~ AUDIOBOOKS ~

The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock.

By: Jane Riley.

Narrated by: Steve West.

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 01-02-20.

Publisher: Brilliance Audio.

"Oliver Clock has everything arranged just so. A steady job running the family funeral parlour. A fridge stocked with ready meals. A drawer full of colour-coded socks. 

When a terrible tragedy takes secret-love Marie out of his life but leaves him with her private journal, he discovers too late that she secretly loved him back. Faced now with an empty life, Oliver resolves to open himself up to love - and all the mess that comes along with it."

We all know an 'Oliver' we'd love to see allow some colour into their lives, and I think this will be an interesting (and hopefully uplifting) story.

The Patient Man.

By: Joy Ellis.

Narrated by: Richard Armitage.

Series: Jackman & Evans Book 6.

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 18-02-20.

Publisher: Audible Studios.

"Join the detective duo as they enter a lethal game of cat-and-mouse with an old nemesis, and battle to locate a deadly sniper taunting the police. Is it too much to bear for Jackman and Evans? Brimming with Joy Ellis’ trademark twists and turns, this unmissable crime thriller will keep you captivated until the very end."

I'm not caught up with this series yet but have bought them all as soon as I could. Armitage is one of my favourite narrators (have I mentioned that yet today?) and this series is an instant-buy for me.

The Book of Hidden Things.

By: Francesco Dimitri.

Narrated by: Andrew Wincott.

Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 13-02-20.

Publisher: Whole Story Audiobooks.

"Four friends have a pact: to meet up on the same day every year in their small hometown in southern Italy. Art, the charismatic leader of the group, has always been adamant about the pact. But this year, he doesn't show up. Searching for him, the friends make a worrying discovery. Asking around in town, they hear bizarre and incredible rumours. And then, amongst the chaos of his house, they find a curious manuscript written by Art called The Book of Hidden Things, which promises to reveal secrets enchanting as flames, and just as treacherous.... "

This one was recommended to me, and whilst not my usual genre it certainly sounds intriguing!

She-Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentlewomen.
British Women in India.

By: Katie Hickman.

Narrated by: Katie Hickman, Tania Rodrigues.

Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 27-02-20.

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

"The first British women to set foot in India did so in the very early 17th century, two and a half centuries before the Raj. 

For some it was painful exile, but for many it was exhilarating. Through diaries, letters and memoirs (many still in manuscript form), this exciting book reveals the extraordinary life and times of hundreds of women who made their way across the sea and changed history."

I love the sound of this audiobook, and the previously-untold stories it reveals of some of the most intrepid women of the 1600s.

False Value.

I hope this will offer a little light-relief and a tongue-in-cheek look at our closest continental neighbours, at a time when European politics are more fractured than ever.

Lord Vile.
Beastly Lords, Book 3.

By: Sydney Jane Baily.

Narrated by: Tim Campbell.

Series: Beastly Lords, Book 3.

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 25-02-20.

Publisher: Tantor Audio.

"Drinking and carousing with the lowliest wenches to the highest aristocrats, Alder greets each day with a throbbing head, a sour stomach, and an even sourer disposition. Until a desirable new lady arrives in London, a polished stranger, not a hint of vengeance. If Lord Vile thought he understood betrayal and heartache, he hasn't seen anything yet...."

Enemies-to-lovers is a trope I always enjoy, and I keep hearing what a great narrator Tim Campbell is, and can't believe that I haven't actually heard any of his audiobooks yet! The Inspector Hobbes series has been in my wishlist for ages, as have several Christi Caldwell books, but I think this one will be where I finally take the plunge!

The Case of the Wandering Scholar.
Laetitia Rodd, Book 2.

By: Kate Saunders.

Narrated by: Charlotte Strevens.

Series: A Laetitia Rodd Mystery, Book 2.

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 08-02-20.

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing.

"1851. Wealthy businessman Jacob Welland is dying of consumption and implores private detective Laetitia Rodd to find his beloved brother, whom he has not seen for 10 years. An impoverished Oxford scholar who left college to live as a wandering hermit, Joshua Welland has been spotted in a gypsy camp, where it was rumoured he was learning great secrets. Her search reconnects Laetitia with a couple from her past, but then a murder is committed. Laetitia's friend, Inspector Blackbeard of Scotland Yard, dismisses her talk of gypsies and secrets, but Laetitia is convinced something sinister lurks in this peaceful landscape."

