Speaking of Audiobooks: February 2010 Releases
As 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
Unabridged
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