The Unbelievers

The Awakening Series, Book 2

By: Lisa M. Lilly

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Tara Spencer is the new mother of a baby girl - one who, by all accounts, should not exist.

And though her worries go far beyond diapers and feeding times, she finds herself settling comfortably into the community of Willow Springs, away from the prying eyes of The Brotherhood religious order and former-flame-turned-betrayer Cyril Woods.

But when her daughter goes missing and her best friend is violently attacked, Tara's newfound sense of security comes to a screeching halt. She realizes that nowhere will be safe until she solves the mystery of her virgin pregnancy once and for all.

While DNA testing seems to lead to more questions than answers, Tara struggles to separate friend from foe - until a series of shocking discoveries finally shed light on the greater meaning behind her unusual situation.

In the stunning second installment of The Awakening series, societal roles are tested and religious norms questioned in a thrilling, paranormal pause resister combining elements of Rosemary's Baby and The Da Vinci Code.

©2014 Lisa M. Lilly (P)2015 Lisa M. Lilly

Not recommended as a stand alone book..

I was gifted this book for an honest review.

Although the plot was interesting, it was difficult to follow along with the story as it jumped from one character to another. I would firmly suggest if you get this book that you read the series in order as this book does not read well with prior knowledge of the story line.

Fast Paced

This book was gifted to me via AudioBook Blast for an honest review. When it was given to me I asked if I would be able to jump into the story without having read the first book in the series..The author said I should be able to do that, but kindly offered me the first book also. I started the second book, realized I was lost and did take her up on her offer. It is this reviewer's recommendation to start with the first book before reading the second.

That being said, both these books have strong religious overtones. The protagonist Tara, a college student intending medical, school finds herself pregnant though she has never had intercourse. Needless to say, friends and family do not believe her (who would) and thus begins the cascade of events that ensue. If what she says is true, there are groups that believe Tara's child may be the next Messsiah, as well as others that think her and her child are evil. Throughout, the philosophies of the three major monotheistic religions are brought to light, and if I were a religious person, would give me food for thought. Though I am not, the story itself stood up well enough to hold my interest.

Both narrators did a good job (first and second book), both voices were clear and both read with a straightforward storytelling style. I was confused at few times as the second book has many events happening simultaneously around the world with many different characters. Sometimes I was unaware there was a scene change. Being a narrator myself, I realize one can get so caught up in the story that you forget the intended audience (a listener) needs your cues to know a new situation is happening (pauses etc.). Overall though, worth the listen!

Immaculate conception part 2

This is the second book in The Awakenings series. I recommend reading book one before this one.

I found it fascinating to see how a story of immaculate conception might play out in today's society. In the first book, Tara finds out she is pregnant. This book continues her story after the baby is born, maintaining the feeling of suspense throughout the book.

I liked and related to the main character. This book answered some of the questions left hanging after book one, but then left me dangling by my fingertips from the edge of the cliff with many more questions.

I listened to the audiobook edition which I received free in exchange for an honest review. There is a different narrator to book one, she spoke clearly and at a good pace.

Paranormal Mystery

Narration - Shiromi Arserio - Really Good! I loved her voice. I could listen to her all day. There's just something about her tone and the way she speaks...Really loved her voice. As a narrator, she is best as the storyteller. Smooth and solid. She doesn't seem to do a big variety of character voices. There were a few variations and some characters with really terrific accents, but for the most part, you listen to content to determine who was who, but as I said, she's still a great storyteller.

One thing that made it a little tough to listen to (I'm assuming vs. reading) is that there are places within a chapter where the scene entirely changes and, for example, we go from a scene with Tara and her sister, then flip to a scene with Cyril and Pete. I'm assuming in the print version, there's probably a little symbol of some kind indicating a change in the scene, but in the audio format, you have no indicator that the scene is changing. I got lost a few times and had to rewind - maybe a longer pause between those scene changes would help? BUT, with that said, at least I enjoyed the book enough to care about rewinding so I could stay on top of things.

The thing I did wrong was to listen to this without having listened to the first one. Don't do that!!!! While it was still enjoyable and enough details are revisited so that I had a pretty good idea of some of the things that happened in the first one, I would have enjoyed it much more had I listened to the first one. So now, I need to go and get the first one and listen and then I'm sure I'll listen to this one again.

