Category: Adult Fiction

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas | Book Review

Posted March 31, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels #1
Also in this series: Marrying Winterborne, Devil In Spring, Hello Stranger, Devil's Daughter, Chasing Cassandra, Devil In Disguise
Published by Avon on October 27, 2015
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 419
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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A twist of fate.

Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities . . . and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house—along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.

A clash of wills.

Kathleen knows better than to trust a ruthless scoundrel like Devon. But the fiery attraction between them is impossible to deny—and from the first moment Devon holds her in his arms, he vows to do whatever it takes to possess her. As Kathleen finds herself yielding to his skillfully erotic seduction, only one question remains: can she keep from surrendering her heart to the most dangerous man she's ever known?

Well. I have finally done it. I have finally read Lisa Kleypas. I have been seeing her name and her covers for ages. I have been hearing about her heroes and her worlds for so long, and I finally decided to throw caution (aka my pile of review books) to the wind and jump in to her books! I think Cold-Hearted Rake was a great place to start, and I’ve set myself up for a whole lot of amazing reading in the future because I really loved this book! As always, my main points are bolded.

A great cast of characters will make or break a historical romance for me. I’ve always been a character-driven reader, but the characters are more important to me in historical romances than in any other book genre. Luckily, Cold-Hearted Rake has such an amazing cast that I can’t think of anyone I didn’t like. Devon is exactly what the title proclaims him to be. He’s cold-hearted, but only on the surface. I found him to be very kind and honorable as I got to know him better. His cousin, Theo, dies in an accident and Devon finds himself the earl of an estate that’s in shambles. He is also now responsible for Theo’s younger sisters, Pandora, Cassandra, and Helen, as well as Theo’s widow, Kathleen, who had been married to him for only 3 days before his death. This is a lot for a rake to take on! Devon comes in, sees what he has to deal with, and decides it would be best to sell it all and move on. He quickly changes his mind, though, when he comes to care for the girls and Kathleen, and when he begins to see how many peoples’ lives would be ruined if he sold. Farmers would lose their family legacies and homes, and families would be displaced. He brings in workers to renovate and repair the estate, and begins strategizing on how to bring in more money. One of these strategies includes bringing in his brother, Weston, to help investigate what needs to be done and how they can best support the tenants.

I liked West so so much. I loved seeing what coming and living/working at the estate did to him. He found a sense of purpose, got healthier (he was always drunk before), and fell in love with the four ladies of the estate. He saw all of them as sisters to protect and love, and I thought that his relationship with all of them was very sweet and endearing. Kathleen was harder for me to like because she was quite a stick in the mud. Tradition states that a woman who loses her husband must follow a strict timeline of mourning for over a year, and even though she was only married for 3 days, she is hell-bent on following these rules. So she wears a veil and all black, insists on living behind thick black curtains that are always closed, refuses to allow visitors, refuses to go out and do anything fun or enriching, and makes sure Theo’s three sisters do the same thing. I can’t fault her too much, because she’s trying to be a proper lady and follow the customs of the time, but she was very frustrating. I can’t imagine she was much older than these girls, but she very closely mothered them and I didn’t fell like it was her place to do that (especially since she met them the day of her wedding). She was also very opinionated about what happened to the estate, which bugged me since she had absolutely no ownership over it. She was a Ravenel for three days, but acted like everything was hers and everyone should answer to her. Pandora and Cassandra were silly and immature, and I thought for sure they were 12-13 before finding out they are nearly 20. But they were endearing and I feel like I’m going to see a lot of growth from them over the course of the series. I really loved Helen, and was quite excited to see glimpses of the romance she’s going to get in the next book with Rhys Winterborne. I actually loved Helen’s love story more than Devon and Kathleen’s!

