Audio Book Review: About a Dog by Jenn McKinlay

This is well written, fun and easy romance but not quite ‘clean’ enough for my tastes.

About a Dog
By: Jenn McKinlay
Narrated by: Allyson Ryan
Series: Bluff Point Romances, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 05-30-17
Language: English
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Small Town
My Rating: 3.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Mackenzie "Mac" Harris fled her hometown of Bluff Point, Maine after being left at the altar and seeking solace in the arms of her best friend's off-limits brother, Gavin. Seven years later, she's back to attend her best friend's wedding, and she figures she's safe now from the mistakes of her youth.
But Gavin, the town's veterinarian, has never forgotten the woman who has always held his heart. And when Mac rescues a stray puppy named Tulip, only Gavin can help. With a little assistance from Tulip, Gavin vows to make Mac realize that their feelings are more than just puppy love....
©2017 Jenn McKinlay (P)2017 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Review:
“Mac” is returning to her home town seven years after she was left at the altar. She is coming back as maid of honor for her best friend, Emma. Emma has asked her to spend time with her younger brother, Gavin, whose girl friend just took off with his bookkeeper. But Emma doesn’t know that Gavin and Mac had a one-night affair on the night Mac was jilted.

Mac figures she can manage around Gavin until she sees him all grown up and responsible. Still, she plans to keep her distance so as not to upset Emma on the week of her wedding. Gavin has other plans that don’t include letting Mac stay distant.

Mac finds a stray puppy and seeks Gavin’s veterinarian services. He is the only one who can help protect the pup when a cruel man claims the dog is his. Gavin takes every opportunity to encourage Mac to see him as something other than her best friend’s little brother.

I enjoyed the premise and for the most part enjoyed the cute characters and fun dialog. Mac is a little uptight and needs to work beyond that while Gavin is just a sweet heart. Tulip, part pit-bull, is a sweet character also, and the author provides some good background on the breed and rescue issues.

The story has a good plotline and is well written. Sadly, it started off on the wrong foot for me as the first ten minutes included a bit of trash talk and careless irreverent use of the Lord’s name. This was particularly too bad as my ten-year-old granddaughter was in the car when the audio came on. There is a scene in the middle where there is a competition between male and female friends tossing slang names for male privates. Nearer the end they begin a similar contest of names for female private parts. This is intended as fun banter but to me seemed trashy and unnecessary. Finally, there was a closing sex scene that was also crudely graphic.

I saw another release title by Ms. McKinlay and the cover and blurb sounded charming and drew me just as this one did. Too bad I am “word” shy and will probably not seek more by this author. I am probably more sensitive to the language than many readers. There are lots of favorable reviews so the sexual content and language obviously doesn’t bother everyone. If you are a romance reader who wouldn’t be bothered, then give this a try as you may well enjoy the fun … and of course the puppy.

Audio Notes: Allyson Ryan does a very fine job with the narration. She captures the voices and a light tone for the story. Except for a few girlish squeals I enjoyed the narration.

I received this CD audiobook from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox. It qualified for my 2017 Audiobook Challenge.

Audible Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

If you are looking for a quick, fun listen, this fits the bill.
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs
Half-Moon Hollow, Book 1
By: Molly Harper
Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi
Series: Half-Moon Hollow, Book 1

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
Unabridged
Release date: 02-19-10
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed $25 in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.
Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?
Love in vein: bite into more of Jane Jameson's paranormal exploits.
©2009 Molly Harper White (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Nice girl, librarian Jane is having a drinking pity party over losing her job. When she leaves the bar, her car breaks down and she falls into a ditch. A good ole’ boy drives by and shoots her thinking she is a deer. She is left for dead in the ditch but wakes up in a nice bed. She is surprised to be alive but even more surprised to discover she is now part of the undead!

Jane met a tall dark and handsome man, Gabriel, at the bar. Now he has become her sire and he finds her sense of innocence fascinating. Jane’s fresh new looks are attracting other men and apparently raising some jealousy.

