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Narration Perfection

Revisado: 03-23-19

I just adore Jason Clarke's work. He always brings 110% to his performances and makes every character his own. Erin Mallon is the bees knees too. We all know how swoony her male voice is - she could narrate the entire book and we wouldn't even realise there weren't two narrators. BUT, I am so incredibly glad Jason is narrating.

Kendall Ryan is the queen of quick, easy, light, fluffy reads/ listens. And I say that with the utmost respect. Sometimes we need something light...life is full of dark. Nic and Elle are so sweet together. I actually loved their start, even though part of me was like, why didn't they just uninvite the douche to the wedding? Then all would have been fine...of course, then there would be no story, so. Swings and roundabouts and all that. Nic was such a sweetheart, I loved him from the get-go and I thought the handling of his 'profession' was great and fit with the story and relationship well. Elle was sweet but, I wanted to shake her at times. But, after her experiences with her ex it did make sense that she'd be wary. Christine was a big ole B - I spent most of the book asking who the heck she thought she was? I'm still at a loss as to why she felt she had the right to choose on both occasions. She's the definition of a busy-body.

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Sweet and sexy

Revisado: 01-28-19

I'm going to break this review down into parts, seeing as it contained more than one story. Finding Alexei is just over 4 hours. Performed by Jason Clarke and Erin Mallon. Then it includes Bossy Brit which is around 2 hours 40 minutes. Performed by Shane East and Erin Mallon. After that, there is a chapter sample of Boyfriend for Hire performed by the always amazing Jason Clarke. I'm not sure if it's a production slip up, but after that chapter, there are one or two chapters of Bossy Brit again.

Finding Alexei: 4 stars. I really enjoyed this story. It was funny and sexy, and super sweet. I just wish it were longer. It's pretty much a novella. Which is fine and enjoyable, but it could've been so much more with the storyline that it had. We're not given long enough and not enough about the characters to connect with them and become invested in their story. Ryleigh and Alex were so cute together, especially were the baby was concerned. Ryleigh was a pretty remarkable character and I just wished we got to see more of that. The narration was superb. Both Erin Mallon and Jason Clarke performed marvelously and not only did they tell the story wonderfully but the emotion they conveyed was perfection.

Bossy Brit: 4 stars. This was such a cute and sexy short story. I thought the characters were great and the narration by Erin Mallon and Shane East was brilliant. My only complaint is that the hero wasn't really British. Sure he asked for a cup of tea and used the word bloody, but that was the only thing British about him. Even his schooling was American, so it was hard for me to understand the use of a British narrator. I don't know if it was lack of research or desire to make the character authentic, or it was time constraint and fitting it all into a short story, it just took me out of the story and affected my enjoyment. Had those factors been addressed this would've been a 5 star, because it was a lovely little story. Seriously, who can resist an office romance?

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Sweet and Sexy.

Revisado: 11-13-18

Layla Hagen is an automatic one-click author for me. I just love her style. The way she writes and the types of stories she tells. They always leave me with a sense of relaxed happiness. They’re so feelgood. And of course, sexy. They're stories with heart. You just can't help reading them in one sitting and wanting more. She's definitely a binge read type of author.

Meant for You is the third book in the Connor family series and it might be my favourite so far. It is an interconnected standalone - so it's up to the reader whether they want to dive right in, or start at the beginning. (Whispers...start at the beginning!) Will Connor is your typical alpha cop...but he also isn't, he knows when to back off and he's so sweet. He’s always been the one to watch out for his family and he wants to do that for Paige too. Only problem, Paige can take care of herself and doesn’t need an alpha all up in her business telling her what to do or think. I really loved Paige, I thought she was such a great character that could hold her own and really gave as good as she got with Will. Their relationship is super sweet - they’re both from big families that they’re close to and that showed and you could see that they were perfect for each other with the way they interacted with the families and never felt put out. The way Will was with his nephew was the sweetest thing. I could've had more of them and not been sad about it. So freaking sweet. The book contained the right amount of sexy time scenes and they fitted the couple and the book perfectly. The chemistry between the characters was fantastic and you could really feel it. I loved the banter between them - it gave their relationship that little something extra and I loved it.

I loved Jace. I want his story ASAP. I mean, the whole Connor family is awesome and I cannot wait to read about them all. But, in this book, Jace was featured a bit and I need to know more. Gimme gimme gimme.

Sebastian York and Andi Arndt were fabulous as usual. Sebastian was perfection as Will Connor- he really has that alpha cop act down pat. Andi, on the other hand, embodied Paige. The strong snarky woman who can hold her own...even against a sexy alpha. Their voices complement each other and it's not too jarring when the PoV changes. It makes for easy listening. It’s becoming harder to say something different and original in their reviews especially when listening to them narrate books back-to-back like I am at present. But, it’s also kinda fun to unintentionally binge listen to them. They should be on everyone’s must-listen list. The production was fine, only one little proofing hiccup that I noticed and it’s something that would’ve been easily missed and hey, maybe it’s just me being weird. Who knows? Maybe I'm the one pronouncing it wrong, not Sebastian. (eek) It didn’t take away from the story or the performance- it just made me do a sort of double-take and check.

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Cute and Sweet

Revisado: 09-24-18

I really enjoyed this book. It is Kendall Ryan at her best. Every book I read from Kendall is classed as my favourite, because there is just something about them that pulls me in - it's the writing, of course, she just nails every trope she writes and she writes it so well that the reader...or in this case, listener, gets lost in the fantasy of the story. This is how a friends to lovers story should be tackled. Actually seeing the friendship, believing the friendship and watching that blossom to something else is perfection and exactly what I want from this trope. I need that build-up, I need those thoughts of uncertainty because what about the friendship? And Kendall delivers...big time. I just wish it was a little bit longer, but that's mainly because I loved Natalie and Cam so much.

This was such a cute, fun story. It has very little angst - I love angst as much as the next girl, but, sometimes, I like things smooth and easy...but not too easy. I think Kendall got the balance just right with this book. Cam and Natalie are such a cute couple, Cam is all the swoons, seriously, he was sweet and sexy and caring, he was the type of guy everyone wishes they had as a friend. Natalie, on the other hand, was sassy, yet sweet. I just loved them both so much. I loved how they tried to fight the attraction and it took them a while to figure out that they had feelings for each other. And how deep those feelings ran. Then the difficulties of navigating a friendship and relationship, especially since their friendship included a third. The friendship between Jack, Cam, and Nat was so great - the way they all interacted was lovely and it was clear they'd been friends for a long time and were comfortable with each other. Jack's reaction to the reveal about Nat and Cam's relationship change was brilliant, I'm really glad Kendall decided to go that way. If you're wondering about the sexy times, don't worry, Kendall wouldn't leave you hanging like that...and neither would I, the sexy times are, well, sexy, they'll leave you wanting more and maybe in need of a fan. They fit with the story and aren't overly done. Just the right amount of hotness. The epilogue was wonderful - everything I could have asked for - the rings though! (Insert heart eyes and tears here!)

Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber are fan favourites and for good reason. They always deliver fantastic performances and nail the emotion of the situation and make the characters and scenarios believable, this book was no different. They were Cam and Natalie for me, without a doubt. I believed that they were friends that developed feelings for each other. The thing with Zachary is that his voice carries a lot of emotion and that shines through in his performances. He's one of my go-to's for an emotional connection to characters. Andi is just fabulous no matter what, she is always on point and I just love every performance I've heard from her. Books like these are good reminders as to why these narrators are so sought after and why they're so loved. I loved every second that I listened to. This book was such a joy to listen to and I think it was casted perfectly. I didn't note and production issues, it was a clear, smooth recording.

