We haven’t had a giveaway in a while, I don’t think. So let’s fix that, shall we?
Up for giveaway, we have three CD copies each of Forever Your Earl and Scandal Takes the Stage by Eva Leigh. They are books one and two, respectively, in The Wicked Quills of London historical romance series, both of which have been reviewed here on SBTB!
Forever Your Earl received an A grade from Redheadedgirl:
The second book, Scandal Takes the Stage, earned an A- grade from Carrie:Zoe Archer has been one of my favorite authors since that one time she basically saved my sanity (even if she was also the indirect cause of one of the worst reading experiences of my life). No matter what, I can always count on her for strong, determined heroines with all sorts of agency, and heroes that also were strong and worthy and respectful of the women that chose them. While I like the adventure romances of Zoe Archer very much, you can all imagine my grabby hands when she announced that she was going to write straight historicals under the name Eva Leigh.
This is the first one of that series, and it was totallllly worth the wait.
Scandal Takes the Stage did not hit me on quite the same emotional level, but my guess is that by the end of the Wicked Quills of London series everyone will have their own favorite book that hits them right in the feels, which is part of what makes romance so fun and so unique as a genre. The characters are engaging, the dialogue (while not as funny as the dialogue in Forever Your Earl), is just as smart, and the love story is compelling. I can’t wait for the next book.
Standard disclaimers apply: We’re not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18. Hopefully, you have some comfortable headphones, though we caution you against wearing them while sleeping, lest you end up in a tangled mess in the morning. Reading and daydreaming encouraged while commuting. Comments will close Friday 11 November 2016, noon EST and the six winners will announced same day.
Ready to enter? Leave a comment and tell us your favorite audiobook experiences! Which books have amazing narrators?
Best of luck!
Update:Â Here are our lucky winners and thanks to everyone who commented and participated!
Forever You Earl winners:
Elle
Jen
Harper
Scandal Takes the Stage winners:
April
Karin
Suzanne
The Outlander audiobooks are great, though get ready for a serious time investment! The way Divina Porter says “Sassenach” is perfect!
I love a strong females and these ladies are that and more! No simpering misses for me!!!
When I first started getting into audio books, I checked out Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Born of Night. The story itself was TERRIBLE but the narrator was so good that I ended up listening to the entire thing even though. Now, when searching for audiobooks, I look by the narrator vs the type of book I want to read. My favorite narrators are Justine Eyre and Kate Reading; I’ve listen to a lot of new books that I wouldn’t have chosen because they were the narrators.
Ever since Richard Armitage reading Georgette Heyer novels was recommended on here, I have to say his readings are one of the best. He does voices so well that you’re never really in any doubt as to whom is speaking.
I also recently listened to The Girl on the Train as an audiobook and I think it made all three characters a little more likable.
Audiobooks keep me company during my commute. I love to listen as I drive familiar streets because the visuals of my commute will remind me of certain moments. I was listening to a Madeline Hunter book and reached an intersection right as the couple finally kissed and it made me giddy. Then every time I passed that intersection for the next week, I got giddy!
Megan, I know exactly what you mean! I listen to audio books while I run, and sometimes the scenes I’m listening to are so passionate that I find myself at the top of a hill and realize I never even knew I was running up one! Other times I’ll pass a particular corner or part of my route and be instantly taken back to some scene or another from one of my favorite books – it truly makes long runs much more bearable 🙂
MY DAD WROTE A PORNO- the readings (podcast) of Belinda Blinked. It’s hiarious with lots of snort out loud moments, and wicked sly grins listening to witty takes on porn while walking the block & waving to neighbours in the mornings.
Haven’t done an audio book, except for the above – so that’s why I should win, for the education and experience
I have so many favorites. Jennifer Estep and Lauren Fortgang are a fantastic match in the Elemental Assassin series. I love Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi’s partnership. Leigh Bardugo and Lauren Fortgang are also pretty great.
love listening to audio books while driving to and from work.
I love listening to audiobooks during my morning and evening commutes. Two of my favorite narrators are Grover Gardner (Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series) and Moira Quirk (Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series).
The first audiobooks that I really enjoyed were Jeanine Frost’s Night Huntress novels. Tavia Gilbert did an amazing job, and she’s a narrator that I will buy other audiobooks she’s narrated because I loved it so much.
No audiobooks for me, thank you. My attention wanders away. Yet when I’m reading, the walls could fall down around me and I wouldn’t notice.
Both of these books are available on Scribd.
Right now, it’s a toss up between the British version of the Harry Potter audiobooks and Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Hard to choose….do I have to?
Davina Porter does an amazing job reading the Outlander series. And Jim Dale’s voices for the Harry Potter series is amazing.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks–they make things like sitting in traffic and housework bearable. I like listening to favorite books I’ve already read for a different take (Ilona Andrews, Faith Hunter, Patrcia Briggs, etc.), but I’m also sometimes pleasantly surprised that books I just couldn’t get into in print work very well for me in audio form instead (J.D. Robb, Naomi Novik, etc.).
I listen to a lot of audio books since I drive a lot for work. One of my favorite narrators is Kirsten Potter and she does the audio for the D.D. Warren series by Lisa Gardner
Honestly – I don’t listen to them often, but would love to start!
I’ve only listened to the Outlander audiobook on Audible but I loved how the accents were played up.
I just love the audiobook version of Outlander. I love to listen to audibooks while knitting, and especially all of Claire’s awesome knitwear, it’s especially appropriate.
I always have an audiobook going. They make it so much easier to center oneself when the world is going crazy! Right now on the player it is Archangel’s Heart by Nalini Singh.
