI director’s assassination and avert a global catastrophe.
Fighting the fentanyl epidemic in the United States is a top priority for President Alexander Hammond, and there’s only one man he trusts—however begrudgingly—to lead the task force: former Secret Service agent and soon-to-be son-in-law Clayton White.
Once reckless in his line of work, White is now determined to keep his future in mind. He and his fiancée, Veronica, are expecting their first child, and there are some risks White is no longer willing to take. But when his investigation into the Red Dragon Triad drug cartel appears to lead to the assassination of the FBI director, White is forced to put his life on the line to find out who is behind the attack and what they’re planning next.
Amid a series of secret identities, betrayals, and terrorist plots, Clayton White must join forces with allies he’s not sure he can trust to save the country he’s sworn to protect and the family he’s vowed to love.
The Defector by Chris Hadfield
Narrated by Ray Porter
Mulholland Books
$9.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
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From a New York Times bestselling author, astronaut, and fighter pilot comes a “full-throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner” (Jack Carr, New York Times bestselling author) and Cold War thriller perfect for fans of Top Gun and The Hunt for Red October.
Israel, October 1973. As the Yom Kippur War flares into life, a state-of-the-art Soviet MiG fighter plane plummets to an unexpected landing. NASA Flight Controller and former US test pilot Kaz Zemeckis watches from the ground—unaware that its arrival will pull him into a high-stakes game of spies, lies, and secrets that hold the key to Cold War air and space supremacy.
For within that plane is a Soviet pilot pleading to defect, offering a prize beyond value: the workings of the Soviets’ mythical “Foxbat” MiG-25, the fastest, highest-flying fighter plane in the world. But trusting him is risky, and Kaz must tread a careful line. As Kaz accompanies the defector into the United States, to the military’s most secret test site, he must hope that, with skill and cunning, the game plays out his way.
Rich with insider detail and political intrigue drawn from real events, The Defector is a propulsive thriller from a growing master of the genre, filled with the nerve-shredding rush of aerial combat as it could only be told by one of the world’s best fighter pilots.
Honey in the Marrow by Emily Waters
Narrated by Anastasia Watley
Tantor Audio
Review Coming Soon!
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
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An enemies-to-friends-to-lovers lesbian romance about finding heart, hope, and second chances you never thought you’d have.
Stella Carter is a former criminal prosecutor and new widow facing down middle age alone in Los Angeles. Without being a prestigious lawyer and someone’s wife, she’s not sure who she is anymore or where her life is headed.
When she invites her niece to move in with her, Stella accidentally reconnects with her former colleague, LAPD Captain Elizabeth Murphy. The woman is beautiful but cold; someone she was always at odds with on the job.
Surprisingly, Stella finds herself leaning on her niece and Elizabeth more and more to navigate her loss. But as time goes on, Stella can’t keep seeing Elizabeth and pretending she’s not attracted to her. Besides, there’s absolutely no way Elizabeth feels the same way. Is there?
Contains mature themes.
Per My Last Email by Juliana Smith
Narrated by Shaina Summerville, Tyler Donne
Tantor Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Layla Wright fit in her role as admin at West Oak Publishing about as well as she would at a five star restaurant in her ‘I love DILFS’ T-shirt. When she applied to the job she thought she would be learning the ins and outs of the industry to eventually write and publish her own novel. But after years of staying in this same position, she’s unsure of how to break out of her routine and chase her dreams.
Luke Wells knows the words “friend zone” all too well. Staying in a dead-end position at a company he doesn’t care for only has one bonus: Layla Wright. He may hate his job just as much as she does, but she’s the one thing he’s not willing to lose. When Luke finds out he’s up for a promotion, he has to decide how far he’s willing to go to stay close to Layla. With his own dreams of running a bar on the line, is Layla really worth sticking around for—especially when she’s never indicated there will be anything more between them than friendship?
A seaside work conference is just what they need to shake things up and break them out of this tight bubble they’ve been living in for so long. Will they finally be brave enough to go for what they want or will they return home with everything between them unchanged? Boundaries get crossed, lines get blurred, and donuts get eaten.
These Thin Lines by Milena McKay
Narrated by Abby Craden
Tantor Audio
Review Coming Soon!
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
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Some lines should never be crossed . . .
In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she’s longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding.
When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives.
With everything tainted, will the thin lines they rend ever be mended?
Contains mature themes.
Ship It by Evie Blum
Narrated by Amelia Cameron
Evie Blum
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
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Still healing from the loss of her father and dealing with the aftermath of a rocky relationship, Sarah is more than ready to jump into her new career in a Silicon Valley start-up. Heading out to celebrate the end of the pandemic and her new job with friends seemed like a good idea last night. But as she wakes the morning after, staring into the face of impulsivity itself—a sexy guy clutching his pillow the way he clutched her the night before—she takes the easy way out and slips silently into the San Jose morning, determined to put him, and any other distractions, behind her.
