Audio Book Review: Unforgettable by Eric James Stone

I enjoyed this entertaining futuristic spy adventure.
Unforgettable
by Eric James Stone
Read by Bryson Carr

Run Time 8h 23min
Release Date: April 20, 2020
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Action Adventure, Mystery, Sci Fi, Spy Thriller
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher Description
In the near future, a fluke of quantum mechanics renders Nat Morgan utterly forgettable. No one can remember he exists for more than a minute after he’s gone. It’s a useful ability for his career as a CIA agent, even if he has to keep reminding his boss that he exists. Nat’s attempt to steal a quantum-chip prototype is thwarted when a former FSB agent, Yelena Semyonova, attempts to steal the same technology for the Russian mob. Along with a brilliant Iranian physicist who wants to defect, Nat and Yelena must work together to stop a ruthless billionaire from finishing a quantum supercomputer that will literally control the fate of the world.

Review:
Imagine if your own mother didn’t remember you after walking out of your room for one minute! This is the problem Nat Morgan has faced since he was born! His mother had to be his world as he grew up as the teachers and children in school wouldn’t remember him minutes after he walked out of the room. His mother did a good job until tragedy hit and changed their circumstances.

Nat had to find a way to make it on his own. He managed to convince the CIA to hire him and he was assigned a particular handler with special steps to remember Nat when he calls in from missions.

Nat obtains the quantum-chip prototype but his plan of escape is interrupted by a former FSB agent, Yelena. A fluke event puts the pair working together, although for different purposes. Nat wants to stop a master plot for control while Yelena is set on saving her sisters who have been kidnapped. It looks like cooperation might work best especially when they realize they need to obtain the help of a brilliant physicist who may be their only hope to stopping a tyrannical billionaire from completing a supercomputer that will control the world.

Nat is a little naïve but that is understandable due to his solitary upbringing. Being unforgettable has its advantages (storage closets come in handy) but there are more problems than you might think. His mother helped him to learn creative means to help others remember him when he needs them to.

The writing felt more like “light” entertainment than intense suspense. Still, the story moved along quickly, and I enjoyed the action and light romance. The suspense builds with a few twists and an ending that leaves open the possibility of more adventures. I recommend this to fans of futuristic, spy adventure.

Audio Notes: Bryson Carr does a good job with the narration. He provides the younger tone of the primary character but also provides appropriate accents and voices for the other characters. The energy and delivery enhance the reading experience for me.

Source: 8/30/2020 Chirp $2.99. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook, and 2021Alphabet Audio goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: Deal with the Devil: A Mercenary Librarians Novel by Kit Rocha

I really liked this post-apocalyptic biotech action/romance and will want to read more in the series.

Deal with the Devil: A Mercenary Librarians Novel
by Kit Rocha

Print Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (July 28, 2020)
ASIN: B07QMHKDGB
Genre: Action Adventure, Post-apocalyptic, Romance, Sci-Fi
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

Deal with the Devil is Orphan Black meets the post-apocalyptic Avengers by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author duo Kit Rocha.
Nina is an information broker with a mission—she and her team of mercenary librarians use their knowledge to save the hopeless in a crumbling America.
Knox is the bitter, battle-weary captain of the Silver Devils. His squad of supersoldiers went AWOL to avoid slaughtering innocents, and now he's fighting to survive.
They’re on a deadly collision course, and the passion that flares between them only makes it more dangerous. They could burn down the world, destroying each other in the process…
Or they could do the impossible: team up.
This is the first book in a near-future science fiction series with elements of romance.

Review:
Nina and her friends, Maya and Dani, were raised under a program of clones and genetic modification. They each have special and unique skills, tactical strategies, fighting and assassination expertise, and retrievable memories of extensive info. These women were trained to be used as tools, and weapons, as might be directed by the powerful. Somehow along the way, Nina’s conscious helped her to escape with Maya and Dani. Now, in addition to protecting her team, the girls serve their community by providing food, treasured books, and more.

Knox is a cynical, battle-weary captain of a squad of supersoldiers widely known as the Silver Devils. Knox and his squad watched their handlers torture his medic to death. The remainder of the squad escaped the next chance they got. But they are living on borrowed time. The men were able to remove the trackers under their skin but the super strengths they have are based on supplements that are no longer available. They had hope that a specialist could tune their biometrics but she has been kidnapped. In order to ransom her, the Silver Devils need to team up with Nina and her team. Well… is it a team-up or a double-cross?

