Welcome to Brian’s Book Blog’s Weekly Showcase of New and Notable Audiobooks for January 1st, 2025!
Each week, I handpick audiobooks from various genres that have caught my attention. Dive in and discover your next great listen!
Spot an audiobook I missed or one you’re particularly excited about? Share in the comments below!
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The Unraveling by Jack Hunt
Narrated by Kyle Tait
Self Published
Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Kyle Tait
As Black Friday shoppers crowd stores across the nation, a different kind of darkness descends. When a devastating virus begins to spread—erasing memories and identities before claiming its victims—former CDC coordinator Nate Holloway races against time to get his estranged daughter, Sophie, to safety. Their desperate journey to reach her mother in Stillwater forces them to confront not only the infected but also the painful truth about the night that tore their family apart.
As the virus takes hold and society unravels, Nate and Sophie must navigate through dangerous territories, facing hostile survivors and their own haunting pasts. With the help of a dedicated group of survivors, they discover that the greatest threat isn’t just losing their memories—it’s losing each other.
In a world where forgetting means death, remembering might be the bravest act of all.
THE UNRAVELING is a heart-wrenching post-apocalyptic thriller about family, redemption, and the lengths a father will go to protect his child—even if it means being forgotten.
Home for the Holidays by Erin Zak
Narrated by Lula Larkin
Fierce Femm Media
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Lula Larkin
When Iris Abbott, alongside her best friend and roommate Zac Nowak, returns to his hometown, the sleepy familiarity of Indiana holds more than just nostalgia. Little does Iris know that her own journey of self-discovery is about to take an unexpected turn.
Enter Heidi, a breathtaking woman who captivates Iris from the moment their eyes meet. Drawn to each other with an undeniable magnetic pull, Iris and Heidi embark on a clandestine love affair that electrifies their souls. But just as their connection deepens, they uncover a shocking truth—they are not just two women who are attracted to each other, but they are also bound by an unbreakable bond.
As they dance between stolen moments and hidden glances, Iris and Heidi must confront their own fears and find the strength to stand up for their love. Together, they embark on a journey of self-acceptance, challenging the conventions of a society that tries to define who they should be.
Home for the Holidays is a tender and passionate contemporary romance that explores the complexities of love, family, and self-discovery. Set against the backdrop of small-town Indiana, it delves into the triumphs and challenges of forbidden love and the transformative power of embracing one’s true identity.
Rising from Ash by Jax Meyer
Narrated by Susan Knight
Forged by Fire #1
Self Published
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Phoenix Murray has had enough. Enough of her incompetent boss. Enough of her addict father always asking for money. Enough of the struggle to survive. So when her aunt offers her a job as a cook at the South Pole, she jumps at it. Even when she’s asked to avoid casual sex to keep the peace in the tiny community.
Astrophysicist Ashley Bennett can’t wait for her year at the South Pole. Not only will it allow her to focus on her PhD research, it’s a key step in her plan to become a Mars colonist. Avoiding the complications of dating in a society that doesn’t understand asexuality is a bonus.
When Phoenix and Ash meet, they can’t help but push each other’s buttons. Phoenix doesn’t understand that her confident sexuality puts Ash on edge while Ash’s curt formality triggers Phoenix’s insecurities about her upbringing. But living at the bottom of the world means there’s nowhere to run, and as they find common ground, their differences aren’t nearly the hindrance they thought.
Rising From Ash is the first book in the Forged by Fire series, a slow burn contemporary lesbian romance that shows the power of intimacy to form a new life.
Note: While Rising from Ash features a character on the asexual spectrum, the story does include physically intimate scenes. However, none are gratuitous.
Love and Cherish by Eada Friesian
Narrated by Quinn Riley
Podium Audio
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Quinn Riley
One reserved professional. One bubbly long-term temp. One gala to unite them.
Haylee Coleman can’t lose another job. Flat-out broke, she’s desperate to turn her life around, pay her bills, and keep her job. But more than that, she’s found a place she might belong for the first time in her life. She can make a difference here. If only Cherish would like her. If only Cherish could help her figure out how not to get fired. If only Cherish wasn’t so distracting.
With a bark that rivals the boss, Cherish Barkley lives and breathes her boss. She’s loved Febe Aarts for decades. When the annual gala for the Holbrook Foundation looms, Cherish begs for Haylee’s help. It has to go off without a hitch, unlike last year, when Febe… Cherish can think about that later. Right now, she has to protect Febe.
Will they put aside their differences long enough to ensure their boss survives the gala unscathed? Or will the mounting tension between them erupt in unsuspecting ways?
Find out what happens next in this sapphic age gap, workplace romance, with an ice queen in love with her boss and a curvy new assistant who won’t give up on her dream.
Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
Narrated by Abigail Reno
Dungeons and Drama #2
Listening Library
Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
From the author of the nationally bestselling Dungeons and Drama comes another gaming romance that’s sure to win you over!
Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign—this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members.
Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!
Stealing for Keeps by Rebecca Jenshak
Narrated by Abigail Reno, Max Meyers
Frost Lake High #1
Self Published
Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Frost Lake High’s new soccer star, the team captain’s ex-girlfriend, and a dare that changes everything.
When Austin Keller’s family moves across the country for his chance to play with the prestigious Frost Lake soccer team, he’s ready to seize the opportunity. But on his first night out with the team, a dare to kiss the team captain’s ex-girlfriend sets in motion a rivalry that threatens his future.
