Infinity + One by Amy Harmon

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

I’m always pleased to see new Amy Harmon books available as audiobooks. The fact that Tavia Gilbert narrates many of them is an added bonus. So, it was only natural for me to choose Infinity + One for review. The magic of Ms. Harmon’s writing paired with Ms. Gilbert’s incredibly skilled narration is a combination I can’t resist.

Bonnie Rae Shelby is twenty-one and ready to end her life. The crossover country star is tired of the gilded cage in which her manager, who also happens to be her grandmother, keeps her. Bonnie wants to live life on her own terms, and, if she can’t do that, then perhaps life isn’t really all that worth living.

Ex convict Infinity (Finn) Clyde sees Bonnie as she’s preparing to jump off a bridge in Boston. He’s not sure why he stops to talk her down. It’s just what feels right to him. Finn is a damaged man and a mathematical genius who just wants a fair shot at a future. Bonnie Rae, with her huge heart and penchant for disaster is the one person who can bring him happiness or take everything from him.

Over the next week and a half, Finn and Bonnie live a life on the run. Finn can’t say just how he got pulled into the mess that is Bonnie’s life, but he knows there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

As always, I found myself completely engrossed in Ms. Harmon’s prose. She has a way of drawing me in and refusing to let me go until I’ve finished the book. For a short time, I found myself inhabiting the world of Bonnie and Finn, a world with more than a few parallels to the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde.

I’m a long time fan of narrator Tavia Gilbert. I’ve heard her read a number of books in a number of genres, and I can’t remember ever being disappointed. She is one of those narrators who is truly capable of bringing a book to life, just the way I’m guessing the author intended.

I was very impressed with Ms. Gilbert’s depiction of the lead characters. Bonnie speaks with a strong southern accent that fit my mental image perfectly. The Boston accent given to Finn sounds totally authentic, and Ms. Gilbert also gives him a slightly gruff, cynical tone. Again, this meshed well with my personal idea of how Finn would sound.

Infinity + One is a book filled with emotion. It’s a romance, but it’s also something more. It’s the story of two people finding themselves and each other. Ms. Gilbert deftly captures every emotion and conveys it to the listener. She never sounds overly dramatic. She just makes the whole thing seem real.

Normally, Tavia Gilbert narrations are automatic A’s for me. Unfortunately, this book contained a flaw that caused me to lower the grade a bit. Bonnie Rae is a singer and a songwriter. There are snippets of songs written in the text. Sometimes, these were lyrics written by the author. Unfortunately, Ms. Gilbert decided to sing these lyrics. Her singing wasn’t bad, but the fact that she seemed to be making up the melodies as she went along was very distracting. I would have vastly preferred her to just read the lyrics. It would have allowed me to remain in the story.

In spite of the above criticism, I encourage listeners to give Infinity + One a try. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful story with believable characters and a captivating plot. If you’re already an Amy Harmon fan, I doubt you’ll be disappointed, and, if you’ve never tried one of her books, this is a great place to start.

Shannon

Narration:  B

Book Content:  A

Steam Factor:  You can play it out loud

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Infinity + One was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.