Review: AudioBook Review: Stars Overall 3 Narration 4  Story 3
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 26, 2014
AudioBook Review:Stars Overall 3 Narration 4  Story 3My first encounter with both this author and narrator: I was looking for something rather steamy and unique to pass the time  Delilah Devlin thoroughly infused this story with a flavor of the Bayou country while presenting a rather formulaic mystery and light BDSM romance storyline.Tilly or Chlotille has returned to her hometown in the hopes of bringing her mentally challenged brother home from the residential hospital that he has lived in for several years.  A huge step-down the career ladder have her waiting tables at the local diner.  She has several interesting memories of the town, but her focus now is on making money and reuniting her family.Boone left town and joined the military: a long-ago scandal and death tainted his name and his return, but a successful business enterprise and the need for an assistant have him interviewing and subsequently hiring Tilly.  There are secrets layered upon secrets and everyone seems to have issues with speaking their mind and being honest.  Boone and Tilly’s first encounter in this story is meant to be laden with electric energy, but for me it was more uncomfortable and snippy.The story is compared to E.L. James  - which for me is no boon or reason to read anything, and then Sylvia Day.  I’ve not read any of the Sylvia Day titles, but it is my experience that using a ‘name’ author to say “if you like this you will like that” just sets readers up for a disappointment. I would have loved to say that this was unique and special, with a flair that made me sweat with it’s heat, and the BDSM was less ‘candy floss’ and more reasoned as we watched Boone’s alpha dominance feel appropriate for Tilly’s submission.  Sadly it was more a starter story: fine for readers who are more reserved and conservative, but lacking in some intensity that I hoped to see.Narration is provided by J.F. Harding and he was a highlight in the story. His voice in the narration took on the emotional hesitancies and elements that you would hope to hear from the characters, while his Louisiana accents were spot on and felt natural without being over-played or emphasized unnecessarily.  I commend his restraint in voicing the female characters – there wasn’t an emphasis in raising the pitch to a falsetto, but a softening in the delivery and approach that melded perfectly with the character descriptions and setting.This wasn’t a bad story by any means, but it was more an interesting play between Boone and Tilly and their own secrets, and their burgeoning attraction than a gripping MUST read.I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.