Audiobook Review: With a Kiss We Die by L.R. Dorn
With a Kiss We Die
Author: L.R. Dorn
Narrator: Full Cast Narration
Published: July 11, 2023
Audiobook: 9 hours 29 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: July 5-11, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Two college lovers suspected of a brutal double homicide enlist a podcasting crime journalist to proclaim their innocence in this psychologically riveting and compulsively enjoyable novel of love, lies, and murder, perfect for fans of The Lady Vanishes podcast and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.
I’m Ryanna Raines. And welcome to “The Raines Report.”
Ryanna Raines is the host of a popular true-crime podcast. Her specialty is investigative journalism, her style is truth-seeking moxie, and with millions of listeners along for the ride, her star is rising. But when an intriguing message is left on her tip-line, the reporter is pulled into the most challenging case of her career.
The mangled bodies of a husband and wife have been discovered in their multi-million-dollar estate in Southern California. The prime suspects are their twenty-two-year-old son and his girlfriend, two college theater students who are now facing arrest and indictment. In a surprising move, they only want to speak with Ryanna, offering exclusive interviews in exchange for her help getting their side of the story told.
Instead of a badge or a weapon, Ryanna carries her voice recorder onto the battlefield of the high-profile murder investigation. Through a series of interviews, Ryanna examines her subjects from multiple angles and diverse points of view, breaking past the walls of “he said, she said” to pierce at a dark and horrible truth.
Written in the style of a true-crime podcast, With a Kiss We Die is a heart-racing mystery and thought-provoking tale about love and secrets that unfolds episode by episode as it hurtles towards an explosive conclusion. L. R. Dorn has crafted a suspenseful examination of our cultural obsession with true crime, the complicated moral obligations between journalists and their subjects, and the often-deadly line between performance and deceit.
Jessica’s Review:
This is a book that is meant to be listened to! I can’t imagine reading it after listening to the audiobook. If you enjoy true crime podcasts/ documentaries then you will enjoy this! And I have been on a Netflix true crime documentary kick lately. I’ve been watching so many of those that it is interfering with my reading of physical/kindle books, but I am seemingly addicted to them right now. Thanks to The Crash I have fallen down this rabbit hole!
In With a Kiss We Die, we have a college couple Jordan and Victoria who are accused of brutally murdering Jordan’s parents. They then went to a resort in Mexico. Arrest is seemingly imminent and they contact popular podcaster Ryanna Raines to give their side of the story before their silence happens. They want to give their side in a unique way: Podcast interviews as the story seemingly unfolds in real time. Ryanna agrees and finds herself in a unique situation and as she uncovers more as the case progresses, things are not as they seem! And yes, there are Romeo and Juliet references including the title throughout the novel.
This is my first novel by duo L.R. Dorn and I really enjoyed it. The audiobook enhanced the story 1000%. We have a full cast of narrators which includes a couple of my favorites: January LaVoy and Thérèse Plummer. This novel definitely has a unique premise with what is becoming a more popular subgenre of thriller/crime novels dealing with podcasts. As our world constantly evolves, so do our stories that we love to read or listen to!
ALC Review: Her Husband’s Mistake by Daniel Hurst
Her Husband’s Mistake
Author: Daniel Hurst
Narrators:
Tamsin Kennard
Nathaniel Priestley
To Be Published: September 30, 2023
Audiobook: 5 Hours 36 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 18-19, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Audiobook Description:
A week in New York with my family should be the trip of a lifetime–yet I’ve been on edge the whole time because fifteen years ago, when we were living in this city, my husband did something that ripped our lives apart. I swore I would never come back, but he insisted. As we stroll along the Hudson River, drinking coffee in the sunshine, anyone would think we’re the perfect family. But the truth is far more complicated.
Jessica’s Review:
I am pasting the Goodreads book description for this review as the book’s description everywhere else gives to much plot away for this short book! This was also the book description I read, so I wasn’t spoiled if I had read the book description elsewhere I would have been.
Jack and Lorna are from the UK originally and were living in New York until Jack did something and they suddenly left and returned to the UK with their young children. They vowed to never return until… Fast forward fifteen years with their children turning 18 and 21… big birthdays!!! Guess what both kids want??? A trip to NYC!! Knowing their kids wouldn’t stop mentioning a NYC trip Jack and Lorna decide to give that gift to them. And now we have this book and what happens!
Her Husband’s Mistake is my second book by Daniel Hurst that I have listened to this year and I have enjoyed both. He is an author I will look out for! This one was very short coming in at 5.5 hours long and so it moves the entire time! Get ready for a roller coaster of intensity with this one!
Jack and Lorna were not very likeable for me, but the kids were. So much happens so quickly it’s a book you don’t want to put down! And it even went in a direction that I would not have guessed was going to happen! I was shocked: I actually had to relisten to that chapter when I got to a certain point in the audiobook!
The narrators did a good job with their narrations, I did like Tamsin Kennard’s voice more than Nathaniel Priestley.
Many thanks to the publisher Bookoutoure Audio for granting me an alc to listen to and review! I enjoyed this very quick listen!
Preorder Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: The List by Kiersten Modglin
The List
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Narrators:
Jennifer Jill Araya
David Bendena
Michael Crouch
First Published: April 3, 2019
To Be Published in Audio: August 22, 2023
Audiobook: 7 Hours 44 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 7-10, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
Ten years ago, the small town of Bates, South Carolina was changed forever with the appearance of a slip of paper:
Six names.
Six people set to die.
Six months later, they were gone. But the list maker was far from done with their town.
Like clockwork, new lists come out every six months. To keep their names off of them, the citizens go to extraordinary lengths and keep terrifying secrets.
Someone is controlling their town. But who? And, most importantly, why?
When Connor and Jordyn Atwood move to Bates, they see firsthand how far their new neighbors are willing to go to protect themselves. Will the Atwoods succumb to their newfound surroundings? Or will they fight to protect the town they now call their home?
With everything at stake and no one to trust, the Atwoods quickly learn the list maker has one important rule: do what you’re told…or find your name on The List.
Jessica’s Review:
The premise of this one sounded interesting and I thought it was going to be like an updated version of The Lottery, but it is not! You have to drop all believability with this one as it just isn’t possible and then go along for the ride that is The List.
It has been available in e-book and physical copies for a while, but is new to the audiobook format as of August 22nd, and I received an alc. Once I received it, I found out that there are multiple narrators with one of them being Michael Crouch; I got excited as he is one of the narrators I am on the lookout for! His narration was a smaller role, but all three did a fantastic job! Jennifer Jill Araya gave us the voice of Jordyn and David Bendena also was fantastic as the villain!
Connor and Jordyn Atwood move to Bates not knowing about ‘the list’. Every 6 months a list comes out with six names on it… And those people die in the order of the list itself. Over time Jordyn becomes entangled in a web of ‘What’s going on’, ‘WHY is this happening’, ‘Why these names?’ and, ‘We must stop it!’. Other than that, I can’t say much about the story. The types of people on the list become apparent early on, and in others reviews the reviewer gives this away. But I do the most I can without giving spoilers in my reviews. The particular persons on the list could also be a trigger warning for some.
I was pulled into the story and what was going to happen! I became frustrated why no one does anything or why don’t people just leave? That gets answered. The who and why are answered as well in the last act, and remember… It’s just not plausible for this to happen in real life, so just go with it and enjoy the novel!
I really did enjoy this one. Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an alc to listen to and review!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK