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Speaking of Audiobooks: February 2010 Releases

The Cinderella DealAs I looked this past week for upcoming audiobook releases scheduled for later in 2010, I found a number that not only merited mention but had me quite enthused as well.  It looks as though Married by Morning, Lisa Kleypas’ fourth in the Hathaway series, is scheduled for May while the fifth in the series, Love in the Afternoon, is scheduled for August.  Julia London has a contemporary, One Season of Sunshine, coming in July while another popular medieval from Julie Garwood’s backlist, Honor’s Splendour, is being released in June.  And last of today’s noteworthy mentions for 2010, but certainly not least, is Linda Howard’s After the Night in May.  I think my love of Linda Howard books is well known and After the Night is one of my favorites despite its rather difficult hero since it also features one of my favorite Howard heroines.

Leftovers from January

Each month we deal with surprise new releases that failed to make our upcoming new audiobook releases list over at AAR.  Here are just a few of those surprises and be sure to check out the updated January new releases list as well.

Brockmann, Suzanne – Stand-In Groom

Carr, Robyn – Paradise Valley: Virgin River, Book 7

Dahl, Victoria – Lead Me On

Lowell, Elizabeth – Winter Fire

Miller, Linda Lael – Montana Creeds: Tyler

Spencer, LaVyrle – Morning Glory (abridged)

Audiobook Romances on Sale in February

Abridged

Brown, Sandra – Exclusive

Coulter, Catherine – Eleventh Hour

Feehan, Christine – Burning Wild

Fielding, Joy – The Wild Zone

Lindsey, Johanna – Johanna Lindsey CD Collection 4: Love Me Forever, Say You Love Me

Robb, J.D. – Fantasy in Death

Robb, J.D. – Naked in Death

Roberts, Nora – Jewels of the Sun

Roberts, Nora – Key of Light

Steele, Danielle – Big Girl

Steele, Danielle – Danielle Steel CD Collection 2: A Good Woman, One Day at a Time

Seduced by Shadows2Unabridged

Brown, Sandra – Exclusive

Crusie, Jennifer – The Cinderella Deal

Feehan, Christine – Burning Wild

Fielding, Joy – The Wild Zone

Grange, Amanda – Mr. Darcy, Vampyre

Macomber, Debbie – Marriage Risk, The: A Selection from Midnight Sons, Volume 1

Mallery, Susan – Hot on Her Heels

Quick, Amanda – Reckless

Robb, J.D. – Big Jack

Robb, J.D. – Fantasy in Death

Slade, Jessa – Seduced by Shadows

Steele, Danielle – Big Girl

Additions of my Audio Library

A Matter of Class – Mary Balogh

It took a while to convince myself that I wanted to spend a full credit at Audible for a four hour audiobook.  However, after reading varied favorable opinions as well as Ellen’s DIK review at AAR, I decided to take a chance when I discovered it on sale for $8.25.

The Cinderella Deal – Jennifer Crusie

On a bit of a Crusie audiobook glom these days, I’m expecting more laughs but was intrigued to read that this particular series romance from 1996 also offers a good bit of poignancy as well.

Kill and Tell – Linda Howard

More suspense than romance, Kill and Tell still delivers a strong romance, an alpha hero, and a smart likable heroine.  Excited at this, the latest audio release of Howard’s backlist, I purchased it immediately and I’m listening to it now.

Recent Reads

Don’t Look Down – Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Upon its release in 2006, I participated in a Pandora’s Box discussion of Don’t Look Down – a joint effort between well known romance writer Crusie and Mayer, a former Green Beret and multi-genre author.   Although it’s categorized as fiction, there’s enough to satisfy most romance readers if you’re open to a very male point of view.  Last month I listened to the audio version in hopes the dual narration by Patrick Lawlor and Renee Raudman would add yet another intriguing dimension to this suspenseful tale but found that although the narration did benefit from the male/female voices, the overall production was uneven with frequent changes in sound quality as narrators shifted one to the other.  I don’t see this as an audiobook I’ll revisit since the narration added little to a book I already considered too long on suspense.

First Comes Marriage – Mary Balogh

I reviewed First Comes Marriage for AAR in 2009 granting it DIK status and it was my love of its story line that carried my favorable experience with the audio version.  Anne Flosnik performs adequately as narrator although her sluggish delivery along with the failure to consistently distinguish voices did serve as more of a distraction than a positive for overall listening enjoyment.  Regardless, I was captivated as I listened and figured a less than perfect narration was a small price to pay for hours of truly pleasurable entertainment.  Oh, and I think I’ve mentioned it before but it warrants saying again – this has the best proposal scene ever.

Time for Your Thoughts

What new releases are you looking forward to?

Do you know of any February releases that failed to make this list?

What are the latest additions to your audio library?

What are your latest audio successes or failures?

Ending Notes

Please check AAR’s main site for monthly lists of upcoming audiobook releases,

For those new to our Speaking of Audiobooks column, be sure to check out our audio archives for further recommendations and discussions.

See you again later this month.

– Lea Hensley

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