Audiobook Review: Easy Nights by Kristen Proby

Easy Nights 
(Boudreaux Series, Bk #6)
by Kristen Proby 
Narrated by Rachel Fulginiti and Zachary Webber

Blurb: 

No one said change was easy…

Savannah Boudreaux knows what it is to hurt. To bleed. To be afraid that the man she’s promised to be true to until “death do us part” might in fact separate them far sooner than anyone had ever anticipated. But Van also knows what it is to survive. To move on. To live life to the fullest. With five brothers and sisters and a loving mother as her constant source of strength during the pain and the healing, Van realizes there is little else she needs.

But some things never change…

Benjamin Preston sat on the sidelines of the Boudreaux family for years, in love with a woman he couldn’t have. As the best friend of the Boudreaux brothers since childhood, Ben has seen both tragedies and joys in the family. And as a former MMA fighter and Krav Maga expert, Ben’s used to fighting for what he wants—and winning. His hands were tied when Savannah married her high school sweetheart not long after graduation, but now two years have passed since Ben found Savannah broken in her own home.

Sometimes what you need most has been right in front of you the whole time…

Van’s convinced that happiness isn’t in the cards for her, no matter how right it feels to be in Ben’s strong arms—and his bed. Ben is determined to win her heart and fight for her trust. He’s promised to protect her, to be her friend. But more than anything, he wants to finally make her his, and this is one fight he’s not willing to lose.

Available for purchase at 

Amazon Paperback | Kindle | Audible | Nook | B&N 

Viviana's Review: 

Readers of this series have been eagerly awaiting for Ben's and Val's HEA. We knew it would happen, we wanted to know how it would all play out. Ben has always been awesome! We loved his friendship to the Boudreaux brothers and his loyalty to the whole family. We also loved his tenderness and protective nature towards Van. He loved her from afar. I knew he would be patient with her once they got together and thought her trust issues (due to her past history) would be the conflict in the story. Nope. They fell step in step with each other once they finally got together. Which, honestly, I had a bit of an issue with. Based on her history and everything she went through, regardless of the fact that she KNEW Ben is totally different and would never hurt her, she should have had some issues... but nope.

The conflict came from a twist we weren't expecting or saw coming. Kristen seemed to try to add some suspense to the story and there were moments where it seemed to far fetch and others where it was just off. Fore example, the reason why she stayed in the abusive relationship for as long as she did. Considering who her family is and how they are with each other, it wasn't believable. This really knocked my love for the story. 

Narrator Review: 

I love Zachary Webber. He is a great narrator and has the ability to bring a vulnerability to the male characters, yet still be totally sexy and alpha. Which totally works for this book! Rachel has narrated the entire series and continues with her excellent performance.


Overall, it was a good read/listen. I wish there would have been more... what exactly, I can't seem to pin point it. Perhaps it was all the anticipation for the story and it not living up to it that is more disappointing. I still really liked it but not as much as I had hoped.

Rating: 3.5 Stars - I REALLY LIKED IT!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Audible in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Audio Book Review: Easy Magic by Kristen Proby

Easy Magic
(The Boudreaux Series, Bk 5)
By: Kristen Proby
Narrated by Zachary Webber & Rachel Fulginiti

Blurb: 
Family. Responsibility. Stability. As the co-CEO of Bayou Enterprises and the eldest of the Boudreaux clan, Beau is the epitome of these. Now that his baby sister, Gabby, is happily settled down, Beau has moved into the company loft in the heart of the French Quarter to be closer to his office while his own home is built. He doesn't have time for anything but the family he adores and the company that drives him.

If only the bewitching owner of the herb shop downstairs from Beau's loft weren't so damn tempting.

Mallory Adams is living the life. The good life. The best life for her. After years of hiding who she is and the gifts she's been cursed with, Mallory opened her little shop in the French Quarter, offering herbs and lotions for anything from soothing a sunburn to chasing those pesky ghosts New Orleans is known for out of a client's home. Some call her eccentric, and some say she's simply odd, and that's okay with her. She is a bit odd, but in her experience, all of the best people are.

When an old pipe bursts in the loft above her store, flooding her storeroom, Mallory comes face to face with Beau Boudreaux, and she doesn't need the clairvoyant abilities that have been passed down through generations to know that she'll never be the same. Beau is her exact opposite: serious, straitlaced. He wears suits, for Pete's sake, and probably wouldn't know the difference between arnica and flaxseed if his life depended on it. But when he touches her, the electricity is through the roof, and she's smart enough to know that a chemistry like theirs doesn't happen every day.

