Tag Archives: audiobook

The Matchmaker is back … A WAGER WITH THE MATCHMAKER is here! 💘

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Book 3 is now out!  I absolutely loved narrating A Wager with the Matchmaker — the third installment in A Shanahan Match Series, written by the always incredible Jody Hedlund.  

One of the things I admire so much about the way Jody writes is how layered, vibrant, and full of life her characters are. There’s always humor, heart, and emotional depth. This story has it all: danger, suspense, impossible odds, romance, and those moments that just make you smile … or hold your breath.

Alannah Darragh is on the run, hiding from a ruthless gang leader who wants her as payment for her brother’s debt.  Kiernan Shanahan, her brother’s employer — and St. Louis’s most eligible bachelor — steps in to protect her.  As danger closes in and their connection deepens, the two must confront their undeniable chemistry and the bond growing between them  … even though their worlds couldn’t be more different.   

Enter the matchmaker.  Bellamy McKenna doesn’t play by the rules — and when he makes a wager, all bets are off.  💘

🎧 A Wager with the Matchmaker, published by Tantor Audio, is now available wherever you get your Audiobooks! 

Matchmaker Magic: Love Returns in Book 2!

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saved-by-the-matchmaker-WPfeature-300x224_aLooking for your perfect match? 💘 Happy Release Day to Saved by the Matchmaker, the latest in A Shanahan Match series, written by bestselling author Jody Hedlund! I loved every minute of narrating Book 2.

In Saved by The Matchmaker, we catch up with Finola’s younger sister, Enya. Enya’s troubled marriage with Bryan Haynes has ended, leaving her heart shattered, her body pregnant, and her future uncertain.

But don’t worry—our favorite never-by-the-books Matchmaker, Bellamy McKenna, is back and ready to work his magic. This time, he’s setting his sights on steamboat captain Sullivan O’Brien, who’s under pressure from his father to marry or give up his life on the water.

Sullivan is gruff, scarred from a heroic rescue, and the last thing he wants is to get married. His one condition for Bellamy? Find him a bride who’s unattractive, quiet, and indifferent to appearances. But Enya is anything but that—she’s beautiful, outspoken, and a self-proclaimed spitfire. 🔥

It seems like an impossible match, but that’s what Matchmakers are for, right? Bellamy suspects that what Enya really needs is someone who will treasure her for who she is, and he has a feeling Sullivan might just be the man for the job…

Congratulations to Jody Hedlund on your stirring new release, and thank you to Tantor Media for bringing this heartwarming gem my way! 💖

Saved by the Matchmaker is now available, and I couldn’t be more delighted to see that this beautiful new book is listed as the #1 New Release in Christian Historical Romance on Audible – so go get it! 💘 

Imagining Progress – Now Available on Audio!

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Imagining Progress_WPReleasing into the world this week is Imagining Progress: Science, Faith and Child Mortality in America, written by Kristin Johnson.  So honored to have had the opportunity to narrate this incredibly gripping book for Tantor Media. 📚🎙️

Johnson’s compelling book takes us on a historical journey, exploring the intersection of science, religion and the heartbreaking reality of child mortality from the colonial era to the 1920s.

From Cotton Mather’s smallpox inoculation campaign to the evolution debates of the 1920s, Imagining Progress delves deep into our evolving beliefs and their impact on children’s lives.

Congratulations Kristin Thomas on your new release, and thank you Tantor Audio for inviting me along on this poignant, and thought provoking journey.

Imagining Progress is now available on Audible, Amazon and wherever you get your audiobooks! 📚🎙️

New Audiobook Release from James Patterson and Matt Eversmann!

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The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians_

For as long as I can remember, I’ve cherished the moments spent wandering through bookstores, or engrossed in research at the library.  Being part of James Patterson and Matt Eversmann’s latest release, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, alongside an amazing cast of narrators, is not only such an honor, but also incredibly special. 

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians delves into the true stories of the extraordinary individuals who enrich our libraries and bookstores daily.  It’s a tribute to those who, with a single recommendation, can open up new worlds to us.   

Here’s just a glimpse of the many heartwarming exchanges in this book between patrons and our book heroes:

“My goal, my passion, is to become a special kind of matchmaker – matching people with books.” – Kelly Moore, librarian

“‘I haven’t read in years.’  … We know just how to help. We hand the long-lost reader a new book and the world opens up again.” – Exchange between library patron and bookseller

“‘I’ll never forget the day I met you,‘ the woman tells me. She smiles. ‘You have changed my life.’“  – Library patron to her local librarian

“Making these personal connections is so important.  It’s not about selling books; it’s about making a community.” – Suzanne Lucey, bookseller

Heartfelt thanks to P.J. Ochlan and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to be a part of this treasure trove of stories.  The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading is now available on Audible, Amazon and wherever you get your books.  

