This book was really cute. I did like Not So Meet Cute better than this one, but I was definitely entertained and had some good laughs along the way.
IThis book was really cute. I did like Not So Meet Cute better than this one, but I was definitely entertained and had some good laughs along the way.
I admit, Kelsey wasn't my favorite character. She seemed to start redeeming herself there for a while, but I found that her inability to recognize signs or things going on around her to be a little annoying and unrealistic. Are people really that unobservant? Between the going on dates and the whole ending, I just wasn't wild about her overall.
That being said, I LOVED JP. He might be one of my favorite MQ heroes. He is such a sweet guy! He somehow took everything in stride and loved Kelsey in spite of her insecurities and constant need for reassurance. I felt so sad for him when he was talking about his brothers and his job. I wanted to give him a big old squeeze hug.
As for the narrators:
Stella Bloom is a great narrator. I've listened to her a few times and I like her style. I do find I have to speed her up a bit, but overall, I like her.
Aiden Snow is okay for me. He kind of sounds like the Twilight Zone guy mixed with Matthew McConaughey, which is an odd combo?
Overall, I enjoyed the audio and the book. I would definitely recommend it!
ALC provided by author in exchange for an honest review ...more
Ooh how I loved Neil and Charli!!! They are SUCH a cute couple and they compliment each other perfectly.
Charli is very pessimistic wh**Audio Review**
Ooh how I loved Neil and Charli!!! They are SUCH a cute couple and they compliment each other perfectly.
Charli is very pessimistic when it comes to relationships and when you found out why, you can't blame her one bit. All of the people who should have cared for and loved her from her past had betrayed her in some pretty horrible ways. My heart broke for her and I was rooting for her to get her happy ending.
Neil was just adorable and so very sweet. Just an all around good guy. He never pushed Charli and always listened to her. He was really patient with her and I loved the fact that he had been crushing on her for ages, but kept it a secret from her because he didn't think it was at all possible. It really showed how much he respected her and cared about her as a friend. I feel like if he wasn't that way then Charli would have run screaming for the hills.
As for the narrators. I loved both Vanessa Edwin and Jason Clarke. I've listened to both of them before though so I knew that I was going to have a great experience.
Overall, I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it to everyone who has loved this series so far.
ALC provided by author in exchange for an honest review ...more
I loved this one! Cora and Pike were absolutely hilarious. Their pranks had me cracking up throughout the entire book. They had really**Audio review**
I loved this one! Cora and Pike were absolutely hilarious. Their pranks had me cracking up throughout the entire book. They had really great chemistry, especially in the beginning with Vegas. I was hoping that Cora would loosen up a bit sooner considering they had a great comradery and budding friendship in Vegas. It did seem like she did an about face fairly quickly. That being said, he did kind of give her an ultimatum so she's understandably salty about that.
Weirdly one of things I liked most about this book was Keiko and Pike. Their friendship was really fun and sweet to read about. It was something I wasn't expecting. She's not been my favorite in the previous books, so I loved that she got kind of a redemption and growth in this one. I felt sad for her a lot, but also uplifted anytime she and Pike were interacting.
The narrators were excellent. I did have to speed up John Hartley's parts because he was a little slow reading, but once I did it was perfect. The only downside was having to slow it down during Vanessa Edwin's parts because she read at a more normal pace. Even having to do that, I would definitely listen to books he's narrated in the future. He's got a great voice and a great presence. I've always loved Vanessa Edwin. She's got a very natural quality to her voice and she sounds very age appropriate for the characters. Her voices for her side characters are also really nice.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Whether you choose to listen to it in audio or eyeball read it, you won't be disappointed. It's a good end to a series and who knows? Maybe we'll end up with a spin off... ...more
Sometimes we all need a fun, flirty, sexy, and very low angst book. That's exactly what I needed and that's exactly what I got with Boy**Audio Revew**
Sometimes we all need a fun, flirty, sexy, and very low angst book. That's exactly what I needed and that's exactly what I got with Boyfriend!
Weston and Abbi were 100% perfect for each other. They had funny banter and were so good to one another. Weston was the kind of guy who had commitment issues, but it honestly didn't take away from their relationship. My favorite thing about him was how good he was to Abbi, even though their relationship "wasn't real." He never talked bad about her to his friends and he never brushed her off.
Abbi was his perfect counterpart. She took everything in stride, even Weston's family. She stood up for him and was honestly just a best friend first, which I loved. Their relationship as a whole progressed naturally and was just fun to watch evolve.
