Audiobook Review: The Secret Life of Anna Blanc by Jennifer Kincheloe

Publisher: Jennifer R. Kincheloe, Ltd⎮2016
Author: Jennifer Kincheloe
Narrator: Moira Quirk

Length: 12h 44m
Release date: Nov. 14, 2016

Genre: Historical Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis

It's 1907 Los Angeles. Mischievous socialite Anna Blanc is the kind of young woman who devours purloined crime novels, but must disguise them behind covers of more domestically-appropriate reading. She could match wits with Sherlock Holmes, but in her world women are not allowed to hunt criminals. Determined to break free of the era's rigid social roles, Anna buys off the chaperone assigned by her domineering father and, using an alias, takes a job as a police matron with the Los Angeles Police Department. There she discovers a string of brothel murders, which the cops are unwilling to investigate. Seizing her one chance to solve a crime, she takes on the investigation herself. If the police find out, she'll get fired; if her father finds out, he'll disown her; and if her fiancé finds out, he'll cancel the wedding. Midway into her investigation, the police chief's son, Joe Singer, learns her true identity, and shortly thereafter she learns about blackmail. Anna must choose - either hunt the villain and risk losing her father, fiancé, and wealth, or abandon her dream and leave the killer on the loose.

What Did I Think About the Story?

Reading the synopsis of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc, I was instantly drawn to it as it has so many components that I love in historical fiction: a look into the customs and culture of the time period in which it takes place; a resourceful, intelligent female battling against the set stereotypes of the time; some sort of drama/action/adventure to keep me interested.  I've also been hearing great buzz about this audiobook version and was delighted at the prospect of finding another delicious audiobook to make my commute less frustrating and boring then it typically is. I'm happy to say that I did enjoy listening to Anna's story unfold very much, even if I did have some issues with the main heroine herself.

Speaking of Anna Blanc (or Anna Holmes or Ami Amour depending on whether she was using one of her aliases or not), I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a huge fan of her as a character. She was quite selfish, impulsive, and arrogant and this all served to undermined her natural talents at detective work and obvious intelligence. She seemed to act without any regard for how her actions would effect other people and even destroyed the property of other people without seeming to care. She also came off as somewhat flighty at times, which made for a really odd dichotomy between her obvious abilities and her ditzy persona. She seemed shocked when people didn't take her seriously, but then did things over and over again that would  make anyone not take her seriously! I'm not sure if I missed something by this being a listening experience over reading the actual book but I just had the hardest time wrapping my head around Anna Blanc.

Now, that being said, I loved almost all of the other characters! Joe Singer was an amazingly charming character and the brothel girls were hilarious. Actually, there was quite a bit of humor amongst most of the characters and I found the banter to be very entertaining. The actual search for the killer of the brothel girls was interesting as well and I can honestly say that I had no idea who the killer was and was surprised when he revealed himself.

Even with the delightful secondary characters, my absolute favorite aspect of this audiobook would have to be the narrator, Moira Quirk. She was amazing! Her ability to change her voice and make every single character distinct was unlike any other narrator I've listened to before. She was easily able to express the humor and danger and romance wherever it needed to be and made me excited to keep turning it on to listen to a little bit more whenever I could.

Anna Blanc herself aside, The Secret Life of Anna Blanc was very entertaining.  While I didn't connect with this particular heroine I can see how others might really enjoy her contradictory nature and, regardless, her adventures searching for a killer definitely keep your attention.

What Did I Think About the Cover

I found the audiobook cover that I've included above quite plain, but the book cover has a fashionably dressed woman hiding her face behind a large hat and I find that cover to be much more fitting for the story.


My Rating: 3.5/5.0





Thank you to Audiobookworm Promotions for a free audiobook copy of The Secret Life of Anna Blanc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. Please see below for more information about the author, narrator, and the rest of the blog tour.

