Audiobook Review: The Sight by Melanie Golding
The Sight
Author: Melanie Golding
Narrator: Ella Lynch
Published: September 5, 2023
Audiobook: 9 Hours 53 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 11-15, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Audiobook Description:
Look into her eyes—she can tell you how you’ll die . . .
As a child, Faith acquired the ability to see when and how people would die—a “gift” she neither wanted nor could get rid of.
After foreseeing a family tragedy and being ostracized, Faith learns to control her visions, and returns to perform in her family’s traveling carnival. But when an unruly customer attacks her, she has a vision in full view of a crowd.
She is banned from the carnival she loves—and loses her only source of income to support her dying mother. Desperate to support her mother and with only one friend standing by her, she sees no reason to continue hiding her ability and goes to dangerous lengths to earn money. But when she sees herself in a man’s future death, Faith must face her own fears of her powers and tune into her gift to fight against a future that would ruin her life—and end someone else’s.
With The Sight , celebrated author Melanie Golding delivers another suspense-driven masterpiece with unforgettable characters and an ending that will leave you stunned.
Jessica’s Review:
This was another novel that caught my attention with the book description, but wasn’t totally for me. It took way to long (at least halfway) for me to be really interested, and for the book to get moving. The Sight is extremely slow moving, it was almost painfully slow for me. But again, I was just curious enough to see what was going to happen and continued it.
We have Faith who can see people’s deaths. Forced out of her job at a carnival, she is made to do readings for people wanting to know how they die. Faith doesn’t know when these people will die, she just sees the death. She can guesstimate if it is soon or far off by the way the person appears in the vision. One day she sees one person’s death and that she is the one who killed that person. What are you to do with that kind of information when you see that?!?!From the setting and tone of the book you would have not thought it took place in present day! Until cell phones and You Tube are mentioned, I thought I was listening to a story that took place in the past. I listened to the audiobook and did like the narration.
The big twist that occurs happens right at the end, which was just too late to really save the story. When it happened, I was a little shocked and had to listen to that chapter again! I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything since I was listening to it for my commute to/from work. If I was interested in having a different perspective knowing the full story now, I might be tempted to read/listen again. And some readers might just do that! And knowing the ending twist does change the beginning half of the book, so it might not be as slow moving with a second read/listen!
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me a copy to listen to and review in my own time.
Release Week Review: Audiobook Review of Curves for Days by Laura Moher
Curves for Days
Series: Big Love from Galway #1
Author: Laura Moher
Narrators:
Paul Bellantoni
Michelle Price
Published: August 22, 2023
Audiobook: 10 hours 23 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 11-16, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Audiobook Description:
Rose Barnes has got curves for days—and to Angus Drummond, the big, bearded contractor working on her new house, she’s the perfect thorn in his side. Little does she know Angus is perturbed on a daily basis by his attraction to this cheery, smart-ass woman with her sunshiny enthusiasm, her kindness, and her beautiful body.
Angus feels he has a debt to pay to the world and doesn’t deserve love until he pays it. Best to keep his mind on his work and his hands to himself. But the more Rose sees of Angus’s gruff, honorable thoughtfulness, and the more rusty laughter she surprises from him, the more she wants him too.
As their unlikely friendship becomes love, antagonism turns to partnership, and Rose’s house becomes a home. But Rose is keeping a secret that could blow up everything with Angus, and sure enough, it comes to light at the worst possible time…
Jessica’s Review:
This was a book that is 1000% written for me! I adored it nearly completely and identified with the FMC (female main character) Rose. Rose is plus sized and this is just a feel-good book with a great deal of body positivity and women of all sizes need that!
Rose is extremely relatable (I think any woman who is of a larger size in any end will identify with her). She is also friendly and helpful, and some women will love that she has a mouth on her and will use any and all the expletives she feels she needs, intended or not! She has a quarter jar and puts a quarter in it every time an expletive is said. She would be a rich woman if that jar was full but…. This isn’t a spoiler as it is mentioned in the first few lines of the novel, Rose actually is rich due to a winning $80 million lottery ticket left to her!