Extra note: This book is a little on the short side and feels more like a novella than a full novel, however, I am seeing a trend at the moment for books that are on the shorter side, so it's not really a criticism but a note for other listeners who may be expecting the book to be longer than it is. This one is just over 4 hours long. The remaining time is made up of the first chapter of Dear Jane narrated by Andi Arndt which is coming to Audible soon, and a sample of Love Machine which is available to buy now, narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York.

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Spectacular performances

Revisado: 08-14-18

Lauren Blakely has written a beautiful, raw, gut-wrenching and heartfelt story that will have you applauding and begging for more like it. This is so different from anything I’ve read from Lauren before and it’s amazing. She needs to do more!

I love a second chance romance, it’s my jam. This book hit the spot and then some. It’s angsty, which I loved. I swooned in parts. I laughed – the banter was funny and was definitely needed with the theme of this book, it lifted the spirits whilst still being sensitive to the subject. This isn’t just a story of lost and found love, it’s a story off loss, and grief, and moving on without the people you love most. It’s not an easy listen at all.

I loved that Holland was a strong woman that wanted to help Andrew through his grief but wasn’t prepared to be his crutch. She fought her own wants and desires so that if and when they were a couple it was going to be for the right reasons. Andrew is such a complex character, he is a slave to his grief and it was making him a person even he wasn’t fond of, his character development through this story was fantastic to experience. Seeing how he came to terms with things that happened and how he’d been. It was beautiful. I love when letters are included in stories and I thought these were a wonderful touch to an already brilliant story.

Joe Arden and Erin Mallon were absolutely amazing. The rawness of the performances in this book really makes it stand out. If this audiobook does not win an award, then nothing deserves to. Honest to goodness, if I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

Joe Arden has completely blown me away with his performance. It was gritty, it was raw, it was spectacular. I felt every bit of grief and emotion that he put into the performance. I don’t think I’ve EVER been so mesmerised while listening…and I listen to a heck of a lot. I have never heard Joe like this, saying he nailed the character of Andrew is an understatement, he WAS Andrew. I openly cried whilst I was listening, not just from the words, but the emotion that was conveyed. The heartache and grief shone through. It gave me all the feels. I think it’s safe to say Joe gave his all with this book and it shows.

Erin Mallon is always wonderful, this performance is no different, although she only narrates a handful of chapters – her tone, her way of conveying emotion is so spot on. It makes you feel it all. It makes my ears happy whenever I see her name attached to a project.

I adore that the audio had the messages performed in the voice of the sender, this is becoming a regular thing in Lauren’s audios and I love it. The production was great with no issues that I noted.

The Start of Us plays at the end of Unbreak My Heart and it’s performed by Joe and Erin and is a great little novella. Cute and sexy. It leads into The Thrill of Us which is available everywhere now.

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Sweet, Sexy, and Charming!

Revisado: 08-10-18

By now it’s no secret that I adore Layla Hagen’s writing. Whenever I’m in the mood for a sweet romance, she is my go-to author. Her books fill me with happiness. They have such a wonderful balance of humour, swoon-worthy romance, family, and a tiny bit of conflict. Everything a girl needs to get lost in the story. Layla writes so beautifully that you become invested in the characters’ lives and once you start you don’t want to stop reading…or listening, until it’s finished. But, once it’s finished you’re itching for more. Will Connor, gimme Will’s book. That protective big brother cop routine already has me swooning. He’s going to fall so hard and I’m ready. Please, Layla, don’t make me wait!