Claire Crawford was once an aspiring figure skater, but a recent injury has changed everything. To make matters worse, her boyfriend dumped her. Starting her junior year, she’s unsure of her next steps. One thing she knows for sure: she’s not falling for the new guy. That electrifying kiss at the bonfire? Already forgotten…almost.
He’s chasing his dreams. She’s lost hers. The more Claire tries to push him away, the harder he works to win her over. He’s stealing her heart, and he’s doing it for keeps.
One Bed by Joss Wood
Narrated by Kristin Atherton
One More Chapter
Rising star author Bea Williams needs a vacation.
And her godmother’s snug Greek island retreat is the perfect place to use as an escape from her writer’s block.
Until she finds she’s going to have to share her idyllic one bed cottage with him – Gibson Caddell, one time childhood friend and a great big, drop-dead-gorgeous red flag.
As the sun sets on Santorini, Bea’s thoughts soon turn to something much more pressing – there’s two of them. And only one bed…
The Secret Cities by Joshua James
Narrated by Paul Heitsch
ENIGMA Files #3
Self Published
Whispersync Deal with Kindle Purchase
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Paul Heitsch
THE EPIC CONCLUSION!WHERE THE MAP ENDS, THEIR JOURNEY BEGINS…
The thrilling saga continues in The Lost Cities, the third and final installment of the electrifying ENIGMA Files series. Rhett, Dinah, and Fabien are back on the path less traveled, their destiny intertwined with the threads of ancient civilizations and inscrutable artifacts.
As new worlds open up, reality is blurred as different timelines of events are uncovered. Are the Hand of the Sun really the enemy? Can ENIGMA really be trusted?
Can Rhett and company set things right before the many worlds are destroyed forever?
The Belt: Books 4-6 by Gerald M. Kilby
Narrated by Steven Jay Cohen
The Belt Series #3-6
Self Published
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles written by Gerald M. Kilby
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Steven Jay Cohen
Out in the asteroid belt, you’re never far from a rock and a hard place.
ENIGMA: The Belt, Book Four
On the eve of her twenty-third birthday, Luca Lee-McNabb learns from the quantum intelligence Athena that she must flee Earth to escape the VanHeilding family, who seek her unique biology, and try to reach New World One despite the risks. To survive, she must confront her greatest fear: jacking into the data-grid and battling the Node Runners, risking brain death to avoid being a subject in a VanHeilding genetics lab.
EXODUS: The Belt, Book Five
Luca, traumatized by the battle for New World One, has fallen into a catatonic state, while Scott and Miranda grapple with the threat of a new VanHeilding assault and consider fleeing to Mars. Meanwhile, another individual sharing Luca’s unique biology could be the key to her recovery, but she must first confront the demons in her mind and accept her potential as a threat to humanity.
EMERGENCE: The Belt, Book Six
In the escalating asteroid belt conflict, Luca collaborates with the quantum intelligence Athena on Earth to dismantle the VanHeilding family’s power, while Miranda, Scott, and Cyrus are drawn into the resistance against the Xiang Zu Corporation in Elektra, involving a stolen QI. Luca faces a critical showdown with an army of node-runners on New World One, a battle she knows is to the death, with the fate of humanity hinging on the outcome.
Lost Light: The Complete Survival Thriller Series Box Set by Kyla Stone
Narrated by Stacey Glemboski
Lost Light #1-4
Paper Moon Press
Kindle Edition Currently Available with Kindle Unlimited
Check out my reviews of other titles narrated by Stacey Glemboski
With little warning, a solar super flare erupts from the sun. A billion tons of superheated plasma hurtles through space. As multiple solar storms strike Earth, transformers explode, the power grid fails, and communication networks collapse. Half the world goes dark, thrusting the planet into utter chaos.
When all lights fail, who will save you?
Thirteen-year-old Shiloh wakes with a dead body beside her, her brother missing, and no memory of what happened. As fiery northern lights blaze across the sky, a killer hunts the girl through the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, determined to silence the only witness to a brutal crime.
Undersheriff Jackson Cross races against time to catch the killer and save the girl. With law and order crumbling around him, Jackson’s only hope lies with Eli Pope, a ruthless ex-convict just released from prison. But Eli has a score to settle—he’s hellbent on vengeance against the very sheriff who put him behind bars.
Meanwhile, Search-and-Rescue first responder Lena Easton begins a harrowing 1600-mile journey from Tampa to the U.P. with her faithful companion, a Newfoundland dog named Bear, on a desperate mission to find the children of the one person she couldn’t save.
With society crumbling around them, the survivors must fight not only for their lives, but for everything they hold dear—hope, justice, love, and family. The struggle to survive is only the beginning.
From USA Today Bestselling Author Kyla Stone comes the acclaimed Lost Light complete series collection, a post-apocalyptic survival thriller exploring the destructive power of coronal mass ejections and the perseverance of the human spirit against all odds. Perfect for fans of A.G. Riddle, The Last of Us, and The Stand.
New & Notable Audiobooks | Week of January 1st 2025
So many audiobooks, so little time! Every week we post showing off 10 new audiobooks, this week, January 1st 2025, there are 10 new titles…
I’ve loved reading since I was little when my dad would read me Dr. Suess books. Fast-forward a little and I noticed that he was always reading on his lunch breaks at work, and I wondered why.Then, I found a book that took me to another place and time, to another feeling,another sense of “being”.It was the first book that I ever fell in love with, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.
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