I loved exploring the estate grounds, sitting with and listening to the ladies chat while they did embroidery, the suspense of a train accident that adds a lot of intrigue and foreshadowing of events to come, celebrating Christmas with the family and decorating their home with them, and reading about this unconventional family whose devotion and love for one another trumps social rules and expectations. There’s so much more I can say, but Cold-Hearted Rake didn’t feel like every other historical romance I’ve read. I feel like for most of my time reading historical romance, I’ve done a lot of glazing over while reading political discussions in between sex scenes, and frequently unlikeable characters who went through little character development. Maybe I’ve been reading the wrong books, or perhaps they just weren’t what I needed at the time. In Cold-Hearted Rake, though, I got to learn a lot about the characters. I got to fall in love with them and I was actually interested in what they talked about and how they spent their time. I grew attached to the family and their lighthearted interactions. I just can’t wait to continue this series!

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer | Audiobook Review

Posted March 24, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer
Narrator: Amanda Dolan, Neil Hellegers
Published by Forever on March 15, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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A clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren, Jasmine Guillory, and Sophie Cousens, this laugh-out-loud debut is a perceptive reminder that fate can have a sense of humor, and that love can happen…In a New York Minute.

Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.

Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.

Only Franny and Hayes couldn’t be a more disastrous match. She’s fanciful, talkative, and creative. He’s serious, shy, and all about numbers. Luckily, in a city of eight million people, they never have to meet again. Yet somehow, Hayes and Franny keep running into each other—and much to their surprise, they enjoy each other’s company. A lot. But when Franny’s whole world is turned upside down (again!), can she find the courage to trust in herself and finally have the life—and love—she’s always wanted?

I love New York! There, I said it. I absolutely love the bustling, beautiful, exciting New York City. I love finding books set in NYC, and always find myself salivating over the descriptions of the city and the food. I was so excited to get my hands on Kate Spencer’s debut, In a New York Minute (yes, I sang the song for days and am singing it again now as I write my review), with its cute cover and promise of a laugh-out-loud “clever, tender, and romantic novel for readers of Christina Lauren”. This had all the makings of a very Jana book: New York, rom-com, Christina Lauren. Yes, please! And while it was cute, a few things just didn’t work for me. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. The meet-cute was my favorite part of this story. The cherry on top of Franny’s day from Hell was when the subway ripped her favorite dress right off her body, causing her to moon half of New York. Luckily Hayes was there to offer her his suit coat (Gucci) before disappearing into the crowd of people, never to be seen again. Or so you might think. In the hustle and bustle of NYC, these two just kept being thrown together until it was clear that they were supposed to be more than strangers. This meet-cute was cringey cute. Cringey because oh my gosh, I would not survive this kind of meeting if it happened to me. The mortification! This set us up for a very fun, romantic story. But then…

2. Hayes dates another woman, Serena, for the bulk of the book. That really killed the swoony feelings I was having over him in the beginning. He was clearly into Franny, but he was so lacking in self confidence that he decided to date someone else because Franny was clearly uninterested. It didn’t work, though, and he frequently thought of Franny while he was on dates with Serena. I didn’t like that my sweet, shy, caring Hayes sort of accidentally used Serena to get over a girl he never even had. And I say “accidentally” because I don’t think Hayes even realized what he was doing. But still, it rubbed me the wrong way that he spends more of the book with the runner-up than his number one.

3. In a New York Minute is told in alternating perspectives, and I always enjoy it when an author chooses to do this. Franny and Hayes take turns telling the story, and I enjoyed jumping into both of their heads. These two are polar opposites, so it was refreshing to switch things up. Hayes is very serious, analytical, and shy. Franny is funny, outgoing, and bubbly. I liked both of them for the most part, but Hayes’s lack of awareness and Franny’s dramatic thoughts had me rolling my eyes a time or two. I found their interactions to be cute, if not a little awkward at times. Hayes in particular just… doesn’t seem very socially adjusted and fumbles several times with both his actions and his words. There’s a lot of miscommunication and confusion between these two, and after a while I just wanted to lock them in a room and make them actually speak to one another.

4. The supporting characters were wonderful. I loved that both Franny and Hayes had great friends who supported and loved them. Franny’s two best friends, Cleo and Lola, were so sweet and so much fun. They really knew how to take care of their friend, and I’m jealous of their friendship. This trio actually kind of reminded me of the dynamic between Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe from Friends. And then Hayes’s work wife, Eleanor, was always there to give him a reality check when he got in his own way. His cousin Perrine was also amazing, and had a romance of her own on the side that I thought was sweet.