Jane is stumbling through the etiquette of the undead as she has a lot to learn very quickly. She is called in front of the Vampire Council within just a day or two for a murder of a man she fought with. It appears someone is setting her up to take a fall.

Attacks and accusations keep mounting as Jane tries to figure out what is going on. Meanwhile she is dodging her parents so she doesn’t have to disclose her new secret. Jane may not get to enjoy her extended life if she doesn’t find the person giving her trouble. But she may be more unhappy than expected when she finally learns the truth.

The story, told in Jane’s self-deprecating voice, is full of humor and sly fun. Jane is an amusing character and the dialog is full of dry wit. Although there is some romance, it is not openly sexual. Molly Harper has a wonderful ability to share this type of light entertainment in her stories. This was a quick listen with the usual fun Molly Harper snark. I recommend this author and this story to readers who like a fun, light read that will make them laugh.

Audio Notes: Amanda Ronconi does a wonderful job with the narration. You can just envision the eye rolls and hear the snark that fits the main character. The narration added to my enjoyment of a fun story.

This was on my Audible shelf since 2012. It qualified for my 2017 TBR and Audiobook challenges.

Sunday Post January 7, 2018/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 8, 2018

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

We were sorry to leave our son, d-i-l, granddaughter and the twins. On the other hand, we were glad to leave the colder weather. We came home to a cold house but got warmed up. At least the temperatures here are above freezing.

I enjoyed all of my listening and reading last week. I finished two Audibles, and one ebook. I posted three reviews, two challenges and most of the usual memes.

I visited 19 blogs early in the week.
Shout Out this week to An Imperfect Christian Mom. She has a nice goal post for 2018.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post December 31, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday January 1, 2018.

• MBS First Book of the Year 2018. What if God Wrote Your To-Do List? by Jay Payleitner.

• MBS Audiobook Challenge 2018.

• MBS 2018 Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: A State of Treason by David Thomas Roberts; Action, Alternate History, Political Thriller; my rating 4.25.

• A2017- Audible Book Review: Western Christmas Weddings by Jenna Kernan; Historical Romance, Western Romance; my rating 4.5.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway January 5, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 1/4/2018.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: Saving Grace by Lee Smith; Family Drama, Fiction; my rating 2.5.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement January 7, 2018.

Finished Reading:
1. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

Year One
By: Nora Roberts
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Duration: 12 hrs and 20 mins
This is entertaining.
It was from my 2017 Audible credits.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle (NGTBR)

What If God Wrote Your To-Do List?:
52 Ways to Make the Most of Every Day
by Jay Payleitner 
I picked this up at NetGalley for 
my first book of the year.
I liked the suggestions of the author.
What is God Asking You "To-Do" Today?
When you talk to God about His plans for you, do you tend to focus on the far-off future? Big-picture thinking is great, but don't miss out on what the Lord has in store for you today.
These 52 easy tasks will help you embrace opportunities to grow closer to God, reach out to others, and take better care of yourself. This is a to-do list for your soul.
Read a Psalm, talk to a neighbor, or right a wrong. These are just a few examples of the simple activities that will enrich your everyday life.
God is calling you to make the most of each day and live life to the fullest!

3. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

One Year After
By: William R. Forstchen
Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
Series: After (Forstchen), Book 2
Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
This was just so realistic. Great entertainment!
I pulled this in from my Audible TBR.
Publisher's Summary
The thrilling follow-up to the New York Times best-selling novel One Second After.
Months before publication, One Second After was cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should have, a book discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at the dangers of EMPs. An EMP is a weapon with the power to destroy the entire United States in a single act of terrorism in a single second; Indeed, it is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. One Second After was a dire warning of what might be our future... and our end.
One Year After returns to the small town of Black Mountain and the man who struggled to rebuild it in the wake of devastation: John Matherson. It is a thrilling follow-up and should delight fans in every way.
©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks.

