Great book, a few small issues

I enjoyed listening to this book but there were a few things I need to mention. First of all, at one point the audio starts looping over itself (I didn't keep track of the time of it but I should have, I do remember it was still in the first 1/4 of the book or so). There were some other audio issues too. There was a lot of white noise (or maybe background noise?) in some parts, made even more noticeable by the shift from good audio quality to that crackling noise in the background while the narrator spoke.

Apart from the audio issues, something felt disjointed within the story and I am having a difficult time identifying what it is. I think part of it was the way the narrator spoke his lines. The narrator for some reason took to whispering a lot of the lines of both characters and whispering just didn't suit Alex's personality. The narrator would have done him a bit more justice by giving him a more confident and stern tone of voice more often. I understood that he was supposed to be more soft and sweet around Elynn but it just didn't work well with his personality. Elynn was one of the most naive main characters I've heard of in a while; expecting a man to stay celibate for over 4 years is a fool's errand and she was old enough to know that when he told her he'd had one lover a year. That was the other thing: Elynn got angry at him for seemingly stupid stuff before letting him completely off the hook for steamrolling her on bigger issues. I'm not big on jewelry either but starting a fight over someone that loves you trying to show that love in the only way they know how by throwing it back in their face because she's such a big brain with such serious convictions made it feel shallow and immature. On the other hand, he made plans for literally their entire life behind her back without asking her feelings on the matter. He just TOLD her to marry him rather than ask as well as plenty of other situations where he acted first and asked for her opinion later and after Elynn's strong stance on the smaller issues, it felt out of place that she just let some of the bigger problems between them go for so long without addressing them (or didn't address them at all). These encounters made the relationship feel somewhat lacking in intimacy. Part of it might have also been the fact that Alex already knew Elynn's biggest trauma (that was her story to tell and NOT her stepfather's, BY THE WAY) and Alex almost felt like his entire sense of self was based around Elynn from the get-go of this story so they bonded through kinky sex but that was about it. I guess my issue with Alex is that he was the absolute trope of a rich alpha; he had no interesting story, no high aspirations (he was already being given a company by his father), and nothing else to make him stand out from the crowd in terms of personality. All of these things added up to create a puzzle that felt like it was missing a few pieces on the corners to finish it up. Overall, I enjoyed the book but it could have used some fairly straightforward fixes to the audio and changes to the writing to help further enrich the story-line/complexity of Alex's character.

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Pretty Good

This is a difficult book for me to review. I liked the story for the most part. It is a nice relaxing read, the conflict is at a fair minimum, nothing too intense until the end of the book. This is a love story that branches from step siblings, however, one was grown and gone and one was nearing adulthood when they became family. The narrator was easy to understand, and she applied the correct inflection for each character. However, the majority of the intense conflict is saved for the last hour of the book instead of a build up and resolution. Also, the narrator is excellent, but just not right for this book. I really liked her voice and cadence, but there was TOO much inflection for the scenarios given, and the cadence was just not right for this story. It was so irritating at times that I turned off the book and came back to it later.

All in all a good story, and decent narration, but I would not listen to this book again.

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Great listen

Started a little slow but ended up sucking me in. Great story! Loved the characters. Narration was great. Definitely enjoyed it!!!

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An addictive read!

For almost five years, Alex has had one obsession. Her name is Elynn.

I was hooked from the start. The story was absolutely compelling and addictive. So interesting that I did not want to stop listening to it. Loved getting to know these characters and seeing them fall in love with each other - marvelous!

Lovely writing. Fantastic story and characters. Great chemistry between the hero and heroine.

The narrator did a fabulous job of breathing life into this book.

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It was ok.

Main female character was a socially inept, brainy nerd. She became offended and belligerent at nonsense. The plot was interesting but the execution and flow was subpar. I got bored halfway through.

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addictive

I really enjoyed this book. The story kept me interested and I wanted to finish it. Stayed up all night listening. Very descriptive writing style pulled me into the story. likeable characters that you just want to see together. Really enjoyed the quality of the audio because the narrator was easy to listen to. Looking forward to the next volume.