This series sounds great, so I've added the first two books to my wishlist ready to check it out.

Difficult Women.
A History of Feminism in 11 Fights.

By: Helen Lewis.

Narrated by: Helen Lewis.

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 27-02-20.

Language: English.

Publisher: Penguin Audio.

"Well-behaved women don’t make history: difficult women do.

Helen Lewis argues that feminism’s success is down to complicated, contradictory, imperfect women who fought each other as well as fighting for equal rights. Too many of these pioneers have been whitewashed or forgotten in our modern search for feel-good, inspirational heroines.

Drawing on archival research and interviews, Difficult Women is a funny, fearless and sometimes shocking narrative history which shows why the feminist movement has succeeded - and what it should do next."

Whilst this one won't be everyone's cup of tea, it sounds like it could be a refreshing take on a subject that has struggled with more in-fighting than a political party.

"Sussex, England, 1929. Mydworth is a sleepy English market town just 50 miles from London. But things are about to liven up there, when young and handsome Sir Harry Mortimer returns home from his diplomatic posting in Cairo, with his beautiful and unconventional American wife, Kat.

No sooner have the two arrived, when a jewel robbery occurs at Harry's aunt's home - Mydworth Manor. The police are baffled and overwhelmed with the case. But Harry and Kat have an edge in the hunt for the dangerous culprit: not only do they have certain useful "skills" they've both picked up in service of King, President and Country, they also have access to parts of English society that your average bobby can't reach ..."

This was another instant-buy for me, as it's a new series from the writers behind Cherringham and the narrator who helped bring the Bunburry series to life. Lubbe Audio have firmly cemented themselves as one of my favourite publisher's of episodic cosy mystery audiobooks, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

"When spirited Verity Bowman is left a sizeable legacy by her uncle on condition that she spends six months 'in a wholly rational manner', neither she nor her long-suffering attorney Charles Congreve have any idea where it will lead them. Nor, it has to be said, does anyone else. 

Set in Newmarket and London, A Rational Proposal is the first in the Furze House Irregulars series featuring women of spirit, women of courage, women who don't see why, in this male-dominated Regency era, they should not also play their part in bringing wrongdoers to justice."

I loved the sound of this series from the first moment, and it's another book that is already waiting in my library!

"The first three novels and the prequel novella in the million-selling Nate Temple Series: Obsidian Son, Blood Debts, Grimm, and Fairy Tale.

My name is Nate Temple, and I’m secretly a wizard. I ride a foul-mouthed unicorn, I drink with Achilles, and I’m pals with the Four Horsemen. I’ve even cow-tipped the Minotaur. I understand the theory of following the rules...I’m just not very good at the application."

It feels like cheating to include this series for the second month in a row, but I put the first book, Obsidian Son, on my wishlist in January and spotted a 3-book boxed set this month. While I like to own individual titles, I can't resist a bargain and I figured this would be the better way to sample a new series.

The Maltby Collection: The Complete Series 1-3.

By: David Nobbs.

Narrated by: Geoffrey Palmer, Julian Rhind-Tutt.

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins.

Unabridged Audiobook.

Release date: 20-02-20.

Language: English.

Publisher: BBC Audio.

"Rod Millet has always dreamed of working at the Maltby Collection, but on being appointed Deputy Curator of Painting and Sculpture, it quickly becomes clear that the son of a self-made biscuit mogul isn't going to fit into the musty, insular world of London antiquities. But when, on his first day, Rod learns that the museum has been earmarked for closure, he starts a campaign to save it (threatening his boss Walter Brindle’s plans for a cushy early retirement).

With the collection’s future secured, the staff turn their energies towards romance. Rod competes with colleague Julian for the affections of the lovely Prunella, Walter makes a move on Susie Maltby and there are wedding bells for several members of the team - but heartbreak for another."

I always re-listen to this series whenever it's repeated on BBC radio, so having it in my library to listen to whenever I like is too tempting to resist.

Which new releases have you listened to this month, and what has been added to your wishlist?