This endearing love story demonstrates narrator Sarah Novak's flexibility with emotions. Laurie is in her prime, with everything going as planned until her partner of 18 years, Dan, abruptly leaves her. Novak helps listeners feel Laurie's shock and pain, as well as Dan's cowardice, by deftly adjusting her intensity. After Laurie gets stuck in an elevator with her law firm's flirt, Jamie, she hatches a plan of fake dating. She'll get her revenge on Dan, and Jamie just might get a promotion. But Laurie and Jamie start to see different sides of each other, growing their relationship into something more real. Listeners hear the developing attraction between Jamie and Laurie in Novak's expressive narration. While she struggles with consistent pacing, and audible breathing detracts the flow of her delivery, she handles accents well.
Pub Date: March 24, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062958518
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A model and a mogul get married in Vegas on a bet, and Diana Luke narrates their story with élan. While it would be easy to portray Leila Darling as a scheming caricature or Carter Bain as a ruthless businessman, Luke never crosses that line. Her portrayal of Leila is generous and encompasses the full range of her character--from the formidable professional at the top of her game to the vulnerable woman who is unsure if she can trust a man with her heart. Likewise, Luke's portrayal of Carter showcases both his business acumen and his emotional vulnerability as he opens himself up to Leila. While loosely connected to the previous Unconventional Brides volumes, this can easily stand alone.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781501968471
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
After her divorce, Roberta Jewett, with her three daughters, returns to Camden, Maine, to start a new life. Such an independent move in 1916 brings difficulties with her mother, her in-laws and the townspeople. Dukes's performance, while skillful, sometimes suffer in scenes of emotional content. His pace slows, and his reading acquires the peculiar emphasis of someone trying to get instructions across to a non-English-speaking person. The effect is disturbingly laughable. When he resumes his normal pace, the story revives and personalities emerge again, but the awkwardness remains as an odd interruption to Spencer's drama of pain and love, dispelling Dukes's carefully constructed characterizations.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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