Fiction by Francine Rivers
This was a good-enough straight romance set in California around 1875. Kathryn Walsh leaves the sophistication of Boston to come to a small mining town. She plans to claim an inheritance from her uncle, and to get away from her controlling stepfather, but she will find true love instead.
I also read by this author: Leota's Garden
Audible Original Fiction by Alexander Kane
If alien oppressors took over the Earth and forced all humans to slavery (or death), would you work for them? Or would you try to fight against them?
This is an interesting philosophical question; but for our fictional hero Ezra Barker, it's a real choice when the Merg invade the planet. And he chooses the safe route: he collaborates with the Merg and works at a nice office job instead of being killed or sent to the work camps. But deep inside, Ezra wishes he had joined the Resistance instead.
This was a really exciting adventure story with great characters. It had funny moments but wasn't necessarily as humorous as the other books I've listened to by this author. It's an imaginative and engrossing story!
I also listened to from Audible Originals: The Forever Part 2
Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde
At the beginning of this book, a widower named Aaron and his young son Buddy are heading to the local diner. They're going to have dinner, of course, but they are also going because Aaron has developed a tendresse for Virginia, who is a waitress there, and he's thinking of finally asking her out. But Aaron and Virginia's happy ending together will get derailed by what is coming next...
This was a sweet character story that didn't go the way I expected. It was a little sad.
Fiction by Joshilyn Jackson
Ro Grandee has decided to kill her abusive husband Thom, sure that if she doesn't, then he will kill her. She saw a gypsy woman who told her, "It's him or you." But will she be able to actually do it?
This was an interesting story with several surprises.
I also read recently by this author: Between, Georgia
Fiction by Karin Slaughter
This is book number six in the Grant County mystery series, in which detective Lena Adams goes to the rural town of Reese, Georgia, to check on her Uncle Hank and gets accused of murder. Soon her boss, Police Chief Jeffery Tolliver, and his wife Sara Linton show up, but can they help? Or is Lena a lost cause this time?
This was an exciting story but very dark. The ending was a surprise.
Fiction by Michelle Sacks
Audible Original Fiction by Craig Robertson
This is the sequel to The Forever, Part 1, unsurprisingly. It was a fun continuation of the first audiobooks, which was actually two novels just as this one is.
In this part of the story, immortal android space pilot John Ryan tries his hardest to save humanity from extinction. This is particularly difficult because Earth has already been destroyed and the remaining population of humans is travelling through space to a new home world.
As long as you're willing to go along with the premise behind these stories, they are great fun.
