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Blushing #1

ALC provided by author

Author: Laura Pavlov

Narrators: Cicely Meadows and Troy Duran

Thanks, Laura, for the ALC. 

We’re in Blushing, Alaska, where Montana has lived happily all her life. She runs Blushing Bride with her best friends and she loves her small town. There’s been a boom in business since a celebrity decided to get married there, but her life is about to be messy. A billionaire from NYC has bought the hotel that is the venue to all their weddings and she’s pissed. She’s so annoyed and cranky that her best friends suggest a night out so that she can “decompress”, if you catch my drift. While at the bar, under a ridiculous alias, she meets Myles. He’s perfect: hunky and an out of towner. Fit to a T to a no- strings-attached one night stand. They have a spectacular night and Montana leaves in the early hours. No feelings caught. Sorta. 

Myles can’t believe that the wedding planner who is very angry at him for buying the hotel is the same wonderful girl from the night before. Well, well, well. He wasn’t expecting to see her again and, most of all, he wasn’t prepared to not want to let her go. 

But she’s a small town girl, he’s a NYC tycoon who doesn’t believe in love. It doesn’t matter that they become the best of friends. With benefits. This can’t go anywhere. Or can it?

I love love love Laura’s small town romances and this is definitely a great start for the new series. I’m invested in this little town! I also love a broken hero and Myles is made of swoon. He pines and doesn’t even know it! 

There are woodland creatures (a moose and porcupine… even a honey badger, IYKYK) and the side characters are intriguing. I can’t wait for the next one!

I have loved every single audiobook in Laura’s past series, so I have high expectations. They were sadly not met here. I just couldn’t vibe with either narrators. The femme narrator is adequate when voicing female characters but her alpha billionaire sounds like a teen boy. The masc narrator sounds way too old and his female voice also sounds like a teen boy. It all kept throwing me off. I guess I am spoiled with all the amazing audios that come from Laura….

The story, though, is delicious small town, low angst goodness! 

Content notes: toxic relationship with parent, mentions of abandonment and cheating (not MCs)