Andrea Bates has narrated 23 audiobooks on Listento.it by 5 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 14 ratings. The most-rated is Free-Wrench.
Free-Wrench
Summary
The islands of Caldera are a shining jewel in a rather bleak world. A terrible calamity in the past had blanketed much of the world with a toxic "fug". Those who survived were forced to take to the mountains and the skies in wondrous airships. Life has since been a struggle, with only the most ruthless and crafty able to survive. To spare themselves the same fate, the Calderans erected a battery of guns to fend off the airships of the mainland. They isolated themselves from the madness of the world, choosing instead to focus on the pursuits of art and creativity. Few believe the technologically advanced but socially barbarous outsiders have anything to offer. Amanita Graus, though, is hoping that they do. Nita's mother has lost her livelihood and perhaps soon her life to a terrible disease. Already the black sheep of the family for embracing engineering rather than art, Nita resolves to leave the safety of her home and do whatever it takes to find a cure. For a price, the bizarre crew of an airship called The Wind Breaker are willing to grant her a meeting with their mysterious benefactors, and thus a chance to procure the one thing with a chance to save her mother. Free-Wrench follows Nita's adventures in a steampunk world of airships and lunatics. Helping her in her journey are an eccentric crew of smugglers; the gruff Cap'n Mack, the simple but enthusiastic Lil and Coop, the arrogant marksman Gunner, the surly surgeon Butch, and the irritable mascot Wink. To survive and find what she seeks she'll need to earn their trust, follow their rules, and meet face to face with the people who pull the strings of their society.
©2017 Books in Motion (P)2017 Books in Motion
Skykeep
Summary
It has taken some adjustment, but Nita Graus has made quite a home for herself among the crew of the Wind Breaker. Under her skillful care it has become one of the only airships to stay aloft without the continuous repair and oversight of the vile and manipulative fug folk. Word of her adventures with Captain Mack, Gunner, Lil, Cooper, and Wink has made the whole crew into living legends among the residents of the mountain towns of Rim, but in doing so it has also made finding safe harbor virtually impossible. Agents of the fug folk and those working on their behalf hide in every cloud and skulk in every shadow. Only one town, a place called Lock, is willing to welcome the Wind Breaker into port. Most of the townspeople have already been shunned by the fug folk and as such have little to lose in aiding and abetting the crew. Captain Mack, mindful of his advancing age and the risks he's had to request of his crew time and time again, has begun to plan for his retirement. Plans are swiftly derailed when the fug folk hatch a plan of their own, splitting the crew and locking Nita away in the floating prison known as Skykeep. Skykeep is the second book in the Free-Wrench saga and continues to chronicle the adventures of Nita and her new crew as they continue to clash with the twisted figures who control the destiny of a continent.
©2017 Books in Motion (P)2017 Books in Motion
Sweet Magic
Summary
Samantha Sweet's life is a little crazy right now, beginning with her daughter's wedding, which coincides with Sam's receiving a huge new contract for her chocolate factory. The day after the wedding, someone takes a shot at Sam, and she discovers the bad guys are back. OSM's henchman, Marcus Fitch, who showed up in Taos once before, is more determined than ever to get his hands on the carved box that gives Sam her unusual powers. But as the sheriff's department investigates the shooting, it seems Fitch has an airtight alibi. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter is honeymooning in England where she and her new husband discover some interesting clues that connect to home. As Kelly learns of her mother's secrets, she is pulled into the world of the magical artifacts in ways no one could have foreseen. And Sam discovers that her own world is about to change - forever.
©2020 Books in Motion (P)2020 Books in Motion
Spooky Sweet
Summary
Now that Samantha Sweet has a contract to provide her special handmade chocolates for the wealthy jet-set clients of Book It Travel, Sweet’s Sweets bakery is taking on a whole new dimension. Only problem, Sam isn’t ready. It’s almost Halloween, and her pastry shop is bursting at the seams. She needs extra employees, but there is no place to put them. Right before the witching day, she comes upon a large Victorian house she can adapt for the business, and it seems her problem is solved. But is it? The mysterious, spooky noises at night are way more than the normal creaks and groans of an old building. Something else is going on, and Sam suspects it may be related to her husband’s newest case, investigating where an abandoned duffle bag crammed full of cash came from. Beau is dealing with a greedy reward-seeker, a robbery with no leads, and a waif who appears and vanishes. Sam’s mystery has her watching for ghosts and working almost around the clock. Is she relying on magic? Well, occasionally.
