Audio Book Review: Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel by Annie England Noblin

This is a sweet romance story with flawed characters.

Pupcakes: A Christmas Novel
Written By: Annie England Noblin
Narrated By: Amy McFadden

Date: October 2017
Duration: 9 hours 59 minutes
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Animals, Women's Divorce, Romance
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 3.75.

Summary:
Sit! Stay! Speak! author Annie England Noblin’s novel takes one woman starting over, adds an aging pug named Teddy Roosevelt, and proves the power of a well-baked dog treat.
All she wants is a settled-down life.
What she gets is a dog—and a whole new normal . . .
There he stood in the doorway: overweight, depressed and nearly homeless—a pug named Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy was Brydie Benson’s latest problem, arriving on top of her messy divorce and sudden move. Brydie needed a place to start over, so this rent-free home seemed a great idea. She just never counted on Teddy, or his owner, the Germantown Retirement Village’s toughest customer, Pauline Neumann.
And because rent-free doesn’t mean bills-free, Brydie gets a night-shift job at a big-box grocery. Whoever guessed there were so many people who wanted baked goods after midnight?
Then, she gets an idea—why not combine her baking skills with her new-found dog knowledge? And so her store Pupcakes is born. Along with a new start comes a possible new love, in the form of Nathan Reid, a local doctor with a sassy Irish Wolfhound named Sasha. And as fall turns to winter, and then to Christmas, Brydie begins to realize that life is a little bit like learning a new recipe for puff pastry—it takes a few tries to get it just right!...

Review:
Brydie is struggling to make a comeback after her husband cheated on her and divorced her for the ‘other’ woman. Her husband was also her business partner in the bakery they built together. Brydie left all of that mess, but not the heart-break, behind and has lived for months with her best friend, Elliott. Now that Elliott and her husband are preparing to welcome their second child, Brydie needs to find another place to live. Elliott recommends a house that needs ‘sitting’ for Mrs. Neumann, a woman in a nursing retirement home. The house comes with an important occupant – Mrs. Neumann’s beloved pug, Teddy Roosevelt. Brydie has never had a dog and she has to find a way to engage this elderly, reluctant animal.

Elliott suggests that Brydie take Teddy to a nearby dog park. Finally, the dog shows some enthusiasm except he throws up on the shoes of Nathan Reid who is there with his lively Irish Wolfhound, Sasha. Brydie takes off in embarrassment but gets to meet Nathan again when she visits Mrs. Neumann in the nursing facility. Nathan turns out to be a local doctor with rotating duties at the retirement home. It is clear that all the single nurses (and some of the residents) are interested in the handsome doctor. Brydie has trouble accepting the fact that Nathan is interested in dating her.

Byrdie takes a night-shift job at a local grocery where she begins to make new friends, but also makes mistakes. Byrdie experiments making dog treats to tempt Teddy to eat. This leads to a group of customers from the dog park and the nursing home.

When Byrdie uncovers a family mystery at Mrs. Neumann’s home, her curiosity is pushing her to ask Mrs. Neumann about the locked trunk. Nathan insists that doctor’s orders are not to raise the issue as it is likely to upset his patient. Byrdie takes umbrage at the doctor’s position and cuts off their growing relationship. Although Byrdie’s confidence begins to return with her baking, she continues to struggle to control her emotions.

First, I need to note that the blurb is not totally accurate as the new Pupcakes bakery isn’t really established until very near the end of the book. Second, I have to admit that I was frustrated by Byrdie’s despondency and self-absorption. I was relieved when she finally stepped away from her negative attitudes. In contrast, I found Nathan to be extraordinarily patient and kind. The romance develops with a subdued spark but some natural urges. The dogs add fun interest with birthday parties and stolen turkey antics. I liked the sweet (if predictable) surprise at the end even though the ending does seem rushed. As long as the reader can push through Byrdie's emotions, I recommend this as a sweet read/listen.

Audio Notes: Amy McFadden does a satisfactory job with the narration. She provides distinct voices and manages to convey Byrdie’s struggling emotions. I was glad to be able to listen to this story.

Source: November 2019 Sale at Audiobooks.com $3.99. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.

Audible Book Review: The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens

I really like the legal procedural parts of this criminal mystery.

The Heavens May Fall
Written by: Allen Eskens
Narrated by: R. C. Bray , David Colacci , Amy McFadden

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
Release date 10-04-2016
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Legal Thriller, Mystery, Police Procedure
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Detective Max Rupert's and attorney Boady Sanden's friendship is being pushed to the breaking point. Max is convinced that Jennavieve Pruitt was killed by her husband, Ben. Boady is equally convinced that Ben, his client, is innocent. As the case unfolds, the two are forced to confront their own personal demons.
Max is still struggling with the death of his wife four years earlier, and the Pruitt case stirs up old memories. Boady hasn't taken on a defense case since the death of an innocent client, a man Boady believes he could have saved but didn't. Now he is back in court, with student Lila Nash at his side, and he's determined to redeem himself for having failed in the past.
Vividly told from two opposing perspectives, the truth about the stunning death of Jennavieve Pruitt remains a mystery until the very end.
©2016 Allen Eskens (P)2016 Tantor

Review:
Detective Max Rupert lost his wife, Jenni, to a hit and run car accident four years ago. He has struggled with the fact that they never found the culprit, the case took no priority for the department and was set aside with other “cold” cases. Others in his life, including retired attorney Boady Sanden, have helped pull Max from his annual drunken visits to his wife’s grave.

This year, on the anniversary date, Max is called out to investigate the death of a woman abandoned naked in a parking lot. The woman is Jennavieve Pruitt the wife of prominent attorney criminal defense attorney Ben Pruitt. As details unravel, Max becomes convinced that the husband is guilty even though the evidence is circumstantial. His gathering of facts may be slightly muddled by reason of getting an anonymous note that his wife’s death was not an accident. Did he become too distracted and obsessed by pursuing the new leads on his wife’s case to properly evaluate all the details of the Pruitt death?

Meanwhile, Max’s friend, Boady, agrees to take on the defense of Pruitt who is the attorney who took over Boady’s law practice when he retired due to stress. Boady doesn’t want to see another innocent man go to prison and he doesn’t think Pruitt could have killed his wife. There may have been motive, but others had just as much motive. And Pruitt’s alibi is weak but not unproven. All Boady has to do is establish “reasonable doubt”. The problem is, part of winning the case for Pruitt means shredding Max’s testimony during the trial. But Boady is a believer of the old Latin legal axiom: “Fiat justitia ruat cælum”, meaning "Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

A surprise during trial testimony makes it clear that the case is more complicated than either side realized. Will the final result be truth or twisted justice?

The story is told from the two perspectives: Max as the police investigator and Boady as the defense lawyer. The reader/listener gets to follow the side-tracking thoughts for each character as they contribute to the current factual situation. I am a civil attorney who does not practice criminal law, nor handle jury trials (only civil bench trials). Still, I find the factual presentation and legal tactical skills fascinating. I did not realize that The Life We Bury was a related, earlier book which I am glad I also have on audio. I recommend The Heavens May Fall to readers who enjoy a solid criminal mystery with legal procedure.

Audio Notes: I have to admit that hearing R. C. Bray’s voice begin the story pulled me right in. David Colacci and Amy McFadden also added to the production making it an easy, quick listen. I will be glad to listen to more from these narrators.

Source: April 2017 Audible Daily Deal $3.95. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020 Fall Season goals.