This is what I would call a paranormal mystery and I'm completely fascinated with the story line. It's well written, the character's are well developed and it's really been an enjoyable listen.

My first thought upon finishing?
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" So, I'm ready for book three RIGHT NOW!

I received a copy of this audiobook free of charge from audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review

The Believer of a good book?

The Unbelievers: The Awakening Series, Book 2 by Lisa M. Lilly. Why end a book in a middle of a story? I was SO disappointed it ended in the middle of the story, that i feel cheated! i feel so angry about this that i don't want to writhe more about the book! BUT i guess i have to... I have not read book one, and i hate when that happens, so how can i tell you something about this when i have not read the first? Well, i guess book 1 did not end the same way as this book, that is how!

When a book says: Narrated by Shiromi Arserio you get a good narrator. 8 hrs and 39 mins with her makes me happy! I like her! She can be a bit dry in her deliverance, and that but her down from a perfect 5 star! When that is said i think 8 hrs and 39 mins with The Unbelievers: The Awakening Series, Book 2 would feel longer without Shiromi Arserio!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

Great Story!

I don’t usually read many books from this genre, but I really enjoyed this one. The narration brought the story to life and held my interest throughout. The story was well thought out, complete and will keep you listening. I will be watching for this author in the future.

* I was provided a free copy of this book from AudioBookBlast for an honest review.

What a book

Would you listen to The Unbelievers again? Why?

This book was not for me. It took awhile for me to get into the book; when I did I struggled with it's context based on my own Christian beliefs. Overall it is a really well written book. I thought about discontinuing listening to the book, but I made the commitment to review it so I listened to the very end. I might have liked the book better if I had listened to or read the first book in the series, I did feel a little lost.

If you’ve listened to books by Lisa M. Lilly before, how does this one compare?

This is the first book I have listened to by this author so I am not able to do any comparisons.

Which scene was your favorite?

The healing scenes

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Devine

Any additional comments?

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com.

A great second book.

Any additional comments?

I liked book 1 well enough that I continued onto this, and I'm glad to say that this is better than the first. You are brought into the story from the very start and will be eagerly listening to see what happens.

Tara's daughter was born at the end of book 1, and Tara hopes that things will be different now that she is here, but she is wrong. She and her daughter are in more danger than ever with everyone wanting to know what she is. With her daughter in more danger, Tara decides that it's necessary to leave her behind and travel further to get the answers she needs to survive.

Tara has really grown since book 1. She now has, not only herself, but her daughter to think of, and it's really brought her strength forward. She makes tough decisions in this one and knows that for them to be safe, she needs answers. She leaves her daughter in her families hands and travels to some remote places in search of who her daughter may be. With some thinking she is the messiah and some thinking she is still the anti christ, Tara knows deep down that her daughter is special, but she needs to know why.

We see different POVs in this one, which I liked a lot. We have Taras fathers perspective, which gives an insight to who he is and why he wanted her committed when he thought she was lying, though he still finds it hard to believe!! We see Cyril back too, though I still haven't forgiven him for what he did to Tara, and I'm glad she doesn't either! Both of these play an important part to the overall story and I liked seeing it from their view.

The plot of this one is really fast paced and intense. Some of the mysteries are unraveled and some of the questions from book 1 are answered but we are left with even more than before! We are also left with quite a cliffhanger. In all honesty, I thought the book was missing pages because it stopped so abruptly. It just seems to end all of a shot and it left me reeling. I was like, How can it be left like that!!!! I need the next one yesterday ;)

In all, this is an intriguing and thrilling read. It will make you think, it will grab you and leave you wanting more, it will entwine you into the story till you turn the last page, or in my case, listen to the last minute. It's an interesting story and I can't wait for the next one.

The narrator for this one is different than the first, and I'm glad for the change. Shiromi Arserio was great. She is pleasant to listen to and really gives her all. She brought the characters and story alive and I hope she narrates #3!!

*I received a copy of this from Audio Book Blast in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Good book

BOOK REVIEW.....
A good page turner of a story. I really liked this book. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters. . I think the author did a good job developing the characters and creating an interesting story that will leave you guessing as to who is good and who is bad. And what does everyone truly want ? I look forward to book 3 and highly recommend this series.

AUDIO REVIEW......
I found the narrator to be very good at reading the book as well as giving the characters life and voice.

*****Received this via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review. ****
L. .

great book

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

enjoyed listening