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Audiobook Review: The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

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The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey
Series: The Allure #2 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Length: 5 hours and 37 minutes
Narrated by: Sara Ragsdale & Aaron Roberts
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

From: LilyNBlack@Gmail.com
To: JosephineKeller@VogueMagazine.com
Subject: You’re a flippin’ idiot

Good morning my dear, naive friend,

I hope you’re enjoying a breakfast of regret and sorrow.

Why?

Because you sent me to work for Dean Harper, aka a control freak in a tailor-made suit. Sure he owns the trendiest restaurants in NYC, but c’mon Jo, his ego makes Kanye West look like the Dalai Lama.

He’s the type of guy that only hears the word “no” when it’s followed by “don’t stop.”

Working for Dean Harper would be like selling my soul to the devil…and before you say anything, I don’t care if the devil has punch-you-in-the-gut brown eyes and an ass to match. My soul isn’t for sale.

Regretfully yours,
Lily

The Allure of Dean Harper is one of my favorite reads from R.S. Grey – she writes the BEST rom-coms, and this one is a fantastic, hilarious enemies-to-lovers one. I’d been eagerly awaiting for the audiobook release, and I enjoyed listening to it as much as I did reading it. If you love listening to romances with endearing, witty characters, and several laugh-out-loud moments, then I highly recommend getting this audiobook!

Lily Black has just moved to New York to follow her dreams of making something of herself in the food industry, and her best friend Josephine (from The Allure of Julian Lefray) gets her a job at her friend Dean’s restaurant. Lily is making a killing at the restaurant’s bar, but when Dean comes in, he doesn’t like the way she’s taken over what belongs to him… and he doesn’t like the lustful feelings he feels for her. So sparks fly, tensions run high, witty banter ensues – R.S. Grey has such a talent at writing fun-filled, hilarious stories that crack you up and you can’t help but enjoy. If you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you definitely don’t want to miss this one.

This was my first time listening to either narrator (though I do think this is their first audiobook narration), but I have to note how much I really loved Aaron Roberts’ narration for Dean! He was really perfect for that character, and I would definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by him. Sara Ragsdale was a good female narrator, though she did get a little nasally and high-pitched at times. It did fit with Lily’s character, so I’m not complaining too much – I did enjoy for performance overall.

I wish this audiobook could’ve been longer – I didn’t realize how short the story actually was! It’s a little longer than half the length of a normal sized audiobook I usually listen to. So I don’t know if the length is quite worth a credit, but if you own the ebook, the audiobook is only $1.99, so I’d definitely recommend going that route. Otherwise, it’s an incredibly fun audiobook to listen to.

THE ALLURE OF DEAN HARPER is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/28NSDZQ

4 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: The Allure series

The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

#1 ~ The Allure of Julian Lefray: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Allure of Dean Harper: Book Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s an audio excerpt from The Allure of Dean Harper!

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Audiobook Review: The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey

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The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey

The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey
Series: The Allure #1 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Length: 7 hours and 40 minutes
Narrated by: Renee Givens & BJ Pottsworth
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

From: JosephineKeller@LLDesigns.com
To: LilyNBlack@gmail.com
Subject: Justin Timberlake Nudes!

Lily, you predictable perv. I knew you’d open this email faster if I tempted you with a glimpse of JT’s “PP”. Well, put your pants back on and grab some bubbly because I have much better news to share.

I GOT A JOB!

As of tomorrow, I’ll be the new executive assistant at Lorena Lefray Designs. I am SO excited, but there’s one itty bitty problem: I won’t be Lorena’s assistant. I’ll be working for her older brother, Julian.

I know what you’re thinking- “But Jo, what’s the problem?”

Google him. Now. He’s the man in the fitted navy suit whose face reminds you that there’s hope yet for this cruel, ugly world. Keep scrolling…Do you see those dimples? Yup. That’s the Julian Lefray I will be reporting to tomorrow morning.

