The Winter Dark by J.S. Cook Audiobook Review

Veteran police chief Eli Gallagher doesn’t ask for much, but he does insist that his officers uphold the “serve” part of “serve and protect.” Conscientious young Deputy Stan Leach takes Eli’s moto to heart, maintaining a high standard of personal accountability.

When Eli’s long-distance boyfriend, Gilbert Nees, telephones from Philadelphia, Eli thinks he intends to further cement their relationship. Unfortunately, Gilbert’s news is anything but good. But Eli doesn’t have time to wallow, because a violent act results in murder in the small town of Morristown, Mississippi.

But as Eli and Stan uncover evidence, their personal lives begin to unravel. Stan, working closely with Chief Gallagher, grows increasingly attached to Eli and learns what it really means to be an advocate of justice.

Audiobook Details
Length: 2 hrs, 40 mins
Narrator: K.C. Kelly

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆
Story – 3 star
Narration – 5 star

It’s not often that my rating for an audiobook differs quite so much between the narration and the story itself, but I found the storyline of The Winter Dark didn’t quite work for me and I’m going to try to explain why without revealing too much about the events that take place – or rambling incoherently… hopefully.

While I knew from the blurb that Chief Eli Gallagher had a boyfriend who was not Deputy Stan Leach and that eventually he and said boyfriend would have to part ways (again, pretty clear from the blurb) in order for anything to start up between Eli and Stan, I did not expect to be well past the half-way point in the book before the police chief and his deputy finally get involved. For me, the author spent far too much time on the relationship each man was involved in prior to the murder that brings them together. Even though the relationships gave us a chance to learn a bit about each man, they led to a shortchanging of the relationship the blurb promised. In fact, there was a complete lack of relationship development between Eli and Stan. And while I can accept that the intensity of the murder that takes place can forge a bond between two people, I needed more. I’m all for an author giving the reader the chance to use their own imagination to fill in some of the blanks – especially in a novella – but I found the jump that takes place from the start of their relationship to the epilogue to take that a bit too far. Show me just a bit of relationship development that takes place away from their work setting so that I can believe the move from A to E.

My issues with the storyline are complicated further by the confusion I experienced while listening to the audiobook. The author would shift focus from Eli’s relationship with Gilbert to Stan’s relationship with Harvey and back again within the same chapter – with no warning, like a heading for Stan or Eli, to signal the change. These focus shifts were made worse by the fact that the author would sometimes refer to the characters by their first name and other times by their last name and it didn’t seem to matter who was addressing them. I do believe that had I read The Winter Dark, much of my confusion would have been eliminated because I expect that I would have seen textual cues for the focus shifts (like extra line spacing to show section breaks) so it wouldn’t have been as jarring as it was in the audiobook. Kelly does a good job of giving each character their own voice, but I still found myself backtracking in the book to make sure I knew which character was taking center stage. While I did enjoy The Winter Dark, it doesn’t come close to living up to its blurb – at least not for me – and I just can’t see myself queuing it up again for a re-listen, not even to enjoy Kelly’s vocal performance.

J.S. Cook (JoAnne Soper-Cook) published her first story when she was 8 and hasn't looked back since. Don't let her cynical exterior fool you: this author (whose nickname at university was 'Sarcasmo') is a hopeless romantic and a big mush. She is a dog mom and supporter of animal rights, whose children have four paws and fur. She writes crime/mystery/noir. She does her own forensic experiments. J.S. Cook was born in a tiny fishing village on the seacoast of Newfoundland. Her love of writing manifested itself early when her mother, impressed with the quality of a school assignment she'd written, sent it to the editor of the local paper - who published it. Since then she has written novels, short stories, novellas, plays, radio scripts and some really, really bad poetry. She has worked as a housekeeper, nanny, secretary, publisher, parliamentary editor and a university lecturer, although this last convinced her never to step foot inside a classroom again. She holds a B.A. (Honors) and an M.A. in English Language and Literature, and a B.Ed in Post-secondary education. She loves walking and once spent six hours walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland. She maintains she wasn't lost, just "looking around". She makes her home in St. John's, Newfoundland, with her husband of 26 years and her spoiled rotten 'dogter', Lola, who always gets her own way.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Winter Dark by J.S. Cook, narrated by K.C. Kelly to listen to and review.

Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless Audiobook Review

By twenty-four, Carter Stevenson has stuttered and ticced his way to debilitating shyness. Although his friends accuse him of letting his Tourette's dictate his life, Carter moves from Los Angeles to a quiet California town. He'll keep his head down and avoid people. He doesn't anticipate his new neighbor, Ethan Hart, crashing into his solitude and forcing him to get out and live.

From the beginning, Ethan makes his love for Carter clear. But he fears Carter won't see past Ethan's damaged brain, even though it makes Ethan more attuned to his emotions than most people. For Carter, there's a bigger issue: he's been burned by so-called "perfect" matches, and he won't risk his heart again.

One way or another, Ethan's determined to show Carter they belong together. Then Ethan receives tragic news. Suddenly he must turn to Carter for strength and support. Will Carter come through when Ethan needs him most?

Length: 7 hrs, 21 mins
Narrator: K.C. Kelly

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I discovered Ethan, Who Loved Carter after listening to K.C. Kelly’s narration of Knave of Broken Hearts. I fell in love with Kelly’s voice, so having credits I needed to use, I went in search of other audiobooks he’d narrated. When I read the blurb for Ethan, Who Loved Carter, I knew that I had to have it. I’ve worked with persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and persons with stutters and tics similar to those of Tourette’s, so I couldn’t wait to delve into Ethan and Carter’s story. And Loveless’s words and Kelly’s performance made this an audiobook I know I will listen to again and again. I’m actually writing this review after listening to the audiobook for a second time, six months after the first. I wanted to experience Ethan and Carter’s story again because Loveless is releasing a young adult version of the novel entitled Ethan later this month.

Ethan, Who Loved Carter is an absolutely beautiful tale of acceptance – of one’s self and of others. Because of his stutters and tics, Carter is often underestimated by those around him who don’t know him. Sadly, this is an all too real occurrence, people assuming that because an individual has a disorder that impedes their ability to communicate, that they are not intelligent. Even knowing this, Carter’s initial interaction with Ethan is tinged with similar misjudgment because Carter assumes that whatever is “wrong” with Ethan will make him easier to talk to; and while Carter is able to stop stuttering while talking to Ethan, it only lasts long enough for Carter to stick his foot in his mouth. Despite his tendency to avoid stressful situations, Carter forces himself to go to Ethan’s house next door and apologize for what he said. Thus begins the journey of two men becoming friends, learning to enjoy one another’s company, learning to care about one another and each wanting to take care of other, and eventually becoming more once Carter admits to himself that he wants to be more than just friends with Ethan – something Ethan has wanted from the very beginning.

One of the many things I love about Ethan is how he sees Carter’s tics as music and is able to communicate his enjoyment of Carter’s “music” in such a way that Carter takes pleasure in Ethan’s joy. I also found Ethan’s capacity to love and to forgive to be beyond heartwarming. It’s far too easy to focus on the negative and see what’s missing in a person after they’ve experienced a TBI, but Ethan reminds us that we need to look at the entire person because while Ethan may not have had the chance to become the person he was on his way to being, his life is still rich – full of friends, family, happiness, and love. Ethan’s family plays a pivotal role in the novel as they are a big part in his life. I really liked how Loveless was able to show the love and support of the family, while adding the realism of the frustration and occasional resentment siblings may experience. Ethan’s family is not portrayed as being perfect and I love the author for that because it not only adds to the realism of the story, but keeps other caregivers from feeling guilty for not living up to fictional characters. And their easy acceptance of Carter into Ethan’s life made me happier than I can express for so many reasons. Having just finished the audiobook, with Carter’s wish for a teen-aged Ethan to have been in his life fresh on my mind, I cannot wait to crack open Ethan.

RYAN LOVELESS is a farmer’s daughter. She has a BA in English from a private college in Illinois and a master’s degree in library and information science with an archival certificate from a university in New York. Raised in a conservative family, she was shocked and relieved when her coming out was largely uneventful. She has been writing since she could read and has always drifted toward M/M because she enjoys the relationship dynamics. It’s possible that her first story was about GI Joe. She wishes she still had that story.

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Angela reviewed her personal copy of Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless, Narrated by K.C. Kelly for this post.