Narrated by Savannah Richards
I can always count on Kristen Ashley for a satisfying, protective alpha hero romance. Play It Safe, however, turns the typical KA trope on its head, proving that heroines can be protective heroes too! Adding to the enjoyment of this romance is the underlying suspense arc and the complex, interwoven secondary characters which add a whole other layer to this entertaining listen. Moreover, this title is a great one to choose in audio format due to Savannah Richards’ expert narration.
Ivey is used to life on the run. An expert billiards player and people-reader, she’s been wandering from town to town with her brother, never laying roots, just conning or swindling a quick buck here and there. Never stay too long or take too much and no one will come looking for you. Playing it safe worked just fine until the day she finds the small, rancher town of Mustang, Colorado, and a sweet, protective cowboy (with the perfect cowboy name of Grayson Cody) that makes her dream of something she never thought possible for a girl like her: laying down roots. Suspending reality for just a short while, Ivey finds herself in love with not just Grayson but the whole town which makes her feel at home and like she has real family for the first time in her life.
But on the eve of Grayson making Ivey’s dream come true, and solidifying her stake as a true citizen of Mustang, evil interjects and Ivey finds herself on the run again. Even if she’d ever want to come back to Mustang, however, that sweet town that once held only open arms for Ivey now views her suspiciously, and protective of Grayson, spurns her, making it unlikely she would ever be welcome again. Moreover, Grayson never comes after her, leaving Ivey feeling equally betrayed.
But Ivey is tough, smart woman, and she puts on a new face, reinventing herself into a highly successful woman even if she does end up living a highly unorthodox life. And several years later when she gets a call informing her that Mustang and Grayson are in trouble, she swallows her bitter feelings, remembering Mustang as the one true place that she experienced infinite love and happiness, even if it was for just a small moment in time; she decides to come to the rescue. Can she save them in time? Moreover, even if she does, can you ever recover a HEA after the bitterness of betrayal?
Savannah Richards delivers a talented narration in Play It Safe making it easy to sit back and enjoy the story. Providing gender and character appropriate slightly differentiated intonations for each of the main characters, with the appropriate Western-accented intonations for the inhabitants of Mustang, Colorado, Ms. Richards’ narration provides a sense of authenticity to this heartwarming story.
Ms. Richard’s timing also works well to deliver the more comical lines and typical “Kristen Ashley speak” (Kristen Ashley’s signature style of writing) which focuses on playing on words. Ms. Richard’s primarily accomplishes this by varying her speed of narration depending on the passage read to emphasize these Kristen-Ashley-speak-isms.
All in all, Play It Safe delivers a heart touching, you’ve-finally-found-home feeling. Both from a love perspective and a family perspective, Play It Safe makes you feel hopeful that good will triumph in the end.
BJ
Narration: B+
Book Content: A-
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence Rating: Minimal/Domestic Violence
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Play It Safe was provided to AudioGals by Brilliance Audio for a review.
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