Lord, help us all…

XO,
Jo

I adored reading this rom-com of R.S. Grey’s, but I enjoyed it just as much, if not a little more, as an audiobook! I’m totally the type of listener who likes to get audiobooks of books she’s already read and loved, so The Allure of Julian Lefray was right up my alley. It’s a sweetly romantic listen, with tons of laugh-out-loud moments and main characters who have great chemistry. Renee Givens and BJ Pottsworth were wonderful narrators for Jo and Julian – I’d definitely listen to them again!

Josephine Keller is a fashion blogger who has just moved to NYC in the hopes of making a career in the fashion industry. Landing a job is her first priority, as she’s practically broke and all alone in NYC, but she’s lucky enough to score a job working not for famous fashion designer Lorena Lefray, but Lorena’s very attractive brother Julian. Julian himself is highly intrigued by and attracted to his new assistant, though he knows he shouldn’t feel the way he does about her. A romance between is pretty forbidden, so they become close friends instead, trying to ignore the underlying chemistry. Jo can’t risk losing her job if she enters into a relationship with Julian, her boss, but they spend so much time together that their friendship quickly, genuinely turns into something more.

I loved Renee Givens’s narration! She does a really good job not just voicing Jo and her narrative, but also the different accents of people Jo encounters in NYC. BJ Pottsworth has a deep voice that’s easy to listen to and fits perfectly for Julian. Whoever chose the narrators for this audiobook were spot on!

A great narration and a fun story made The Allure of Julian Lefray a fantastic listen. It’s a feel-good office romance that is sweet and hilarious. If you’re in the mood for an quick, fun, sweet audiobook, you should definitely spend a credit on this one!

THE ALLURE OF JULIAN LEFRAY is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/28QILxe

4 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: The Allure series

The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

#1 ~ The Allure of Julian Lefray: Book Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Allure of Dean Harper: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s an audio excerpt from The Allure of Julian Lefray!

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ARC Review: Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige

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Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige

Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige
Series: First and Last #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 14th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE FILLED WITH DARK DESIRES AND DANGEROUS SECRETS…

Emily Wayborn has made a decision.

She might not fully trust handsome and deadly Reeve Sallis, but he is the one person that gives her what she needs. With Reeve she can finally be herself. Submitting to him is the only thing keeping her grounded as the rest of her life falls apart. But the hotelier is a master at keeping secrets and as she continues her quest for answers someone is making sure she doesn’t find them.

Time is running out and she is questioning everything she thought she knew about friendship and love. She must now make an impossible choice that will determine if she will survive with her heart…or her life.

WOW!!! What a fantastic ending to the First and Last series. I’d been DYING to read Last Kiss after that awful cliffhanger in First Touch (it seriously made me scream), and Laurelin Paige certainly didn’t disappoint with this follow-up. This book was such an intense conclusion to Emily and Reeve’s story – and I never thought I’d say this, but I actually LOVE Reeve now! He terrified me in First Touch, but his romantic, redeeming qualities finally shine here in this sequel, and I’m now firmly a fan of his. If you loved First Touch, get ready to be taken on a wild, suspenseful ride once again in Last Kiss.

“You feel me,” he said while my cunt clenched around him like a vice-grip. “Right now you feel me, Emily. That’s where I am—inside you. All the time, I’m there. No matter whose bed you sleep in.”

Last Kiss continues right where First Touch left off. I don’t want to say anything about the cliffhanger, in case you read this review without having read the first book and accidentally spoil yourself. And if you haven’t read First Touch yet, I highly recommend it if you want to read something unique and gritty. That book messed me up – so to say I had high expectations for its sequel would be an understatement. Sometimes, the sequels unfortunately don’t live up to the first book, but this isn’t the case for this duology. Laurelin Paige swept me off my feet once again, making my heart pound and leaving me breathless with suspense. I honestly couldn’t stop reading – I needed to know what would happen next, what the characters would do, what new twist the author would reveal. It’s an unpredictable book, and for that, I applaud the author for her talent at writing.