  



About the Author

Jennifer has been a block layer, a nurse's aid, a fragrance model, and on the research faculty at UCLA, where she spent 11 years conducting studies to inform health policy. A native of Southern California, she now lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two teenagers. She's currently writing book three in the Anna Blanc Mystery series. Book two, THE WOMAN IN THE CAMPHOR TRUNK, is coming out in Fall of 2017 from Seventh Street Books.

About the Narrator

Moira grew up in teeny-tiny Rutland, England’s smallest county, which is fitting as she never managed to make it past five feet herself. Moira’s work spans the pantheon of the voiceover world: plays for BBC radio, plays for NPR, video games, commercials, television promos, podcasts, cartoons, movies and award winning audiobooks. She's won Multiple Audie Awards, Earphone Awards, as well as Audible's prestigious Book-of-the-Year Award. She has lately set foot in front of the camera again, appearing in “Pretty: the Series” and the Emmy-winning “Dirty Work.”

Buy the Book

Audible⎮Amazon

The Secret Life of Anna Blanc Tour Schedule

Mar. 1: Chapter Break (Review, Spotlight, Dream Cast, & Narrator Interview)

Mar. 2: Candid Ceillie (Review & Author Interview)

Mar. 3: The Bookworm Central (Review)

             Rolo Polo Book Blog (Spotlight & Music Playlist)

Mar. 4: Lilly's Book World (Review)

Mar. 5: The Desert Bibliophile (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 6: A Bookaholic Swede (Review)

             terriluvsbooks (Review & Dream Cast)

Mar. 7: Working Mommy Journal (Review)

Mar. 8: The Maiden's Court (Review)

             The Bookworm Lodge (Spotlight)

             A Literary Vacation (Review)

Mar. 9: Babs Book Bistro (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 10: Dab of Darkness (Review)

               Desert Rose Reviews (Review, Music Playlist, & Dream Cast)

Mar. 11: Literature Approved (Review)

              Spunky 'n Sassy (Review & Spotlight)

Mar. 12: History From A Woman's Perspective (Review)

Mar. 13: Jorie Loves A Story (Review)

               Bound4Escape (Review)





Audiobook Review: The Plague and I by Betty MacDonald (Narrated by Heather Henderson )

Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press

Pub. Date: April 8th, 2016

Author: Betty MacDonald
Narrator: Heather Henderson

Length: 8 hours 48 minutes

Genre: Humor, Memoir

Book Series: Betty MacDonald Memoirs #2

Synopsis

The Plague and I recounts MacDonald's experiences in a Seattle sanitarium, where the author spent almost a year (1938-39) battling tuberculosis. The White Plague was no laughing matter, but MacDonald nonetheless makes a sprightly tale of her brush with something deadly.

What Did I Think About the Book?

I have to admit that I had never heard of Betty MacDonald before listening to The Plague and I, her memoir regarding her experiences in a tuberculosis sanitarium and her sometimes serious/sometimes comical adventures in health and illness. I'm so glad I decided to listen to this audiobook as the author's world, told through this wonderful story and by a remarkable narrator, was really interesting and gave me a view into an experience and setting I never would have been able to experience otherwise.

The story begins with MacDonald's recap of the opposing attempts at health education and application between her father and grandmother as she and her siblings grew up. Her father was quite strict regarding exercise and diet while her grandmother sort of made up her own rules regarding health and illness and classified the children's illnesses into set diseases regardless of their symptoms. Ironically, in the end her most serious illness, tuberculosis, was inflicted on her by no fault or lack of discipline of her own.

The bulk of the story takes place in the sanitarium and it was fascinating learning the odd yet strangely effective treatments and rules employed to hopefully cure the many patients at The Pines. I was amazed at the humor MacDonald was able to demonstrate given her situation and what she was expected to do - or not do - in the name of a cure. They were made to spend the vast bulk of their time lying in a cold bed without speaking or coughing and without making any relationships that could hinder their progress. I'm so glad that MacDonald played a little loose with the rules and we were invited along for the ride.