These characters are just everything. I adore them. If you’ve read the first Connors book, Anything for You, you’ll know Lori Connor is a single mother. Now, single parent stories are my kryptonite, (okay, okay, so I have lots of kryptonite issues, just go with it.) so I was really looking forward to Lori’s story and wondered how that would play out. Was she going to be resistant and against all men because she was wronged, or was she going to be open for anyone, etc? So many questions. I loved that she is a strong, independent woman. She’s so used to doing things herself – taking care of her son, Milo, and running a successful business. And that doesn’t change throughout the book, she’s still that same woman at the end – now she just has a partner in life too. I loved, loved, loved that. Graham Frazier, the big bad owner of the soccer (yeah, yeah, I’m British and I can still call it soccer – it’s okay!) team that Lori’s brother plays for. He’s rich, he’s jaded after a divorce, and he’s sweet and sexy – really, what is there not to like? No wonder Lori fell hard for him. I fell too, add in how he was with Milo and it was swoon-central. Is there anything more swoony than a sexy man spending time and caring for a child? I loved that he took Lori and Milo as a package deal, right from the get-go. He didn’t need time to adjust, he didn’t need countless dates to work up to it – he was all in. The way he couldn’t say no to him was the sweetest thing. Then add in the scenes with Jeff and BAM! I was a goner – gone for Graham. My heart melted in a puddle at my feet. Then we have sweet, charming, cheeky Milo – I wanted to wrap that kid in my arms and give him a big squeeze. So sweet. I had such an emotional connection to the characters and I loved that.

The chemistry between Lori and Graham was there from the first meeting and it was charming. It was almost palpable, and I loved that they didn’t really try to fight it. I think they were both ready for a relationship and they didn’t realise that until they met each other. They acknowledged that connection and did something about it. It was such a nice change of pace from other books. The heat level when these two got together was pretty steaming. Although the little drama that was in the book could have been dragged out – it wasn’t. It was understandably a part of their story, but it was never the focal point and both Lori and Graham worked to get it resolved quickly. The family aspect of this book… this series is always a big draw for me and that didn’t disappoint.

Andi Arndt and Sebastian York performed this book perfectly. I thought they were superb as Lori and Graham. And Milo – oh heck, ok, so Sebastian narrating as a seven-year-old child is the cutest thing – there! I said it! Don’t hold that against me. Andi has such a great range that it really is just such a pleasure to listen to her – every time. Nobody can deny the talent this duo has, and their voices complement each other really well. I thought the production was great, no real issues. The only thing and it was just something I noticed and it’s the first time I’ve had it happen (or the first time I’ve noticed it) - after the first two alternate PoV chapters for the remainder of the book each chapter doesn’t announce which PoV it is – it’s obvious due to who is narrating that chapter, but, it took a while for me to adjust to it. Especially in the two chapters that contained both PoV – at first, I thought they had switched to duet style narration. This isn’t me being negative, just pointing out something I noticed for those that might do a double-take as they listen.

TINY SPOILER AHEAD. KEEP SCROLLING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE IT. It’s only a spoiler if you’ve read my reviews of the Bennett Family series.

*Side-note: I was so freaking happy to see my favourite Bennett make an appearance. Swoon. I may have squee’d while walking down the street. What? I just love him so much. It was a small scene, but it just made my day. It was a super cute scene. I love that the Bennetts are mentioned and showing up, just like the Connors did in the Bennett series.

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Sweet, sometimes emotional, and fun.

Revisado: 08-06-18

Lauren Blakely is one of my go-to authors. If I know a book is coming I make sure to carve some time out. They never fail to entertain. Her writing is so easy to enjoy, she has great pacing and her humour is spot on. The Real Deal is absolutely the real deal. I adored this book so much. It might be my favourite of Lauren’s, ok, I probably say that with each book I listen to, but, I think I mean it this time. It was just so sweet and funny and charming. Theo is swoon – so sweet. I loved him so much. The way he was with April was the sweetest. His relationship with his brother was a great addition and I loved how that all played out. April is lovely. I wanna go hang with her, we’d have a blast. She’s fun, and sweet. I really enjoyed the banter between them and the chemistry is smoking. I loved the way they did the little stories, it was perfect for them. This is one of the BEST fake relationship stories I’ve ever read…or listened to. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions. I swooned on even more, and I may have shed a tear…or two.