Can two people so very different possibly find their way to happily ever after?

Available for purchase at 

    

Viviana's Review:

I've enjoyed the series and when I read the blurb for EASY MAGIC I was intrigued as to how Kristen would share their story, specifically with the whole "physic' thing. As the series is set in NOLA, a city full of old ghosts, its not far fetched that the a paranormal element would be included.

Throughout the entire series thus far, Beau has always been the reserved, quiet, and head of the Boudreaux business and family as the eldest brother/son. The siblings we've met throughout the previous books have always described Beau as a workaholic and a man dedicated to and protective of his family. He also came across a bit standoffish. While he has a wonderful relationship with his siblings, he never gave others the 'warm and fuzzy' feelings. So imagine my surprise when listening to EASY MAGIC and 'seeing' Beau be the complete opposite and out of his usual character. Okay, let me clarify.... I would expect things like wanting to spend time with her which would reduce the number of hours he spends working. What I mean it was such a QUICK, heck almost INSTANT change that just made me blink and go "huh?". He falls so fast and with LITTLE interaction between them. I get that if they spent more time with her, he'd fall for her. I guess its part of the insta love thing I tend to go "ugh" about BUT when a personality change occurs this fast.... I don't know.

Without giving away spoilers, the PNR storyline goes into a "a bit much" territory, remembering that this is a contemporary story. Not sure if the author was trying to send out feelers to her readers about a possible PNR book in the future or didn't have another way of having the heroine accept who she truly is. However, if the latter, there were a few different ways the "acceptance" could have occurred. The good news is the part goes by fast and doesn't drag the story. It can however have the opposite affect if the reader wasn't expecting this level of PNR in a contemporary.

I loved seeing the previous heroes and heroines interact with each other, Beau and with Mallory. The guys are hilarious and the ladies, are all fun! The sibling bantering is hilarious and showcases how much they loved each other, what family means to them and how they were raised.

Narrators Review: 
Listening and learning it was Zachary, I had a twinge of disappointment as I was expecting a different (rather the original) narrator. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised. Zachary has a different style and technique. I enjoyed his interpretation of the characters. With Rachel, her performance in EASY MAGIC was better than in the previous book, though there are still instances where accents are or are not used, tones for the same character vary and the inconsistencies do detract from the story.


Overall, it was a good story and I'm glad that Beau got his HEA. If you've read the previous books, I believe you'll enjoy this one, especially knowing that the next book will feature Ben who has been a fan favorite since the beginning.

   

Rating: 3,5 Stars - I Really Liked It

Disclaimer:

I  voluntarily reviewed this audio book from Audible. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Audio Book Review: Easy Melody by Kristen Proby

Easy Melody (Boudreaux #3)
by Kristen Proby
Narrators: Rachel Fulginiti and Sebastian York

Blurb: 
Callie Mills never intended to return to New Orleans and the life she left behind more than a decade ago. There was no need to open old wounds when she had the life she’d worked hard for in Denver. But when she’s fired from her awesome job in Colorado and her father dies, she has no choice but to return home to run the derelict bar left to her in the heart of the French Quarter. Callie must not only face bad memories but turn The Odyssey into something she can be proud of.

And who better to help bring in crowds of people than Declan Boudreaux?

Declan is a sought-after musician who knows he’s good at what he does and loves doing it. Known to pack the house, he also loves women and doesn’t expect to be knocked back a step by the beautiful new owner of The Odyssey. Callie is sharp, gorgeous and funny, and makes him yearn for something he never has before… Commitment.

But when Callie’s able to turn the business around with renovations, making it one of the hottest bars in the Quarter, will she sell out and leave her past behind once and for all, or will Declan be able to convince her that’s she’s where she needed to be all along…in his arms.

Available for purchase at 

      

Viviana's Review: 

Book 3 in the Boudreaux series was a great, simple, and easy read.  It flowed great, both in the storytelling and characters.  Declan has always intrigued me as the sarcastic, yet quiet and easygoing brother of the Boudreaux family.  Loved that he did his own thing and not what others expected of him.  That he was a sexy musician didn’t hurt, either...lol.

Callie is a no holds barred business owner who inherited the local bar from her father and needs to decide what to do with it.  

