“All They Need to Know” a novel by Eileen Goudge and narrated by Almarie Guerra.

Kyra is on the run. She is trying to scape her abusive husband. After selling her fancy sedan, she purchases a beater and heads west. She picks up a neglected stray dog at a gas station and travels to a small town in California.

Kyra immediately befriends several women who call them selves the tattooed ladies. These women meet often and welcome kyra with open arms into their group. When Kyra’s awful ex-husband shows up, the tattooed ladies are ready to protect their friend.

The narration was good. The book was also good. I probably would not read it again. But, it was entertaining enough. Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance publishing for the advanced, audio copy and exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge is a heartfelt story of starting over and finding strength in the bonds of female friendship. The women of the Tattooed Ladies Club add strength and wisdom as Kyra rebuilds her life. It’s a moving story about second chances and the relationships that help us heal.

"All They Need To Know" by Eileen Goudge is women's fiction with some suspense in it.

On the run from an abusive spouse, Kyra Smith goes across the country and ends up in small town Gold Creek, California. A group of women known as the Tattoed Ladies take her into their fold as a friend. She doesn't dare tell them about her past because she is ashamed of not leaving sooner, and she is scared her husband will find her. If they know about him, then they might be at risk.

Kyra adopts a dog who becomes her best friend and protector.

Kyra takes two jobs to make ends meet, and by the end of the book, she has moved ahead in the job situation. This part was inspiring.

The end of the book is scary and exciting.

The narrator, Almarie Guerra, did a wonderful job with this 12 hr. long audiobook!

I highly recommend this book for inspiration and support - whether you are in a dangerous relationship or not. It reminded me of the importance and value of female friendship.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 33/8 = 4 2/8, rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing, and Eileen Goudge for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This audiobook played out like a movie for me and I loved it. Though narrator gets a little too quiet at times when the character expresses doubt. Absolutely perfect for fans if Anna Quinland and Katherine Center. A bit predictable in places and lightly looks over past trauma but I still wanted to see when and where Kyra settled herself.
A little more research could have helped. You ca not just walk into a tattoo shop and start working as a tattoo artist just because you can tell them you like to draw. Little things like that kind of irked Me.

This one was a bit predictable. It followed a similar path of other books that I’ve read before so it just didn’t hold my interest like I wanted. I did appreciate the girl gang in this book though and feel like they were super relatable women. The main character’s strength was inspiring, too! Plus, the happiest feel good ending. Overall, a tad predictable but still cute.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"Friendships don't grow in the dark."
"Shame flourished in the dark."

"You have to confront your demons to conquer them."

It takes a special talent to leave you with good feelings while telling a harrowing story of domestic abuse; but with the heartwarming, All They Need To Know, author Eileen Goudge has crafted a satisfying found family work of literary fiction that tackles a disturbing topic with understanding, empathy and grace.

Kyra finds herself leaving behind an abusive husband. As a D.A. he has friends and cops who cover for him when she tries to press charges. Driving cross country she finds a starving neglected dog chained up, but still, "kind of looks like a direwolf." She unchains him and together they escape a life of abuse.

Kyra and rescued dog Ranger stop in the small town of Gold Creek and before they know it they are befriended by the Tattooed Ladies Club. Frannie, a highly in demand tattoo artist, Suzy, a fashionista grandma, Jo, whose "perfect" life is sadly imploding, and bookstore owner Marisol, where cats roam freely hoping for adoption.These women, while dealing with their own life upheavals, will help Kyra take back her worth and fight her abuser.

This was my first time listening to voice actress Almarie Guerra and her uncanny ability to portray Kyra's vulnerability with compassion left me awestruck.

Then there's the sexy Coop who's patient, kind and protective. There is tension, suspense, laughter, fear, joy and self discovery. All you need to know is that All They Need To Know, Book One of the Gold Creek series, is a future @Netflix series in the making perfect for Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias fans.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Brilliance Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this title. It's been a while since I've read Eileen Goudge, so I have someone to revisit! There was a lot of emotion, bravery, trust, and courage in this title. Second chance novels are my favorite and I want to be a member of the Tattooed Ladies too! A great read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Almarie Guerra narrates this story and does a fantastic Job! I highly recommend the audiobook!

If you love Katherine Center, you will love this story! Its a well written tale of a wife escaping an abusive marriage and restarting her life in a charming California Mountain town. I could see the ending a mile away but did not care as the characters were lovable. I found the pacing to be good, the plot tried and true, and the overall story well done!

Since this is labeled as book #1, I assume there will be a sequel, hopefully focused on other love interests of the tattooed ladies. Highly recommend!