My favorite part of the narrative would have to be the many quirky and therefore humorous characters MacDonald met at the sanitarium. Her roommates, especially the soft spoken Kimmy with the biting wit, made her time in bed as fun as possible. The other patients were a myriad of the absurd - from hypochondriacs to Negative Nancy's to unusually optimistics - and it was so fun watching them on their own journeys through this memoirist's eyes. The nurses and doctors were not very friendly (with the exception of a few) and their strict rules became almost comical as they seemed to think they were working with robots instead of social creatures like humans. This insulated world and its strange cast of characters were unlike anything I'd seen before.

The narrator (Heather Henderson) was excellent. My favorite qualities of a good narrator are their ability to alter their voice based on the various characters and to express the emotions appropriately that the author meant to express with their words. Henderson did an excellent job of changing her voice up based on who was speaking, which is amazing because there is quite an extensive cast of characters. I never had to guess at who was speaking and I really appreciate that when listening to an audiobook. Henderson also easily expressed the humor intrinsic in each line of the story and it kept the mood light and breezy when it could have easily taken on a darker tone.

The Plague and I was the perfect story for an audiobook. It's interesting, informative, and oh so funny. I'm curious to learn more about the author and am definitely planning on listening to more audiobooks by this narrator. All in all a very pleasant listening experience.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

Sadly the cover does nothing for me. It very plain and, other than having the picture of the author in the bottom corner, doesn't really offer anything of interest to look at. I'm not even a very big fan of the color scheme. So much more could have been done to make it appealing.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Thank you to Audiobookworm Promotions for a free audiobook copy of The Plague and I in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. Please see below for more information about the author, narrator, and the rest of the blog tour.

About the Author: Betty Macdonald

Betty Bard MacDonald (1907–1958), the best-selling author of The Egg and I and the classic Mrs.

Piggle-Wiggle children’s books, burst onto the literary scene shortly after the end of World War II. Readers embraced her memoir of her years as a young bride operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, andThe Egg and I sold its first million copies in less than a year. The public was drawn to MacDonald’s vivacity, her offbeat humor, and her irreverent take on life. In 1947, the book was made into a movie starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, and spawned a series of films featuring MacDonald's Ma and Pa Kettle characters.

MacDonald followed up the success of The Egg and I with the creation of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a magical woman who cures children of their bad habits, and with three additional memoirs: The Plague and I (chronicling her time in a tuberculosis sanitarium just outside Seattle), Anybody Can Do Anything (recounting her madcap attempts to find work during the Great Depression), and Onions in the Stew (about her life raising two teenage daughters on Vashon Island).

Author Paula Becker was granted full access to Betty MacDonald’s archives, including materials never before seen by any researcher. Looking for Betty MacDonald, the first official biography of this endearing Northwest storyteller, reveals the story behind the memoirs and the difference between the real Betty MacDonald and her literary persona.

About the Narrator: Heather Henderson

Heather Henderson is a voice actress and audiobook narrator with a 20-year career in literary and performing arts. Her narrations include the NYT bestseller (now also a feature film) Brain on Fire; and Sharon Creech's The Boy on the Porch, which won her an Earphones award and was named one of the Best Children's Audiobooks for 2013 by Audiofile Magazine. She earned her Doctor of Fine Arts degree at the Yale School of Drama, and is co-curator of AudioEloquence.com, a pronunciation research site for the audiobook industry. In 2015, Heather was a finalist for a Voice Arts Award (Outstanding Narration, Audiobook Classics), for her narration of Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I.

The Plague and I Blog Tour Schedule

Jan. 11: A Page To Turn (Giveaway, Spotlight, & Audio Excerpt)
Jan. 12: Dab of Darkness (Review & Giveaway)
Jan. 13: The Pursuit of Bookishness (Review, Giveaway, Spotlight, & Audio Excerpt)
Jan. 14: terriluvsbooks (Spotlight)
Jan. 15: Kristine Hallways (Review, Giveaway, & Audio Excerpt)
Jan. 16: Blogger Nicole (Spotlight)
Jan. 17: Jorie Loves A Story (Review)
Jan. 18: Ali the Dragon Slayer (Review)
Jan. 19: The Bookworm Lodge (Spotlight)
Jan. 24: Never 2 Many 2 Read (Review & Giveaway)
Jan. 25: Country Girl Bookaholic (Giveaway, Spotlight, & Audio Excerpt)
Jan. 26: He Said Books Or Me (Review)
Jan. 27: Bound4Escape (Review)
Jan. 28: Working Mommy (Review & Giveaway)
Jan. 29: Avid Book Collector (Review, Giveaway, Spotlight, & Audio Excerpt)
Jan. 30: A Literary Vacation (Review)
Jan. 31: January Gray Reviews (Review)

Audiobook Review: The Cryptic Lines by Richard Storry

Author: Richard Storry
Narrator: Jake Urry
Publisher: Richard Alan Storry
Length: 4 hours and 13 minutes (unabridged)

Audio Release Date: March 16, 2016

Genre: Mystery

Synopsis

Set in a sprawling gothic mansion in a remote coastal location, somewhere in the British Isles, the elderly recluse Lord Alfred Willoughby is deciding what is to become of his vast fortune after his death. Whilst his head is telling him to leave nothing at all to his wastrel son, Matthew, his heart is speaking differently. After much deliberation, in a last-ditch attempt to try and show to his son the importance of applying himself to a task and staying with it to the end, he devises a series of enigmatic puzzles cunningly concealed within the lines of a poem – the cryptic lines. If he completes the task successfully and solves the puzzles he will inherit the entire estate; but if he fails he will receive nothing. However, from Lord Alfred’s Will it emerges that Matthew is not the only interested party. The mysterious old house holds many secrets, and nothing is as it first appears…

What Did I Think About the Story?

Every year when the seasons begin to move towards longer nights and cooler weather, my reading and listening mood starts shifting more and more towards the scary, dark, and mysterious. When I saw this cover and read the synopsis I thought it sounded like the perfect eerie mystery to listen to on my commute to and from work. I just can't get enough of gothic mansions and hidden secrets! While the story wasn't necessarily as "spooky" as I anticipated, it did present an exciting and twisty adventure that was full of family drama and revelations.

One aspect I found very well done was the attention given to building a truly ominous atmosphere around the mystery at the heart of the story. The setting being a dark, isolated, windswept mansion by the sea, slowly falling apart around its aging owner - a rich and eccentric sort of man - sets up the perfect backdrop in which to have characters skulking around corners and through family cemeteries. The house itself almost becomes it's own character with a sort of decrepit opulence and I absolutely loved following along as our two main characters, Lord Willoughby's son, Matthew, and his solicitor, Charles, explored it and the surrounding grounds. While it became clear pretty early on that this wasn't a ghost story, I did keep expecting to see something spectral pop up around every corner!

The grand hunt Lord Willoughby sets up for Matthew and Charles was also very well constructed. Setting the two on a task to find a sapphire, using clues with double meanings and a time limit in place to ensure they work quickly, the men must use all of their wits and resources to find the sapphire first. The man who finds the sapphire will inherit the Lord's entire fortune...the  man who comes in last gets nothing. And the clues left for them are anything but easy! Let's just say there are plenty of twists and turns, hidden passageways and secret rooms to discover and explore before the end is finally in sight.

What I really didn't expect, but still enjoyed, was how wrapped up in family this story and quest became. There's a lot of love and hurt, heartache and disappointment, floating around these characters and quite a few family secrets that are revealed by the end. I have to admit that I suspected the biggest reveal pretty early on but there were still a few that I never saw coming. There was also mention on and off about Charles's ex-fiancé and why she left him, but that plotline didn't seem to go anywhere and I'm not really sure it needed to be included. I'm also not sure I agree with all the choices the characters made, however the intentions and motivations behind these choices were easy to see.

