What am I talking about? Yes, Audio Books, again. 😊
This isn't going to be a post about an individual book but an entire world. The world of Celta; a world built by author, Robin D. Owens. I listened to 16 books in the Heart series on Audible. It was the best 2 weeks I've spent away from television, the news, the stress, politics and boring reality shows. And, no commercials! It started with Heart Mate and I was hooked.
I have purchased and read all the print books in the series except the last four. I was able to listen to those I missed and it was an even better experience than the Harmony Series I wrote about in the previous two posts.
What made it extraordinary? The narrator, Noah Michael Levine. I'm telling you, a narrator can make or break an audio book experience. I listened to 16 books and Mr. Levine hit it out of the park in every novel. I wanted to know a little bit about Mr. Levine and I found this podcast on YouTube. It's a bit gritty as the interviewer and interviewee use salty language, but learning about the ins and outs of being a narrator was fascinating! Here is the link to the podcast with Mr. Levine.
None of this listening experience would have been possible without the creative genius of Ms. Owens. Her plots, heroes and heroines, secondary characters and talking Fam animals are so well written, they're a joy to read. I've been a fan for years and years and the fact that her books translate well to voice is a testament to her craft. She has written dialogue and descriptions that flow well and work with the talents of a narrator.
Even though I've read the books before, Mr. Levine's interpretation of the cat Fams was totally awesome. How he expressed them saying YES! made me smile every, single time. Samba was fun with her flying saucer. When Primrose the puppy says 'I love you', I melted because the narrator captured the innocence and love in the puppy's voice. Turquoise House's antics also made me laugh out loud. The Fam cat, Felonerb was so...out of pattern, I think he beat out even the birds as the most unusual animal character. Some of the human characters sounded Irish, some sounded like they had New York nuances and others had speech patterns that were unique in other ways. Blackthorn's "riiiight" made me grin because in my head, it sounded like he was channeling Matthew McConaughey. There were so many flavors of characters, either human, house or animal, I'm impressed that Mr. Levine kept every one unique. Even when previous characters had cameo appearances in following stories, their voices and personalities were consistent. That is how I became immersed in the world of Celta.
That ability to carry the characters from story to story made me feel like I knew them as people. I believe it was because audio books are a more intimate venue; as if someone was sharing something special and whispering it into my ear, like a friend. Just as people (fans) get sucked into the daily lives of the characters on soap operas, my listening experience engendered the same effect. I refer to later books that mention the deaths of the elder Holly men, like Tab. I actually felt a twinge of sadness on their loss because they played such important roles in the earliest stories. I also felt a little shocked. Yet, it was also believable. Time goes on and the struggle to survive on Celta remains a challenge.
The list of books in the Heart series can be found via this link to Robin D. Owen's blog, here. There are a lot.
After listening to so many in a row, I discovered a pattern. There is usually one incredibly well-written, action packed, suspenseful and dramatic crisis point at the end. The entire romance and story builds and builds upon clues, challenges and pitfalls until all the pieces come together with a flourish. When I say they are well-written, I'm not exaggerating. True, Mr. Levine's voice acting had a hand in bringing it to vibrant life, but the words used have to be chosen for maximum effect by the author. Without exception, in all 16 stories I listened to, I experienced intense emotion and reacted out loud, expressing horror and/or shock, and I let out gasps and held breaths in anticipation of the outcomes. If you could have looked at my face, you would have seen me wide-eyed, and my mouth was probably hanging open until the final curtain of the drama. Then, the story slides into a happy ever after that is not only welcomed with relief but with joy and satisfaction. Every story in the series affected me in this manner. Didn't matter how the story played out, the pattern of when things occurred is felt. The how of it, however, is unique in every book.
One thing I looked forward to was the humor. I found it to be a rich, vibrant, happy humor. A lot of it can be attributed to the hero and/or heroine's Fam animals - their actions or their dialogue - it didn't matter. They were and are perfect comedic foils. They also provided serious and valuable assistance when needed; they were valiant and resilient and faithful. What's not to like?
If you are looking for an amazing listening experience, and enjoy Sci-fi romance stories, by all means, try the HeartMate series on the planet Celta, a world built by author, Robin D. Owens. The print books are awesome but the audible versions are out of this world.