Currently Reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (NG)

Precisely at Midnight (Kinsman Book 2)
by Joyce and Alexandra Swann
This caught me from the first chapter.
This is one of my NetGalley/Alphabet/
TBR titles for 2018.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

Storm Front: The Dresden Files, Book 1
By Jim Butcher
Narrated By James Marsters
Series: The Dresden Files, Book 1
I am a couple chapters in and finding this engaging too. This is an Audible TBR.
Publisher's Summary
My name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. Conjure by it at your own risk. I'm a wizard. I work out of an office in midtown Chicago. As far as I know, I'm the only openly practicing professional wizard in the country. You can find me in the yellow pages, under Wizards. Believe it or not, I'm the only one there.
With rent past due and a decent meal becoming an issue of some importance, Harry needs work, and soon. A call from a distraught wife, and another from Lt Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigation Unit makes Harry believe things are looking up, but they are about to get worse, much worse. Someone is harnessing immense supernatural forces to commit a series of grisly murders. Someone has violated the first law of magic: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Tracking that someone takes Harry into the dangerous underbelly of Chicago, from mobsters.
©2000 Jim Butcher; (P)2002 Buzzy Multimedia

3. Print TBR (Publisher)

Seek and Destroy (America Rising)
by William C. Dietz
I enjoyed book 1 and have just started book 2.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Legion of the Damned® novels and the Mutant Files series comes the second novel in a postapocalyptic military science fiction series about America struggling to overcome a natural disaster but starting a second civil war…
As people fight to survive the aftereffects of more than a dozen meteor strikes, a group of wealthy individuals conspires to rebuild the United States as a corporate entity called the New Confederacy, where the bottom line is law. As a second civil war rages, with families fighting against families on opposite sides, Union president Samuel T. Sloan battles to keep the country whole.
To help in the fight for unity, Union Army captain Robin “Mac” Macintyre and her crew of Stryker vehicles are sent after the ruthless “warlord of warlords,” an ex–Green Beret who rules a large swath of the West. But defeating him will be even more difficult than she thought. The warlord is receiving military assistance from Mac’s sister—and rival—Confederate major Victoria Macintyre. And when the siblings come together in the war-torn streets of New Orleans, only one of them will walk away.

January 7, 2018 - I am reading the One Year Bible plan on my new smartphone so I am enjoying the devotion with the readings. I am still reading along with my husband and others from our church. You can check out the audio on the companion commentary online.

I completed 3 books and posted only 3 reviews. I still have 7 reviews to finish for the end of this year plus the new reads.  I still haven't had time to double up reviews. 
I am a little more up-to-date linking my reviews at Goodreads, Amazon and Audible.
My NetGalley shelf is now at 24 with five older 2017 and 19 picked up end of year. I still have one committed author title in queue and many through InstaFreebie.

We're working on two more fiction books soon to add to eTreasure's NetGalley page.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
I received three new NetGalley titles this week.
I bought one Audible daily deal,
I didn't purchase any Kindle titles this week.
As usual, I picked up more free kindle titles as usual. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I received four NetGalley titles I requested year end as part of my 2018 Alphabet Challenge.

Science Geek Sam and his Secret Logbook
by Cees Dekker and Corien Oranje
Children's Book - includes creation theories and science.

Out of the Box
by Jemma Westing

Children's Book- creativity.

Nick Newton Is Not a Genius
by S.E.M Ishida
Children's Christian Adventure

Silent Threat (Mission Recovery Book 1)
by Dana Marton
Romantic Suspense I spotted at another blog last week.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I picked up one Audible daily deal:
1/5/2018 Daily Deal $2.95
A Bachelor Establishment
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins
Release date: 09-15-15

Free

I picked up some extra free Kindle titles to add 96 titles to my library this week! Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement January 7, 2018

We have been in cold weather all week. We left Illinois to visit with friends in LaGrange Kentucky. Although the temperatures were about the same (under 20°) it seemed colder because the air had more humidity. We could see each breath which made me think how we take those breaths we don’t see most of the time for granted. Just as we take the God of the universe for granted because we don’t see Him directly, even though we can see his hand at work every day, every moment if we really consider it.

