Whiskey Business by Avon Gale Audiobook Review

Ryder Waites will do anything to keep the tiny town of Gallows Grove, Kentucky, from vanishing off the map—even sell his family’s whiskey recipe to Bluegrass Bourbon in Lexington. Hopeful that the larger company can provide necessary improvements to the distillery, Ryder aims ultimately to get Gallows Grove on the Bourbon Trail… and bring in much-needed tourism revenue. But to keep producing Hanged Man Bourbon in Gallows Grove, he’ll have to convince company liaison, unbearably stuffy and seriously hot Adam Keller, that he’s worth the investment.

Adam comes from an old-money family, but he’s determined to make his own way in the world. When he’s sent to Gallows Grove, he questions the life choices that led him to a rented room in a funeral home in a town full of macabre-themed businesses. And he doesn’t know what to make of Ryder, the descendant of bootleggers, who’s on a mission to save his strange town from extinction. When Adam and Ryder put aside their initial mistrust, the results are as smooth as good whiskey. But after Adam’s assignment ends, he’ll have to decide if small-town life and a future with Ryder are to his taste.

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Audiobook Details
Length: 3 hrs, 37 mins
Narrator: Kirt Graves

Audiobook Buy Links

Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  iTunes

Ebook Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
The first time I listened to Whiskey Business, I fell in love with it, but I wasn’t sure how much of my love of the audiobook had to do with the story and how much was due to the narrator. Even having listened to it several times since then, it wasn’t until I listened to it again today that I realized that while my initial draw to it may have been due to Kirt Graves, ultimately, I kept coming back just as much for the story as for the narration.

Ryder Waites’ hometown of Gallows Grove, Kentucky makes for a fascinating setting for the story. Not only is there something magical about the water that makes their Hanged Man Bourbon special (hush child, I can call it magical if I want), but the punny names of the town businesses never failed to put a smile on my face. That the townspeople try so hard to make sure Ryder knows his homosexuality doesn’t matter to them that their social missteps are often terribly politically incorrect was absolutely endearing to me as a reader. They clearly loved Ryder, they just didn’t always have the right words to express it. This became even more apparent when Ryder’s initial resentment and hostility toward Adam took a backseat to his attraction to the man. The subtle and blatant encouragement the two received when they were out together made the story even more entertaining than the creepy dolls did (lol). And while there were plenty of things to laugh about in the story, I think I laughed hardest at the pony play conversation – I literally fell over on my bed in a fit of giggles when Adam told Ryder to stop laughing. But that levity was necessary to balance the seriousness of the situation, especially once Ryder understood what the full ramifications of him selling his family’s recipe were – that production could be moved out of Gallows Grove, which was the exact opposite of what he’d intended when making the deal. Despite this being a novella, Avon Gale strikes the right balance of laughter, seriousness, sexy times, and development of the romantic relationship that Whiskey Business felt like a full-length story and my need for more was because I wanted to spend more time with Ryder and Adam to see how their relationship continued to grow, to see the progress on the distillery expansion, and to spend more time with the folks of Gallows Grove. Seriously, if the author decides to make this a series, I’m there.

I’ve already said that the narration likely had a lot to do with my initial response to the story. You see, Kirt Graves’ narration of Wolfsong made it one of my favorite audiobooks of all time, and while Ryder has hints of Ox in his voice, Graves does an impressive job of mixing up his repertoire of voices to keep Ryder from sounding just like Ox. While I’m unfamiliar with exactly how a Kentucky accent sounds, I am familiar with a Southern accent and Graves does a nice job of giving the characters a southern sound without the overdone drawl that set Ryder’s nerves on edge at the beginning of the book. And the subtle difference between Ryder’s small-town accent and Adam’s more formal speech merely added to the characters’ depth. For me, listening to an audiobook is similar to listening to a movie from another room, where you have to rely largely upon the characters’ words and tone of voice to understand the emotions they’re trying to convey as there are no faces or body language to read, and Graves does such a wonderful job of conveying Ryder and Adam’s amusement, resentment, attraction, exasperation, resignation, disappointment, and hope that I was able to sit back and enjoy the show, so to speak. I have enjoyed my visits to Gallows Grove every time I’ve listened to Whiskey Business and am already looking forward to spending time there again soon.

