by Bella Andre
Series: The Sullivans #10
Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Source: Audible
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Rating:
The Sullivan siblings have captivated the hearts of listeners worldwide, and this Christmas, New York Times best-selling author Bella Andre shares the love story that started it all... For Mary Sullivan, Christmas is, and always has been, about family. And this year is no different. As she awaits the arrival of her eight children and their partners at the cottage in Lake Tahoe, she hangs the ornaments that they made for her over the years. Each decoration brings with it a tide of memories, all of which she holds dear to her heart. But when she comes across the oldest ornament, the one her beloved husband, Jack, gave her on their very first Christmas together, Mary is immediately swept back to the first days of their whirlwind romance, to the love that would be the foundation on which they built the family she is so proud to call her own. Join the Sullivans this Christmas for a story that explores the wonder of the holidays, the meaning of family and a love that transcends time.
What? Wait a minute… has Kimba over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer lost her mind? Didn’t she already review this book? Relax peeps take a sip of your cocoa I haven’t lost my mind. Thanks to audible.com I was offered a change to review the audio version of Kissing Under the Mistletoe by Bella Andre. Since I am new to the audio book world, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to compare reading vs listening.
Mary Sullivan is alone at their cottage on Lake Tahoe waiting for her children, their spouse and her grandchildren to arrive. She is pulling out family ornaments and reminiscing over the memories of each. Then she opens an important box and carefully removes two very special ornaments. As she holds them, she remembers her beloved husband and how they fell in love. Wildly romantic, and sweet I fell in love with Mary and Jack.
Listening to the audio was a different experience then actually reading the book, and to be honest sometimes I liked the narration in my own head better. As I listened Eva Kaminsky slowly won me over, and I quickly settled into listening to this wonderful romance unfold. I loved Jack and Mary’s whirl-wind romance and Andre’s wonderful writing style translates well to audio format. I was a little nervous as to how the kissing scenes would translate, but it worked out well, and I found myself swooning all over again. Eva doesn’t rush, and she gives voice to each character. This is new to me so stick with me as I navigate this review. I want to say her timing was good, in other words she paused at the right moments and used the right pitch when expressing passion or humor. Does that make sense? She left me eager to try more audio books, and I hope to bring you a new one each month.
Read my thoughts on Bella Andre’s Kissing Under the Mistletoe
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
aurian
Audio is really not for me. I read faster myself, and I can’t keep concentrating when someone is talking to me. Glad you like it though.
kimbacaffeinate
I read way faster too, but I am finding I like to listen to one a month as it lets me listen before bed 🙂
Sharon - Obsession with Books
I really struggle with audiobooks, I end up wandering around the house and miss bits and pieces or they seem to take me forever to get through but I’m pleased to see you enjoyed this one. It was nice to see you compare the physical read over the audio.
I love the sound of this series, Bella Andre is always fabulous!
A lovely review.
kimbacaffeinate
While I will always prefer reading over audio I do find that with practice I am enjoying them.
Lily B
Goodness I don’t know. I wish I could enjoy audible books myself but I have the hardest time with that. I mean… what can I do that will keep me from falling asleep? 🙁
kimbacaffeinate
It took me a little while to get comfortable with them. The more you listen the easier it gets. I like to clean with ear buds and listen
Mariana
I love this series and earlier this year I gave into the magic of Audiobooks. My obssession is the JD Robb series In Death. The only problem for me is the duration. Depending on the book it can be very long.
kimbacaffeinate
I agree with that, I can read a book in 2-3 hrs vs 14 hrs of audio. This is why I listen to only one at a time for 30 mins a night.
Victoria (aka Zemfirka)
For me liking an audiobook has very much to do with the narrator. Before I started listening to audiobooks I always thought I would hate it and wouldn’t be able to do that, but now – I can’t imagine not having them. I love commuting and driving around because I have audiobooks to keep me company and there are some really great ones out there.
Glad you had a good experience. I’ll look forward to more audiobook reviews from you! 😉
kimbacaffeinate
My commute is less then 4 mins, so I usually listen while cleaning or right before I fall to sleep at night. It does take some adjustment and while I will always prefer reading it is nice to rest my eyes and just listen..LOL
Felicia The Geeky Blogger
I love Eva but I have listened to this series since the beginning so it is strange for me to actually “read” it. I did read half of this one and heard Eva in my head 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
I am glad the same narrator does them all.
Lindy
I have tried to read audio books, but I find they put me to sleep or I end up daydreaming. I tend to like reading the book myself. I can see how it would be a different sort of experience reading the book versus listening to the audio. This lady seems like she was a good narrator of the story. I’m glad you enjoyed this audio experience. Great Review Kim!
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Lindy, it does take sometime to adjust, and while I think I will always prefer books, I do like listening each night before I go to sleep.
Lupdilup
Great Kimba! I have this on deck for my next listen, it’s good to know the narrator did a good job 🙂 I’m so happy you’re finding the audiobooks’ magic, and you are totally right, the audio adds another dimension to the novels, a good narration can sometimes be better than our inner voice.
I’m on my way to Philadelphia, so I won’t be on line much, I want to wish you and your family a very marry Christmas!
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Loupe, I hope your Christmas is wonderful too. I wish I was going home to Philly too. Be safe and merry!
kindlemom1
I admit, I had a puzzled look on my face at first. 😛
So glad you liked the audio of this one as well! I bought this because of your last review, now I just need to actually find the time to read it. 😛
kimbacaffeinate
LOL, thanks Ali!
Pamela D
I love audio books, but I need to listen to them when I am doing a mindless activity like getting ready for bed or cleaning. If I am just sitting there listening to the book, my mind wanders.
Yea for getting into audio books!
kimbacaffeinate
I listen while cleaning and cooking but my favorite is right before bed. I snuggle under the covers with my ear buds in and close my eyes. Now I feel asleep one night listening to Outlander and when my husband woke me up and told me I feel asleep with my ear-buds in I answered, “Aye, so I did”. With an accent I might add! :snort:
blodeuedd
Oh right, the book you meant to listen to and bought another instead 😉
kimbacaffeinate
Sssh, I fixed it and listened to both..LOL
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
If the narrator is good enough, he or she can ‘save’ a book for me. I can think of so many books I know I wouldn’t have enjoyed nearly as much on paper. Fortunately, saving wasn’t necessary here since you enjoyed both versions, even if you do sometimes prefer reading. 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
That is interesting and I wondered at times where I loved a book and those who listened to it on audio did not or the exact opposite. I am going to be reviewing one a month now and I am anxious to see how it goes.
Trish
Love the plot synopsis but just as I suspected when I started to listen my mind wandered all over the place. I just prefer to read rather than listen.
Thanks for the chance to listen though, it has made me want to read the book 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
When I listened to my first audio my mind was all over the place and oh it was a mess. I had to retrain my brain. So I rewound the audio and listened again after 30 mins I slipped right in, and continue to do so. I find headphones keep me focused as well. Download a free audio and try one. Here is a link to free audible books: http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=free+downloadable+audio+books&filterby=field-keywords&sprefix=free