 

Calling on the Matchmaker – is now on Audio!

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Ever played matchmaker or found yourself at the receiving end of a friend’s matchmaking efforts? 🌟

So happy to celebrate the audiobook and print release of Calling on the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match, Book 1) written by the extraordinary Jody Hedlund – this is a match, you won’t want to miss!

Embarking on a journey to 1849 St. Louis, Missouri was an absolute blast! One of the many joys of narrating Hedlund’s historical fictions is the way her rich characters—with heart, soul, humor, and an irresistible will— keep me hooked. In Calling on the Matchmaker, the added fun was diving into the Irish community and wondering what the ever-charming, usually mischievous matchmaker Bellamy McKenna would be up to next!

Bringing this lively cast to audio was an honor and so much fun! 🎧📚

Thank you Tantor Media for sending this gem my way, and congratulations to Jody Hedlund on your new release! ✨

Calling on the Matchmaker is available now on Audible and at Amazon.com.

Healing Doesn’t Have to Be Linear – Sober Spirituality Releases on Audio!

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FinalThis week a really beautiful book released into the world, that I’m so happy to celebrate – Sober Spirituality  by Erin Jean Warde.  I had the honor and joy of narrating this audiobook for Christianaudio, and what I found to be especially moving about Sober Spirituality, is Warde’s transparency as she candidly shares the journey that she took, as an Episcopal priest, to stop drinking.

Through personal stories, and supporting scriptural text, Warde illustrates that healing doesn’t have to be linear.  That on our road to recovery, there isn’t just one way, or the highway.  Our recovery is usually a series of “another day one…” and in Warde’s case, her road to sobriety involved many day ones that consisted of –  stop drinking, then start drinking again, then stop, then start again, stop … etc.  But within each of these moments lies the sweet spot – that recovery isn’t final – its fluid.  It’s constantly changing, flowing and moving.

Our healing (whether it be in our relationship with alcohol, our low self-esteem, or another area where we might need healing in) doesn’t have to follow a straight line.  What worked for some –  or many –  may not work for you and I – and that’s OK.  Recovery and healing isn’t usually neat and tidy.  More often than not, it’s downright messy, it’s spit and dirt (see John 9) and involves one step forward,  many steps back, then another step forward – until suddenly – we are at a new place.  We look around in amazement and see just how far we’ve come.  And in this new place, we can celebrate the joy that can be found in that moment, wherever that may be, knowing that our journey is ever-evolving, ever unfolding and always fluid.   And within that fluidity there is healing, and beauty and hope.  And hope does not disappoint.

Sober Spirituality is now available in print and on audio at Audible and Amazon.com.

The McQuaid family saga continues as FALLING FOR THE COWGIRL releases on audio!

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cowboy4-WPFeature-300x224Colorado Territory.  June 1869.  A young woman disguised as a man.  A bounty hunter hiding his identity.  A dangerous war criminal pretending to be one of South Park’s own.  A love that will no longer be denied.  This ain’t no ordinary rodeo, folks – this is Colorado Cowboys, Book Four.  So excited to celebrate the audiobook release of Falling For The Cowgirl written by Jody Hedlund and published by Tantor Audio!

This fourth installment in the McQuaid family saga was so much fun to narrate!  I have adored the character of Ivy McQuaid since we first met her in book one,  and Falling For The Cowgirl centers squarely on the romance between Ivy McQuaid and Jericho Bliss, a romance that has been steadily gaining speed until it can no longer be contained.

Ivy McQuaid is no ordinary heroine … she’s a tomboy through and through, peppered with a whole lot of sass, and known as foolish, and impulsive and wild.  Paired with handsome, no-nonsense Jericho Bliss, a cowhand turned bounty hunter, sparks fly whenever these two get around each other.

Book four opens with Ivy, now almost nineteen, disguised as a man, in the middle of a cowhand competition – or what would be known today, as a rodeo. The problem is, it’s 1869 and women are not allowed to participate in this type of competition.  Never one to let a little detail like this stop her, Ivy disguises herself as a young school teacher, under the alias of Buster Bliss.  So far so good. This plan is working great.  That is … it was – until she spots her childhood infatuation, Jericho Bliss, at the competition.  Holy Saint Peter.  Ivy hasn’t seen Jericho for almost two years, not since he left town and took her heart with him … again.