As the two teams travel to a distant target, there are natural tensions. Some are competitive issues but others are due to attempts to resist the sexual attraction, particularly between Nina and Knox. As the days and nights roll along the chemistry between them builds to a point of no resistance. Under Knox’s fiercely cold demeanor is a heart troubled by guilt and regrets. He admires Nina and thinks he could never be worthy of her caring nurture. But what will happen when they reach their destination and the true state of affairs is revealed?

I loved the strengths and vulnerabilities of the characters. There is plenty of tension and danger that kept me on edge. There were moments that required suspension of belief but I accepted that for the sake of the story. I enjoyed the enhanced skills, the action, the suspense, and the romance. I hope to read more in the series. I recommend this to those who enjoy futuristic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi with romance.

Source: NetGalley 2020. This qualifies for 2020NetGalley and 2020Alphabet goals.

#NetGalley Book Review: Nothing to Fear by Juno Rushdan

I liked the suspense and the unique characters in this romance.
Nothing to Fear
by Juno Rushdan

File Size: 1960 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 27, 2019)
ASIN: B07NRSHHWF
Genre: Action Adventure, Romantic Suspense, Terrorism Thriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.

The clock is ticking.
Fearsome Gray Box operative Gideon Stone is devoted to his work and his team. He's never given reason to doubt his loyalty...until he's tasked with investigating Willow Harper, a beguiling cryptologist suspected of selling deadly bio-agents on the black market.
He knows she's innocent. He knows she's being framed. And he knows that without him, Willow will be dead before sunrise.
Thrust into the crossfire of an insidious international conspiracy, Gideon will do anything to keep Willow safe...even if that means waging war against his own. With time running out, an unlikely bond pushes limits—and forges loyalties. Every move they make counts. And the real traitor is always watching...

Review:
There is a mole in the secret, off the grid, government agency the Gray Box. Gideon Stone, Reaper, is one of the handful of operatives who is not under suspicion. He has been assigned to investigate Willow Harper, a cryptologist and computer tech wizard who is one of the suspects. Gideon believes that Willow is innocent, and his opinion is reinforced as he gets closer to her and learns more of her secrets.

When the evidence points directly at Willow, Gideon is convinced that she is being framed. He determines that his task is now to protect her and that they have to get out of the office before she is taken into custody.

Gideon and Willow escape the base under fire. They know they are on the run from their own team of operatives and soon they realize that they must survive professional assassins coming after Willow, and now Gideon too. The pair cling together as they dodge death and try to uncover the identity of the true traitor.

Meanwhile Gideon is trying to resist his personal interest in Willow. In his mind, she deserves better than a trained killer which is what he is when needed. Willow is enthralled by Gideon and his ability to survive a troubled childhood and a brutal occupation. She would like nothing better than to steal moments with him, even for a limited time. But if she gets her wish will she really be able to step back into a co-worker attitude? And will Gideon be able to turn his back on her?

I really liked the unusual personal issues that Willow has to deal with. This added a special element to the story and her relationship with Gideon. As in the first book, Every Last Breath, the plot is suspenseful, tension-filled and intense. Unfortunately, I felt this book was more focused on the sexual tension and relationship between Willow and Gideon than on the traitor and underlying enemy issues. I don’t mind character chemistry, but I prefer it when that is the second element with the suspense taking priority. I still enjoyed the story but would be a bit more cautious about jumping into the third book. I can recommend this as a strong romantic suspense and a good read for those who enjoy focus on the personal/sexual elements.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

#NetGalley Book Review: Every Last Breath by Juno Rushdan

This is fast-paced romantic suspense with intense situations and characters.

