Tessa
- 24
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 311
- ratings
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The Book of Doors
- A Novel
- By: Gareth Brown
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book… It is the Book of Doors. Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.
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So good! I see a series!
- By Smith on 03-11-24
- The Book of Doors
- A Novel
- By: Gareth Brown
- Narrated by: Miranda Raison
Enchanting
Reviewed: 10-25-24
What a fantastic story. Magic, books, time travel, and completely relatable, well-developed characters. Beautiful writing and excellent narration made a great storyline spectacular. The biggest disappointment came when I checked the author’s page for my next listen only to find this to be his only masterpiece. Please write more!!
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Those Who Dwell in Darkness: A Vampire Thriller
- The Assembly, Book 1
- By: Steve McHugh
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Vampires and humans live side by side thanks to an uneasy peace maintained by the Assembly. As an Arbiter for the powerful organization, Miles Watson is authorized to act as judge, jury, and executioner for anyone—living or undead—who breaks the law. But now Miles is up against a threat more sinister than anything he's seen in his centuries as a vampire. A criminal network in London is offering wealthy humans the chance to become vampires without the Assembly's consent. When the process goes disastrously wrong, the Boss wants to eliminate any trace of the fiasco.
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Great book, horrible narration.
- By Brian on 02-20-24
- Those Who Dwell in Darkness: A Vampire Thriller
- The Assembly, Book 1
- By: Steve McHugh
- Narrated by: John Banks
Miles and Church : )
Reviewed: 06-19-24
Great read and stellar narrative performance. I kept hoping that Miles would find some romance and Church would find a dog friend because they’re both such lovable characters!
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The Spy Coast
- A Thriller (The Martini Club, Book 1)
- By: Tess Gerritsen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Brittany Pressley
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement. But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why.
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OUTSTANDING!!!!
- By shelley on 11-01-23
- The Spy Coast
- A Thriller (The Martini Club, Book 1)
- By: Tess Gerritsen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Brittany Pressley
Mixed Feelings
Reviewed: 03-17-24
I haven’t finished listening yet, but as an ethical vegan I wanted to make other vegans aware of a lot of triggers in the form of killing animals and, just a few chapters in, several gratuitous descriptions of things like beef blood in a soup, lamb stew (the reason one of the characters could never be a vegetarian - loves that baby sheep stew too much), the upcoming killing of a rooster for dinner…seriously now - is this really necessary? I’m not sure if this author has some sort of vendetta against those of us who don’t eat animals, but it sure feels that way. As such, I’m finding it distracting to the point of not being able to fully concentrate on the storyline. The narration is fine and I’m going to try to stay with it, but if these needless descriptions of animal slaughter continue, I’ll move on.
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The Humans
- A Novel
- By: Matt Haig
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The critically acclaimed author of The Radleys shares a clever, heartwarming, and darkly insightful novel about an alien who comes to Earth to save humans from themselves. When an extraterrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this weird species than he has been led to believe. Eventually, the narrator sees hope and redemption in the humans' imperfections and begins to question the very mission that brought him there.
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Light Sci-Fi Fare--You'll Love It!
- By Kathy in CA on 06-29-18
- The Humans
- A Novel
- By: Matt Haig
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
Brilliant and Poignant
Reviewed: 03-04-24
Matt Haig is a brilliant author. This story will make you laugh (out loud), possibly make you cry (or at least tear up a bit), and most importantly, make you think. I set the bar pretty high, comparing similarly themed fiction to John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany: The Humans is right up there on the top shelf next to that classic, in my opinion. The spot on performance by Mark Meadows made listening a delight.
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The Great Witch of Brittany
- A Novel
- By: Louisa Morgan
- Narrated by: Polly Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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There hasn’t been a witch born in the Orchière clan for generations. According to the elders, that line is dead, leaving the clan vulnerable to the whims of superstitious villagers and the prejudices of fearmongering bishops.
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Great story, but horrible characters
- By Colton Salaz on 03-17-22
- The Great Witch of Brittany
- A Novel
- By: Louisa Morgan
- Narrated by: Polly Lee
Magical
Reviewed: 11-04-23
An enchanting story beautifully narrated and utterly addictive. A bewitching distraction from the daily grind, thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.
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After You
- A Novel
- By: Jojo Moyes
- Narrated by: Anna Acton
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living? Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started. Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group.
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Doesn't come close to, Me Before You.
- By Taryn on 11-09-15
- After You
- A Novel
- By: Jojo Moyes
- Narrated by: Anna Acton
Brilliant
Reviewed: 03-30-23
Do yourself a favor and ignore the negative reviews. I had them in mind throughout and can’t for the life of me understand what people were complaining about. The only conclusion I could reach is that they must be impossible to please. My takeaway: a perfect balance of everything you’d want in a heartfelt, relatable story. Excellent character development throughout, and a great ending that makes me look forward to book three. Narration was perfect, too.
