The Launch
Stardust Beach Book One
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The Launch
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Narrated by:
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Virtual Voice
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By:
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Stephanie Taylor
This title uses virtual voice narration
About this listen
Florida’s Space Coast—1963. People flock south to make the Sunshine State their winter playground, moving to the brand new beach towns and neighborhoods to live their lives in the sun. But the families moving to Stardust Beach near Cape Kennedy aren’t there for canasta and cocktails; the men aren’t going to spend their days on the golf courses, and the women aren’t there for fashion shows and shuffleboard. These couples are young, driven, and there to make history. These are the First Families of NASA’s new space program, and they’re ready to aim for the moon…
Josephine Booker, wife to Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bill Booker, is hesitant to jump into the spotlight. She doesn’t relish the idea of leaving wholesome Minnesota for flashy Florida, and she doesn’t love the thought that her family will be used as a public prop for NASA as Bill goes through astronaut training. But she loves her husband, and she believes wholeheartedly that he deserves a shot at space, so Jo is going to trade in canning peaches, camping in the woods, and waiting for the snow to fall in favor of pool parties, sunshine, and life at the beach.
In Stardust Beach, Jo meets Frankie, Barbie, Carrie, and Jude, the wives of the other new NASA recruits. The women become fast friends, and almost immediately, they learn that leaning on one another is the only way they’re going to survive on Earth if their husbands leave to explore space.
As the world changes around them, the astronaut wives band together to confront the tumultuous times as a united front. Because when the president is shot, when war breaks out, and when personal tragedies crop up amongst them, they realize that sometimes all you need is a little help from your friends.
The women of Stardust Beach are strong and resilient, and they all want the same things: happiness, friendship, and love. As they support their husbands and raise their families in the shadow of Cape Kennedy, they share their love of sisterhood, they support one another through thick and thin, and they honor each other’s unique stories and personalities.
The Stardust Beach series will be eight books long and will have intertwining stories and characters, both sad and hopeful moments, beautiful friendships, romance, and plenty of laughter.
The series launches in August of 2024, and all books will be available in both digital and paperback formats.
Book One: The Launch—releases August 31, 2024
Book Two: Supernova—releases October 26, 2024
Book Three: The Space Between—releases December 21, 2024
Book Four: Starlight & Dark Nights—releases February 22, 2025
Book Five: Across the Universe—releases April 26, 2025
Book Six: The Light Year—releases June 21, 2025
Book Seven: A Galaxy of Comets—releases August 23, 2025
Book Eight: The Landing—releases October 25, 2025
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There's Always a Catch
- A hilarious and heartwarming family-drama set in paradise
- By: Stephanie Taylor
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance2.5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
A hilarious tropical romp: When stagnation threatens the future of her beloved island, mayor Holly goes head-to-head with the community’s elderly retirees. With secrets swirling, family drama brewing, and an ex-boyfriend hanging around, can Holly find a way to save her slice of paradise? With her beloved island's future on the line, Mayor Holly Baxter must choose between progress and the status quo, and she'll go up against a small army of golf cart driving retirees to do it. Throw in some major family drama, long-kept secrets, and the complication of a new romance that sparks under the ...
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4 out of 5 stars
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Better than I thought!
- By Melanie on 10-21-24
By: Stephanie Taylor
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Magnolia Wednesdays
- By: Wendy Wax
- Narrated by: Käthe Mazur
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 206
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 183
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 183
At 41, Vivian Armstrong Gray's life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says "yes" to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito. Down South, it's her sister's ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life - and where unexpected friendships develop.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Painful. And not in a good way.
- By Kate on 01-24-13
By: Wendy Wax
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Dancing Barefoot
- Christmas Key Book Eight
- By: Stephanie Taylor
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story5 out of 5 stars 7
Spring comes in like a lion on Christmas Key, bringing heat, humidity, and April Fools Day pranks, but leaving romance and expectation in its wake… As usual, Mayor Holly Baxter has her hands full with a visiting group—this time a reunion for a family of redheads famous for starring on a reality show—and life on the island is changing once again. She and Miguel are still happy as clams, spending more time together than apart, and the promise of an upcoming wedding on the island has everyone daydreaming about love. But there are more twists and turns than the locals can imagine, and ...
