HoudinisAngel

Enemies with chemistry headed for the finish line

Revisado: 04-10-25

Mia Neal is the host of Not So Fast, the F1 podcast that has taken off with Mia’s quick wit and quips at some of the drivers. She finds herself in special circumstances when she’s invited to a race by the teammate of her favorite driver and soon realizes he’s used her to mess with Xander.

Xander Bishop is not having the greatest season and is struggling to find his stride with his new team Mega Racing. He’s not fond of Mia and her jabs about his driving so when he comes across her at the race he wants nothing more than to be anywhere else.

When a book immediately starts off with snark, enemies with chemistry, and some “work” drama…consider me interested!
Mia and Xander’s story starts off with them running into each other (after he did his best to avoid her) and not going well because Xander can’t help himself but to tell her off. It’s when Dirk attempts to invite her to another race that Mia concocts a story that Xander already gave her the invite. Xander goes along with it and thus the sparks begin.

Seeing Xander and Mia’s enemies to lovers adventure progress throughout had me laughing and aww-ing at times. After a while you forget they started as enemies and you get caught up in the hidden romance. Throw in a bit of family drama on both sides and you’ll also find yourself not able to put this one down just like I did. Their happy ending doesn’t end with marriage at the end of the book and I like the openness for that part of the story because it leaves you wondering how things go after the epilogue.

I have been a lover of Karen’s writing for years and this Harlequin story is just as great as her indie books. Her love of British men shine here and her female characters always feel relatable. Mia’s personality is one of my favorites! The side characters kept me interested and I found myself wanting to know more about Xander’s siblings and the relationship of Mia’s mother and her sister.

This was also my first listen to Talon David, a new to me narrator. She did a great job with her voice for each character and her accents were fantastic. Talon was an easy listen for me and her ability to narrate with inflection and emotion drew me in. Delivering Karen’s words with a good amount of snark when needed or lightness at moments made this an enjoyable audiobook.

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Second chance story with some plot twists

Revisado: 02-23-22

Fee Abernathy leaves France for a year to work in the U.S. and build her career so that when she returns, she can establish herself more with her friend Rose’s foundation. Rose sets her up with a place to live, in Carson Hayes III’s apartment because he will barely be around as he travels often for work. Little does Fee realize Carson is the man she met five years ago but never knew his name. He’s the man that made her feel she could be loved again even after only one night. As much as she tries to fight the pull he has on her it’s clear it’s a losing battle for both of them.

Carson Hayes III has spent part of his adult life attempting to make amends for his family’s past in a detrimental way unto himself. Carson arrives home unexpectedly and finds his houseguest isn’t just a guest, but the woman he shared a night with five years ago…and her four-year-old daughter, LuLu. He soon realizes is that he is still attracted to her but tries to maintain his distance (this obviously doesn’t last too long).

Now that they’ve agreed to a relationship, albeit one they want to keep quiet to the outside world for a while, several truths on both sides could end up splitting them apart forever.

LuLu is a spitfire of a child and bit of comedic relief or ‘kids say the darndest things’ moments.

Audiobook narration: This was my first listen of Zara’s. It took me a little to get used to her voice and find the right speed at which to listen at with her inflections and accent. She does have some good emotional moments especially towards the end of the story that are well acted.

Joe Arden can narrate a billionaire bachelor any day of the week, but for this audio he got to use different accents (American, British and French) which you can hear over the years he has been improving upon. His voice for little LuLu is the best when it comes to her articulation of certain words. I couldn’t stop giggling a couple of times.

Story: Overall all I liked this book, even though I felt there were parts that may have been able to be shortened or cut out. Fee and Carson’s dynamic and chemistry make it worth seeing the story through to the end. The audio comes in just over 15 hours, and the book itself is shy of 600 pages.

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Are you catching feelings? It's so hard not to!

Revisado: 06-28-21

Things of note: Duet narration, CLIFFHANGER, polyamory, may contain triggers for some.

Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden were the perfect narrators to bring this series to life. The emotions they bring forth to Cecelia, Sean and Dominic keep you engaged in the story. Their duet narration is top notch.

Maxine’s portrayal of Cecelia is spot on. She has the snarky lines down and adds the right amount of vulnerability when called upon. Her French accent is impeccable!

Joe’s representation of Sean and Dominic leaves you hanging on their every word and languishing in the cadence of his delivery.

Cecelia is to spend one year in Triple Falls working at her estranged father’s company so that she can claim her inheritance. This is how she feels she can take care of her single mother who has fallen on some recent struggles. It’s her way out of the life she has and a means to move forward. Get in and get out she tells herself. She meets Sean her first day at the plant…and she’s never the same again.

Sean is different than any man she’s known and shows her a different way to look at life and the world. Being in his orbit makes her time in the small town not seem like a sentence. Her newly 19-year-old heart is given a run for its money and her feelings grow deeper by the day.

It’s while hanging out with Sean she gets to meet his friends and is curious but also wary of Dominic – the brooding leader of the pack that seems to hate her. He’s a mystery to most and it seems to intrigue her as much as she tries not to let on. After a few tense encounters with Dominic, there’s a shift in their dynamic after a day on the raft with Dom and Sean.

Can she handle her new found polyamory? Can she handle the secrets she knows they are keeping? Can YOU handle a cliffhanger that completely turns a book on its axis and has you looking back wondering…WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED?

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Mercenaries, spies, mistaken identity and love!

Revisado: 11-12-20

This is a good story and kept my interest. This was my first Lynn Rae book and it intrigued me enough to go in search of more of her work. I was able to predict the villain but it didn’t ruin the storyline for me. I wanted to learn more about secondary characters so I plan to continue the series.

Narration:
Emma and Joe did a great job bringing life to these characters. I enjoyed listening to them and hearing the different voices they give each character. Emma had a vulnerability to her voice for Maddy. Joe’s snark for secondary character voices is always fun to hear!

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Sisters, a wedding , family secrets...

Revisado: 07-21-19

Sisters, a wedding , family secrets and an Irish hottie all in one book!

I very much enjoyed reading this story and seeing how secrets of a family and between sisters being brought out in the open paved a path for possibilities in love and new beginnings in life. Katherine’s sister Amy has just told her the one thing that she didn’t see coming —- she’s engaged to be married. Katherine musters up all the happiness she can but feels her sister has gone against their pact to never marry because marriage in their family seems doomed.

Katherine Fuller intends to put her best foot forward and keep her lips sealed to not rock the boat with Amy and hold their tight sisterly bond. Amy loves her big sister and sees an opportunity to surprise her with VIP tickets and passes to see someone from her past — Irish hottie Eamon MacWard. Katherine suddenly knows her past won’t stay quiet for long.

Eamon MacWard walked into the backstage area after his concert, and that’s when he saw her. Katherine. His Sunny Girl. After a decade apart he wonders if fate has brought her back into his life. And now he knows he must do whatever he can to keep her there this time. They both realize the chemistry is still there and leads them to develop that closeness once again. The closer they get, Katherine realizes she has to tell Eamon of the dark time from her past she never wanted to relive again and worries she isn’t the woman he needs as he once did.

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