Another that I absolutely loved!

🛑🛑 Loose outline following, so STOP here if you don’t want to know! 🛑🛑

Meet Kyra… a 30 something young woman who comes from a disjointed family, and a horrible marriage to boot. She’s on the run…like, right now!

She’s decided that in order to escape her marriage, this is the ONLY way out. But, she’s afraid. And, she’s constantly looking over her shoulder…👀

We meet up with Kyra as she begins her journey ( in NY), and accompany her along the way. And it’s quite a journey!

When she finally lands in a new town, she is across the US in a small CA town. She has no money. No home. No friends. Nothing…
But, she did pick up a wonderful dog 🐕 along the way! Ranger!! ( Me being a big Stephanie Plum fan, well, you can’t go wrong with THAT name!!) 😊🫣

She stops to get a bite to eat, and decides she needs to look for work. What can she do? She sees a tattoo shop and thinks, well, I CAN draw pretty well, let’s see if they need help. They don’t, but she meets the owner, and in turn, the owner’s friends…

And that my dears is the beginning of a beautiful story (and friendships) that will make you smile, make you cry, light up your day, and put daggers in your heart… because true friends are truly the BEST! And, these Tattooed Ladies may not be at their prime anymore, but their hearts are bigger than their bodies…and sometimes, that may be all you need….💗💗

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that there’s a handsome young guy coming to her defense here either…but I’ll leave that one for you to figure out when you read it!

4 big, wonderful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!! Brought out so many wonderful emotions!!

#AllTheyNeedToKnow by #EileenGoudge and narrated beautifully by #AlmarieGuerra.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #BrilliancePublishing for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
**** Release date is set for 9/24/24, so a few days away! ****

Triggers: Gaslighting, Abuse.

⭐️ Friends that are like Family
⭐️ A feeling of being safe and surrounded by love
⭐️ Ranger…🐕 🐶…of course!
⭐️ Starting over with a plan and people in your corner ❤️

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Kyra Smith is running from her powerful, yet abusive, husband. No one believes that he is an abuser- given that he is the county DA and typically puts the bad guys away. She eventually lands in Gold Creek, CA, where she finds a surrogate family that embraces her. She just hopes that her past doesn't catch up to her.

The first half and the second half of this book felt very different to me. I liked the first half better- it felt more like a suspense novel. The second half gave me Sweet Magnolias ([author:Sherryl Woods|59446]) vibes. It isn't that I disliked the second half, it just was different. It also got bogged down in unnecessary detail- I do not need to know what every person wears and eats every day.

I liked the women and town and how welcoming they were. I loved the concept of Kyra training to be a forensic artist. It may have gotten five stars if I hadn't suddenly been detailed to death.

Almarie Guerra narrates the audiobook. She is not a narrator I am familiar with, but she did a good job with tone and pacing. There were a lot of mispronounced words though.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book moves at a leisurely pace, and the plot doesn’t exactly break new ground. The writing itself is solid, but I never found myself itching to dive back in. In the end, it felt more like a background palette cleanser than a page-turner. That said, not every book needs to keep you on the edge of your seat, so don’t be hesitant to pick this one up. If you love stories of found family & resilience, this is a good fit.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra smith and Ranger, the dog she rescued along the road, set out for a new life and a new adventure. Hoping for peace and a future, she settles in small town California. But eventually, the past always catches up.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This was a great listen. The book was well read- excellent production though I did run my speed at 1.3 for my own personal taste.

The plot of this book from beginning to end was excellent. I loved the layering of Kyra’s journey from escaping a terrible situation, rescuing a sweet dog and not making us lose him!, finding her people in the Tattooed Ladies (and these ladies were phenomenal) and Coop. I may have fallen a bit in love with him myself.

There were some moments that felt a bit redundant when Kyra would think about Rory, but I also get the point that this is a significant trauma she’s healing from. It wasn’t enough to make me dislike the story.

I really liked the audio and found the characters to be very engaging. The story pulled me in from the start, especially with the way the protagonist was portrayed. Her journey was both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

The plot revolves around a woman who escapes her abusive husband and sets out to rebuild her life. I was particularly touched by how she rescues a dog and how the bond between them becomes a cornerstone of her healing process. As she settles into her new life, she takes on part-time jobs and makes new friends, eventually becoming part of a close-knit girl gang. This sense of community and support was one of the highlights for me.

There's also a potential new love interest that adds a hopeful dimension to her story. Just when she’s ready to take the final step and file for divorce, her husband resurfaces and becomes dangerous again. This twist added a lot of tension and made me anxious to see how things would resolve. Overall, I found the story compelling and thought-provoking.