Hey guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're celebrating the recent BOOK BIRTHDAY of a NEW Entangled Embrace title that'll have audiobook fans roaring, while fanning the flames of desire! Yes, I said it...DESIRE...because there's no other way to say what exists between these two, and yeah, before we continue, while a New Adult Romance genre honoree, it definitely belongs to the ADULT side of that category of readers, so younger fans be aware. Anywho, back to all the fun! Ladies and gents, get your bookish groove on as we explore between the epages of today's ebook of choice...
by
Livy Hart
9781649373205
Entangled EMBRACE
Pub Date: 05/30/2022
About the book...
I’ve got ninety-nine problems and my brother’s snarky, smart-mouthed best friend Sam is tangled up in every last one of them.
When it comes to firefighter Sam O’Shea, absence—and a regime of tactical avoidance—has been working for me just fiiiine. But when the audition of a lifetime falls in my pathetically broke lap, and he’s the only one who can help me land the job, I’m willing to make a deal with the devil if it means I can kickstart my career as a narrator for audio books.
The problem? We’d have to actually do the job. Together. And then we’re told it’s for an erotic romance. Narrating steamy lines in a tiny studio with a man who lights a fire under your skin? An occupational hazard. Accidentally inciting a town scandal when your erotic audiobook clips wind up on the radio? A crisis. And falling for the one man I promised my brother—and my heart—I wouldn’t touch?
A disaster—and temptation—I can’t resist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, there are so many places to start, my thoughts keep scattering to the wind...but let me see if I can wrangle them into some sort of order.
First, the title...love the playful play on words, and it totally fits the story. Yes, the novel they end up narrating is more erotica than romance, but their actual story, their dialogue outside the recording closet (not a typo!) is more flirty than downright dirty (whew!). Second, the characters and the ginormous family surrounding them are absolutely precious! I know, I know, how can I use THAT word right after the others I just typed seems confusing, and yet, it's so true! The Bellini's are a force to reckoned with, for better or worse, and those they take into their confidence possess something extraordinary as well. Whether it be strength of character, honesty, decision making capabilities, or physical attributes, there is something that calls to their overwhelming hearts and makes you one of them. That's definitely a plus on Sam's side of things...not that he needed many pluses because he's certainly capable of getting those on his own.
I wasn't set to love Sam, but rather loathe him, at first, because HELLO...talk about a history hard to ignore for our leading lady, but once she came around, once the truth came out, once things were spoken that shoulda, coulda, woulda solved things so long ago, I was a big fan. Sam isn't just looks, though those are certainly not lacking. He's got a heart of gold, and good intentions to boot, and while some of that gets him into trouble, it's nothing that a little help from his friends can't help him set right...eventually. As for our gal Piper, I could totally get behind her character's issues, dreams, dilemmas, and inability to say no to her family because she simply cares for them too much. It's not a bad thing, until it becomes a bad thing, but I digress...it helps shed light on the fact that she shuts down instead of rocking the boat, something that comes in handy when the time is right. Their friends and family are all memorable in their own ways, from her pain-in-the-you-know-where brother you definitely means well to her goddess of a mother with a brood big enough to make the lady in the how jealous...there's nary a one you won't come away feeling better having met. Now on to that story...
It was definitely a his dream versus her dream plot that had all these monkey wrenches flying in to tear of the works. Trust me, they DO tear up things something fierce, I mean billboards and radio spots taking aim at your "day job" while insinuating bad moral choices would do that to anyone, and yet through it all, it solidifies what each of them has found. It shakes things up, but makes it clearer to both parties just what is most important. I've never thought about the career of a voice actor, and while reading a story such as they encounter on your own is one thing, having to read it with someone else while playing those parts...OMG! How in the hey-day do they do it?! I get it, it's just a job, but whew...this story would have been enough to combust an audio track at times...I'm not certain I want to know how the story within the story would have turned out!
In the end, it definitely turns up the heat, but the heart of the story brings it all home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the author....
Romance author Livy Hart has two children, too many Funko Pops, and a husband who’s workin’ on the railroad—literally. She currently resides in Dallas, Texas where she enjoys long walks on the concrete and people-watching at malls so big they have their own zip codes. When she’s not writing, she’s bickering with her KitchenAid stand mixer, road-tripping to her sleepy Florida hometown, or sipping espresso on her Nonna’s porch.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special thanks to Riki and the Entangled Publishing team for the eARC for review! (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to score your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
