Audio Review ~ What You Need ~ Lorelei James #AudioChallenge

What You Need by Lorelei James
Need You #1
Narrated by: Lidia Dornet and Roger Wayne
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Audible 
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #AudioChallenge
Goodreads

Synopsis
Lennox Greene is a woman with a rebellious past, which she conceals beneath her conservative clothes. She knows flirting with her boss, Brady Lund, during working hours is a bad idea. So when the handsome CFO of Lund Industries shows up at her favorite dive bar and catches her cutting loose, she throws caution aside and dares him to do the same.

After sparks fly, Brady finds that keeping his hands off Lennox during office hours is harder than expected. Though she makes him feel alive for the first time in years, a part of him wonders if she's just using him to get ahead. And Lennox must figure out whether Brady wants her for the accomplished woman she is or the bad girl she was.

It's been a long while since I read Lorelei James but I've always enjoyed her writing. So when I saw she had a series revolving around a big family running a family business, it was a no-brainer for me. Now I admit that I'd only read her cowboy series - and the Need You series is more contemporary romance than the steam her cowboys create, but I enjoyed meeting these businessmen and women.

My favorite things in What You Need:

• A big family - I like stories revolving around a big family and I love the dynamics between the siblings, cousins, etc. The Lund's delivered.
• Brady and Lennox - these two were great together. They proved that you can't judge a book by its cover - so to speak - defying the stereotypes of their professional positions and their appearance. They had a lot in common despite their very different upbringings and the difference in their social status. And Lennox was good at witty comebacks. The banter between these two was fun as well as aiding in turning up the sexual tension between them.
• They didn't jump into bed immediately. What?!? *gasps* I know! They took the time to get acquainted first and I liked that.
• The details - I like when details about the characters' jobs are given. Not only did we learn about certain aspects of Lund Industries, how it was founded, its history, and how it's run currently, but we also got some detail about teen counseling and professional football. These details make me feel more invested in the characters and their family.
• Roger Wayne and Lidia Dornet - Their narration brought all these characters to life. They deftly conveyed the emotions and kept the pacing perfect. I've sometimes felt Dornet's range was limited but this story was the perfect stage for her particular range.

Overall, I had a good time with What You Need and I'm eager to get started on the next in this series.

Audio Review ~ Smut ~ Karina Halle #AudioChallenge, #ShelfLove

Smut by Karina Halle
Narrated by: Lidia Dornet and Shaun Grindell
Release Date: August 2, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Tantor Media. This did not affect my review or my rating. 
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #AudioChallenge, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
All Blake Crawford wants is to pass his creative writing course, get his university degree, and take over his dad's ailing family business. What Amanda Newland wants is to graduate at the top of her class, as well as finish her novel and prove to her family that writing is a respectful career. What Blake and Amanda don't want is to be paired up with each other for their final project, but that's exactly what they both get when they're forced to collaborate on a writing piece. Since Amanda thinks Blake is an arrogant jerk (with a panty-melting smirk and British accent) and Blake thinks Amanda has a stick up her (tight, round) bottom, they fight tooth and nail. That is, until they discover they write well together. They also might find each other really attractive, but that's neither here nor there. When their writing project turns out to be a success, the two of them decide to start up a secret partnership using a pen name, infiltrating the self-publishing market in the lucrative genre of erotica. Naturally, with so much heat and passion between the pages, it's not long before their dirty words become a dirty reality. Contains mature themes.

Oh my! What a fun listen Smut was!

What Worked:

• Enemies to Lovers
  Blake and Amanda have certain preconceived notions about the other and despite never having spoken to one another, they despise each other. Which makes things all the more wickedly fun and delicious when they're paired up for the final class writing project.
• Friends to Lovers
  Watching as they get to know one another and enjoying their witty, snarky banter made for a lot of fun and even some laugh-out-loud moments!
• Erotica
  Specifically writing it and maybe a bit of acting out...you know, for research purposes! LOL There's some tongue-in-cheek and straight-up funny things about erotica, how it's written and published, how society views it, how it sells. Oh and the battle between Amazon versus brick and mortar stores. There is quite a bit about self-publishing included and I don't know if it's all true but I did find it fascinating. (I took notes!) 
• Well-rounded Cast
  This cast was so well-done. All the characters are fleshed out well, including a 10 year old boy. I loved that Halle included best friends, crappy parents, a roommate studying cosmetology, and a tarantula. It all added more depth to the overall story.
• Great Narration
  Dornet and Grindell were perfect for these characters. Grindell did lack a little range for female characters but he did just fine with Amanda. I think my favorite thing was their ability to convey the humor of the story. I think that's difficult sometimes so I was impressed.

My one nitpicky thing...barely imperceptible. This makes my left eye twitch. It's almost imperceptible OR barely perceptible. Grrr. Overall, Smut was a delight to listen to and Halle is quickly becoming a favorite author.

Audio Review ~ Your Inescapable Love ~ Layla Hagan #2017NewRelease #AudioChallenge

Your Inescapable Love by Layla Hagen
The Bennett Family #4
Narrated by: Sebastian York and Lidia Dornet
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Tantor Media
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewRelease, #AudioChallenge, #TakeControlTBR
Goodreads

Synopsis
Max Bennett was nine years old the first time he met Emilia. The two formed a tight friendship that lasted for years until she moved away. Now, years later, Max enjoys a successful career and loves his life: carefree and fun. He has everything he wants and does not intend to settle down anytime soon (even though his family might have other ideas). But when a chance encounter brings him face-to-face with Emilia, he starts questioning everything. Emilia Campbell has a lot on her plate, taking care of her sick grandmother. After practically being left at the altar, Emilia has sworn off men...until the childhood friend she hero-worshipped and hasn't quite forgotten steps into her clinic. Max is every bit the troublemaker she remembers, only now he has a body to drool over. They are both determined not to cross the boundaries of friendship. But as their chemistry spirals out of control, can Emilia trust her childhood hero with the key to her heart and accept she might have found her one true love? Contains mature themes.

Your Inescapable Love gives us Max Bennett's story. Now I'm a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope so when I realized Max and Emilia had been friends when they were kids, I was eager to see how this would come together.

Max is a rather determined bachelor, believing he doesn't have time for romance since he's so focused on work. He's an excellent negotiator and makes Bennett Enterprises lots of money. Lest you think he's all work and no play, know that he and his twin, Christopher, are the pranksters of the Bennett clan, doing things like switching places to get out of dinner duty to kissing girls.

Emilia was raised by her Grams after losing her mother and having her father bail. Now she works hard as a physical therapist as well as caring for her Grams, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She is driven in her career and with the demands on her time caring for her Grams, romance isn't on her radar. 

Then Max walks into her clinic. And lucky Emilia is his PT. They immediately begin cathing up, not having seen each other for years. They also have an immediate attraction, something they both try to ignore until they can't.

I liked how their romance blossomed - Emilia having some baggage but Max being baggage-free and more than willing to take on helping Emilia shed hers. Some of Emilia's baggage felt a little contrived though. And I felt like their story could have had more depth in some ways. They had history and more could have been done with it.

The Bennett clan wasn't around as much in this installment and I found I really missed them. he dynamics between all the siblings adds more dimension to the stories and while they were present, they didn't have prominent roles and... well, I just missed that. I'm guessing Christopher will be the next to fall and I'm eager to witness that.

Lidia Dornet and Sebastian York narrated and were fabulous. They brought Max and Emilia to life and kept the story flowing. Dornet even added a bit of action in some scenes which better conveyed the emotions of those scenes. York is simply ear-candy. ;)