As for the narrators- I love Jason Clarke. Always have, always will. He does such a great job bringing Weston to life. Vanessa Edwin was pretty good. I've listened to her narrate before and I like her. My issue with her in this one was that it felt like she was trying too hard to be a 20 year old and it made her voice a little annoying at times. That being said, it wasn't a chore to get through this book on audio at all, so I wouldn't shy away from listening to it again.
Overall, I loved this book. It was exactly what I needed after a long stream of higher angst books....more
With the summer Olympics going on right now I was really excited to dive into this story. I've always loved reading books like this so when the opportWith the summer Olympics going on right now I was really excited to dive into this story. I've always loved reading books like this so when the opportunity to listen to this one came up, I jumped on it.
I liked Bas and Jacob for the most part. I think I liked Bas a bit more because he was more interesting and he had a very intriguing backstory. I could understand why he felt like he needed to push Jacob away and also why he had the stance he did on not having a relationship, particularly during the Olympics and with a teammate no less. My issues with him came from him flip flopping with Jacob and just basically leading him on. He was very hot and cold with him and I could see why Jacob was a mess because of it.
My problem with Jacob's story line is that his stress and pressure didn't really seem to stem from the Olympics itself, but from Bas. When he thought things were good with them, he swam really well, but as soon as he had doubt from Bas, he swam like garbage. We're told he had issues swimming during practices, but we're never actually shown those moments so it's hard to believe his swimming was affected by anything pressure or media related. I also felt like all of the characters handled him with kid gloves so it made him seem much younger than 19. In turn, it made his and Bas' relationship a little hard to believe.
One of the scenarios that I cannot get out of my head is the whole situation with Leah. She is such a bigot and I feel like that whole situation was just calmly accepted by everyone and then promptly forgiven and forgotten. Her reaction was unjustified and cruel and no one on her team especially seemed to look down on her for it. Bas "handled" it, but I don't know. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know why I can't get over it...
Nick J Russo did a really great job, as usual. His voices weren't as unique for each character as they usually are, which actually surprised me. He's one of my favorite narrators because you can always tell who is talking because everyone gets their own voice, but in this one that wasn't always the case. It could also be because it was narrated in the 3rd person POV and sometimes that's more difficult to translate, especially with LGBTQ+ books.
Overall, this was a good book. I think it would have benefited from being a bit longer so some of the story lines could be more developed, but it was interesting and entertaining....more
I loved Daphne and Rickie's story! What a page turner. Next to Steadfast and Keepsake I think this book had the most dynamic and inter**Audio Review**
I loved Daphne and Rickie's story! What a page turner. Next to Steadfast and Keepsake I think this book had the most dynamic and interesting story line of all of the books in this series. It's intense and not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of darkness and mystery in this one as you try to figure out what Rickie doesn't remember. I pieced together small portions of pieces, but nothing in it's entirety so I was left a little shell shocked with the big reveal.
The characters in this book were amazing. I love Rickie. He is such a sweet guy and I loved how he treated Daphne before and after. I liked how his amnesia was portrayed in this book, too. I don't really know anything about it, but I could feel his frustration and I was right there with him. I can only imagine what that must feel like for the person going through it. Yikes.
Daphne was equally as great. She was a bit bratty in previous books, but I really liked how her issues with Mae were brought up and resolved. She really grew as a person and she had a fantastic character arc. I also loved how patient and caring she was with Rickie once their initial problem got resolved.
As for the narrators...
Zachary Webber does an AMAZING job and I'm so glad he narrated this one. He always has a way of bringing the characters to life. With his emphasis on certain phrases and the way he sighs or shows the annoyance of said character, it really just takes the book to a whole new level. It's definitely more of a performance than a reading.
Callie Dalton is one of my favorite narrators and it makes me so happy to see that she is getting work from more and more authors. I admit that in the beginning she felt a little dry and wasn't up to her usual natural acting, but as the chapters went on it seemed like she got more and more comfortable in the True North world and she upped her game a bit. I definitely think she did Daphne justice and that is always a good thing!
Overall, the story had me feeling a lot of emotions and to me, that's the sign of a really great book. If you've liked the insanely emotional books in this series, I have zero doubt you'll love this one. If you're waffling between the book and the audio, definitely go for the audio. You won't regret it!
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review
I really liked the book, but didn't love the audio. I had to kind of push past the listening portion and really pay attention to the story itself.
I'l I really liked the book, but didn't love the audio. I had to kind of push past the listening portion and really pay attention to the story itself.
I'll start with the story first.
I love the Bruisers world and all of Sarina Bowen's other hockey books. Every book has a unique aspect to it that makes it different from the ones prior. That's a feat that seems to be pretty difficult with a series that's gone on as long as this one has. I thought it was really cool that the book centered a lot on the Bombshells (the women's hockey team) while also incorporating the Bruisers into it.