Erin Mallon is wonderful as April, she always brings so much to the characters and I love listening to her. Zachary Webber was perfection as Theo – I even asked Lauren if she wrote the book with him in mind, the answer was yes, in case you’re wondering. Not only was his performance fantastic – he always delivers, but, the range of accents he used was great, and they were believable. I loved the compatibility of their voices, they really complement each other. The production was great with no issues of note.

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If you like suspense, you will love this.

Revisado: 08-06-18

Elizabeth Dyer writes books I like to read. They’re well written, action-packed, and have a good dose of humour, sexy-times, and emotion. I like that they’re longer than your average romance book – at least the ones I’ve been listening to lately. She doesn’t skimp on the details – she builds the suspense and you can’t help but become invested in the story and the characters. I legit laughed, cried, swooned, and cursed during this book. I loved characters. I hated characters. I had theories and I had excuses. I love when a book can cause those types of reactions and Elizabeth’s writing is a joy to get lost in.
After listening to Defenseless and falling in love with the story and Elizabeth’s writing I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Relentless and it did not disappoint. Although it is a continuation, as in, it has the same characters and team, and the underlining story arc threaded through it, it is also very much its own book. The premise is completely different. That being said, I wasn’t sure how I was going to react, I just loved Parker and Georgia so much, their dynamic was wonderful, and sometimes, you know, you love book one so much that any others can seem like a let-down, that doesn’t happen here. Ethan and Natalia are wonderful, but in a completely different way, and it worked so perfectly. Natalia is deadly, but she has heart. My heart broke for her on more than one occasion. She’s been through hell, and all for her sister - the love and loyalty she has for her is astounding, so why wouldn’t Ethan fall for her. Ethan, the big bad boss of Somerton Security is knocked off his feet by Natalia and it’s so awesome to see. He’s always been the strong one, shouldering all the responsibility and the blame, seeing him come to terms with the fact that he can’t save everyone was really endearing. I really liked them together, they’re both strong - in different ways and that shone through. Their HEA was hard fought and they deserved it, I loved how Elizabeth had it all come together, it was everything I hoped, and even some I hadn’t even imagined.

I have to say that I loved that we got to see Parker and Georgia. I had the biggest smile on my face when Parker first turned up. I was like, ‘here’s my guy!’ Swoon. I just love him. Getting a glimpse into their continued HEA was fabulous and really gave this book that extra appeal and a dose of sweetness.
I like that each book is a stand-alone that has a story arc that connects them. I am so invested in this series, I cannot wait to see what happens next. Bring on Fearless in November! I am excited to listen to it and see where this story arc takes us.

Aiden Snow is so perfectly cast for this series. His voice just fits the flow and the speed. It’s a pleasure to listen to. The way he uses inflection to alter the character he’s performing is brilliant and he never over does it. It’s always so spot on. He’s able to convey the sweet, with the urgency of the suspense and really pull the reader into the story. I just loved it. The production was great with no issues at all.

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A great book, with superb narration.

Revisado: 08-04-18

I have to say that when I first heard about this book I was over the moon excited. I love that this book was more about the relationship between the three characters and less about the sex, although, there is plenty of that too. It’s been described as MMF, however, personally I’d describe it as MFM with some MM scenes, as to my knowledge, and I’d remember if it had happened, there were no scenes that included MM with the female present and I would’ve loved that to be included to see how their dynamic changed in the bedroom. This isn’t a complaint merely an observation. Ok, honestly, I wanted some MMF in my life – I think Lola Leighton would do a marvelous job with it, she knows how to balance sexy and emotions. Chapter 27 is on FIRE, I’m sure some of it was used in a FB bedtime read post at one point…or, maybe I just wish it was. It definitely felt familiar…maybe I imagined them to life? Either way, it was the sexiest scene.