AVON GALE wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it—even if it was a bit weirder than the other hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after—though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal Midwestern college town. By day, Avon is a hair stylist who loves her job, her clients, and the opportunity to spend her time being creative and making people feel happy and look fabulous.

When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music, or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert, and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Connect with Avon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Google+  ~  Instagram

Kirt Graves is a Wisconsin native whose passion for literature is rivaled only by his love of the spoken word. Thanks to years of experience onstage and as a high school forensics coach (some know the activity at speech & debate), Graves is a skilled mimic, compassionate interpreter, and master of long-form prose. A tenor by training, Graves can easily move between characters of any age, genre, gender or ethnic background.

Connect with Kirt

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free audiobook copy of Whiskey Business (States of Love) by Avon Gale, narrated by Kirt Graves to listen to and review.

The Imperfection of Swans by Brandon Witt Audiobook Review

Kevin Bivanti’s dream is to open a wedding dress shop, a place with the stunning gowns to make every bride-to-be feel adored. At thirty-eight, he quits a successful advertising career to buy an old brownstone in a trendy Boston neighborhood and to make his dream a reality. When one of his cosigners drops out, fate intervenes, ushering in Casper James, who hopes to open his own bakery. With Casper willing to take the risk, their ambitions meld into a wedding dress and wedding cake boutique.

Extensive renovations to the brownstone, an affair with his ex-husband, family drama with his mothers, and the anxiety of significant life changes push Kevin to the brink of a nervous breakdown. In the midst of stress and uncertainty, Casper becomes more than a business partner, a mutual attraction that adds another layer of intensity and risk.

With their dreams on the verge of reality, Kevin and Casper must find the courage to face the stress of managing their attraction, the gamble of a new business venture, and the resurgence of Kevin’s personal demons.

Length: 9 hrs, 52 mins
Narrator: Kirt Graves

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I don't often listen to audiobooks, but am really glad that I chose to listen to this one, because style-wise it worked particularly well for me. It is more descriptive than dialogue driven, which made it ideal listening material.

This is a story which deals with some difficult issues, has some lovely humour, and has a sweet and meaningful romance. At its heart, for me, was a man who had a dream and an amazing family who supported it. And, as it turns out, Casper and his plans may just be the perfect fit for him too.

Whilst this is a long story, and there is a lot of getting the place ready, (something which I fully enjoyed, but did draw out what I had assumed was more of a simple romance) this is a worthwhile read, and has a very uplifting theme by the end. It did not hurt that I had read that this is based on a true story of one of the author's friends. Because after all, we can't help but love a happy ending!

BRANDON WITT’s outlook on life is greatly impacted by his first eighteen years of growing up gay in a small town in the Ozarks, as well as fifteen years as a counselor and special education teacher for students with severe emotional disabilities. Add to that his obsession with corgis and mermaids, then factor in an unhealthy love affair with cheeseburgers, and you realize that with all those issues, he’s got plenty to write about…

Connect with Brandon

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of The Imperfection of Swans by Brandon Witt, Narrated by Kirt Graves to listen to and review.

Wolfsong by TJ Klune Dual Media Review

Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.

Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road. The little boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the little boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the little boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end of the lane.

Ox was seventeen when he found out the little boy’s secret and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.

It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Audiobook Details
Length: 18 hrs, 40 mins

Narrator: Kirt Graves

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Amazon Audiobook  ~  Audible  ~  Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Audiobook Review

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I am wrung out. Completely and totally drained. This was not simply an audiobook; this was an experience. I’ve only had the chance to enjoy Klune’s At First Sight series, so I was woefully unprepared for the emotional wringer that the author put me through. Wolfsong is a fascinating story that spans a decade of Ox’s life as he experiences life, loss, love, death, devastation, and desertion, all while he learns that there’s more to the world than he ever imagined and his role in it is far more important than he could have dreamed. That he truly is special and that the family he makes can be a source of strength he never would have discovered had his father not broken up their family when he was just twelve. And above all that, Ox learned the love is both beautiful and painful, but without it, life isn’t worth living; but with love, life can be worth sacrificing to insure that those in his heart and under his protection will live to see another day.