“I can’t control myself when I’m inside you.” His voice was ragged and threadbare. “I want to tear you apart. I want to rip you to shreds.” He moved both of his hands to grasp my thighs, tilting my pelvis so that his thrusts hit even deeper. “I want to destroy you. Want to fuck you to pieces. Want to shatter you. Want to break you.”

Reeve and Emily are just as intense, raw, and tumultuous as ever. The passion between them is so fierce and volatile – it’s just so addicting to read!! Their chemistry is flawless and so damn hot. The frustration of Emily trying to stay away and Reeve trying to pull her back to him made for an emotional read. And AH! Reeve… he stole my heart in this book. He’s an alpha unlike any other – he’s the first hero to ever make me a little scared of him, but the softer, more tender side he reveals in Last Kiss balanced out that intense dominance of his and made him perfect. Laurelin Paige has written two brilliant, multi-faceted characters that are unforgettable!

“I love you,” he said again, like a creed. “I love you so thoroughly it feels like you’re in my DNA. Like you must be part of my genetic code because there’s no part of me that isn’t linked to you. My love for you is so consuming on the inside that there’s barely room.”

If you love suspenseful reads, the First and Last series needs to be on your radar. You won’t be able to predict ANYTHING, and each new revelation will throw you off but make you even more invested in the story. And the steaminess is off the charts, too! Laurelin Paige knows how to write her erotica, and I’m definitely going to need to read more of her books if they’re as intense and sexy as this duology. It was a wild, amazing ride reading Emily and Reeve’s story – I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: First and Last series

First Touch by Laurelin Paige Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige

#1 ~ First Touch: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Last Kiss: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Audiobook Review: First Touch by Laurelin Paige

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First Touch by Laurelin Paige

First Touch by Laurelin Paige
Series: First and Last #1 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: May 10th 2016
Length: 12 hours and 40 minutes
Narrated by: Ava Erickson
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

DESPERATE FOR THE TRUTH. OBSESSED BY DESIRE…

Emily Wayborn is finally her own woman.

After a string of shameful relationships and reckless partying with her best friend Amber, she’s now a successful voiceover actress, her wild past and everyone in it firmly behind her. Until she receives a cryptic voicemail from her former friend that sends her spiraling into the darkness she thought she had outrun. One thing is clear from the message, Amber is in trouble.

Determined to track down her friend, Emily follows a chain of clues that leads her to Reeve Sallis, a gorgeous and equally dangerous hotelier known for his power games and shady dealings. Now, in order to find Amber, Emily must return to her playgirl ways to uncover his secrets and track down her friend. But as she becomes more entangled with him, she finds she’s drawn to Reeve and his depravity despite her growing conviction that he may be the one responsible for Amber’ s disappearance.

For some reason, I always love listening to audiobooks that I’ve already read as a book, especially when I loved reading the book. First Touch was phenomenal, so when I had the chance to listen to it in audio, I couldn’t wait to! And wow, it was just as good, if not better, listening to Emily’s story this time around. It was just as hot and suspenseful – the narrator did a fantastic job voicing Emily!

Emily and Amber were best friends who lived quite the unconventional and disturbing life. But they split ways years ago, and Emily hasn’t heard from Amber since – until now. When Emily receives a voicemail and hears Amber saying their safe code, Emily knows her former best friend is in danger. Amber could be alive or dead, but either way, Emily does whatever she can to find out what happened to her. And the main suspect in Emily’s investigation is the enigmatic, playboy billionaire Reeve Sallis. Reeve is sexy and dangerous, and even though Emily goes to him with a hidden agenda, she can’t resist falling for him. The visceral connection between the two of them is erotic and the chemistry powerful, but when their whole relationship is built on lies and secrets, can they actually have a life together? Or will those secrets and lies – Amber – tear them apart?

Listening to First Touch was thrilling, addicting, and suspenseful, but Ava Erickson’s narration made it all the better. Her voice is amazing to listen to, very smooth and articulate. Seriously, listen to the excerpt below and tell me you don’t enjoy her voice! I do wish she went a little deeper when voicing the male dialogue, but otherwise, she was perfect as Emily. I’m definitely going to go looking for other audiobooks she narrates.