The only issue I had with the book, which is ultimately why I knocked a star off, was the way sexism was handled. It's basically pounded into you from the get-go with Charlie and her constant, and I mean CONSTANT, mentioning of it. I'm not saying I don't like books that address that, because I really do, but it was a bit over the top. Also, I thought the fact that the team was named the Bombshells was a bit contradictory to that sentiment. I feel like it's a bit objectifying no matter how much of an explanation you give to the actual meaning of the word. One of the other things that felt contradictory to that was Slyvie's lack of experience. Some of the things she said in regards to her knowledge about sex, coupled with her being a virgin, just didn't sit right with me. I was hoping for more of a person whose embraced their sexuality. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a virgin, but she was 24 (I think?) so it felt a bit out of place. That being said, I liked the way Rebecca and Georgia handled the salary issue between the men and women's teams and it was addressed how underpaid women in professional sports are. There were definitely some great points being made in this book and I thought it was a great issue to tackle.
I liked Slyvie a lot. I felt like she was all of us when we had an unrequited crush. I liked that she didn't dwell too hard on it and when she decided she was done, she was done. It made the love triangle aspect basically non-existent. It also helped that Bryce was a genuinely good, not dramatic person. One of the things that I loved about the way Slyvie was written was that she wasn't a perfect superstar. She had to really, really work for what she wanted and so she did. I also LOVE the role someone from the very far past played. That was one of my favorite things about this book because I've always loved that person. I won't say who because I think it's more fun to be surprised by it.
Anton was great, too. He had a great character arc and I thought it was great to see another side of him. I didn't pay too much attention to him in previous books, but did know that he was a bit of a player with a reputation. It was nice to a see a softer side of him and I feel like he and Slyvie were the perfect match.
On to the narration-
Patrick Zeller was pretty good. I hadn't listened to him prior to this book so I had no idea what to expect. I don't think I'd actively seek him out, but I wouldn't shy away from a book he's narrated. My main issue with him was that sometimes he sounded too much like he was acting in a Shakespearean play than acting for a book. I know that sounds weird, but I really have no idea how else to describe it. He didn't sound too old or anything, just maybe a little bit dramatized? I liked his voice though and he wasn't monotoned by any stretch.
Desiree Ketchum on the other hand...If you're someone who can't handle odd noises, she's not going to be the one for you. You can hear her take big, quick breaths in the middle of sentences and sometimes she sounded...spitty? She also pronounced Anton two different ways and did it one time in the same sentence. It bopped back and forth between An-tawn and An-tin. All of those things collectively were incredibly distracting. I had a really hard time with the first maybe 10 chapters until I figured out how to tune out the breathing. Honestly, I probably will stay away from books she's narrated. Certain noises bother me, especially when listening to them with ear buds, so she's definitely not the narrator for me. I will say though, that she has a pleasant voice and she was 100% age appropriate sounding for Slyvie's character.
Overall, my recommendation is to read the book and not listen to it. The book was great and I'm looking forward to any more books coming up in this series!
ALC provided by author in exchange for an honest review...more
I'm really enjoying this series! I loved Moonlighter, but I think I liked this one better. Gunnar has such charisma and is hilarious. I loved seeing hI'm really enjoying this series! I loved Moonlighter, but I think I liked this one better. Gunnar has such charisma and is hilarious. I loved seeing how he went from super spy to super barista from page to page. Especially when he was struggling with how to make coffee. I loved him even more when he said he hated coffee because I finally felt like I could relate to someone in the book world. I'll probably never forgive him for the ending, though. Sigh...
So Posy was really great, too. She was a family rich girl who really wanted to survive on her own and wanted to gain success without the help of her family. I loved her relationship with her sister and nephew and I thought that their show of support of one another was really endearing.
I loved the whole mystery angle of the book. I thought it was woven in perfectly with the rom com side of the story. I figured out a little bit of it pretty early on, but I think that's because I had just read a book that had a similar situation so I was unintentionally on the lookout for it.
I listened to the audio, so I'll give a quick review about the narrators, too. I liked Joe Arden in this one. I'm usually not a huge Joe Arden fan, but I think he's starting to grow on me. I thought he did a great job encompassing Gunnar's character. Vanessa Edwin was just okay for me. Honestly, I thought she sounded like a phone sex operator the majority of the book. Even when Posy was talking to her nephew, which was weird. Her voice was a little flat for the first half of the book, but then I felt like she found her stride and was a little more animated at the end. I'm not sure if I'd listen to another book narrated by her.
Overall, if you liked Moonlighter, then you will definitely like this book! It's another win from Sarina Bowen for me!
**Review by Jaime**
Audio ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review ...more
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