5. You can tell the author loves New York. This book is a love letter to New York City, and I was captivated by the descriptions of the city. We get to go on walks with the characters to see the city during busy and quieter times, eat yummy food, and read about how much they love living there.

6. The romance is slow burning and fade-to-black. It felt slightly reminiscent of some of my favorite romcom movies like While You Were Sleeping and You’ve Got Mail. Franny and Hayes have some great flirty banter, and some sweet romantic interactions. I liked that their relationship progressed naturally from strangers to employer/client to friends to lovers. They go on this really romantic date that keeps getting longer and longer, and I loved it. It was pretty magical. I wasn’t a fan of their third act drama, but oh well.

7. This review was really hard to write, because I think the audio tarnished my reading experience. While writing this review, I realized the negative things I was thinking about the story were most likely due to the narration. I wonder if I’d read it instead if I would have liked it more. Neil Hellegers did a fine job with Hayes and I don’t have any real complaints on that end. But Amanda Dolan’s narration for Franny grated on me and I struggled to listen to her. Some of her vocal choices for exciting/tense moments or other characters were shrill and piercing. She read very dramatically, and I found myself pausing out of sheer exhaustion. For example, Franny and Hayes end up doing a TV interview together after their viral meet-cute and I wanted to throw my phone across the room while listening to how Amanda chose to read the voices of the interviewers. Loud, obnoxious, and cheesy. You know how on sitcoms when a character tries to be an actor and it comes out really weird? Like they can’t smile naturally or speak in a normal fluid way and it ends up sounding very choppy and stiff? And it’s like, wow that real life actor is really good at acting like a bad actor but oh my gosh stop talking like that because I am so uncomfortable? That’s how this went. I sped the audio up many times just so I could be done with her. It’s hard to really explain my thoughts when I can’t share specific clips. Anyway…

I can’t say I’m satisfied with this review, but I’ve spent over an hour and a half straight trying to organize my thoughts and here we are. lol. Seriously, WordPress kicked me out while I was writing this because my session expired. That’s how long I’ve mulled over this. I loved the idea of the story, the meet-cute, the love of NYC, the friendships, and the handful of romantic moments I got. I liked both characters, but found myself frustrated with their ability to communicate with one another. The ending is very romantic, and had me smiling. I really didn’t like the narration, and I’m sure everything would feel different if I had read it instead. All in all, I will read Kate Spencer’s next book and maybe I’ll find the time to go back and read this one again to better appreciate the things I loved about it.

Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey | Book Review

Posted February 24, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

Enemies Abroad by R.S. Grey
Published by Self on January 20, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 282
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
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It’s simple: Noah Peterson and I are enemies. Our fellow teachers know it, our friends know it—even the Starbucks drive-through lady knows it since every Monday she scrawls the name A. Hole for me on Noah’s cappuccino when I pick up the weekly group order.

The shrill whine of the school bell announces the start of each day’s no-holds-barred grudge match. Since neither of us is looking to get fired or thrown in prison, we war with our words and our wits. We prefer banter that bites. All day, I’m on edge, looking around every corner, expecting him to do his worst. Just when I think I can’t take the sight of his (regretfully) handsome face for one more minute, the school day is done.

Summer usually offers the sweetest relief—a two-month Noah detox—but not this year.

“We need two volunteers to chaperone a group of eighth graders in Rome” becomes a game of chicken neither one of us is willing to lose. We both want that bonus check.

“Back out,” I tell him.
“Scared?” he taunts.

No one thinks it’s a good idea for us to go to Rome together, least of all me. Taking this battle abroad will only lead to mayhem and misery.

DING. Ladies and gentlemen of flight UA447 with service to Rome, fasten your seatbelts.
We’re bound to have a bumpy ride.

