Very enjoyable and great narration!

The blurb for this book really doesn't do it justice. If I was looking for a book to read and only had that to go by, I probably would have bypassed it. But a dear friend said it was a favorite, so I wanted to give it a listen. Very happy I did!
Told from her point of view, "California girl" Rachel is in film production in Hollywood, trying to work her way up in a small production company to do something she can be proud of. But she's buried in student loan debt after getting her master's degree. She meets Pari at a party, who is from India but has been in the US. on a work visa. She overhears Pari saying she wants to branch out from the financial firm she works for and become an independent consultant, but then she'd lose her work sponsor. In order to be able to stay in the U.S., she'd need to find a woman who would marry her. Although straight, Rachel sees how accomplished, intelligent and beautiful Pari is and blurts out almost half-joking that SHE would do it. Pari asks her if she's even a lesbian and Rachel says no, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker. In fact, that might work out just fine. Pari isn't really looking for a relationship. She's a busy career woman, and so is Rachel.
They decide to meet up again and see how they would get along. And if that went well, talk about what it would take - and how long they would have to be legally married - for Pari to become a citizen. Then they could go their separate ways. Pari is in a position financially to take some of that burden off of Rachel's shoulders and has a wonderful apartment on the beach she can share with her. Seen as a business arrangement, they agree to terms.
Rachel is drawn to Pari right from the start, and it confuses her. But while her feelings for Pari grow, the Indian beauty isn't wanting to get involved with another straight woman. Been there, done that and she got a broken heart in the process. But as the women spend time and get to know one another, things begin to evolve.
There are several things I liked about this story. Rachel is anorexic and not a character I've seen in lesfic. Because the story is told in first person by her, there's some really fascinating - and heartbreaking - insight about what goes through the mind of someone with her condition. How she thinks about food, how she feels about herself and her body. How portion control and working out become obsessions. Pari recognizes that Rachel has issues with food, but doesn't know to what extent Rachel is suffering. Rachel also comes to realize through this experience that she's demisexual - something she didn't even know existed before she met Pari.
Pari is a wonderfully appealing character. She's warm, kind and generous, curvy and striking. And very close to her family. And when they tell Pari's family they are to be married, we get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a traditional three day Indian wedding celebration. We also get to see Rachel's relationship with her family in contrast to Pari's. While Pari's parents initially worried about their daughter being a lesbian, they grew to accept and love her. In fact, they insist on throwing a grand event to celebrate Pari and Rachel's union. Much of this story takes place while Pari's mother comes into town a month before the wedding to make all the arrangements.
The audiobook wasn't long - not quite six hours - and I was wondering how author Lorelie Brown was going to get the whole story in. She manages it - but not like you might expect.
I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop and found their moments to be insightful, sweet, romantic and ultimately, sexy. The author didn't take the easy way out near the story's end and I appreciated how it came together. There were also strong secondary characters - especially Pari's mother - who added much to the story.
I'm very picky about narrators and Jill Smith was unfamiliar to me. Not only did I love her voice, tone and overall performance, she did a really good job with Pari and her family's Indian accents. She injected just the right amount of emotion and brought the story to life. I'll be looking for more of her work.
I am grateful to have discovered this new-to-me author and narrator!

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Absolutely amazing!

This is such a beautiful story and the narration is perfect! I didn’t want it to end.

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A must listen to..

I really loved this story. Love can be found while battling your inner demons. And Jill Smith did an awesome job with the narration.

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brilliant narration

I think this is one of those stories improved by the acting and accents of the wonderful Jill Smith. I really enjoyed the story and actually wish it was twice as long as it is, but I really appreciated the epilogue that lets us know how things turn out with our MCs. I will 100% listen to this one again.

9/3/2021 - so far have listened twice - love it both times

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Flawless Narration

Jill Smith owned all of these characters; she gave life too their struggles and triumphs. Her narration of this story, has me searching audible with her name. She could read to me anytime! The story eas really will written and I enjoyed the storyline.

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Wow

Que buen libro, exquisitamente escrito y sobre todo la Narración.. wow, 10 de 10 para Jill Smith.

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Wow a total gem and the best read. Funniest ever

I usually hate first person but every word Lorelie wrote on behalf of her characters was so exact and felt so natural. The humor, the drama, the internal debate, and especially the romance was spot on fucking fantastic. I love reading a plot that has two likable characters, women that bring out the best and worst in each other. This story has a feeling of realistic truth to it.

What made this incredible on a second level even higher was the audio performed by Jill Smith. I should stop dropping f-bomb but holy f-cow jill nailed it. Not so much the Indian accent and switching between which was excellent but the emotion and timing. It was spot on perfect 5-5-5

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Beautiful

Beautiful story that was beautifully narrated. I loved every single thing about it. Pari and Rachel were just perfect. Very romantic story that dealt with some heavy issues in a way that made you crave more. Highly recommend

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amazing

loved the story line, and Jill Smith is one of my favorite narrators. Loved it, looking forward to more from this author

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The series title doesn't do it justice

The series title Belladonna Ink, in my opinion, has no place here. Neither Pari or Rachel are connected to Belladonna Ink, Rachel's friends are and they are barely mentioned as is Belladonna Ink. If I hadn't read the blurb I would never have chosen this book, but I was intrigued by the anorexia. I am glad I took a chance on this book. There are two covers. I prefer this one as the other is misleading and like Rachel, the blonde is far from home.
I loved all of the characters, right down to Pari's mom. I was happy to see that through a different nationality and culture she was accepting of her daughter's sexuality. the story had a very realistic feel, the anorexia disorder was handled well and the sexual tension was hot.
This is a very good, well written, thought-provoking story.
This is my first narration by Jill Smith. I enjoyed it a lot. Her voice is clear, her inflection and pacing is good. It never felt like she was just reading the story. Her voice for Pari and her mom had just enough dialect to give them a unique accent. I loved it.

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2 people found this helpful