©2018 Books In Motion (P)2018 Books In Motion
Sticky Sweet
Summary
It's a freezing January day when Samantha Sweet finds herself facing the unpleasant task of going back to her old job of breaking into houses. Meanwhile, a customer who's just a little bit too nice seems to be worming her way into Jen's confidence. Sheriff Beau, on the other hand, is dealing with a car-crash-turned-murder, and somehow it all seems to tie together in a great big sticky situation.
©2019 Books in Motion (P)2019 Books in Motion
Bitter Sweet
Summary
Is there a serial killer in Taos? It’s the height of the wedding season at Sweet’s Sweets and Sam has all she can do to stay ahead of the rush of bakery orders. Plus, her side job - breaking into houses - isn’t allowing much summer time off either. Not to mention that her mother is pressuring Sam and Beau to set a wedding date. When Sam encounters two older women who then die suddenly, it appears that there may be a serial killer on the loose. Sam and Beau are shocked to consider that Beau’s own mother may have been an earlier victim of someone who operates by preying on the women’s trusting natures. As they begin to investigate, a number of suspects emerge and it looks like someone is desperate to keep Sam quiet.
©2012 Connie Shelton (P)2013 Books In Motion
Sweet Hearts
Summary
Things are crazy at the bakery, as Sam tries to replicate the magical chocolates that the quirky Romanian chocolatier introduced at Christmas-time. Meanwhile, there are lots of weddings, in addition to her own, and other pastry shop demands during this romantic holiday week. While Sam tries to keep up with it all, another mystery comes her way. Marla Fresques needs to find her missing son. The woman is dying and wants her son home to raise the daughter he left behind. When Sam learns that the authorities dropped the case years ago, she feels she must help. Can she find the missing man? Or will she resort to using her uncanny healing powers to cure Marla's illness? Through all this, Sam's life becomes further complicated by the fact that an ex-girlfriend of Beau's shows up in town, determined to win him back.
©2012 Connie Shelton (P)2013 Books in Motion
The Woodcarver's Secret
Summary
For John Carver, a simple Celtic woodworker, life is a struggle to feed his family. Then one summer day, as he walks past a near-dead alder tree, lightning strikes. With the shattered tree lying all around him, Carver pulls himself up and decides to make the best of it - he takes the usable pieces to his workshop. From the shards of that dead tree John creates three boxes. Then the unexplained happens - shortly after handling one of them, John's touch brings his young son back from the brink of death. When the second box demonstrates an opposite tendency toward the dark side, Carver is terrified that witch-hunters will learn of the boxes and their mystical powers. Eager to rid himself of the artifacts and desperate for money, he sells the three boxes. As they are taken by three very different buyers - a common Englishman, a worldly merchant, and a bishop - John feels a foreboding about the future. From the 13th century, the boxes travel the world, eventually drawing the attention of two rival organizations, each with very different motives and methods for gaining what they want. Reminiscent of The Red Violin in scope, this historical novel follows the three boxes to the 21st century and confrontation between the two factions. The Woodcarver's Secret is the prequel and companion novel to Connie Shelton's Samantha Sweet paranormal mystery series.
©2015 Books in Motion (P)2015 Books in Motion
The Calderan Problem
Summary
Several months have passed since Nita’s last adventure in the fug, and though she has spent them back in her native Caldera, she has never been busier. After countless debates and discussion, she has finally convinced her people to give the Wind Breaker and its crew safe harbor on the shores of her idyllic homeland. Now she is looking forward to introducing Captain Mack, Lil, Coop, and the rest of the crew to the land of her birth. Back in the fug, Gunner has remained behind to help their friends in the Well Diggers deal with problems beneath the fug. Their old foe Lucius P. Alabaster has become even more unhinged and eccentric since their last clash. When his latest scheme seems to be having even greater success than his last, Gunner decides he needs to get to the bottom of it. Flamboyant and overconfident though he may be, Alabaster is not to be taken lightly. As machinations unfold, worlds clash, and relationships develop, the Wind Breaker and its crew discover that this latest adventure may have greater consequences than they’d ever imagined.
