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Title: The Queen's Husband

Author: Jean Plaidy

Narrator: Jilly Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-01-13

Publisher: Isis Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Victoria and Albert have been destined for one another since birth. However, the passive Albert is well aware that marriage to a quick-tempered, demonstrative woman like Victoria could result in unnecessary scenes and stormy court feuds. And he is right. The young queen, as well as having to endure her constant pregnancies, is in perpetual revolt against anyone encroaching on her position and Albert is doing just that.

Despite attempts on her life and political crises, her family Albert and their nine children remains her prime concern. The Victorian age is truly under way but the real battle takes place behind closed doors. Who really holds the power behind the throne the queen or her husband?

Members Reviews:

A glimpse into the live of a much beloved Queen

Would you listen to The Queen's Husband again? Why?

I already have, This book is a delight to listen to and Jilly Bond is a brilliant narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's impossible to answer this question really, but if I had to chose someone other Than Her Majesty then I would say Lord Melbourne.

Have you listened to any of Jilly Bonds other performances? How does this one compare?

I have, I have just finished listening to 'The Widow Of Windsor.' for the second time, I love the whole series and admire Jean Plaidy very much.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It would be difficult not to, Plaidy writes very vividly and her take on the Queen and her life are well written and a joy to read.

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Title: When You Live by a River

Author: Mermer Blakeslee

Narrator: Amy Rubinate

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

When You Live By a River is the fictional story of a Catskill Mountains valley community soon to be flooded to create a reservoir for New York City. The drama centers on a farmer whose wife dies in childbirth and on the farmer's 15-year-old niece who comes to take care of the baby in exchange for the promise of college tuition. Set in 1931, and based in part on actual circumstances involving water rights and eminent domain, this historical novel of rural lives in upstate New York unfolds a natural love story set against a background of moral conflicts and the eroding force of modernity. Mermer Blakeslee's love of place and of her characters brings listeners an eloquent testament to the persistence and courage of the heart.

Members Reviews:

it is the best book i've read in a long time

it is the best book i've read in a long time. it touched me deeply, and made me feel like i was really there 100ish years ago. the people, place, feel, love, hurt, judgement - all real and powerful. i loved your descriptions - like i knew about but had never quite appreciated a stocked root celar before. or the appreciation of running water, or windshield wipers, or electricity. even more, the clear and powerful way she'd say something: "okâbut don't touch me." or "a littleâbut don't stop." and then you'd just leave me there to think and feel. the people, places, real life of it all. on and on.

i'm not a good enough writer to communicate how touched i am. finishing the book in tears. feeling it all. really - for me - way beyond words.

so appreciative. thank you - thank you - thank you. dan

Whether or not you live by a river.

Blakeslee's character Leenie is real in a way hard for me to describe as I never lived any part of the life she knew. The farm, the horses in heat, the bodily presence of the sisters to each other, the lye soap, the poverty (though they didn't call it that)--all seemed extraordinarily vivid as if Blakeslee were writing autobiography. I kept wondering, "how is she doing this? how does she know these intimate details of life from a time before she was born"? She also gives us characters with uniquely individual ways of speaking. Lots of interest in words, poetry, curious recitations that drive the narrative. I read it in two nights--amazed. Whether or not you live near the Catskills or a river, the characters will delight & appall & stay with you. It's gritty, sensual, lovely, poignant, funny--a good story very well-written.

Pitch Perfect

Mermer Blakeslee's prose strikes a fine balance between lyric beauty and pragmatic economy, which means the storytelling becomes a metaphor for the way of life it describes. This is a coming of age story, and more than that. Leenie faces a crossroads that many women will recognize. And whether or not the decision Leenie makes is the best one or the right one, or even the one I would have chosen, what matters so very much is that she reached out with both hands and seized it for herself.

Read the book, don't get the audio version

I got the Whispersync version to work with Audible. I don't particularly care for the narrator but the story is excellent. Since I live near where the story takes place, it is even more engaging.

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Title: Dakota

Author: Todd Brown

Narrator: Matthew Finch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-13

Publisher: Todd Brown

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Dakota Riley is a member of the Seattle Drug Task Force. During an investigation into an international drug smuggling ring, he loses his best friend and partner. To add insult to injury, he is assigned a rookie, Marc Bradley - the son of a black fisherman from South Carolina. Seeking revenge rather than justice, Dakota ditches the rookie...and almost gets himself killed. After leaving the hospital for a "forced" vacation, Dakota and Marc head to Marc's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. A day out on a fishing boat goes wrong when a mysterious storm arrives. The boat is destroyed, and the two men wash ashore...in 1861, just prior to the start of the American Civil War.

