Audiobook Sunday: THE ONE I DIDN’T SEE COMING by Piper Rayne

January 19, 2025

Read by Jason Clarke & Ava Erickson 

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Plain Daisy Ranch, Book 3

From the publisher:

It’s the classic story—girl returns to her hometown only to end up moving in with her high school crush, who she hates.

Returning to Willowbrook was my only option after Chicago chewed me up and spit me out. Technically, it wasn’t Chicago’s fault. It was his fault—the man I thought I knew who turned out to be a liar.

My older sister, always the one to swoop in and fix things, secured me a job as a yoga instructor on her fiancé’s family ranch. As my self-assigned protector, she’s keeping one eye on me and one eye on Emmett Noughton, her fiancé’s brother.

He’s the charming, fun-loving, take-life-as-it-comes kind of guy, and once upon a time, his name was scribbled in my notebooks. Back then, I was invisible to him. Now, he’s looking at me like I’m the only thing in the room. But he lost his chance with me a long time ago.

It’s easy to keep him at arm’s length and nurse the grudge I’ve held onto for years. Until the house I’m staying in sells, and I have nowhere to go except his house. Now, resisting him isn’t just difficult—it’s impossible.

https://amzn.to/420T1h4

Briar has moved back home, but her house sells almost immediately, leaving her temporarily homeless. Her sister’s father-in-law insists that she move in with Emmett, the youngest son, as he has tons of extra space. Unfortunately, Briar had a huge crush on him when she was young, but overheard him say something about her that she didn’t like, and now she hates him. But a roof over her head is a necessity so she moves in.

Emmett is trying to find his place in the family business, but his siblings all pretty much ignore the baby of the family. But Emmett is no baby, and it takes some moxie to make his family realize that. He also has a strong protective streak that works out well for Briar. Unfortunately, the eldest brother pretty much threatens Emmett with bodily harm if he goes near Briar, but the more the family tries to keep them apart, the closer they get, especially when living together.

Like all of Piper Rayne’s books, this is a spicy romance with a lot of humor. The story is compelling, and I really enjoyed listening to these narrators; they were both really good and brought the story to life. I’ll read anything by the writing duo known as Piper Rayne, and lucky for me, they are prolific!

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ONE I DIDN’T SEE COMING by Piper Rayne. Narrators: Jason Clarke, Ava Erickson. Piper Rayne Inc.; September 06, 2024. ASIN: B0DG9D8YY6. Listening Length: 6 hours and 46 minutes

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Audiobook Sunday: TWO CAN PLAY by Ali Hazelwood

January 12, 2025

Read by Kelsey Navarro Foster  

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From the publisher:

An enemies-to-lovers spicy romance set in the world of video gaming from the bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis—available only in audio!

Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, a.k.a. her arch-nemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her–and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

“Foster’s expressive delivery keeps listeners invested in Viola and Jesse’s evolving relationship, audibly illustrating Viola’s change from hating Jesse to realizing the misunderstanding between them and deciding to begin a relationship. Foster’s overall performance of this short romance is entertaining” AudioFile 

https://amzn.to/4ggICBG

This is the audio equivalent of a novella and is not available in print or ebook format. I love Ali Hazelwood, so I was happy to listen and this did not disappoint at all. I also am not often a fan of novellas, usually finding them lacking in character development and short on plot. I was delighted that this had neither problem. The plot was good; video game designers who are competitors and forced to work together and the companies involved take their staff on a wintry retreat for bonding fun. This new game is based on Viola’s favorite fantasy book series, so there is no way she’s giving this up, even if she has to work with her design nemesis, Jesse. Turns out it’s not as difficult an assignment as either one of them feared. In fact, the more team building they do, the more Jesse grows on Viola, and before a snowball can melt, they are in bed and developing a good game and a good relationship.

This is a spicy romance with characters I couldn’t help but care about and root for. The storyline was interesting and the secondary characters were really just background noise. The narrator was terrific and I really enjoyed this!

