#OctobeRecFest Audio Review #3 ~ Seven Years ~ Dannika Dark

Seven Years by Dannika Dark
Seven Series #1
Narrated by: Nicole Poole
Release Date: November 11, 2014 (in audio)
Genre: Adult, Paranormal Romance
Source: Audible
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads
Recommended by: Lexxie & Lorna

Synopsis
It's been seven years since Lexi Knight lost her brother in a tragic accident. On the anniversary of his death, her brother's best friend shows up unexpectedly - a man she hasn't seen since the funeral. He is no longer the boy Lexi once knew, but a dangerous-looking man with tattoos and dark secrets. He broke her trust and abandoned her family, yet what he reveals makes it impossible to stay angry.

Lexi has been secretly infatuated with Austin since childhood, so finding out he's a Shifter just makes him sexier. Dammit. Austin Cole has returned to the city where he grew up, and just in time. He's lived a hard life these past seven years, and the shadows of his past are threatening to destroy Lexi's family. It's time that she learned the truth about her brother, but there is a shocking twist that Austin never saw coming. Now he must protect her family when her mother and sister wind up in mortal danger. Will Lexi learn to accept the truth about who he is, and can Austin salvage a relationship from the ruins of their past?

*This series was first recommended by Lexxie @Unconventional Bookviews but was also recommended by Lorna @Rabid Reads.*

I'm ecstatic that I gave Seven Years a listen. I've yet to finish Dark's Mageri series but I've been eager to start the Seven series and this proved a great way to get started.

Dark's worldbuilding is excellent. Not only am I immersed in her shifter lore, but I can also feel the Texas heat and humidity, and smell the barbecue. ;) She has quite the ability to pull me into the story and she populates it with dynamic characters. I was constantly trying to find ways to get back to listening to this story.

Lexie lost her brother, West, and his best friend, Austin, on the same night - seven years ago. While Wes can't ever come back, Austin has and he's explaining some pretty unbelievable things to Lexi. Then Lexi's mom and sister are endangered and it's Austin's pack who take on the job of finding them. And things happen and come to light making it hard for Lexi to ignore that Austin is telling her the truth about things.

Austin had good reason for leaving seven years ago. But he's back now, ready to lead his pack and do whatever is necessary to protect them. He'll also do anything to keep Lexi in his pack but he's worried it may be too late to make her aware of his feelings for her.

I liked Lexi and Austin together. Their chemistry is combustible, even though they try to ignore it. They're both strong and capable. They've both experienced and survived a lot. And they both care deeply for one another. I understood the need to solve the 'why' of Lexi's mother's endangerment, and to put everything to rest before focusing on themselves. But I did find myself wishing they could have been honest with one another about their feelings earlier.

I loved meeting the rest of the pack - Austin's brothers. They're quite the characters and often added much needed comic relief when the action was getting tense. I'm eager to get better acquainted with them all. I also enjoyed meeting members from other packs and I'm assuming I'll see more of them as well.

The suspense was well done. It kept me eager to find more time to listen. Now that I've acquainted myself with the world of Seven, I'm anxious to listen to the rest of the series.

Nicole Poole did a fantastic job narrating. She kept her character voices distinct - even nailing the voice of a 6 year old little girl. Her delivery also kept the pacing just right and helped in building the tension in the story.