Members Reviews:

We're not in Kansas/Seattle anymore

Where does Dakota rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I'm a fan if Mr. Browns Dead series. He is great at creating interesting and memorable characters. This story does not disappoint. There may not have been any zombies but it was not without it's threat from evil.

What other book might you compare Dakota to and why?

This book covers subject matter that I have not seen in any other books. So therefore I don't know what I would compare it to. However if you have read any of TW Brown's other books you will feel right at home with Dakota.

Which character as performed by Matthew Finch was your favorite?

There are some great characters in this story. Mathew Finch does a great job with all of them but I especially enjoyed the characters with the heaviest southern drawl, reminiscent of a "large cartoon rooster" (Foghorn Leghorn).

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was a very thought provoking story. I did chuckle a few times but mostly because of the accents & I live in the south

Any additional comments?

I was slightly disappointed with the ending. If this was the first book in a series, I would very much look forward to reading the second book. However being that there was no second book, I feel it left me wanting a little bit more of a climax. I was thinking it would be cool to learn that Aaron's last name was "King" (forefather to MLK), or if some character that was influenced by Dakota and Mark had gone on to make some greater mark on history, not that Dakota's contribution didn't.

What can I say to be kind...

....I suppose that time travel stories are always a bit tricky, but this effort was singularly amaturish. Once the two protagonists arrived in the 1860's the plot line became less and less engaging, the characters became wooden, one-dimensional and less than sympethetic, and the attempt at painting a picture of the times and places our heroes were moving through was so simplistic and frequently inaccurate as to make the skin crawl of any person knowledgable on the civil war period. Ironically, the prologue portion of the novel, where Dakota struggles in modern day Sesttle to bring down an arch criminal and through this bonds with his new partner, is rather interesting.

in my opinion your best Mr Brown.

while, when I got this book i thought it was something else. this book made me binge read. I could not put her down once I opened it. it was a depth of which I keep thinking about its characters. Dakota is one of my heroes right up there with tom Sawyer. he will stick with you in the worst and best times. his life is a testimony of never giving up.

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Title: People of Heaven

Author: Beverley Harper

Narrator: Jerome Pride

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-13

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In 1945 two returning soldiers meet on a train bound for Zululand. They have nothing in common: Joe King is a British-South African landowner; Wilson Mpande a Zulu tribesman. Yet destiny will link them for generations. Michael King and Dyson Mpande, the sons of enemies, share a precious friendship that defies race and colour. But as the realities of apartheid transform an angry South Africa, the fate of the Zulu nation is as precarious as that of the endangered black rhinoceros, hunted for its horn. Each must fight for what he loves most.

Members Reviews:

Great Story

I'm amazed so few people have discovered Beverley Harper's books. Her books about Africa have everything a reader could want -- suspense, excitement, romance, adventure. They are fast paced with characters to love and hate. Plus you are bound to learn some African history with no effort! What's not to love?

Bit of romance, wildlife, intrigue. Well written ...

Bit of romance,wildlife, intrigue. Well written.

Five Stars

Shame she only wrote seven books. She is a masterful storyteller

Four Stars

Well written

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Title: Master Georgie

Author: Beryl Bainbridge

Narrator: David Rintoul, Lindsay Duncan

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-17-13

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

The book that finally won Beryl Bainbridge a Booker prize: by popular vote the Best of Beryl. Beryl Bainbridges most popular novel explores the nature of love and obsession, as foster child Myrtle follows Master Georgie from the slums of 19th century Liverpool to the battlefields of the Crimea, where tragedy ensues.

Members Reviews:

Brutal, finely rendered but why abridged?

It is glorious to listen to the prose style that dazzled many of us for years. How wonderful to have the opportunity to revisit this author - at last.

More please..but from a range of her books. I laud her brave writing about human beings used by circumstance, other human beings and specifically, war.

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Title: Queen of the Jews

Author: Judy Petsonk

Narrator: Pamela Wolken

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-25-12

Publisher: Judy Petsonk

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Combine Cleopatra and Hillary Clinton. You'll have some idea of Queen Salome Alexandra, who ruled Judea (modern-day Israel) in the first century BCE. Vividly evoking scenes of ancient Jerusalem, Judy Petsonk's novel brings to life the queen's stormy relationship with her husband, and her love for the people who called her Shalom-Zion: the peace of Zion.

A gripping, fun, read... Judy Petsonk's sexy heroine, Queen Salome Alexandra, possesses the brains, hutzpah, and vision to save Israel not only from its many enemies but also from its own conflicted nature. A marvelous window into a neglected and little-known chapter of Jewish history." - Ellen Frankel, Former Editor in Chief of the Jewish Publication Society

Members Reviews:

The dilemma of a queen

QUEEN OF THE JEWS by Judy Petsonk was not exactly as I pictured it to be, but I soon fell into the spell of wanting to keep reading this ancient palace intrigue. It was compelling to watch Salome Alexandra twist in the wind of her religious convictions as she struggled to bring peace to Judea without murdering her warrior husband and choosing which of her sons should live to reign after her.

Compelling story about a little known character

I purchased the Kindle version yesterday and finished it this evening. Every time I could put work aside, I returned to find out what happened next. Major outlines of the story - including the massacre of 800 Pharisees - conform to Josephus' account. The characters, motivations, and conversations are plausibly - vididly - imagined. The author's background as a journalist is reflected in the spare prose. Nothing felt overdone or overwrought, neither the sex nor the violence.

I loved the book and hope for more from this writer, whether historical or contemporary fiction.

Classics Illustrated Writing

This is a vanity book at best. Simple writing with limited perspective. At least the topic was interesting and obscure.

did not enjoy

I found the fighting confusing and felt the subject matter could have been improved. I anticipated a better and clearer

description of the community lacking in confusion.

Great Read

What a good book and historically informative. I enjoyed reading it and learned a great deal about the time period.

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Title: To the Bright and Shining Sun

Author: James Lee Burke

Narrator: Tom Stechschulte

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-12

Publisher: Whole Story AudioBooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

For generations, Perry James' family, staunch unionists, has lived under the shadow of the Cumberland range and worked in the coal mines. To escape from the cycle of poverty, Perry signs up with the Jobs Corps, where they begin to teach him a skilled trade and how to read and write. But Perry is torn between family honour and the lure of seedy beer joints where he can drink and escape.

Members Reviews:

Great writing, Burke captures the fight of the miners with brilliance

Burkeâs novel encapsulates the struggle of the coal miners in Kentucky, who hope for better job conditions and better wages. We are thrust into this struggle and fight within the first pages of the novel.

After finishing this novel, Iâve been thinking quite often about the title. What is the significance, I ask myself? I looked up song titles and there are several named âTo the Bright and Shining Sunâ, one bluegrass and one from an Irish band, The Walls, a top ten hit in Ireland in 2006. Somehow, Iâm thinking the reference is not to the Irish band (good tune though, nonetheless).

However, in many ways, I think the title is a symbol of optimism amid very bleak and quite fleeting conditions for the miners, with Perry, a flawed, but compelling main character as the light for that hope.

Maybe Iâm overselling Perry. In fact, I probably am. Heâs very flawedâand stubborn, pig-headed, and sometimes just down right stupid, especially in his decision making. But, I think he carries a certain pride and humanness, and if a character doesnât turn the corner at all in a book, or change from point A to point B, then are they really that compelling? Perry does. Yes, this is coming of age tale, and he does see the bigger picture at points. It just takes him quite a bit of failure and life lessons to get there. There is a constant internal conflict running within him, his pride often ruins many chances to break the cycle of poverty and bleak living conditions. At times, Perry reminds me a bit of Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, a sort of rebel who has a vision for better times. At one point, Perry ponders about the cycle that never seems to break:

âThere ainât nothing that goes along this good for so long without something happening. Things just donât stay straight like that. At least not for us. Thereâs always something thatâs going to shove a stick between your feet when you feel your almost there.â

I thought Burkeâs writing so powerful and human. He really can paint a picture of a realistic struggle and conflict, and does so with spot-on prose that illustrates the bleak, difficult lives of his characters.

James Lee Burke is brilliantly gifted ...

I don't know when this was written as I read it on a Kindle and didn't have a title page.. but I'd have to guess it was an earlier work by JLB. As in most of his writing this is a "David vs Goliath" story.. the struggle of those that have versus those without. I absolutely love JLB's descriptive powers though I felt they were a bit under developed in this story compared to his other books.. I admire his sense of justice and agree in his vision of how the world works. I'm no literary genius but I rank him as my favorite in contemporary literature...

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Title: Hard Twisted

Author: C. Joseph Greaves

Narrator: Meredith Mitchell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-13-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In May 1934, outside of Hugo, Oklahoma, a homeless man and his 13-year-old daughter are befriended by a charismatic drifter, newly released from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. The drifter, Clint Palmer, lures father and daughter to Texas, where the father, Dillard Garrett, mysteriously disappears, and where his daughter, Lucile, begins a one-year ordeal as Palmers captive on a crime spree - culminating in the notorious Greenville, Texas, "skeleton murder" trial of 1935.

C. Joseph Greaves weaves a chilling tale of survival and redemption, encompassing iconic landscapes, historic figures, Americas last Indian uprising, and one of the most celebrated criminal trials of the Public Enemy era, all rooted in the intensely personal story of a young girls coming of age in a world as cruel as it is beautiful.

Members Reviews:

SAD HISTORY

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The story of a 13 year old innocent girl kidnapped for one year by a crim - who loved her and she loved him back in some strange way - she had no-one else. She was imprisoned till 21 years for her suffering.

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Title: The Odin Mission

Subtitle: Jack Tanner, Book 1

Author: James Holland

Narrator: Saul Reichlin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-19-12

Publisher: Random House Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

April 1940: Nazi Germany has invaded neutral Norway. Fleeing north from their brutal blitzkrieg advance are three officers of the King's Guard - men who have been entrusted by the Norwegian King with a vitally important mission. The only military force which stands between the Nazi forces and total victory are the poorly equipped, undertrained squaddies of the British 148th Brigade. Among them is Sergeant Jack Tanner, recently returned from the Middle East. As the British are pushed back from Lillehammer, Sergeant Tanner and his patrol are left stranded in the mountains in the chaos of retreat. Trying to re-join their unit, they stumble first across Sandvold and his protectors, and then a French patrol of Alpine troops.

Trekking through snow-clad mountains with the Germans dogging their every move, Tanner is forced to try and out-fox and out-fight not only their pursuers but the best efforts of his own side. And as the Allies' resistance collapses, it quickly becomes clear that the small band of fugitives can rely on no one but themselves.

Members Reviews:

Not very good

Would you try another book written by James Holland or narrated by Saul Reichlin?

I am an ex soldier myself and I found the story a bit corny. Saul reichlins narration style did not fit this Genre.

Has The Odin Mission put you off other books in this genre?

No but I would not choose to read or listen to a James Holland Book again.

Would you be willing to try another one of Saul Reichlins performances?

In a different Genre maybe

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I just did not like it,It did not feel realistic to me.

A great wartine tale

Fascinating plot, fantastic historucal accuracy. Very nicely read, if slightly slow in delivery. An enjoyable listen.

A job well done

You can almost be there with them, hungry and cold but determined to finish the job.

War comic for grown ups

Well sort of grown up anyway (I make no apologies), intense action all the way but be aware there's a few soberingly chillingly real moments, the sentry on the Bridge etc. wars hell and you shouldn't get carried away but this is great stuff, plenty of opportunities for outrageous heroics and heartbreaking loss. Can't wait for next issue, I mean book, Fantastic!

Jack Tanner the 1940's Richard Sharpe

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Its not a bad book, well written and narrated, the story while predictable was a good one and I generally enjoyed the time that I spend listening. A bit less slogging through the snow would have been nice

If youve listened to books by James Holland before, how does this one compare?

First one

Any additional comments?

If you have read any Bernard Cornwell Sharpe series you soon recognise the character of Jack Tanner and in many places the characters of Tanner and Sharpe are interchangable.

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Title: Flight of Eagles

Author: Jack Higgins

Narrator: Jonathan Oliver

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-04-12

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Fiction, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

Born in the United States but separated since they were boys, twin brothers Max and Harry Kelso found themselves fighting on opposite sides when the Second World War broke out, Max as one of the Luftwaffes most feared pilots, Harry as a Yank ace in the RAF. Two brothers united by blood divided by war.

In the early days of World War Two, nations were forced to choose sides in the epic battle that would change history forever. But for two brothers, fate had already made the choice. Now, the machinery of war has set in motion an intrigue so devious, so full of danger, that they will be forced to question everything they value: their lives and ultimately their loyalties. Against impossible odds, it is their courage alone that will decide the course of the war itself.

Critic Reviews:

"Open a Jack Higgins novel and youll encounter a master craftsman at the peak of his powers first-rate tales of intrigue, suspense and full-on action." (Sunday Express)

Members Reviews:

Never revisit your childhood favourites

Loved this as a boy.

Story is really very average this many years later. Weakly told and atrocious dialogue even if it's a great concept for a book. Totally limp and only suspenseful in the last hour and a half. You can skip most of the prologue - it's just pointless and adds nothing to the story and goes on way way too long. Kind of feels like Jack Higgins self indulging quite a bit.

Unfortunately the narration is pretty average as well. He clearly made a lot of effort to liven things up but the wooden dialogue just dragged it all down. The accents range from ghastly to dire - if you think the German ones are bad, wait until you hear the Portuguese ones. Try hard not to wince. I could only manage an hour or so at a time.

Shame. Disappointing writing ruins a great opportunity for a good yarn.

Slow Burner

Starts very slowly but if you can get through the first hour it is worth it. Found the narrators Cornish accent a little irritating, but didn't spoil my overall enjoyment

DISC ONE IS MISSING?

What made the experience of listening to Flight of Eagles the most enjoyable?

It starts with a light aircraft crossing the English channel and ditches, the crew are rescued by RLNI and are brought ashore at Cold Harbour.

It is an excellent book but is spoiled because of the above .

Any additional comments?

I would like a refund because it is incomplete .