The dynamic of this relationship is really what this book is about and I love that it focuses on that. Although this book is super sexy, the sex scenes don’t drown out the story. It is emotional at times, humorous, and sweet. I loved the chemistry between the three of them and thought it was palpable from early on. I adored that it came across as more of a real-life relationship, rather than just fiction, you could imagine the issues they faced and how people would react and how they would deal with that.

The characters in this story are wonderful. I loved Will, Sullivan, and Adrienne (for the most part, more about that in a moment). Let’s talk about these characters. First, we have Will, who is more the strong and silent one. He’s so gentle with Adrienne that it’s the sweetest thing to observe. Add in his clear feelings for Sully and I was smitten. I wish we had more chapters from his PoV, as it felt more like Sullivan and Adrienne’s story with a few Will chapters thrown in for good measure. A lot of changes happened for him, I would have liked to spend more time in his head and seeing how he handled the transition. Then we have Sullivan, he’s more the laid-back, funny, and knows what he wants, guy. His attraction to Adrienne was instant and pairing that with his obvious attraction to Will just had me swooning. I loved that we got so much from his PoV. He’s such a sweetheart. Lastly, we have Adrienne. She’s sweet, sassy, and doesn’t take any crap. I loved her for the most part until chapter 25 – I hated the way she reacted to her family and the way she treated the men she claimed to love. I felt she needed to earn back their trust, instead of them winning her back. I even had to stop listening for a minute because I was so wound up about it, then, I loved her again, once things got sorted. I still say she should have groveled some.

I do wish the book was a little longer. I felt some parts needed to be extended, and some needed to be included. For example, when the guys are trying to win Adrienne back, they have a discussion with her family, I’d have liked for that to be included so we could see the change in her parents, know what actually won them over since they were so against it. Rather than just, we’ve spoken to them and they’re ok with it now. The only other thing was that I wasn’t always sure how much time had passed, it felt like it occasionally jumped from one scene to another rather than a smooth transition. With that being said, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely listen to it again, and listen to more from Lola.

The narrators were absolutely wonderful. The casting was great, I do feel like Jacob Morgan was more suited to the character of Will, and Jason Clarke to Sullivan, but, that’s just my thoughts. Nobody said I wasn’t a picky listener. They did a fantastic job regardless. Ava Erickson was pure perfection as Adrienne, her voice has the sweet quality that I felt was necessary for the character. Throughout the book she really killed it, she embodied the character so well. I thought chapter 27 was performed brilliantly by Jacob Morgan, he nailed the emotion, insecurity, and sexiness of the scene…and the book, really. And, Jason Clarke’s performance was captivating, even though it’s only a small portion of the book. All three of the narrators complemented each other. The production was great with no issues of note.

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Sweet, sexy, and flirty

Revisado: 07-28-18

Love Machine was such a cute, flirty, and sexy story. It really filled my heart with joy as I listened to it. The characters are so much fun to spend time with. Slate is charming and sexy, and oh so swoonable. Whereas Keaton is sassy, nerdy, and charming in her own right. I loved the dynamic between them, the chemistry was off the charts. Kendall always writes such fun books that touch your heart and fill you with joy.

Sebastian York and Andi Arndt were fabulous as always, although I’m not sure about that accent Sebastian used for Mira - left a little to be desired, but, that was something tiny and it doesn’t take away from the rest of his performance. They both delivered the emotional aspects of the story flawlessly as well as the humour. You can’t go wrong with a Arndt/York narration. The production was great with no issues for Love Machine. At the end of LM is a sneak peek at Finding Alexei - firstly, Erin Mallon and Jason Clarke are the bomb! I did not want it to end and I desperately want to know what happens next. I am already half in love with Alex. I feel, and this is just my personal view, that a longer pause should have been had been the end of LM and the beginning of FA - or at least an announcement that a sneak peek was going to play next. Just so people knew what they were listening to. Regardless, it was a nice inclusion for us audiophiles and I think it definitely whet our appetites for more.

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