Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Narrated by Karen White

Pru had a hard life before Sweet Little Lies opens – her parents were killed in a car accident they caused while driving drunk, when she was a teenager. In addition, the accident also affected several other families. Pru has lived the last several years with that guilt as well as the grief of losing her family, but has chosen to take the glass-half-full approach and help the other victims recover their lives in many ways – she’s helped with financial and emotional support and she’s turned into a self-acclaimed “Fun Whisperer” to bring joy to them and everyone else in her life.

When she runs into Finn O’Riley, though, she’s not as confident in her abilities to be happy and supportive. Finn is the tall-dark-and-hot owner of O’Riley’s Pub in her new apartment building – and she’s just pegged him with a dart to the chest. Although there’s an immediate attraction between Finn and Pru, she doesn’t want to reveal to anyone what she sees as the shameful secret of her life, so she tries to backpedal and keep him at a distance, a coping mechanism that has been her MO for so long, she’s not sure she can stop.

I’m so pleased to see Shalvis make a switch from small-town romance and base the Heartbreaker Bay series in San Francisco! It’s not that much of a change – there’s still a tight-knit group of young people (and some older, and some characters), and a funny rescue dog that hates all men – except for Finn! It’s apparent that there are some future heroes & heroines in this crowd, all introduced through various scenes. The tone is mostly heartwarming, light and fun, but Pru and Finn each have their emotional crutches that need to be dropped before they can approach their HEA. Pru wishes nothing but true love for Finn, but is she able to give it?

How many ways can I say that Karen White is a terrific narrator for contemporary romance? Let me count the ways! Her tone is conversational and the pacing is completely natural. She has comic timing that matches Shalvis’ prose to perfection, and hey – she gets to voice another cute animal! Her character voices are well-developed, with differentiation in many ways, including timbre, range and acting/attitude, and it’s always clear which one is speaking. It always sounds like she’s having fun reading! I left the book feeling happy (that’s always my goal) – it was a great opening to a new series and the perfect summer listen!

[section label=’Audiobook Information’ anchor=’Audiobook Information’]

Melinda

AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: Sweet Little Lies

AUTHOR: Jill Shalvis

NARRATED BY: Karen White

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in

REVIEWER: Melinda [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EM40I24/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis on Amazon[/button] [section label=’Excerpt’ anchor=’Excerpt’]EXCERPT:

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