I’m not sure exactly how he did it, but through the words Klune penned and the action that takes place, Graves did a beautiful job of making Ox feel beyond real, larger than life despite his soft-spoken nature. With just the slightest of change in inflection, Graves takes Ox from conversational speech to humor and sarcasm, to love and hope, to despair and devastation, to anger and hurt, and to protectiveness over those who belong to him. Where the narrator of the At First Sight series utilizes an over-the-top performance to make the audiobooks entertaining, Graves is far subtler in his performance of Ox, Joe, Gordo, the Bennetts, and everyone else who makes up Ox’s world – except for maybe Joe when he was a kid, but I don’t consider young Joe to be over-the-top so much as possessing a child’s exuberance that Graves captured that perfectly as well.

As you’ve probably guessed, I’m trying not to talk about the specifics on the story too much and that’s because Wolfsong is one of those books that I feel needs to be experienced by the reader or listener without much more detail than is provided in the book’s description. While this is a shifter romance, it is so much more than that, and not just because of the twists that Klune adds, and that’s why I don’t want to talk too much about the details. But if you enjoy paranormal romances that are more than just romance, that are about pack and family, about protecting those who belong to you, about making mistakes and having to live with them, and about healing and love and finding your place in the world, then Wolfsong may be just what you’re looking for – I know it was more than I expected. Despite the fact that my eyes are all red and itchy from crying off and on for the last three days, I wouldn’t change a thing because the emotional rollercoaster ride was epic and awesome. So very worth the price of admission. Well done, Klune, and bravo, Graves. I anxiously await the return to the Bennett pack, whether it be in a sequel or a relisten.

Ebook Review

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
This is an exquisite book. I feel unable to summon enough stars or the right words to explain my intense, almost visceral reaction to the story.

I wasn’t expecting more than a shifter romance but instead, I found myself enthralled with the voice of an unlikely hero. Poor and not terribly bright, Ox sees the world simply. He fixes cars. He supports his mother. He is picked on at school. But there is a beautiful truth in his simple observations and it is impossible not to love him.

Joe is much more complicated. At times, it is difficult to even like the werewolf king in waiting. He is born a leader, and even at a frighteningly young age, he has a disconcerting control over everyone around him. Joe’s character is an unsettling mix of darkness and light, joy and horror. I found him wonderfully compelling even when I started to hate him.

Joe and Ox’s romance is long, complicated and, at times, almost unbearable. Joe knows Ox will be his when he is ten years old, but long years waiting are complicated by separation, grief, and difficult battles.

I loved all of the characters that interact with Joe and Ox. Their families – both biological and chosen – are wonderful and I loved the distinct identities, the eclectic mix of personalities, and the beautiful, complicated relationships between the people in the two men’s lives.

Like all good fantasy writing, there are lessons about love, family and belonging that run deep beneath the surface of this story. It is as much of a story about identity, forgiveness, and integrity as it is a story about warring magical creatures. In many ways, this is a modern heroic epic and I recommend this story to everyone.

John & Jackie has been released! Words of warning: you will have total Wookie cry face while reading this book. I regret nothing.

When TJ Klune was eight, he picked up a pen and paper and began to write his first story (which turned out to be his own sweeping epic version of the video game Super Metroid—he didn't think the game ended very well and wanted to offer his own take on it. He never heard back from the video game company, much to his chagrin). Now, two decades later, the cast of characters in his head have only gotten louder, wondering why he has to go to work as a claims examiner for an insurance company during the day when he could just stay home and write. He recently went slightly insane and moved to the East Coast from the Sonoran Desert with his fiancé and neurotic cat in tow. He dreams about one day standing at Stonehenge, just so he can say he did.

Connect with TJ

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Wolfsong (Green Creek #1) by TJ Klune, Narrated by Kirt Graves to read or listen to and review.