This audiobook features ex-soldier Saint Vega, who wants to protect his family, and Lola León, a social justice warrior who is determined to save her neighborhood community center. Valentina Ortiz's narration skillfully immerses listeners in this story, smoothly capturing the spirit of its culturally rich neighborhoods. Her vocal artistry brings the characters to life, vividly depicting their emotions and complexities. Ortiz's narration particularly shines in her portrayal of the Vega family's intricate relationships, emotional struggles, and personal growth. Her ability to convey the characters' evolving dynamics and deep-seated issues adds depth to the narrative. Ortiz's engaging narration ensures an enjoyable listening experience.
Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2023
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488227905
Publisher: Harlequin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After her divorce, Roberta Jewett, with her three daughters, returns to Camden, Maine, to start a new life. Such an independent move in 1916 brings difficulties with her mother, her in-laws and the townspeople. Dukes's performance, while skillful, sometimes suffer in scenes of emotional content. His pace slows, and his reading acquires the peculiar emphasis of someone trying to get instructions across to a non-English-speaking person. The effect is disturbingly laughable. When he resumes his normal pace, the story revives and personalities emerge again, but the awkwardness remains as an odd interruption to Spencer's drama of pain and love, dispelling Dukes's carefully constructed characterizations.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A young Southern woman marries into an aristocratic Boston family and spends her summers at a vacation community on the Maine coast. Heavy-handed abridgment reduces this novel to an outline which denies the listener any character development. Judith Ivey offers stereotypical dialects which are discordant to a New Englander's ear. In her interpretation the Down East Mainers speak like thugs in raspy voices. Her presentation of a Boston accent is phonetically erratic and also spoken in gruff tones. The color and flavor of Maine are missing from this tasteless rendition.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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