As we drove further south from Kentucky, through Tennessee to Alabama I watched the scenery pass. The fields and ponds were clearly frozen in Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. The morning we woke and headed into Alabama I realized I had missed some good photos of rather stark images.

I took this image although it does not deliver the full import of better images I didn't take pictures of.

This fits with the devotional that went with my Bible reading. Sometimes life looks bleak, but like bees who cluster during the cold weather, they are preparing for a spring of growth and renewal. From now on when I see a bleak landscape I plan to give thanks to God for a time of resting to prepare for the time of renewal.

I had some songs on new life but this one seemed to fit best.

Alive Again.

Verses for Today:
Isaiah 43:18-19
Remember not the former things,nor consider the things of old.
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Lord, I pray that you allow me to always see a blessing is coming through the bleakness.

Audible Book Review: Saving Grace by Lee Smith

This is an unusual, unhappy character portrayal.

Saving Grace

By: Lee Smith

Narrated by: Christina Moore

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Release date: 04-08-04

Language: English

Publisher: Recorded Books

Genre: Family Drama, Fiction

My Rating: 2.5 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary

Having justly earned her reputation as a master storyteller, Lee Smith's name evokes images of authentic country folk struggling through some of life's most arduous tests. Saving Grace adds a stunning spiritual dimension. The daughter of a snake-handling preacher who ignores the needs of his destitute family, Florida Grace doesn't think much of Jesus. He's the reason she's lived in squalor most of her life. He certainly doesn't keep her womanizing zealot of a father on the straight and narrow. In fact, Jesus hasn't been there for her through her failed marriage, or the death of her son. But in one shining moment everything changes when He calls out to her, and she returns to her roots to heed His call.

Narrator Christina Moore gives perfect voice to the vulnerability and wisdom of a young woman on a turbulent spiritual journey.

©1995 Lee Smith; (P)2003 Recorded Books

Review:
Florida Grace is the eleventh child of a snake handling, revival preacher. Her mother, (her father’s third wife) has a loving spirit while her father is a bit too busy to pay much attention to the young’uns. Grace feels out of step for most of her young life. While her parents are busy ministering she is partially raised by a warm, neighbor family.

While Grace is a young teen, an older teen boy shows up claiming a connection with her father. He wrangles a spot in the household and uses his charm to twist his relationship with Grace and others. When Grace’s mother dies, her father takes Grace and sets out on the road to continue his preaching. After a time Grace is abandoned and ends up taken in by the church’s strict pastor. The pastor lives with an equally strict and dour sister who isn’t thrilled to have Grace become part of the family.

Live brings some moments of joy to Grace but more times of trouble, confusion and heartache. Some of the further troubles are brought about by Grace’s own actions which ultimately bring her full circle to her childhood home where she must face herself and the God who has long pursued her.

The story setting is bleak, although the history is eccentrically fascinating. I was glad that Grace is a strong character, at times even vibrant through her struggles. I felt sorrow at the failings in her childhood and in her adult life. I could understand her anger and bitterness and resistance to a God whose truths were so twisted by her father and others close to him.

The major tone of the story is hopelessness. I am not a fan of depressing, family dramas. The blurb gave me hope that there was a revelation in Grace’s story. I trudged through the sadness looking and hoping for the light. The revelation doesn’t come until the very end and I was disappointed by what I found to be a very weak concluding scene.

This is well written with a wonderful depth of description and emotion. Still, I can’t say that I enjoyed the story. It is not really a Christian novel but more an expose of a sad, twisted history of a small religious sect. Readers who like drama, history and in depth character portrayal might find this an interesting read or listen.

Audio Notes: Christina Moore does a good job with the narration which gives extra to my rating. She conveys the appropriate tone of Grace’s emotions throughout the story. I am glad (I think) I listened to this in audio as I am pretty sure I would have skipped to the end if I had a print/ebook version.

This is another Audible TBR from 2010 which qualified for my 2017 Audiobook Challenge.