I discovered R.S. Grey last year when I fell in love with Hotshot Doc. Since then, I’ve been gobbling up all of her books and she just keeps knocking it out of the park! And it’s honestly like she heard my cries for a travel romance, because Enemies Abroad takes place in Rome, Italy. I think I’m officially an R.S. Grey fangirl for life. Each and every time I read a book of hers, I find a new favorite. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Ah, Italy. I loved my vacation in Italy, visiting all the typical tourist sites, getting gelato and pasta, and learning historical and cultural tidbits. This class trip includes a lot of fun day trips shopping, going to the beach, and sightseeing. There’s also a lot of time while the kids are in class and Audrey has time off to read, visit cafes, explore the area around the school (it’s a mansion with classrooms and dormitory-style living quarters). She even has a little thing with one of the Italian teachers for a bit, and we get to follow her on morning coffee dates. It felt very slice-of-life for me, and I loved it.

2. I loved both Audrey and Noah, and I loved them together. They are both 8th grade teachers with neighboring classrooms who both end up chaperoning a group of, I believe it is 10, students in Rome for 3 weeks. This is a daunting task for two adults who don’t exactly like each other, but I really think they’re just pretending. Audrey is funny, a little anxious, and such a kind and sweet person. She seems like such a caring teacher, and I would have loved to have been in her class. Noah is this big sexy man with a huge heart and a little snarky. I also loved the supporting characters. Their principal and some of the other teachers at the school they teach at in the States are so friendly and supportive. There’s a group of students and chaperones from a fancy New York prep school that are also in Rome for this study abroad trip, and I liked both of them. Lorenzo, the Italian teacher who is basically their ambassador and plans out their studies and activities, is also really fun. I liked all the kids (well, not the prep school kids as much), which surprised me. I don’t love kids in romance novels, but Audrey and Noah have some sweet students and I liked their attempts at matchmaking and their silly gossiping.

3. It can be hard to write an enemies to lovers plotline that doesn’t make the reader want to strangle one or both of the love interests by the halfway point of the story. Sometimes the bickering and undermining gets to be too much for me and I don’t enjoy reading the book anymore. That’s not the case here, thank goodness! The bickering is very thinly laid over major pining and flirting and real feelings. It was just enough to create that delicious push and pull that I love so much in romance novels. And boy, did I love it. The author never fully explains why Audrey and Noah “hate” each other, which I think it part of the fun. I don’t think either of them knows why either! They have some very flirty moments, combined with some very explosive outbursts and it was so much fun to watch them fall for each other. They are experts on each other because it takes work to hate a person! They know just what to do to push one another’s buttons, which also means they know exactly what the other person loves and cares about. This creates depth and realness to their romance once it begins. That fine line between love and hate is so perfectly explored in this book.

4. I feel like Enemies Abroad is less steamy than R.S. Grey’s other books, and I didn’t miss the extra steam at all. It’s practically fade to black, but not completely. And it makes sense! Audrey and Noah are required to be responsible, alert adults in charge of the welfare of these kids for at least 90% of the book (and they’re trying to keep this a secret), so it makes sense that their intimate moments are fleeting and far between. You don’t want a kid to knock on the door needing help when you’re in the middle of sexytimes. Instead of a bunch of sexy scenes we’re gifted with longing glances and more pining and soft brushes under the table or walking through the halls.

5. My only real complaint is that I would have loved it if Noah and Audrey had taken turns narrating the story. I wish I had been able to get into Noah’s head a bit more and see what he was thinking and feeling.

All in all, I LOVED Enemies Abroad. I loved flying off to Italy for a fun adventure, and I loved the unique story of rival teachers having to work together to keep a group of kids safe in a foreign country. The writing was wonderful, the humor made me giggle, and the romance made me swoon. What more can I ask for?

The Layover by Lacie Waldon | DNF Book Thoughts

Posted February 17, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

The Layover by Lacie Waldon
Published by Putnam on June 15, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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After ten years as a flight attendant, Ava Greene is poised to hang up her wings and finally put down roots. She's got one trip left before she bids her old life farewell, and she plans to enjoy every second of it. But then she discovers that former pilot Jack Stone -- the absurdly gorgeous, ridiculously cocky man she's held a secret grudge against for years -- is on her flight. And he has the nerve to flirt with her, as if he doesn't remember the role he played in the most humiliating night of her life. Good thing she never has to see him again after they land....