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TWO CAN PLAY by Ali Hazelwood. Narrator: Kelsey Navarro Foster. Spotify Audiobooks; October 01, 2024. ASIN: B0DGYFBMQC. Listening Length: 4 hours and 24 minutes.

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Audiobook Sunday: TRULY MADLY DEEPLY by L.J. Shen

January 5, 2025

Read by Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton 

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Forbidden Love, Book 1 

From the publisher:

This old flame just might set them on fire.

Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life: food.

Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…

And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.

Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multi-million-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.

Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.

Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.

Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.

Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.

Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.

Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.

Too bad she’s always been clumsy.

Truly, Madly, Deeply is a grumpy x sunshine, enemies-to-lovers romance. It is the first in the Forbidden Love series but can be listened to as a standalone.

https://amzn.to/4ggICBG

It’s a new year, and I’m trying something new. I’ve been listening to audiobook romances lately, so I’m going to try reviewing an audiobook every Sunday. We’ll see how it goes!

I’ve often wondered how I would feel listening to sex scenes, and this book tested my limits – turns out I didn’t mind at all. Although if I didn’t have AirPods in my ears, I don’t think I’d want to broadcast it into the atmosphere, if that makes sense?

This was one of the longer audiobooks I’ve read lately. Honestly, it probably could have used a bit of editing, it felt long. But I liked the characters and their backstories, and it definitely held my interest. Cal and Dylan have been best friends forever, but what Dylan doesn’t know is that Cal has a crush on her brother, Ambrose – like every other girl in school. Cal decides she wants to lose her virginity before heading off to college, and she asks Ambrose to be the one. Dylan catches them and their friendship blows up.

Several years later Cal returns home after losing her father, and she is broke. Ambrose runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in their small town, and his manager hires Cal. She desperately needs the money and would like to try and rekindle the friendship she had with Dylan. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Cal, Ambrose has been carrying a torch for her for years. He is mercurial and demanding as a boss and, as Cal comes to find out, as a lover. These relationships are new and somewhat precarious, and there is a lot of small town drama as well.

I liked how all these relationships were explored, and the character development kept me engrossed. This is a very spicy romance with some humor and witty banter, but it’s the drama that is the big draw here. These characters were complex, and the storyline was compelling. The narrators were very good and added dramatic tension to the story. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.

1/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY by L.J. Shen. Narrators: Lila Winters, Teddy Hamilton. Dreamscape Media; September 10, 2024. ASIN: B0D5ZJWQZS. Listening Length: 15 hours and 50 minutes

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George Saunders on the Lincoln in the Bardo Audiobook

February 10, 2017

botFrom Books on Tape:

Listeners know George Saunders from his previous bestselling and critically acclaimed short story collections, including National Book Award finalist Tenth of December, read by the Author. Now, in his highly-anticipated first novel LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, Saunders tells an incredibly entertaining story, masterfully blending historical fact with inventive fiction. Step into the studio with Saunders and producer Kelly Gildea to learn more about the “jaw-droppingly good” audio production of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, read by the Author, Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller, and many more. 

Saunders based his tale on the true story of the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son Willie at the dawn of the Civil War. Two nights after his death, Abraham Lincoln visited his son in the cemetery. Set over the course of that one night, Saunders brings the cemetery’s many ghosts alive to tell a moving and thought-provoking story about the meaning of life, death, grief, and the powers of good and evil. These ghostly voices are brought to life on audio by a cast of 166 narrators, including Academy Award winning actors, musicians, Penguin Random House employees, and Saunders’ own family and friends.

Saunders shares more about the incredible production process in this behind-the-scenes video, first revealed by TIME.com. Saunders explains how producer Kelly Gildea rose to the challenge of capturing 166 unique voices in one audiobook and how the audio medium truly captures the diversity of American voices he portrays in this story:

 

george-saunders_3Producer Kelly Gildea masterminded this unique production, featuring 166 narrators recorded at 17 different studios—a recording-breaking number of narrators for Penguin Random House Audio. It was also submitted for a Guinness World Record for most individual voices on a single audiobook!