Meanwhile, Jericho is also pretending to be someone he’s not.  Currently undercover as a bounty hunter, he’s tracking a dangerous war criminal, whom he suspects is hiding in South Park.  Things heat up a might when Jericho and Ivy’s eyes meet after she almost plunges to her death in a Roman-style riding competition!  Realizing he’s recognized her, and unable to take the risk of Jericho blowing her cover, Ivy quickly exits stage left, grabs her horse and hightails it out of there, hoping to escape a meeting with Jericho.  There is never any escaping, where Jericho is concerned, however … probably why he’s such a great bounty hunter!  He’s fuming at what almost happened to Ivy and chases after her with the intent of giving her a piece of his mind for putting herself in such danger.  But that’s the funny thing about the mind … it can quickly be overtaken by the heart.  And this love – a love that has been vehemently denied by both parties for years – well … it might finally, and ultimately, have its way …

Falling For The Cowgirl is now available on audio at Audible and Amazon.

Five-Part Invention Wins an Earphones Award!

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5-part-invention-WPFeature-300x224Earlier this year one of the most beautiful, moving, and heart-stirring books came across my desk.  A book that I couldn’t put down, one that moved me to the core, and one that I was so happy to be a part of, as one of five narrators for Dreamscape Media.  This book is Five-Part Invention, and it is the debut novel of extraordinary writer,  Andrea J. Buchanan.  This morning, happy news started the day when I learned that this exquisite book, has just won an Earphones award!

Thank you so much, AudioFile Magazine for taking the time to listen to, review and for awarding Five-Part Invention with the wonderful honor of receiving an Earphones Award.  Huge congratulations to Andrea J. Buchanan, Erick Black and Dreamscape Media, and to my immensely talented co-narrators, Elizabeth Wiley, Jayme Mattler, Jackie Meloche and Jane Oppenheimer.  It’s an honor and joy to be in your company!  Heartfelt thanks to Erick Black for casting me as Anna – a character that will forever remain in my heart.

I have included the text of the review below, as well as included a link to AudioFile Magazine’s review, here –  incase you prefer to check out the review on line.  Also – please do check out this book – either on Audio, or in print.  You can find Five-Part Invention on Audible or at Amazon. com.

Here’s the review!

FIVE-PART INVENTION

Earphones Award Winner

by Andrea J. Buchanan | Read by Elizabeth Wiley, Jayme Mattler, Susan Hanfield, Jackie Meloche, Jane Oppenheimer

Fiction • 14.25 hrs. • Unabridged • © 2022

Buchanan’s debut novel unfolds like a symphony as it examines the impact of trauma on five generations of women. Five talented narrators breathe life into these complicated survivors. Elizabeth Wiley, as Lise, the matriarch, has an immigrant’s accent as she reveals her traumatic truth to her adult daughter, Anna, through a letter that weaves through the stories of her descendants. Susan Hanfield’s Anna mourns the mothering she missed in her childhood while mothering Pauline, the girl she is raising as her own. Jane Oppenheimer portrays Pauline’s neediness as she struggles to feel connected. Jayme Mattler spotlights Hope’s curiosity and insightfulness as she spends spring break with the grandfather she never knew. Jackie Meloche delivers Zoey’s self-acceptance as love triumphs over trauma. N.E.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2022]

Trade Ed. • Dreamscape • 2022

https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/Read/218472

Five-Part Invention 🎼🎼🎼🎼🎼 New Audiobook Release From Dreamscape!

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In music, the word invention (n.) is defined as:  a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint.  

Five-Part Invention, is the gripping debut novel from New York Times bestselling author, Andrea J. Buchanan, that is now available for listening on Audible.  I’m so grateful to have been a part of this incredibly beautiful project!  I had the honor and privilege of voicing Anna, one of the five protagonists, in this exquisite saga spanning five generations of women that “wrestles with the question – if trauma echoes through generations, can love echo, too? Is the love we transmit enough to undo the trauma of the past that we unwittingly carry with us and often re-enact in the present?” (Publisher Summary) 

Five-Part Invention begins with Lise, in the form of a letter written to her daughter Anna, in an attempt to explain, and to try to undo, the estrangement that she has had with her daughter, from the moment Anna was born.  This first invention sets the stage for this riveting multigenerational story.  Buchanan then skillfully shifts the lens to shine a light on each of her five protagonists’ lives, told from their perspectives.  Here we are introduced to Lise, Anna, Pauline, Hope and Zoey, all written so exquisitely and vividly, and in such a way, that is not only immediately captivating, but all at once, immersive.  Buchanan places each of these five extraordinary women in their specific eras, allowing each counterpoint to ring out clearly in their own unique voice, as they transparently share their story, their struggles, their search for identity, and their ultimate journey to self-love, all the while answering the question …

Is the love we transmit enough to undo the trauma of the past?  

Heartfelt thank you to Dreamscape Media, for casting me as Anna, and for inviting me to be a part of this truly special project.  To my incredibly talented co-narrators –  Elizabeth Wiley (Lise), Jane Oppenheimer (Pauline), Jamie Mattler (Hope), and Jackie Meloche (Zoey) –  what an honor and joy it is to be in your company. 

Five-Part Invention is now available in print and on Audio at audible.com and amazon.com.