Raine Falling by Paula Marinaro

Narrated by Will Damron and Jill Redfield

Originally published under the title Game Changer, Raine Falling is the first book in Paula Marinaro’s Hells Saints Motorcycle Club series. After listening to and falling totally in love with Joanna Wyld’s Reaper series, I was eager to read a MC romance by a different author. Perhaps I thought the charm would wear off. Luckily, it did not, and I now have a new motorcycle club to swoon over.

Raine Winston grew up way too fast. At the tender age of eight, she was practically raising her younger sister. Her mother had died, and her father was too wrapped up in his own grief to properly look after his two little girls. So, Raine stepped up, and, with the help of a family friend, the lives of the Winston sisters slowly returned to normal.

Twenty years later, Raine is at the end of her rope. Claire is dating a druggie who has just managed to screw over the Hells Saints Motorcycle Club. Raine knows what kind of men are drawn to life on the open road. They’re dark, lawless men, men who will stop at nothing to protect the reputation of their club. Because she’s always protected Claire, Raine offers up her savings in exchange for her sister’s life, bringing her to the attention of Diego Montesalto, a hard man who enjoys days on his bike and nights in the arms of fast women.

Now that she’s on the radar of the Hells Saints, as well as her abusive ex, Raine knows it’s time for things to change. She’s sure Diego wants more than her money, and Claire needs rehab for her drug addiction. How can she remain safe?

Twenty years ago, Prosper was her savior. He took care of Raine and Claire until their father was back on his feet. However, before he disappeared from Raine’s life, he gave her an out, one she must only use when she’s sure things are as bad as they can possibly get. What he offers her will change her life completely. Now, Raine knows exactly where she needs to be. Hopefully, the promise Prosper made all those years ago is still good.

Diego is stunned when a battered Raine walks boldly into the Hells Saints’ clubhouse, asking to speak to the man working behind the bar. He’s even more surprised to learn she’s Prosper’s surrogate daughter. Raine Winston is beautiful and complicated, everything he’s vowed to stay away from, and yet, he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain, not even to himself. He admires her spirit, but wants to take some of life’s burdens from her shoulders. Will she allow it, and, even if Raine consents, is Diego capable of being the kind of man a woman like her deserves?

Narrators Jill Redfield and Will Damron did a fabulous job of bringing Raine Falling to life. Ms. Redfield reminds me a bit of Tatiana Sokolov, although Ms. Redfield is a little more capable of creating believable characters without sounding melodramatic. Still, her tone and overall voice quality should appeal to any of you who are fans of Ms. Sokolov’s narrations.

I was very impressed with Ms. Redfield’s ability to voice each man in the story distinctly. The MC is comprised of quite a few men, many who are close in age. Even so, dialogue tags were rarely necessary.

Ms. Redfield is equally adept at making the female characters stand out from one another. There were a few occasions when I had trouble telling Raine and Claire apart, but, for the most part, I was able to tell who was speaking. Ms. Redfield did a wonderful job getting inside the heads of the characters, making them seem like real people, rather than constructs the author created.

I’d never listened to Mr. Damron before, and he did not disappoint me. At least, not very much. Initially, I wondered if he might sound a little too old to accurately portray a man like Diego, but my worries were soon put to rest. Mr. Damron speaks in a deep and melodious voice that was extremely pleasant to listen to. All the male characters sounded distinct and believable.

The downside to Mr. Damron’s excellent portrayal of the men in the story is the falsetto he sometimes slipped into when depicting Raine, Claire, or any of the other women in the story. It didn’t happen all the time, but, when it did, it was quite jarring. Most of the time, Mr. Damron was able to raise his pitch a little without letting the falsetto take over, but the times he was unable to do so were definitely noticeable.

If I could award a prize for the best portrayal of a character, it would go to Mr. Damron for his depiction of Prosper. We know he is no saint, but the love he feels for Raine shines through in their every interaction. Mr. Damron adeptly captured every facet of this complex character, making me wish I could have a father as wise and loving as Prosper.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Ms. Marinaro’s writing. I wasn’t listening to any run-of-the-mill romance novel. Instead, there were passages that were beautifully written. I went back a few times, just to allow her descriptions of love and family to wash over me. At the same time, Ms. Marinaro captured the gritty side to MC life. Things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows, but, at the end of the book, I was reminded of the true power of love. As someone who reads an inordinate amount of romances, I can honestly say that not many authors make love seem as deep, powerful and soul-wrenching as Ms. Marinaro. She captures every aspect, both the good and the bad. And, even when it seems that the bad will win out, she manages to allow the reader to see a glimmer of light, the light of deep, abiding love.

Shannon

Narration:  Jill Redfield: A- and Will Damron: B

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  For your burning ears only

Violence:  Domestic, escalated fighting

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Brilliance Audio

Raine Falling was provided to AudioGals by Brilliance Audio for review.