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Entertaining! Great Listen!

May have spoilers. May not. Just wanted to cover my bases.


Listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator did a good job. She did both the male and female POV's, and did great at both. I'd recommend listening.


I love the whole forbidden aspect of falling in love with a step-sibling, and the romance is very sweet! Elynn and Alex never really live with each other, so it's not really much of a taboo to me. There's another sort of taboo, and that's the age difference of 10 years. Elynn is 17 when they meet, and Alex is 27. Elynn's mom and Alex's dad got married, and Alex isn't too happy about it, but Elynn intrigues him. Alex's feelings turn more towards the heart, but he knows Elynn is too young, so he doesn't pursue a romantic relationship. He wants to give her time to "grow", and Elynn also had a bad experience with an obsessive guy, so she's fragile at the moment. Fast forward 4 years, the two are close as friends, but there's still those romantic feelings Alex has, and he's ready to let Elynn know. The problem is that Elynn is still dealing with the bad experience from the past and Alex hasn't been completely true to his love for Elynn, so that causes issues. That wasn't too great, and Alex has horrible taste in women before Elynn. Elynn and Alex aren't really together, so I didn't hold that against him, but it would've been more romantic and heartfelt if he had waiting completely for Elynn. Alex is really sweet with Elynn though, so that made up for it with me. Alex is a dominating man, so some may take issue, but I think it suits Elynn well. I loved that she's kind of nerdy and super smart, but she's also on the delicate side, so she leans towards the submissive side of things. The sex scenes were great, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between them. Once Alex decided he needed Elynn, he was full force ahead, which I liked. It really moved the story along. There's also some excitement and mystery with the stalker angle, which I love that type of thing, so I was all on board for that! I actually would've loved a lot more of that, and the would've added another layer to the story. One thing bothered me; I don't want to spoil it too much, so I'll just say, "Why in the heck did she go into the room?!" That was really stupid on her part. Overall, entertaining and I loved the emotion between Elynn and Alex. Looking forward to more!

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Oooh, sooo good!!!

Audiobook: Narrator – Ainslie Caswell

Nice narration although there was a bit of a noise that bled through occasionally. Some of the characterizations was a bit overly dramatic, but the story is absolute perfection!

This has an awesome over the top alpha hero who fits the bill for my favorite jealous/possessive heroes. His behavior and reactions toward her are what made this story. He was highly protective even if he needed to protect her from him. The heroine is a totally science geek, shy and a bit withdrawn but over the course of the story she begins to grow into her own.

Absolutely loved it!

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Sweet and sexy!

Alex Hanas' father, Costas, is used to having his family for Sunday brunch and this day is supposed to be special. It's the day that Alex meets the "American gold digger" who just married his father and her frumpy teenage daughter. You can imagine his surprise when she turns out to be someone he can't take his eyes off, but she's only 17 years old. It's a monumental moment and he's convinced that she's it for him, which is an odd thing to say for such a committed player. Alex is the sweet, caring kind of Alpha male and he's definitely OTT when he's protecting her from a trauma inflicted years ago. I simply fell in love with this couple and their world of opulence. Ainslie Caswell does an excellent job with the narration. Her clear, dynamic voice, solid pace and inflection give each character a distinct personality and attitude as she brings them to life. 

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awesome! 5 star

loved the series, so excited to hear the first book, sometimes you pick up on emotions that can't be felt unless you hear it, this audible version made me realize emotions i overlooked when i first read the book. i understand some are uncomfortable with the step sibling genre but this "step" brother and sister were not raised together or even lived in same house, and the story evolves at a pace that allows reader/listener to understand that it took years for this love story to evolve but that time helped to build characters as well as develop the adult pairing.....great story and awesome audiobook , lucy leroux knows how to keep you interested , each story in this series is seperate yet connected! recommend to anyone who likes to feel emotionally invested!

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