©2019 Books in Motion (P)2019 Books in Motion
Sweet's Sweets
Summary
Sam is working hard to get her new pastry shop, Sweet's Sweets, open for business. Just when she's really got her hands full with that, she's assigned a new property to take care of as part of her contract with the USDA. The place is a hoarder's delight and Sam is feeling more than a little bit overwhelmed as she begins cleaning with a vengeance. When a blood-soaked garment turns up among some things Sam has dropped off at the thrift shop, Sam recommends that they call the Sheriff's office. Deputy Beau Cardwell is a bit under pressure himself, as the Sheriff is so busy running for reelection that the office is understaffed. Together, Sam and Beau sift through the evidence and discover that the bloody coat leads to a far more complicated situation than a simple case of murder. Once again Sam calls upon the powers of the magical wooden box that came into her possession a few months earlier to help unwind the tangled threads of the case.
©2011 Connie Shelton (P)2013 Books in Motion
Heart in Custody
Summary
As swimsuit model Claudia Jordan awaits her camera call on a Maui beach, she catches her first glimpse of the handsome man who will eventually change her life forever. As Claudia poses, David Keanu paints Black Rock and discreetly adds Claudia into his artwork, and the two soon begin a passionate love affair. But then she discovers David's drug addiction....
©2007 Kay L. McDonald (P)2010 Books In Motion
Ichor Well
Summary
Ichor Well is the third adventure in the Free-Wrench series of steampunk novels. Ever since Nita Graus left her homeland and joined the crew of the Wind Breaker, the reputation of the airship and its crew has been growing. The destruction of the mighty dreadnought, the escape from the legendary Skykeep, and the inexplicable ability to remain hidden from the ever-watchful eye of the Fug Folk have combined to make her and her fellow crew the stuff of legend. Alas, legendary heroes cannot exist for long without attracting a worthy villain. Luscious P. Alabaster strives to be just that foe. While he works his nefarious plans, the crew itself is not without turmoil. Captain Mack, already having survived far more years in the hostile skies than he had any right to expect, is making plans for his golden years. The crew is gradually learning all that Nita can teach them, leaving her with the looming decision of whether or not she still has a place among the crew. Before the matter of the future can be settled, the crew has the problems at hand to solve. And in escaping the webs woven by the cunning and eccentric Alabaster, they may discover the darkest secrets the churning and toxic Fug has to hide.
©2018 Books in Motion (P)2018 Books in Motion
Sweets Galore
Summary
Samantha Sweet and Beau Cardwell are getting ready for their September wedding, with the whole Sweet clan about to show up for the celebration. Dealing with her mother may turn out to be the least of Sam’s problems when an unwelcome visitor walks into her pastry shop - Sam’s old heartthrob, the charmer Jake Calendar. Jake wants money for a Hollywood get-rich-quick scheme and he wants Sam to finance the deal. Can Sam convince him that the answer is "no"? Or will he sabotage the plans for her wedding?
©2013 Connie Shelton (P)2013 Books In Motion
Sweet Somethings
Summary
Two things are weighing on Samantha Sweet's mind this summer - organizing the Sweet Somethings chocolate festival and tracking down information on the mystical carved wooden box that came into her life nearly two years ago, changing her forever. At last she believes she has located the person who can give the answers. The festival is behind schedule, committee members are at each other's throats, competitors are after the big prize money, and hungry crowds will soon be gathering at the gates. A slew of conflicting personalities are going at each other, and Sam is holding her breath, certain that this will not turn out well. When someone does indeed turn up dead, the trick is to find out who among the many parties committed the dirty deed. Meanwhile Sheriff Beau has his own set of problems trying to keep order at an encampment of free-spirited hippies who have moved into the area, so Sam is mostly on her own to keep the festival on track and find a killer. And the magic box? What Sam learns is that its powers are greater than she ever imagined, its history much more convoluted.
©2015 Books in Motion (P)2015 Books in Motion
The Drowning Man
Summary
The 12th title in the series finds the Wind River Reservation without another one of its sacred petroglyphs. The Red Cliff canyon has been home to these sacred petroglyphs, and their accompanying sacred spirits, for a few thousand years. Seven years ago, however, one was pried out of the canyon and stolen. Travis Birdsong sits in prison for killing his partner in the crime. He has always maintained his innocence in the death and has never been tried for stealing the petroglyph. Attorney Vicki Holden decides to take the case, much to the chagrin of her law partner and lover Adam Lone Eagle and the Wind River Reservation tribes. Vicki is convinced that Travis must be innocent because another petroglyph has been stolen out of the canyon. She is even more convinced after the thieves contact the mission priest, Father John O'Malley, in order to get the tribes to buy the artifact back. As Father John tries to get the petroglyph back and Vicki tries to prove Travis is innocent, the two situations collide.