But when their plane encounters mechanical problems, what should have been a quick stop at the Belize airport suddenly becomes a weekend layover. Getting stuck on a three-hour flight with her nemesis was bad enough. Being stranded with him at a luxury resort in paradise? Even with the sultry breeze and white sand to distract her, it will take all the rum punch in the country to drown out his larger-than-life presence.

Yet the more time Ava spends with him under the hot Caribbean sun, the more she begins to second-guess everything she thought she knew about him... and everything she thought she wanted from her life. And all too soon, she might have to choose between keeping her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds....

An unexpected tropical layover with her nemesis turns a flight attendant's life upside down in this witty, breezy debut romantic comedy about life -- and love -- 30,000 feet above the ground.

I was so, so excited to read The Layover by Lacie Waldon. I love anything that involves travel (especially right now when traveling isn’t very safe), so reading about a flight attendant’s adventures was extremely appealing to me. And I really liked parts of it! The writing is very well done, and I loved the descriptions of the views from the cockpit of the plans and of. the scenery in Belize. The discussions about Ava’s passion for her career were also very nice to read. I made it about halfway through, though, and looked at how far I had come and realized I still had so much left to read. Essentially, I felt as though I had been reading forEVER. The book was seriously dragging for me. For the most part, Ava is extremely rude and judgmental and I decided I was done with her once I realized how much left I had to read. The things she says to Jack and the way she treats him were horrible. I’m assuming there will eventually be some kind of reveal that will try to justify her behavior and her attitude, but I already know it won’t work for me. Ava is an adult, and by this point in her life I’m sure she has learned how to fake being civil to people. I felt really bad for Jack. Plus, at the halfway point there had been no romance and had also only been mildly funny a couple times. So a romantic comedy this is not, just fair warning. The focus is really on the changes in Ava‘s life and her journey to figure out who and what she wants to be. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when I don’t even like her I don’t care to read about her journey. And once the romance begins all I’m going to think is that Jack doesn’t deserve having to put up with someone like Ava. I’m so disappointed.

DNF

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh | Book Review

Posted February 3, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

One Night Only by Catherine Walsh
Narrator: Jessica Regan
Published by Bookouture on July 30, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 311
Length: 9 hours 17 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Gift
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Who could have predicted this? Being at the same wedding. In Ireland. There’s a reason one-night stands are one-night stands. You’re not supposed to see each other again, especially not when you’re the maid of honor, and he’s the groom’s brother…

Sarah Anderson has never been more excited about anything in her life. She’s going to her best friend’s wedding. And not just any wedding. An Irish wedding. Goodbye New York, hello rolling green hills and men with beautiful accents and twinkling eyes.

But Sarah should have known that not all guests are fairy-tale princes…

There’s the chinless Uncle Trevor, whose idea of small talk is to claim climate change is a conspiracy.

Then there’s Great Aunt Eileen, who doesn’t talk at all (she’s too busy replacing the hotel cutlery with her own set).

Worst of all, there’s Declan Murphy. Best man. Brother of the groom. And the man Sarah last saw naked.

Is there anything more mortifying than bumping into a one-night stand halfway across the world? Especially as Declan seems determined to embarrass Sarah at every turn. At least when the wedding’s over she’ll never have to see him again.

But, back in New York, Sarah finds the more she tries to forget Declan, the more she can’t shake the thought of that infuriatingly charming smile and the way he wears a tux…

Was he really just for one night only, or might Declan Murphy be The One?

Prepare to laugh until you cry with this perfect feel-good romantic comedy about taking a chance on love. Fans of Sophie Ranald, Sophie Kinsella and Marian Keyes won’t be able to put this down!

