Audiobook Review: A Tale of Faerie by Dina Gregory

Author: Dina Gregory

Narrator: Holli Dempsey

Title: A Tale of Faerie

Genre: Fiction, Short story, Fantasy

Format: Audiobook 

Published: May 22, 2020

Where I Got It: Audible

Summary: 

When Jasmine moves to an old cottage in the countryside, nothing goes right. She itches at night, keeps losing small things or finds them in odd places. Only after an encounter with the famous neighbour do things magically improve for Jasmine.

This Devonshire story puts the fairy in fairytale.

Review:

Going through a few shorts since my attention span has been little to nothing the last couple of weeks. The cover of this little gem and the title caught my eye for sure. 

Here we follow little Jasmine, who is forced to move to an old cottage in the countryside with her family. She itches at night, keeps losing things, finds things in weird places, and she feels like she is being watched. After an encounter with her famous neighbor, maybe...just maybe things will improve. 

This was short and whimsical. Gotta love the fae.

I wish we had more interaction with the fantasy element of the story, but it was sweet. 

The narrator was lovely and fit. 

4 stars. Def a nice listen if you need something quick while you work outside or craft. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #34

Audiobook Review: The Sweet Spot by Lori Rader-Day

Author: Lori Rader-Day

Narrator: Janina Edwards

Title: The Sweet Spot

Genre: Fiction, Short story

Format: Audiobook 

Published: September 2, 2022

Where I Got It: Audible

Summary: 

A weary Chicago shop owner catches yet another kid breaking into her bakeshop. The rumor has gone around her inner-city neighborhood that she's keeping cash in a sugar jar and, however unlikely, local kids keep trying to confirm it. With the latest miscreant, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Review:

Another random guy. I was digging around Audible, and I found this one. 

This short story catches a moment in time with a Chicago shop owner who catches yet another kid breaking into her bakeshop. There is a rumor going around that she is keeping a lot of cash in a sugar jar. 

This was super, duper short, but there was so much going on. 

I wanted more. I wanted to see what she does next. I think there is more story to tell. 

The narrator was lovely. 

But yes, it was a short capture of a moment where a woman has to make a choice. 

4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #33

Book Review: The Score by Elle Kennedy

Author: Elle Kennedy

Title: The Score

Series: Off-Campus #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 361

Published: January 11, 2016

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she’s going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

Review:

I'm loving this series. This quickly became available at my library even though I was slated for weeks. I was shocked when this popped up. Yayyyy.

Here we follow Allie and Dean. Graduation is around the corner, and Allie is in crisis mode. She doesn't know what she really wants to do, and now she is nursing a broken heart after she broke up with her boyfriend. It was for the best, but it still hurts. Having wild rebound sex wasn't on the agenda, but Dean is impossible to resist. Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, goals, and so on. One night with Allie was not nearly enough for him. 

Wheeeellllpppppppppppp. This was my favorite of the series so far. 

I loved it. 

Dean is swoon-worthy even though he was a little man-whore. 

Allie was darling. 

I loved seeing our friends so much. It was nice! Awwwwwwwwww. 

Sean is an ass. 

Things get sad. And then happy. 

I had zero issues. I loved this book. I can't wait for their season on the show. We got a taste of it but I want more. 

5 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Library Love #20

Audiobook Review: Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K Wilde

Author: Ellie K Wilde

Narrator: Teddy Hamilton & Carly Robins

Title: Only in Your Dreams

Series: Oakwood Bay #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance

Format: Audiobook 

Published: May 5, 2026

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

If he can prove he loved her then, and he loves her still, this time might be different.

Ten years after one of the most heartbreaking nights of her life, Melody Woods is back in her small hometown of Oakwood Bay, broke, jaded, and unceremoniously dumped by her big-city boyfriend. To top it all off, her twin brother, Parker, is pushing her to take his spot on a camping trip with the one guy she’s spent a decade avoiding.

For college football coach Zac Porter, his best friend’s twin sister, Melody, has always been off-limits. And after fumbling his chance ten years ago, a devastated Zac was sure he’d lost Melody for good. So, when Melody shows up at the campsite instead of Parker, Zac realizes that now is the time to prove to her that they were always meant to be, no matter how long it takes to make up for his teenage self’s mistake.

Reeling from the truth of her last relationship, Melody plans to stay in town just long enough to get back on her feet. Then, she’s gone again. Meanwhile, Zac is facing an uphill battle to coach his team to its first winning game in years, to show Melody how she deserves to be loved, and to keep Parker from ever finding out. Maybe then, being with her will be more than just a dream.

Review:

Randomly found this while looking for a football romance. Lo and behold, this is also a second chance. Win-win? Eh?

Here we follow Melody and Zac. There was always chemistry and something between these two, but after a heartbreaking and embarrassing night, they both have tried to move on. Ten years later, Melody is back in town after her big-city boyfriend broke up with her so he could be single on the guys' trip. Now she's crashing at her brother's and trying to pick up her life while avoiding Zac. Zac hasn't gotten over Melody, and now his is a chance to win the girl. 

I GUESS this is a second chance. They never became an official couple, but the love WAS there, and it ended badly. Idiot kids.

The reason, when fully revealed, ruined the story for me. I was enjoying this the whole time until the big "reveal". Really? And why wouldn't her brother or their friends tell her? No wonder why she fell into the arms of a monster....sighs. 

Besides that "reveal," I enjoyed the forced proximity. I don't blame her for keeping arms' length. He really had to work it. 

The narrators were great. Loved their voices. I may or may not be biased because I adore Teddy Hamilton.....eee.

But yes. I did enjoy this. I hated the reveal of why Zac vanished that night. Not a deal breaker, but I wanted to scream and shout and let it all out. 

4 stars. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #32

- Reading Romance Challenge #19 (Second Chance)