©2008 Books In Motion (P)2008 Books In Motion
The Girl With Braided Hair
Summary
The skeleton of a young woman is discovered in a dry gully on the Wind River Reservation. Remnants of a long, black braid are mixed with the bones. There is a bullet hole in the skull. Forensics determine the woman was shot to death in 1973. 1973, the year the American Indian Movement had occupied the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Afterward, Indians under federal indictment had gone into hiding on other reservations, including Wind River. A year of fear and violence, when no one could be trusted, when anyone might be an FBI snitch. Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley are determined to find the identity of the forgotten woman and see that she is laid to rest in the traditional Arapaho Way. Their search leads them into the 1970s and the dark underbelly of an organization that had spoken out on behalf of Indian rights. They soon run into a wall of silence. No one wants to talk about a time when many crimes, including murder, went unsolved. No one wants to admit the part they may have played, or the guilt they may still carry. No one wants to remember a young woman accused of being a snitch. As the life and death of the woman begin to come into view, Vicky and Father John realize that the killer who has gotten away with murder for more than 30 years is still on the reservation and that they are about to be his next victims.
©2008 Margaret Coel (P)2008 Books In Motion
Cipher Hill
Summary
Cipher Hill is the fifth book in the popular Free-Wrench series of steampunk adventures. Ferris Tusk has lurked in the shadows of his society since it began. His name is spoken with hushed reverence by the fug folk, and the balance of power of the whole continent is a meticulously maintained mechanism of his own design. But even the finest machine can be broken with a well-placed wrench. Until now, Cap'n Mack and the Wind Breaker crew have weathered scheme after scheme. They've fought for their lives, perpetually on the defensive. Such is the life of a hero. Lucky for Mack, his crew aren't your average heroes. They'll call in every favor, play every trick, and take every risk to turn the hunters into the hunted. Tusk wanted a war. Now he's got one.
©2018 Books in Motion (P)2019 Books in Motion
Sweets Forgotten
Summary
When a woman walks into Samantha Sweet’s pastry shop, claiming to have amnesia, it’s a puzzle that seems to have nothing to do with Sam’s new commission for a fantastic one-of-a-kind order of chocolates, although "Jane Doe" seems to know a lot about that. Sam calls Sheriff Beau to solve the mystery of who this stranger is and where she belongs. But Beau’s attention is occupied by other things: nearly his entire force is out sick with some kind of flu bug, and now a murder far from Taos requires his full attention. Nothing is fitting together, until suddenly it does. “Jane’s” forgotten memories become vitally important as Beau and Sam work to piece the puzzle together.
©2018 Books in Motion (P)2018 Books in Motion
Sweets Begorra
Summary
Samantha Sweet learns that an Irish great-uncle left her an inheritance, so she and Beau change their honeymoon plans and go to the Emerald Isle. Will the gift be something lavish and wonderful? Or is there no pot of gold waiting for Sam? Meanwhile, before Sam fully has the answers to her questions, a new mystery presents itself when a local charter boat is found adrift near the rocky Irish coast, its occupants missing. The family of the captain wants answers and when it looks like a group of Americans might be implicated, the Galway homicide detective in charge of the case enlists Beau’s help. With all the extra excitement, the honeymooners begin to wonder if they will ever find some romantic time alone.
©2014 Books in Motion (P)2014 Books in Motion
Sweet Masterpiece
Summary
Samantha Sweet breaks into houses for a living - all perfectly legal as a caretaker for the USDA. But her real dream is to open her own pastry shop, 'Sweet's Sweets.' Life is a little crazy for Sam right now. At one of her break-in properties, a dying woman insists that she take a small wooden box. Sam doesn't realize that the old woman was known locally as a 'bruja,' a witch, until she begins to feel some strange effects from the box. Meanwhile, at another property, she finds an unmarked grave and the authorities come to investigate. The property owner disappeared a few months earlier and Sam wonders - who is the body in the grave? A small mural in the house leads to a connection with a famous artist; a bogus will points to possible fraud; and the handsome deputy investigating the case seems completely enchanted with Sam. While Sam scrambles to fill bakery orders and keep her properties in order, she's equally intrigued with the idea of a new romance. It all makes for a delightful romantic mystery with elements of the paranormal.
©2010 Connie Shelton (P)2013 Books in Motion