Daisy Darker

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Narrator:  Stephanie Racine

Expected pub. date:  August 30, 2022 – Macmillan Audio

Audio courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

Description:

The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling. (publisher)

My take:

This novel reminds me of the stories that were told around a campfire when I was a young girl. There’s a family gathering at a house that is completely cut off from the mainland each day when the tide is in, there’s a dark and stormy night, and then family members are found dead one by one. Creepy, right? It also takes place on Halloween!

I loved how Alice Feeney’s story unfolded with the aid of a dual timeline. The atmospheric setting and characters kept me guessing until the very end.

Narrator Stephanie Racine did a fabulous job giving voice to the characters and keeping me “tuned in” to every moment of her performance.

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The Little Cornish House

The Little Cornish House by Donna Ashcroft

Release Date:  June 30, 2022 – Dreamscape Media

Review audio from Dreamscape and NetGalley Audio

Description: (please read)

Thirty-year-old Ruby is done with love: no more drama, no more complications, no more men. She’s living life for herself, and that’s the way she likes it. But her whole world is turned upside down when her grandmother calls to say her beloved pottery business is failing, and she might lose her beautiful little Cornish house by the sea. She needs Ruby to come back to Cornwall and save the day…

Returning to Indigo Cove stirs up memories Ruby would rather forget, but she’s determined to save her grandmother’s home. As the summer heats up, so does the pressure on Ruby, and she’s in need of a distraction. Although quite literally walking into Gabe Roskilly, the sexy and brooding owner of the local brewery, wasn’t part of her game plan.

Ruby tries to ignore her attraction to Gabe, but it’s impossible to avoid the tall, dark, handsome stranger as Gabe is at the center of village life. And when Ruby’s plans for the little Cornish house start to fall apart, she discovers Gabe might be the one person who can help her. Ruby’s promise to stay single is tested to the limit. But are Gabe’s intentions all good, or is Ruby about to get her heart broken again?

Can Ruby save her grandmother’s cottage and find true happiness this summer? Or will secrets from the past ruin everything? (publisher)

My take:

I loved the Cornwall setting, the various characters and even the complicated family dynamics. The Little Cornish House is for fans of multi-generational women’s fiction. There’s a mystery or two to be solved and enough light humor to make it my kind of a summer escape. I thought the main characters Ruby and Gabe had wonderful chemistry. I wasn’t expecting their detailed love scenes but also wasn’t bothered by them. I only mention because I know some readers are sensitive to that. I was happy by the personal growth they individually experienced when they took the necessary courageous steps.

I liked the audio narration by Helen Johns. She made listening to the novel such an enjoyable experience. She voiced each character with just enough nuance to make distinguishing between characters easy for me. I look forward to hearing more of her audiobook performances.

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The Golden Couple

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Expected publication: March 8, 2022 – Macmillan Audio

Review audio from the publisher and NetGalley

Description:

If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal–she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault–and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.

Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple–until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.

When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger. (publisher)

My take:

Avery Chambers is a former therapist who now consults with people who want to improve their lives, relationships, situations, etc. Her ten step process has proven effective but she only takes on clients who agree to that process. She will definitely earn her exorbitant fee with Marissa and Mathew Bishop. They are a golden couple – almost too good to be true. Authors Hendricks and Pekkanen take the reader on a roller coaster ride full of suspense. I have to admit there were times when I wondered just where this novel was headed. It was a slow build that laid the groundwork for a dramatic scene that answered many questions. The story is told from the POV of Avery and Marissa. At a certain point I wasn’t sure of the reliability of either and decided to just get on board and enjoy the finding out.

Narrators Karissa Vacker and Marin Ireland did a wonderful job giving voice to the characters. Their performances enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

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Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy

Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

Narrated by Alexander Cendese and Rachel L. Jacobs

Published:  October 2020 – Dreamscape Media

Review audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

Description:

When a quilt shop owner finds a former Marine’s journal, she longs to heal his heart…

When Sophie Davis sorts through a box of donated books to her church, she’s surprised to discover a soldier’s journal. As the daughter of a veteran who watched her father struggle over the years, she feels a deep connection to the man who wrote the emotional entries. Former Marine Cole Aaron battled to find peace after returning to civilian life. He’s always needed to protect others. Now, fighting fires in Pine Hill, Kentucky helps him put out the demons within him. When Sophie shows up at the fire hall with his journal from when he’d first returned stateside, Cole can’t believe it was in the box he’d donated. Not wanting to face painful memories, he tells her to trash it. Sophie and Cole are drawn together as they both volunteer for their community, but it’s hard for Cole to let down his guard, and he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. After all he’s been through in the past, can he find faith in a more hopeful future…one touched by joy? This heartwarming romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for Dilly Duchess Potatoes. (publisher)

My take:  Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy is a heartfelt Christmas romance about Cole, a veteran, and Sophie, a young woman with a heart of gold. He is a firefighter who also fights his war memories. When Sophie discovers (and then reads) his journal in a box of donated things at her church’s sale she decides to involve him in holiday related activities. He’s reluctant but has a hard time saying no to Sophie. Saying yes could make all the difference. This is a sweet story for the season that fans of Hallmark movies are sure to enjoy!

Narration:  I thought, overall, Rachel Jacobs and Alexander Cendese did a good job. However, there was one thing that struck me. When Jacobs voiced Sophie and Cole I was totally invested in the story. When Cendese did both I was distracted by Sophie’s voice. I’ve found I usually feel the same when any male narrator voices a female character. I guess it’s personal preference.

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The Switch

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Narrated by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones

Expected publication date:  August 18, 2020 – Macmillan Audio

Audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley

About: When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some long-overdue rest.

Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

So they decide to try a two-month swap.

Eileen will live in London and look for love. She’ll take Leena’s flat, and learn all about casual dating, swiping right, and city neighbors. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire: Eileen’s sweet cottage and garden, her idyllic, quiet village, and her little neighborhood projects. (publisher)

My take:  When Carla Cotton died (before the novel begins) she left her mother, sister, Leena, and grandmother, Eileen, in the throes of grief. They’ve tried to move forward but aren’t having much success.

This is mainly Leena and Eileen’s story. As things play out Leena and Eileen decide to switch things up and change places. Leena will spend her sabbatical at her grandmother’s house in a village and Eileen will live in Leena’s London apartment. This might be the change they need to jumpstart their lives. I really enjoyed the spots these two found themselves in – some laugh out loud scenes. I know this: I want to be like Eileen when I’m her age! I loved her willingness to try new things while, at the same time, reconsider people who’d always been in her life.

Beth O’Leary wrote about serious and relatable subjects with a light touch and yet just enough weight. I think fans of Jenny Colgan and Jojo Moyes would enjoy The Switch. I loved listening to the audiobook (alternating between 1.5x and 1.75x speed). I was thoroughly entertained by the narration of Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones. I thought their performances were spot on as they brought the characters (main and secondary) to life and made me cheer on Eileen, Leena and all the rest.

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