I have to commend the narrator (Jake Urry) for his ability to keep the atmosphere tense and dramatic. I loved his voice for this sort of story (he sounded to me a lot like Vincent Price) and he kept things very low and ominous throughout most of the narrative. I was also impressed with his ability to keep the pace even and not rush or bog down the portions of the story that were more about the characters thinking about the clues then anything really happening. I would have possibly liked a little more variance between characters as it sometimes was hard to distinguish who was talking, but this was only a minor issue and I was really impressed overall.     

The Cryptic Lines was so much more than simply a chilling gothic mystery, although it did have a good bit of that as well. The mood and atmosphere was perfect for this time of year and I genuinely enjoyed trying to unravel the clues along with the characters. I recommend this for anyone who likes a quick, twisty tale about the lengths some people will go to for family.
  

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think the cover is perfect for the story! It's got that dark and eerie vibe that hangs over the whole narrative. I love that the house, which is so essential to the plot, takes up such a large portion as well....it almost gives off a haunted house feel, although that isn't actually part of the story. All in all it's definitely eye catching when you're looking for something mysterious or spooky!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jake Urry. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. Continue on below for more information regarding the author, narrator, and the rest of the blog tour.

 

 

About the Author: Richard Storry

 

Richard is the author of four published novels, with his fifth “A Looming of Vultures” due for
publication in 2017. Prior to writing his first novel, “The Cryptic Lines” he was very busy in the theatrical world: He composed the incidental music to Chekhov’s Three Sisters, seen in London’s West End, starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Eric Sykes, and subsequently broadcast on BBC4 television. His musical adaptation of “The Brothers Lionheart” premiered at London’s Pleasance Theatre, followed by a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival where it was voted Best Childrens’ Play. “The Cryptic Lines” has now been adapted for both the stage and screen.

Learn more about Richard on his website, and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

About the Narrator: Jake Urry





 

Jake Urry is a British actor and audiobook narrator, and also co-founder of Just Some Theatre. Since

graduating from an Acting degree course in 2012 he’s toured with Just Some Theatre as an actor and producer, worked on a number of commercial voice over projects and most recently started producing Audiobooks. Jake has produced over 10 titles since March 2016 and has rapidly found himself at home narrating Thriller, Horror, Mystery and Suspense titles. His audiobook work includes dark psychological thrillers White is the Coldest Colour and Portraits of the Dead by John Nicholl, occult mystery series The Ulrich Files by Ambrose Ibsen, and gritty Sci-Fi novel Shadows of Tomorrow by Jessica Meats.

 

Learn more about Jake on his website, Voices, and Soundcloud, and connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

 

The Cryptic Lines Tour Schedule

 

Oct. 23: Dab of Darkness (Review & Interview)
Oct. 24: My World in Words and Pages (Review)
Oct. 25: To Read Or Not To Read (Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Oct. 26: He Said Books Or Me (Review)
Oct. 27: Maureen’s Books Blog (Review)
Oct. 28: Desert Bibliophile (Review, Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Oct. 29: Never 2 Many 2 Read (Review & Spotlight)
Oct. 30: Bookaholic Banter (Review, Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Oct. 31: The Paper Pilgrim (Review)
Nov. 1: My Book Fix (Review, Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Nov. 2: Bound 4 Escape (Spotlight)
Nov. 3: Totally Addicted to Reading (Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Nov. 4: Books Are My Way of Living (Audio Excerpt)
Nov. 5: Highway YA (Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Nov. 6: Jorie Loves A Story (Review & Interview)
Nov. 7: Bedtime Bookworm (Review & Audio Excerpt)
Nov. 8: ShannonBookishLife (Spotlight)
Nov. 9: Book Journey (Review & Audio Excerpt)
Nov. 10: A Literary Vacation (Review)
Nov. 11: Avid Book Collector (Review, Audio Excerpt & Spotlight)
Nov. 12: Brooke Blogs (Review & Audio Excerpt)