My first thought was also Davina Porter doing the Outlander series – that series is the thing that first led me to an Audible subscription, and I listened to the entire series again in preparation for the release of Book 8- it took months! But audiobooks are what keep me from going crazy with road rage, and the way I bribe myself to do boring chores like laundry.
For something that hasn’t been mentioned yet – not romance, but I highly recommend “The Handmaids Tale” read by Claire Danes and Bossypants, read by Tina Fey herself.
I love the Maiden Lane series in audio and anything narrated by Alex Wyndham.
During lunch at work, I will listen to an Audiobook. The last audiobook I listened to was “Dark Storm” by Christine Feehan. I enjoy listening to the narrator tell the story, but sometimes it is a little wierd to hear a woman speak in a man’s voice. Why couldn’t there be several people reading so when it is time to switch to a male voice…it is a male voice speaking. Either way, I enjoy audiobooks. 🙂
i haven’t had too many audiobook experiences, but i did listen to the first hunger games book on a roadtrip from MI to GA and it was great fun 🙂
I’ve listened to audio dramas for a long time. I think I’ve had an easier time getting into audiobooks now that there are more digital options and less figuring out how to manage a cd player.
My favorite audiobook is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie read by Dan Stevens, Matthew from Downtown Abbey. I was a little surprised I enjoyed it so much, but he did a great job varying the different voices of all the suspects. It’s almost a shame he hasn’t done more of Christie’s books.
Coming from a very conservative home, imagine my delight in finding a Linda Howard novel on cassette at the public library that I could hide from my father in my Walkman. I’ve been audio reading ever since.
I liked 1776, but I can’t remember who did the narration.
Story time! I was driving across country with my best friend’s brother, who I had a minor minor (minor?) crush on. He’s not a huge reader but he loves stories and had been listening to his school texts using the read aloud function on iBooks. I told him about audiobooks (real ones with real narrators) and he asked if I had an example. The only book I had downloaded on my Audible app was Tessa Dare’s When a Scot Ties the Knot… which, you know, can get a bit dirty.
This guy and I had never discussed sex as anything more than a political talking point (read: me talking passionately about celebrating female sexuality and not entertaining slut or body shaming, him nodding and agreeing like the well-informed brother of two over-sharing sisters that he is).
When we arrived at our destination he said, ‘okay, that’s pretty good. I can understand why you like these romance books so much’ … and held his coat in front of his crotch for at least ten minutes.
Alas, we are still just friends but wouldn’t it have been an adorable inciting incident for a slow burn friends-to-lovers romance? I think so!
As for favourites, I love Carmen Rose’s narration of Tessa Dare’s books, and the combos of Sebastian York, Shayna Thibodeaux and Steve West for Christina Lauren’s Wild Seasons series. As an Australian myself I’m mostly immune to the alleged hotness of Australian accents, but I can definitely understand it more when it’s Steve West talking dirty.
My favorite is probably Georgette Heyer’s The convenient marriage read by Richard Armitage. He has such a rich honey like voice that makes me melt. He does all the voices like it’s easy and the heroe’s voice gives you eargasm for sure. The story is also very funny. I love the heroine. She is in love with her husband but believe he only married her for convenience. It’s an old fashion but nonetheless great book perfectly well red.
I listened to The League of Princes trilogy by Christopher Healy (The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle and The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw) and it was superbly narrated by Bronson Pinchot I had a hell of a fun time all through the adventures.
I also prefer to listen to biographies or memoirs in audio format especially if the author narrates it like Bossypants by Tina Fey, Yes Please by Amy Poehler etc.
Favorite author
Eva Leigh is one of my favorite authors
I worked for a company that distributed BBC recordings in the US. We were encouraged to borrow whatever we wanted, and as a result of that and a long drive to and from work every day, I got hooked on audio books. My absolute favorite was Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies narrated by Robert Powell. I recommend anything narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. She’s absolutely incredible.
I’ve been wanting to read these!
My favorite audiobooks thus far have been the “Portuguese Irregular Verbs” series by Alexander McCall Smith (the narrator brilliantly captures the absurdity of the stories), and “Jackaby” by William Ritter (a wonderful audiobook for a wonderful novel).
I’m not really big on audiobooks but lately with a new commute I’ve been getting into them, especially if I can get the audio for cheap when I buy a kindle book! So far my favorite one was listening to gentleman jole and the red queen because well it was Bujold. I did really like 6 degrees of scandal on audio as well, got my bedroom repainted while listening to it. Even if listening to the love scenes was cause for much blushing! I can read them just fine but listening to explicit words was a bit much for my delicate sensibilities apparently.
I only knew Tim Curry for being Dr. Frank-n-Furter and Nigel Thornberry, so I didn’t expect him to be the narrator of Garth Nix’s Sabriel, a serious fantasy with necromancy and magic bells. Apart from a few lines where he voiced a young schoolgirl, which came out rather silly, he did a very enjoyable job on it.
Hands down the narration of Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase read by Kate Reading. Surprisingly, I have looked up other Kate Reading narrated books and haven’t enjoyed them nearly as much. But LoS is PERFECTION. She actually adds to the book with her narration, with inflections in certain places that give the text more meaning.
Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter books. It’s an amazing combination of voice and content. As wonderful as those books are, Mr. Dale makes them even better! I think I’ve listened to all of them three or four times.
Jim Dale, who read all the Harry Potter books, and the guy who read the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, went with us in many a long road trip. I love having them along for the ride
My favorite audiobook was the Bollywood Affair. It really helped me with the pronunciations of words and names I’m not familiar with. I actually talked to Sonali Dev about it at RT this year.