After years of working towards his PhD in computer science, Nathan’s ready for a change and jumps at the chance to join his best friend’s tech start-up. It’s all-consuming and cutthroat at times, but he’s ready for anything. Anything, that is, except discovering Sarah, the charming woman he spent one unforgettable night with, works at the company that just promoted him to the C-suite.
Despite their best efforts to keep their relationship professional, things heat up. But secrets come out—including Nathan’s entanglement with his ex—and Sarah and Nathan must ask themselves whether their particular brand of start-up can succeed in such uncertain conditions. Will the connection they’re building go to market, or like most start-ups, will the obstacles along the way cause them to fail?
Sexy might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “high tech”, but the chemistry between Sarah and Nathan will make you think again.
Love Walked into the Lantern by Nicole Pyland
Narrated by Melissa Moran
Nicole Pyland
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
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This is book three in the Chicago series.
Summer Taft is a 27-year-old billionaire who founded a tech start-up with her brother while she was still in college. As that company’s CEO, she feels stuck and underappreciated. She also has to take care of the company while her brother goes off exploring the world, leaving her holding the bag. The company recently opened an office in Chicago, where Summer has met some new friends. As Summer decides to uproot her life and make the move to Chicago, she meets Lena.
Lena Tanner has had no luck in her love life after divorcing her husband of several years before after finally admitting to herself that she was gay. Lena had been exploring and having fun in the new life she’d made for herself. But now, she’s ready to find the one and settle down. After a blind date gone wrong, she ends up at the Lantern, where she spots her group of expanding friends and a newcomer.
Lena had never been brave in her personal life. And Summer has always had difficulty making decisions, small and large. The two women settle into a quick friendship that turns more flirtatious. But is either of them ready to dive right into something new that could be lasting?
Rivals for Love by Ali Vali
Narrated by Lula Larkin
Bold Strokes Book, Inc
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Ali Vali
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Brooks Boseman, born into privilege in an old New Orleans plantation home, could have opted for an easy life just like her siblings, but after a broken heart, she escapes to New York where no one knows her name.
A call from the family matriarch changes everything. Her brother Curtis is getting married, and Brooks needs to be at the engagement party. Only she can’t possibly go, not with Curtis set to marry the secret love of her youth, Fallon Goodwin. Unable to find a way to refuse, Brooks returns to discover the family business is in jeopardy. In the face of her father’s struggles with Alzheimer’s and her brother’s well-intentioned blunders, she’s forced to step in to save the family fortune.
As far as Brooks and Fallon are concerned, romance is for storybooks, but as hard as they try to resist, neither can deny their feelings still linger. Family ties have never been more binding as they fight for the business, and maybe even for each other.
The Christmas Swap by Talia Samuels
Narrated by Kim Bretton, Emma Fenney
Dreamscape Media
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
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Margot Murray is a newly single, successful businesswoman with no interest in a cutesy seasonal romance after her breakup with her long-term girlfriend. Ben Gibson is an unlucky-in-love sweetheart in need of a woman to bring home for the holidays. Together, they make a pact: Margot gets two blissful weeks away from London in a picture-perfect manor, and Ben gets a fake girlfriend for his holiday at home with his family.
Upon arriving to the manor, Margot meets Ben’s sister, Ellie, who is suspicious of the supposed relationship right from the start. Ellie intends to get to the bottom of their relationship, not being able to see how the two of them work as a couple. As Ellie and Margot grow closer, will Ben and Margot be able to keep the charade up, or will Margot and Ellie risk the chance at something real?
Goon Girl by Colin Moreland
Narrated by Eva DeBaie
Colin Moreland
$7.47 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
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Goon Girl follows the adventures and misadventures of a young woman navigating her career through the fictional South Saskatchewan Minor Female Hockey League.
Rich with comedy, teamwork, and lessons about growing up, Goon Girl is as Canadian a book as it gets.
The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
Narrated by Bessie Carter
Random House Audio
She can do anything . . . just not everything.
Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach).
When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
Voyager by Michael MacBride
Narrated by Jonathan Belville, Deanna Anthony, Anna Caputo
Self Published
$7.49 Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
On Earth, Grover Baines (a NASA scientist) is murdered in 1979 when he stumbles upon a secret third Voyager flight.
Unlike the two other probes, Voyager 3 was a small manned craft loaded with reproductive material in hopes of finding a suitable planet for habitation on Alpha Centauri. The scientist’s family continues to unravel clues about what happened, and whether there’s any truth to the papers they discover.
Years later, in 2001, a fourth Voyager is sent on the same mission. Though technology has advanced dramatically in the 24 years since the first three Voyagers were launched, this mission manages to remain secret amid the attacks on the Twin Towers. When contact is lost with Voyager 4, plans are put into motion for a fifth Voyager to retrieve its lost siblings.
As NASA struggles to reconcile with the past, the crews on each ship wrestle with the boredom of space and limitations of the technology available to them, and the Baines family attempts to find peace with the past.
Read by award-winning voice actors Jonathan Belville, Deanna Anthony, and Anna Caputo.
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