By: Stephanie Taylor
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Baby, It's Warm Outside
- Christmas Key Book Six
- By: Stephanie Taylor
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
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Story5 out of 5 stars 8
Tinsel and lights and cocoa and...murder?! The islanders welcome the first big boat full of visitors to their new dock, and with them, a murder mystery weekend that involves Santa, Mrs. Claus, and an elf with legs like a Rockette. Mayor Holly Baxter is juggling her growing feelings for the island’s newest resident, a letter that arrives in the mail with news she isn’t even sure she wants, and Bonnie’s sudden interest in yet another man who threatens to draw her away from Christmas Key. Will the magic of the season be lost as the body count rises and the mystery builds? Or will the ...
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5 out of 5 stars
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The virtual voice....
- By Melanie on 11-19-24
By: Stephanie Taylor
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The Throwaway
- Shipwreck Key Book Three
- By: Stephanie Taylor
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8
When a woman is prized first and foremost for her looks, what does she have left to offer when the world decides those looks are fading? Marigold Pim, once the darling of the modeling world, graced the covers of nearly every prestigious fashion magazine on the planet. Her beauty made her the epitome of glamour as a young woman—and also led her straight into the arms of Cobb Hartley, the famous-but-troubled British rockstar. They raised a son together and endured two decades of a complicated marriage, but now they’re happily divorced and living their lives on different continents. For ...
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2 out of 5 stars
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Good story it was interesting
- By Amazon Customer on 08-02-24
By: Stephanie Taylor
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Murder on the Golden Arrow
- Kitty Worthington Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Magda Alexander
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 114
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 99
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 99
England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a fish fork and a salad one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home. But minutes after she and her brother Ned board the Golden Arrow, the unthinkable happens. A woman with a mysterious connection to her brother is poisoned, and the murderer can only be someone aboard the train. When Scotland Yard hones on Ned as the main suspect, Kitty sets out to investigate.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Cozy mystery
- By Patricia V. on 06-26-23
By: Magda Alexander
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Double Whammy
- A Davis Way Crime Caper, Book 1
- By: Gretchen Archer
- Narrated by: Amber Benson
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 503
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 452
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 450
Davis Way thinks she's hit the jackpot when she lands a job as the fifth wheel on an elite security team at the fabulous Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. But once there, she runs straight into her ex-ex-husband, a rigged slot machine, her evil twin, and a trail of dead bodies. Davis learns the truth, and it does not set her free - in fact, it lands her in the pokey. Buried under a mistaken identity, her hot streak runs cold until her landlord, Bradley Cole, steps in.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Love completing the set with the same reader
- By Susan on 03-04-19
By: Gretchen Archer
What listeners say about The Launch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Annette Hanke
- 10-08-24
The narration was terrible!
The narration was awful! It did not help that the language used by the characters was too formal and verbose. My third criticism is the introduction of the social justice theme of downtrodden women, desperately looking for fulfillment. I will not be continuing the series.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-18-25
I liked the story, but not a fan of the AI narrator.
Good story about a time in history I’ve always enjoyed. I disliked the AI narrator though. The voice inflection was often off or mispronounced.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Sara W. McDaniel
- 01-29-25
Loved the story, not narration.
Great story but the AI narration is horrible. Struggled to get through bc of that- definitely would be better as a read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lyndsey Allender
- 11-09-24
Nostalgic Setting; Intriguing Characters
I’m SO excited for this new series from Taylor! The time period is new territory for her and it did not disappoint. I loved hearing and imagining all the 60s family goings-on with this seeming classic family that’s more complex than they appear. It’s my first-ever AI-voiced listen and it was incredibly good! Not perfect, but solid inflection and pronunciation.
I’m starting book 2 just as soon as I’m done typing here….
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Ruby's Heemah
- 09-25-24
AI Narration is unbearable.
The AI narration is unbearable. I moved to Cocoa, FL when I was 6 years old, because of the influx of construction. My father was a builder. I have photos of myself under rockets at Cape Kennedy and remember the space race design on buildings all over the Cape and surrounding areas. I really wanted to listen to this book. However, the AI narration is unbearable. There is no emotion and inflection is on the wrong part of words and sentences. I won’t be listening to any books narrated by AI.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- KS Parker
- 10-09-24
Horrible AI Narration.
The AI narration is terrible. There’s some sort of feedback and there’s a lot of squeaking and the narrator is a monotone and it’s just horrible. The book itself really has no plot. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never did. I don’t recommend this book.
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