Every Last Breath
by Juno Rushdan

File Size: 1898 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 30, 2019)
ASIN: B07L434K5L
Genre: Action Adventure, Romantic Suspense, Terrorism Thriller
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

48 hours, 2 covert operatives, 1 chance to get it right
Maddox Kinkade is an expert at managing the impossible. Tasked with neutralizing a lethal bioweapon, she turns to the one person capable of helping her stop the threat of pandemic in time: the love of her life, back from the dead and mad as hell at her supposed betrayal. Recruiting Cole to save millions of lives may be harder than resisting the attraction still burning between them, but Maddox will do whatever it takes...even if it destroys her.
When Maddox crashes back into Cole Matthews' life, he wants to fight back. He wants to hate her. But the crisis is too strong to ignore, and soon the two former lovers find themselves working side-by-side in a breakneck race to stop a world-class killer with a secret that could end everything.
The clock is ticking.
A race-against-time romantic thriller, perfect for fans of JD Robb and Mary Burton!

Review:
Maddox is a specialized CIA agent whose Gray Box team has been tasked with tracking, capturing the terrorists and recovering a stolen bioweapon. Maddox and her team have just returned from a mission and aren’t at 100% but they are ready to roll. Her superiors know that she could use extra help so they send the team to retrieve a non-CIA ‘asset’, Cole Matthews. The team shows up just in time to rescue Cole from a kidnapping by Russians. That is a bit of surprise but even more shocking to Maddox is the moment she sees Cole’s face.

Maddox knows this man as her almost fiancé who supposedly died nine years ago. She knows she made a mistake in betraying his family, but she went through extreme pain when she thought he was dead and has never moved on to another love. To cope with her losses, Maddox immersed herself in CIA training ending up in a covert organization. Maddox can’t understand how her first love could have allowed her to go through that pain of loss and she is livid. The only reason she would be willing to work with ‘Cole’ is the threat to innocent lives.

Cole created a new persona after Maddox’s betrayal devastated his family. He became a security specialist with the added background of assassin training. He never expected to see Maddox again and isn’t thrilled with the idea the agency he has always hated wants to use him. But once they pull him into the mission, there is no way he is going to let Maddox fight the danger without his protection.

The team knows the extreme risk of the bioweapon but they don’t realize the depth of the focused revenge intended by the enemy. Added to the dangerous mission is the discovery by the team that there is a mole in the base and they don’t know who they can trust.

This book in one word is “Intense”. The characters, Maddox and Cole, are intense ‘warriors’ aka operatives, who have personal history. The plot is suspenseful, tension-filled and intense. The same is true of the relationship between Maddox and Cole, plus there is a good dose of passion – both in anger and in chemistry. Their time together sizzles and sometimes they have to step back and remember the mission they have to complete before they can address all of their own issues. The story resolves the mission but leaves open the identity of the mole. I will be glad to read the next book in the series.

This has an excellent blend of tension, action and romance; Romantic Suspense just the way I like it. I highly recommend this to readers who like intense romantic suspense.

Source: NetGalley 2019. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

#NetGalley Book Review: Finder by Suzanne Palmer

I enjoyed this sci fi, action story.

Finder
by Suzanne Palmer

File Size: 2742 KB
Print Length: 397 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0756415101
Publisher: DAW (April 2, 2019)
ASIN: B07FC7KWLB
Genre: Action Adventure, Sci Fi, Space Colonization
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Fergus Ferguson has been called a lot of names: thief, con artist, repo man. He prefers the term finder.
His latest job should be simple. Find the spacecraft Venetia's Sword and steal it back from Arum Gilger, ex-nobleman turned power-hungry trade boss. He’ll slip in, decode the ship’s compromised AI security, and get out of town, Sword in hand.
Fergus locates both Gilger and the ship in the farthest corner of human-inhabited space, a backwater deep space colony called Cernee. But Fergus’ arrival at the colony is anything but simple. A cable car explosion launches Cernee into civil war, and Fergus must ally with Gilger’s enemies to navigate a field of space mines and a small army of hostile mercenaries. What was supposed to be a routine job evolves into negotiating a power struggle between factions. Even worse, Fergus has become increasingly—and inconveniently—invested in the lives of the locals.
It doesn’t help that a dangerous alien species Fergus thought mythical prove unsettlingly real, and their ominous triangle ships keep following him around.
Foolhardy. Eccentric. Reckless. Whatever he’s called, Fergus will need all the help he can get to take back the Sword and maybe save Cernee from destruction in the process.