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One Plus One
- A Novel
- By: Jojo Moyes
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Bower, Ben Elliot, Nicola Stanton, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied, and your math-whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can't afford to pay for. That's Jess' life in a nutshell - until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess' knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages...maybe ever.
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Sometimes I need a book that is just fun to read.
- By Kathy on 07-05-14
- One Plus One
- A Novel
- By: Jojo Moyes
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Bower, Ben Elliot, Nicola Stanton, Steven France
Heartwarming
Reviewed: 03-22-23
Beautiful, sweet, feel-good story containing surprises and some twists and turns (as in not at all slow or boring), and made even better by perfect narration.
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Mother of All Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen M. Willett
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Sleep deprived and overwhelmed, first-time mom Jenn is struggling to adapt to her new role. Frustrated with her loving but preoccupied husband and still grieving the death of her own mother, she feels isolated and depressed. It’s only when she joins a new-moms’ group that she starts to think she’s finally getting back on track. Until Isabel, the group’s leader, suddenly disappears.
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Narrator annoying voice
- By Marie Lesutis on 09-09-22
- Mother of All Secrets
- A Novel
- By: Kathleen M. Willett
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Jennifer Jill Araya
Tedious
Reviewed: 03-04-23
Forget all the negative reviews about the narration: it’s the story itself that was annoying. Maybe listening to this right after having listened to Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior made the lackluster writing, cringeworthy storyline and subpar character development (not that it would’ve helped: not one of them were remotely likable) that much more obvious, but this was really a letdown. I’m also now having nightmares about breast milk, breast feeding, and various reproductive body parts. I get that the story revolves around a group of new mothers, but honestly - TMI ad nauseam. Also, I’m willing to suspend belief to an extent if the writing is superb and the story is engaging, but this was a stretch that didn’t warrant the effort.
Back to the narration, I get why many reviewers found it annoying, but I think the story was well-performed and the harshest of the comments unfair. If I wanted to nitpick, I’d just say that none of them sounded like New Yorkers.
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Bewilderment
- A Novel
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son, Robin, is funny, loving, and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals, and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos.
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Not Usually a Richard Powers Fan
- By Billy on 09-28-21
- Bewilderment
- A Novel
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Stunningly Beautiful
Reviewed: 02-19-23
The not-so-fictional past, present, and what will almost certainly and sadly come to pass woven in and around the life of a special little boy and his devoted father. Quintessentially rereadable, this is one of those novels that would never be tossed into a donation bin: I’m thinking I just may buy a physical copy to add to my library along with other treasured literally works of art.
You’ll not be returning this one. Listen. Then go outside and understand.
Narration was great as well.
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Paradise Club
- By: Tim Meyer
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to Paradise. Sandy beaches. Crystalline waters. An all-inclusive resort with virtually everything you can think of. A true idyllic paradise. An event is taking place at Paradise Club that wasn’t on the brochure: a dangerous game pitting the hotel’s guests against a gang of bloodthirsty maniacs. Elliot Harper—family man and FBI agent—is about to find out how fast heaven can become hell when every single vacationer is forced to become a ruthless killer in order to survive. A team of killers have been unleashed, and they won't stop until every single guest is dead.
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disgusting
- By Amazon Customer on 02-15-23
- Paradise Club
- By: Tim Meyer
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
UGH
Reviewed: 02-17-23
I typically write only positive reviews - or at least not scathing ones. As a musician and artist, I am hesitant to be critical of the work of other creatives. That being said, I would want to be forewarned about this and should’ve read the reviews more carefully myself. Poor, juvenile writing (even the dialogue between actual juveniles sounds ridiculous), completely unrealistic and downright false scenarios (just one example: an active duty FBI agent without his gun and willingly giving up his cell phone to a complete stranger…ummm…I have family in law enforcement and that entire situation is ludicrous), unrelatable and annoying EVERYTHING, and a cliche storyline that could’ve possibly (maybe) scraped by had all of the above been even halfway decent and believable. Back to the silly dialogue, who says, “ass-clown” or “ass-breath”? And if I hear “dude” one more time, I’m going to lose my mind - and there’s >5 hours left of this insanity. It’s playing as I write this, and I’m getting a headache. Think low-budget horror movie. VERY low-budget. I’m pretty sure this was a Daily Deal (in which case I can’t even return it), and I don’t know if I can bear the pain of listening to the end. Nope. I cannot. I’ve had several ideas for children’s books but never had the confidence to pursue them knowing how difficult it is to get published. After listening to this, I’m thinking it may not be so impossible after all. Save your time and money and skip this one.
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