Due to her circumstances Rose has trust issues and a past with a traumatic experience, she finds herself in Galway, North Carolina and decides to start over there. She meets Angus who is Mr. Grumpy who ends up working on her new-to-her house. We have the sweet and grumpy trope here! This book is a slow burn with some steam to it! And dang, it was steamy enough for me! It was probably a level 2 of 5 for the steamy scenes. I don’t think I would be much steam-wise for the serious romance reader, but we do have open bedroom scenes.
I really enjoyed the growth of the relationship between Angus and Rose. Even though he is grumpy he is also a Mr. Softy at heart. They both have issues that have to be worked out. Curves for Days is a bit deceptive with the cover as there are many serious issues brought up, and this would be the trigger warnings:
Body Shaming
Rape
Veterans’ issues including PTSD and suicide
The veteran’s issues that Angus deals with and his work with veteran’s is very important and going in I had no idea this was going to be a romance with serious issues throughout. These issues that veterans experience and are unable to get help are really brought to the forefront of this book. Our veterans’ really need so much more done for them than what is done now. Bravo to Moher for bringing attention to this.
The only thing I didn’t really like was the given ‘third act conflict where I was becoming less of an Angus fan. I am totally #TeamRose and adore her! By the end of the novel, I was very happy!
Both Paul Bellantoni and Michelle Price did a fantastic job with their narrations as Angus and Rose. They really brought both of those characters to life for me. And I really liked Bellantoni’s voice!
I really enjoyed this first in the series and look forward to the next book that comes… Next April! It seems so far away now, but will be here before I know it!
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an alc (advanced listening copy) to listen to and review. I really enjoyed this one!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrators:
Alma Cuervo
Julia Whelan
Robin Miles
Published: June 13, 2017
Audiobook: 12 hours 10 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: November 28- December 1, 2022
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Jessica’s Review:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a book club pick and one I would have probably never picked up on my own, but I am glad I ended up listening to it! This is a bit of a spoiler, but happens early on and it would be impossible to review without spoiling: It went in a direction I was not expecting on Eveyln’s sexuality, during a time period of the 1950s on where certain things were frowned upon. But we have a lot of various representation in this novel: A bisexual, lesbian, and gay characters, along with two interracial characters.
We have present day where Evelyn Hugo is in her upper 70s and a recluse. She was a Hollywood Icon that men wanted to be with and women wanted to be. But she hid who she was in multiple ways. Now coming towards the end of her life, she is finally ready to tell her story, and she decides on seemingly unknown journalist Monique. Monique has no idea how Evelyn even knew of her, let alone picked her to tell her life story to, but she goes with it as it is the opportunity of a lifetime that many other journalists would kill to be in her place.
Evelyn tells her story to Monique and through this life story we see how 1950s Hollywood was and how it currently is. Hollywood is not a kind life, especially for the person who Evelyn actually is. We see how things are turned in ways that certain people decide, and reality is actually far from the truth. Over the course of the interviewing, we learn about Evelyn’s life and seven marriages and her one true love.
This novel shows multiple kinds of love: romantic, love between friends, and the love between and parent and child.
I think this is another novel that should be listened to, as we have multiple narrators who do a fantastic job! I’m not sure which narrators portrayed Evelyn, but those ladies just pull you in with Evelyn’s present life and the telling of her past.
You know somewhere/somehow that Evelyn and Monique are connected, but when the connection is revealed, the reader is as shocked as Monique is, and feels the same emotions as Monique. Closer to the end the novel goes in a direction with Evelyn that also isn’t expected, and could be controversial. I can’t and won’t go into this as to me it is major, and this is an issue that people feel strongly about on both sides.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one that leaves you thinking about so many things once you have put the book down.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK