#paydirtroad #samanthajayneallen #sandyrustin #lostandfoundinparis #liandolan #brittanypressley #highstakes #daniellesteel #danjohnmiller #rescue #anitashreve #dennisholland
Here’s hoping this month’s post finds you free of Thanksgiving leftovers and well into preparations for Christmas. This has been memorable year in many ways and has passed quicker than anyone could have anticipated! November’s listens are a motley combination of a book I listened to but didn’t really want to review and books by known authors and unknown authors both living and dead. There is a debut novel that definitely benefits from an excellent narrator, a fun and funny novel, also with an excellent narrator, that will lead you on a merry chase, a novel by a perennial favorite with a slight departure from her usual safety zone, and the surprising discovery of a book I had not read by a beloved author who is deceased.
By Samantha Jayne Allen
Narrated by Sandy Rustin
Occasionally I read or listen to a book that makes me think the author is trying to do too much. Pay Dirt Road is one of those. It’s as if author Samantha Jayne Allen had a check list of hot topics she wanted to include and she’s including them whether they actually contribute to the storyline or not. Recent college grad Annie McInyre has student debt (✔️) and no prospects with her chosen degree(✔️). She returns to her hometown to live with her family until she “finds herself.” (✔️) One of her co-workers disappears and there is a hit-and-run death which comprise the mysteries that are the basis of the plot. As Annie and her grandfather (who happens to be a local PI) try to solve the mysteries, the author touches on environmental issues (✔️), infidelity (✔️), date rape (✔️), family tensions (✔️), alcohol and drug abuse (✔️) … I’m sure you get the point. The culprits were easy to guess and the narrator was excellent, so I’ll give this debut novel a pass and hope for more focus next time.
By Lian Dolan
Narrated by Brittany Pressley
Have you ever read a book whose ending you thought you knew almost from the beginning? That’s the sense of security author Lian Dolan gives you in Lost and Found in Paris. Our heroine Joan Blakeley has had an unconventional life – a supermodel for a mom and a famous artist for a dad – but the tragedy of 911 claims her dad and another woman claims the man she had planned to spend her life with leaving Joan with a huge hole in her heart. When she meets a handsome stranger en route to a work assignment, we, as readers or listeners, pat ourselves on the back knowing Joan’s happy ending is coming and who will be there with her. Even when her work assignment goes terribly wrong and she seems in danger of discovering unwelcome information about the people she loves the most, we still think we know how it will all end. Kudos to the author for giving us a fun and funny tale despite leading us astray on the way to the HEA and even more kudos to the narrator for one of her very best performances!
By Danielle Steele
Narrated by Dan John Miller
As usual, Danielle Steele is my go-to author for a good palette cleanser between psychos, mysteries, and thrillers. So it was a bit unexpected to find myself in the midst of a #metoo novel. The four female protagonists are employees at a literary agency. Each one has her own story, her own motivation, and her own challenges. I love the way the author gives the storyline the feeling that you are hearing each one’s story separately while giving them a clear connection. As their connection grows stronger, we are drawn into the drama of a disintegrating business and personal lives that are imploding due to the actions of one of the senior partners who uses his power and his position to harass and intimidate. Even though the intensity of the drama was unexpected, it was refreshing to listen to the narrator’s performance of a story that is somewhat out of character for this author. For all of Ms. Steele’s fans … don’t despair! There will be HEA’s … just not the ones you expect.
By Anita Shreve
Narrated by Dennis Holland
The late Anita Shreve has long been a favorite author of mine, so I was pleased to happen across a promotion for a book of hers that I had not read. Some of you may be familiar with The Pilot’s Wife and The Weight of Water, both of which were made into movies. The author was known for her complex characters and fearless exploration of tabu subjects. As a matter of fact she wrote the only book that I’ve ever started to re-read as soon as I read the final words — The Last Time They Met. One thing she was not known for was happy endings, so I began listening to Rescue with no expectations other than an excellent storyline. Peter Webster is in the business of saving lives and it’s almost a cliche when he falls in love with a woman he rescues from an accident. Sheila Arsenault is too complicated for a simple man like Peter and their marriage soon ends in divorce. When their teenage daughter shows signs of following her mother’s self-destructive path, will it be Sheila’s turn to rescue Peter? Expertly narrated by Dennis Holland, Rescue may remind you of the closing line from a well-known movie … congrats if you can guess it!
Edward: “So what happens after he climbs up and rescues her?” Vivian: “She rescues him right back.
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