Kelly says, “This audiobook started as a conversation between me and George Saunders where he asked, ‘I don’t have to narrate this whole thing myself, do I?’ and I thought, ‘Why is he asking that?’ I peeked at the manuscript, which is structured (somewhat) like a play, and thought, ‘How the hell are we going to do this?’

The idea for using a different voice for each character was tossed out casually at first, then explored, and then became something we couldn’t turn away from. Now, listening to it, I don’t know any other way I’d do it. George’s panoply of voices is fully represented in the richness of our audio. We had Nick Offerman and David Sedaris on board fairly quickly in the process, and the other parts filled in rapidly. Luckily, most everyone who’s read him is in love with George, and many people volunteered their time and considerable talents to contribute to this production.

It’s a unique structure, and a blast to listen to. Be prepared to experience a wide range of emotions as George’s writing walks a perfect line between poignancy and humor.”

LISTEN TO A CLIP: 

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FALLING by Jane Green

July 19, 2016

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Emma Montague is a British transplant of the manor born. She moves to New York to pursue a high powered career in banking until she just burns out on it. She then moves to Westport, Connecticut and finds an old, very dated house for rent near the beach. The landlord, Dominic, is a good looking single father who, as it turns out, lives right next door with his 6 year old son, Jesse.

There is instant chemistry between them, but not the fireworks kind, more the comfortable kind. When you meet someone and you feel like you’ve known them forever, somehow.

Emma is trying to figure out what to do with her life and for the first time, finally feels like she’s found a home. The house is so dated with it’s pink shag carpeting that it gives Emma something to do, something she loves. She decides to start looking for work in interior design.

Dominic is a carpenter and a bartender, and he invites Emma to visit him at work. He buys her drinks, but is dating a young hottie. Eventually they both realize that there is something undeniable between them, and they fall into bed and in love.

Jesse loves Emma, until he finds her sleeping in his father’s bed. It’s just been the two of them since his mother took off after he was born, and he doesn’t want to share. Their relationship is rocky but Emma works hard at it and eventually wears the little fella down.

This is not a romance, happily ever after type book but instead a look at the different relationships we form in our lives and how they grow and change. The characters are so well drawn that I was completely hooked, but I couldn’t see where it was going until I reached the stunning conclusion. Another excellent read from Jane Green.

7/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FALLING by Jane Green. Berkley (July 19, 2016). ISBN: 978-0399583285. 384p.

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THE RULES OF LOVE & GRAMMAR by Mary Simses

June 2, 2016

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This is Simses’ second novel, and a lovely addition to the women’s fiction bookshelf.

Grace Hammond is having a bad day. She loses her job, her relationship goes awry and she becomes homeless, forcing her to head home to her parents and the small town where she grew up. Grace is an only child since her sister died, and she and her parents are still dealing with their grief.

Grace finds her sister’s old bike, a classic Schwinn, rusted and rotting out in the backyard shed. She takes it to the bike shop in town, where she corrects the grammar on their fliers and pisses off the owner’s son, Mitch. They work out a deal where she will organize the bike shop, which is a big mess, and they will work on her bike.

Meanwhile, the small town is all aflutter because there is a movie being filmed there. The director is Grace’s old high school boyfriend, and while they reconnect, things aren’t going as smoothly as Grace thinks they should be. Grace has a lot of thinking to do, and a lot of issues and relationships to resolve.

I really enjoyed this book, it is as charming as Simses’ first, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café. If you are looking for a light, entertaining beach read, look no further.

 

6/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE RULES OF LOVE & GRAMMAR by Mary Simses. Little, Brown and Company (May 31, 2016). ISBN: 978-0316382069. 384p.

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HEAT WAVE by Nancy Thayer

May 21, 2016

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Narrated by Kathe Mazur

Loved the narrator, always a plus for an audio book.

I liked the story but I had some issues.

This is about a young woman who is happily married with two young daughters living a fairly blissful life on Nantucket. Carley truly loves her life; she’s a happy homemaker and mom, that is until her husband dies suddenly from a heart attack.

She inherits their big old house on the Sound that has been in her in-law’s family for years, but no money. Her husband had made a lot of bad investments and unbeknownst to Carley, they were broke. Her in-laws invite her to move her family in with them, but she demurs. Instead, she turns her big home into a bed & breakfast. Just like that she’s in business.

Carley’s husband’s best friend, Wyatt, helps her out, offering advice and taking Carley and the girls sailing. While her daughters are visiting their grandparents in New York, Carley runs into Wyatt and they end up spending the week together, mostly in bed. They don’t tell anyone though, Carley thinks it is too soon. She spends the rest of the book teetering between admitting to herself that she has fallen in love with Wyatt and then talking herself out of it because it was too soon or she was afraid of what her kids or her in-laws or her friends would say. It really started to grate on me.

There are other subplots involving her best friends, adultery, secrets and more, but Carley is always at the heart of it all. It was an enjoyable read but you really have to suspend your disbelief. The book was published in 2011, so I had some issues with unprotected sex with a man who is extremely sexually active, another character gets pregnant after two one night stands with different men, the fact that everyone on this island has no money issues at all, including the broke widow, and a few other little things. But I got past it and enjoyed the book. Ultimately, it was an entertaining read.

5/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

HEAT WAVE by Nancy Thayer. Random House Audio. ASIN: B005745JK0. Listening Length: 9 hours and 38 minutes.

Paperback: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (May 29, 2012). ISBN 978-0345518323. 336p.

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THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES by Andy Cohen

November 22, 2014

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A Deep Look at a Shallow Year

Narrated by Andy Cohen

In case you missed my review of Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture, I  love Andy Cohen. I am a Bravo junkie and never miss an episode of Top Chef (in all its incantations,) the The Real Housewives of New Jersey (and occasionally other Housewives) and Watch What Happens Live, hosted by Andy Cohen.

I knew after reading his first book and then listening to it that I had to listen to the new one – Andy reads it himself, which really does add a whole new dimension. I love his little asides to us listeners, especially the part of the book where he discusses how he spent the afternoon recording the audiobook and how much he hated doing it, which he called “meta meta” for us listeners.

Andy was completely enthralled with The Andy Warhol Diaries, and this book is an homage to that one. He mentions another possible title, “Namedropping,” which certainly would have been appropriate as well. Andy kept a journal for 2013, and kept track of everyone he ran into, dined with (and where), topics discussed, guests on his show, shows where he was the guest, parties attended,  events that he emceed, and so forth. The names flow like water, from the aforementioned New Jersey Housewives, his oldest and dearest friends (see Most Talkative) and of course, the real celebrities: Oprah, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Lady GaGa, Beyoncé, as well as the celebrities he calls friends: Anderson Cooper, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos, and Sarah Jessica Parker (affectionately called “SJP” or even “SJ” throughout the book) and her hubby Matthew Broderick, the late great Joan Rivers and tons more.

Cohen obsesses with his weight, his workouts, his friends, and gossip, and his self deprecating sense of humor is always at the forefront. But the star of the book, besides Andy himself, is his dog Wacha, who as of 11/21/14 has over 200 pictures and 93,000 followers on Instagram, and Wacha is often the subject of his daily journal. Andy discusses how and why he came to adopt a dog, the vet he sees at the “Barbara Walters Animal Hospital” and the famous people who love Wacha and do Instagram photo shoots with him, like John Mayer. Wacha has become the love of his life and the antidote to loneliness. Andy dates a lot, mostly younger men, and claims he wants a husband (and his mother reminds him to find a husband) but no one promising is on the horizon yet.

One of the things I like best about listening to the book (besides the fact it entertained me on my long flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles and back again) was that I could share it. My husband listened to whatever part I was up to while driving around L.A., and my daughter listened to some while driving around Boca, and everyone laughed and enjoyed the bits they heard. Very few books work that way.

The best memoirs are entertaining, informative and ring true, and once again Cohen meets all those criteria plus he is laugh out loud funny.  If you are the least bit obsessed with pop culture, celebrities and/or television, you do not want to miss this book.

11/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ANDY COHEN DIARIES by Andy Cohen. Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (November 11, 2014). ISBN 978-1627792288. 352p.

Audible Audio Edition: Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (November 11, 2014). ISBN: 978-1427259318. Listening Length: 13 hours and 30 minutes.

 

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ANGELINA’S BACHELORS by Brian O’Reilly

November 20, 2014

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A Novel of Food

Narrated by Xe Sands

This is a sweet, old fashioned tale – so old fashioned, I’m really not sure when it is supposed to take place. Could be the 1950’s-60s, but sometimes feels more modern and then with a jolt, no cell phones, back to another era. I guess the author,  the Executive Producer of Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible, was going for timeless, and perhaps it was achieved.

I listened to the audio book, so had a different experience from the printed version. For one thing, there are no recipes in the audio, just a note at the end to check out the website for recipes. Some of the print reviews made note of the fact that recipes were interspersed throughout the chapters, in the midst of story, which some felt were jarring, but the audio book avoided that issue.

So this novel of food is exactly that – if you don’t want to read lavish descriptions of meals on a regular basis, then this is not the book for you. I love that stuff, so it worked for me.

Angelina is a young woman whose husband dies suddenly in her kitchen. The young widow quickly loses her job and when a neighbor comes knocking on her door, offering to pay her to cook him breakfast and dinner six days a week, she decides that food may be her salvation, in more ways than one. Soon other men come knocking, and almost immediately Angelina’s dining room table is full of bachelors looking for a good meal.

The men quickly become a family of sorts, with Angelina the glue that binds them together. When she finds out she’s pregnant some months after her husband’s passing, the bachelors all rally around and support her.

If it hasn’t slapped you in the face yet, the message here is that when one door closes, another opens and Angelina steps through into a good life, despite her tragedy. And despite her tragedy, this is a light hearted read, interspersed with humor and love. It is a lovely read, and a memorable one.

11/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ANGELINA’S BACHELORS by Brian O’Reilly. Tantor Audio (December 30, 2011). ASIN: B006RCYUFQ. Listening Length: 7 hours and 22 minutes.

Paperback: Gallery Books; Reprint edition (August 9, 2011). ISBN 978-1451620566. 384p.

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THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR by Marja Mills

October 28, 2014

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Life with Harper Lee

narrated by Amy Lynn Stewart

This is the latest biography of the reclusive author and an interesting look at her life. Marja Mills went to Monroeville, Alabama as had so many journalists before her, but for some reason Alice Lee, Harper’s sister, took a liking to her. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t being pushy. Perhaps it was because Chicago had chosen  To Kill a Mockingbird for their one read program, and had sent Marja to get a story. Or perhaps she felt empathy for the lupus-stricken journalist. Whatever the reason, the Lee sisters spent a great deal of time with the author.

So when the book was published and Harper Lee protested, saying they never gave permission, it seemed rather unlikely. Mills claims that Lee had a stroke in 2007, resulting in memory issues, which seems the more believable explanation. Mills rented the house next door to the Lees, with their recommendation to the landlord. Harper’s friends spent lots of time with Mills, while other journalists and would-be biographers were given the cold shoulder. With that said, the book is no gossip fest, but rather a nuanced look at the life of one of America’s most cherished authors.

The sour relationship with Truman Capote is lightly touched upon, as was Harper’s fond regard for Gregory Peck, who played Atticus Finch in the film version, but this is no celebrity tell all, and that is probably a good thing. Lee fiercely guards her privacy, but is no recluse – she lived a full life, dining at local restaurants,  feeding the ducks, and enjoying her friends until she had her stroke. She did live in both New York City and Alabama, and this book doesn’t touch on the NY experience much.

The narrator did a fine job differentiating between the various characters, and I especially loved her portrayal of Alice and Harper. Other than the constant gloating about actually spending time with Harper Lee (and really, who can blame her) it was an interesting and illuminating read about one of my favorite authors.

10/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE MOCKINGBIRD NEXT DOOR: Life with Harper Lee by Marja Mills. Penguin Audio (November 4, 2014). ASIN: B00L83I7B2. Listening Length: 8 hours and 11 minutes

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