The chemistry between Callie and Declan is instant and hot and heavy.  However, as Declan is not ready to commit Callie isn’t willing to be just another fling.  The decision to be friends is made, and thus a budding relationship begins.

I loved the “being friends” and getting to know each other.  Callie has many reservations but I loved that she knew her value and wasn’t willing to let things be “in hopes” things would change.  I also loved that the both of them had several things in common yet had their own things going on, able to support one another but be on their own.

Narrators - both continue to do a fabulous job with the characters.  They each bring their own unique talents to the story enhancing the reader’s experiences.

Overall, a great continuation of the series and I cannot wait for the next book!

Rating: 4 Stars - LOVED IT

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the audio publisher Audible in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Audio Book Review: Easy Charm by Kristen Proby

Easy Charm 
(Boudreaux Series, Bk #2)
by Kristen Proby
Narrated By: Sebastian York, Rachel Fulginiti

Blurb: 
Gabrielle Boudreaux, the youngest of the Boudreaux clan, is a single mother of her young son, Sam. Running a Bed and Breakfast at the family plantation house at the edge of the Mississippi River, Gabby loves her inn, her boy and her family. She meets new people every day, and takes pride in the house and land that has been in her family for more than five generations. Blessed beyond measure, she’s also lonely, although she would never admit that to anyone. Until Rhys O’Shaughnessy walks through her door, brooding and wounded and the sexiest thing she’s ever laid eyes on.

Rhys has been at the top of his game as a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs for more than ten years. Baseball is in his blood. But when he tears his rotator cuff and has to sit a season out, he retreats to Inn Boudreaux at the recommendation of his cousin, Kate, to heal and work toward building his shoulder back to perfect shape with only one goal in mind: to return to the game he loves. But he didn’t plan on being utterly charmed by a devastatingly beautiful woman and her baseball-loving son.

When Rhys’ shoulder has healed and he’s given the chance to return to his team, will he leave the family he’s come to love behind, or will he stay with Gabby and Sam?

      

Viviana's Review:

I've been looking forward to this installment since finding out who the story was going to be about and was not dissapointed!

Kristen, author, has created characters that not only do you fall for but ones you can relate to as well. Both Rhys and Gabrielle are believable as the likable ball player and the bed and breakfast owner and mother. We met them both in the previous book "Easy Love", and they both stood out as characters then. Again, I was extremely happy to learn their story was next! 

Gabby is the youngest sibling in the Boudreaux family and while the entire family is there for everyone, she feels she is constatnly having to remind them that she isn't a baby nor that she can't handle things on her own. However, she does need to learn the lesson of the difference between needing help and accepting it when it's offered in good intent of a partnership level vs. because she "can't handle things". 

Rhys was a breath of fresh air in the romance genre! While sweet and smart he is still the "Alpha Male" we like to read without once being an ass! WOW! He gets along great with Gabby's son and allows Gabby to have the necessary space when she needs it. He realizes exactly what he wants and decides he to go for it in a way that makes sense.

Of course this is a romance and there HAS to be a conflict/issue between the hero and the heroine and while I could sort of see the why she thought the way she did, I so wanted to smack Gabby for not trusting hm because he, not once gave her any reason otherwise and he was trying on his part. I can't say more than that, otherwise it would be a spoiler. But once you read it or if you've read it, you'll know what I'm talking about!

The other part I had a bit of the "Really? Seriously?" moment was an over used trope/story/situation that while yes believable and yes it does happen, talk about in Gabby's case, 'bad luck' that it occurs to her in the ONLY TWO times that she does IT. Oh and that Rhy doesn't bat an eye. Again, he's been an awesome man his far, but right now, this guy is almost perfect.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this installment! It didn't disappoint at all! The characters were well developed and grew where and when they needed to. The story itself moved at a great pace keeping the reader engaged.

Narrator's Review: 

Both Sebastian York and Rachel Fulginiti did a good job narrating. Rachel performed with a cajun accent in the previous book but not in this one and in a few instances she continued the character's voice to the narration or mixed the voices of the characters, sort of an overlap. Sebastian is consistant in that he doesn't perform with accents, though he does have different tones for female and male characters, he simple narrates. 

 Rating: 3.5 Stars - I REALLY Liked It

Disclaimer:

I received a complimentary copy of this book from AUDIBLE in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.