Review:
Fergus is a “finder” which is basically a glorified, trained repo man. He once was considered a hero having saved many lives during an incident on Mars. But he has always suffered survivor’s guilt as the rescue was more the result of a blunder than intended action. Fergus moves along in life as a loner, long since having determined not to get involved with people. He has found that his luck in finding things tends to come with a side of mayhem to those around him. Accordingly, he likes to get in, complete his job, and get out.

Fergus’ current assignment is to retrieve a stolen airship. The ship was specially programmed not to allow outsiders or pirates. However, a brutal trade warlord, Gilder, posed as a buyer and stole the ship during a test flight. Gilder is using the ship to take over a space colony, Cernee, where his burly enforcer henchman is eliminating the leaders of the various communities which are part of the colony hub.

As Fergus approaches Cernee, he meets a wiry, feisty old woman who saves him from death in the cable car they are on. The explosion and ‘Mother’s’ last wish pull Fergus into the middle of the local power struggle. Just outside the colony are hovering alien crafts which keep the locals in fear as they occasionally capture people and return them with unexpected ‘gifts’ and powers.

Fergus makes a few tentative friends… more appropriately allies to help him accomplish his mission. The rescue plan goes far afield which is not uncommon for Fergus’ wild plans. Before he can secure the ship and return it to the shipbuilders he has to face the aliens, rescue an ally’s daughter from Mars and help the locals survive the threat of Gilder.

I totally liked Fegus as a loner who can’t help but rescue others around him. His plans are unconventional which make for fun diversions such as bouncing ball decoys and holographic sparkling pogo airsticks. The characters who step in to help Fergus are interesting as well. There is plenty of action and good humor. The problems that Fergus creates for himself are frustrating and it is not clear how he will get around them in the future. Still, I found the story creative and engaging. I would enjoy more in the series. I recommend this to readers who enjoy fun space adventure.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

Audible Book Review: The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1) by Patrick Rothfuss

I can get lost in Kvothe's world and adventures.

The Name of the Wind
(Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1)
By: Patrick Rothfuss
Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Series: Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1
Length: 27 hrs and 55 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-15-09
Language: English
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Genre: Action Adventure, Epic Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; 4.5 Story and 5.0 Narration

DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND
My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature - the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.
©2009 DAW Trade (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Review:
This book introduces the bright red-haired Kote as the innkeeper at the Waystone Inn, where he has made a quiet life, trying to stay out of the limelight. Chronicler, a scribe historian, stops at the Inn and bargains to write Kote’s – or more accurately, the legendary Kvothe’s - story. So the tale begins.

Kvothe is part of a family troupe of entertainers. He is tutored by an arcanist who joined the troupe for a time and the eager young scholar longs to go to the University for arcanists. Then tragedy strikes when everyone in the caravan is killed by an assassin group, the Chandrain, who most believe to be a myth, or at very least, the stuff of legends. Kvothe escapes and runs into the woods in a shocked state of grief. After a time, he travels to a city where he is attacked and loses his most treasured possession, his lute. He soon learns to fend for himself and avoid the gangs just to survive.

After three years Kvothe, at 15, takes off to the University hoping to gain entrance. He does want to study but he also hopes to find out the secrets of the Chandrain. Kvothe impresses the chancellors and is accepted. He has struggles, makes some wonderful friends and fearsome enemies. He breaks rules and bears through punishment. He scrapes by with little and every time he manages to get some funds ahead, he plunges off on a misadventure.

This is a coming of age, action adventure story that is written with skill in language and world building. The words flow with a music that fits the tale: sometimes silence, sometimes gentle, must often troubled. The characters are well developed and the world is woven with strong detail. I had to pay attention at the beginning to sort the characters and get the gist of the story. As the book progressed, I was caught up in Kvothe’s troubles feeling his pains and few moments of joy. It is a long book – almost 28 hours on audio - but I was engaged all the way to the end. At some time I plan to continue with book 2 which is an even more intimidating 43 hours! I recommend this to readers who enjoy epic fantasy.

Audio Notes: Nick Podehl does a superb job with the narration. He captures the mystery, aloofness, sneers and other emotions, making the characters come alive. He maintains strong energy sharing as a good storyteller. I am very glad that I listened to this on audio.

Source: 2012 Audible. This qualifies for 2019TBR, 2019Audiobook and 2019Alphabet goals.