I wasn’t let down by First Touch in audio. It had a gripping story with a spot-on narrator. I’m definitely looking forward to when the sequel will be out in audio, hopefully with the same narrator. If you’re a fan of Laurelin Paige or romances with mystery and suspense, I highly recommend spending your credit on this audiobook! Just fair warning, there’s a cliffhanger at the end! 😉

FIRST TOUCH is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/1SG5GKF

4 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: First and Last series

First Touch by Laurelin Paige Last Kiss by Laurelin Paige

#1 ~ First Touch: Book Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Last Kiss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s an audio excerpt from First Touch!

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ARC Review: Hold You Against Me by Skye Warren

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Hold You Against Me by Skye Warren
Series: Stripped #4 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: May 31st 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

Once upon a time the daughter of a mafia king fell in love with a foot soldier.

This fairy tale didn’t have a happy ending.

My sister and I barely managed to escape alive, and we’ve lived in relative hiding ever since. I’m safe now, but I can never forget the boy who gave his life to save mine.

Except there’s a chance that he’s still alive. And he’s fighting a war.

Even knowing the risks, I have to find him. I have to find some way to protect him, the way he protected me. But he isn’t the boy I left behind. He’s a violent man. A criminal. And he’s been waiting for me–the final pawn in a dark game of survival and love.

All the mafia books I’ve been reading recently are so. freaking. good!! Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but these recent mafia romances are so engrossing and enticing, and Hold You Against Me is no exception. I read this one as a standalone and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a little dark and intense, but also surprisingly sweet, which I loved. Skye Warren delivers an addicting romance I couldn’t put down. The blurb intrigued me, but the story was what got me hooked. A long-lost love come back to life… except he’s no longer Prince Charming, but rather, the villain.

Hold You Against Me opens up with the novella Tough Love, which introduces us to Clara, a mob princess, and Giovanni, a mob soldier. Here, they’re teenagers who are just falling for each other… until Clara has to run away and Gio has to give his life up for her to escape. Eight years later, Clara is using the freedom her love gave her to be an art student happy with her life. She’s never once forgotten Gio and his sacrifice… but it turns out nothing was as she believed when her lost love comes back, only turned dark, deadly, and dangerous.

The soldier or the boy. The monster or the lover. Which one is he? I think he might be a little of both, but the two can’t exist side by side. They’re fighting each other, battling within him. It remains to be seen which side will win.

I love Skye Warren’s writing. She’s able to write in a way that sucks the reader right into the story, feeling everything right alongside the main character. I could feel Clara’s awe, wonder, and relief at finding Gio still alive, juxtaposed with her feelings of despair, hurt, and helplessness at the heartless man he’s had to become. As the new leader of the mafia, Gio embodies everything Clara wanted to escape from as a young girl, but he’s returned only to drag her back into that world.

I loved Gio’s determination to getting Clara back, even though I hated that meant Clara losing her freedom again. There were so many ups and downs to this novel – I loved it! I couldn’t stop reading and trying to find out how everything would turn out between these two lost loves. And even though there are some dark parts (like the mafia and oh, kidnapping), the romance was sweeter than I could’ve imagined. Clara and Gio have both changed, for better or worse, but the love they have for each other has never diminished over the years. Their love swept me away – these two are IT for each other, and I was in awe of their devotion to one another.

When I was younger, I longed for freedom as if it were a place. I longed for love as if it were a person. In the end I found both back where I started, with the man who loved me all along.

If you love your dark reads on the sweeter side, I can’t recommend Hold You Against Me enough. It’s got a little suspense, an intriguing mafia world, and a heart-wrenchingly sweet romance to make this an entertaining read from start to finish. Now that I know how wonderful Hold You Against Me is, I’m so excited to read the rest of the series!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Stripped series

   
   

#0.5 ~ Tough Love: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1 ~ Love the Way You Lie: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Heartbreak: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Better When It Hurts: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Even Better: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Pretty When You Cry: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Caught for Christmas: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#4 ~ Hold You Against Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads

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