The travel bug in me is rearing its ugly head these days! I can’t stop reading books set in other countries, so of course I had to read this rom-com that takes place, at least for some of the book, in Ireland! Sarah, an architect living in New York, is off to a small town in Ireland for her best friend’s wedding at a fancy resort. I really enjoyed this vacation to the Emerald Isle right along with her! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Let’s start off with Sarah. I liked her a lot, even though I also wanted to smack her sometimes. She knows what she wants and is perfectly capable of standing up for herself. She also has great self-esteem, knows her worth, and isn’t afraid to put herself first. She’s a really good friend. She’s been hurt by a former love, and is very protective of her heart (I can relate to that). Because she’s not a relationship person anymore, she tends just have one night (see where the title comes from?) with a man and then that’s the end. At the beginning of the book, we see her kicking a sexy Irishman out of her house so she can rush off to work. My biggest problem with Sarah is how she treated this man. He was so nice and wanted to spend more time with her, and he seemed so confused and hurt that she kicked him out in such a rude way. When he tried to talk to her she slammed the door in his face. I could never be that way towards a person.

2. Luckily we see this Irishman again very quickly! His name is Declan, and he’s the brother of the groom in this Ireland wedding! When Sarah sees him, she goes into a panic and begins avoiding him immediately. Awkward! This guy is swoony, so I don’t even understand Sarah. He’s got the Irish accent and sounds like he’s very handsome. He’s funny and charming and sarcastic. He sees something he likes in Sarah and will not give up. She continues to be rude to him, and he keeps finding ways to be around her and talk to her. Finally he starts to wear her down little by little, but she’s put up guards of steel. I love his determination to tear them down. He and Sarah have a long conversation over drinks in the bar one night, and even though they both get plastered he remembers the important things she tells him. He’s empathetic and understanding, and I love how he tries to ground her when he can see that she’s about to flee in a panic. He creates a safe space for her and allows her time to realize she’s falling for him.

3. The secondary characters are all great! Sarah’s best friend, Annie, was really sweet. She doesn’t play a huge part in the story, but I loved her wedding and her big family (well, most of them). I really liked Sarah’s roommate, too (she gets a tiny romance herself). Oh, and then there’s Sarah’s fun co-worker, Will, who I loved!

4. We end up back in New York much sooner than I was expecting, which was a bit of a disappointment. I loved the wedding and the sightseeing the characters did in Ireland, and I wanted more of that.

5. Once Sarah gets back home to normal life and tries to forget about Declan, there’s a period of her trying to date someone else and dealing with workplace drama. This part of the book didn’t work for me as well. I wanted more romance!

6. But… I suppose that this romance was pretty realistic. There’s push and pull, back and forth, time away to process, etc. So I get it. I understood. There were some very romantic moments, but I felt like there was also a lot of focus on Sarah’s personal growth. I loved seeing her come to the realization that not every love story ends in heartbreak, but it was a process getting there. It was very relatable, and will resonate with so many readers (it definitely resonated with me)… but I wanted more of that magical, sparkling romance I crave from romance novels.

7. The writing was very well done. I loved the bits of humor here and there, and the characters are very well-rounded and developed. The book’s synopsis tells us to “prepare to laugh until you cry”. This… didn’t happen. I didn’t find the book that funny. It had its moments, but there were more serious moments than funny ones for me. Not a problem, but that’s a bold statement to make and this book did not deliver that.

8. I listened to the audiobook, and Jessica Regan did a good job. I enjoyed listening to her, and would gladly listen to more books she’s narrated. She has a nice, soothing voice. My only real criticism is that Sarah is an American, but sounded like an Irish woman trying to sound like an American. It was a bit distracting to hear Sarah pronounce words in a way that no American would in an accent that was trying to sound American but had a hint of that Irish lilt to it. That being said, Jessica did keep Sarah’s voice relatively consistent and she did a great job switching back and forth from Declan to Sarah. It would be so hard to switch accents that quickly.

All in all, One Night Only was a very fun read! I enjoyed the parts that took place in Ireland a lot, and I loved Declan so much. The romance was a little underdeveloped for me, but the ending was very sweet and gave me the swoons I wanted. I’m definitely interested in reading more from Catherine Walsh.