Consolation by Corinne Michaels 

Narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York

Imagine being within a few weeks of delivering your first child, and being told that your husband, a former Navy SEAL, who had recently left the military to take on a “safer” security civilian job, was just killed on a mission. Things were never supposed to happen this way, but when tragedy strikes, the heroine of Consolation is left with no choice but to pick up the pieces of what she had believed had been the perfect life. However, in fiction, like in life, things are rarely what they at first appear to be on the surface, and Consolation is the recounting of one woman’s journey of rebuilding her life to find true happiness.

Further rounding out this emotional and heartfelt tale is a solid performance by veteran narrators Andi Arndt and Sebastian York making this a great story to experience in audiobook format. However, please note that this is the first part of a duet that must be read in its entirety. Therefore, to get the full story you will also need to commit to reading Conviction (Book 2 of the Consolation Duet). Fortunately, this second part of the story has now been published in audiobook format, so you can easily switch to book 2 when you finish book 1, to get the full story.

Liam made a promise to Aaron, the man who became his best friend when they served together as Navy SEALs, and he is determined to see it through. Even though he’s never been one to settle down roots or understand what it means to take care of a family, he takes a leave of absence from the military and hunkers down in close proximity to Aaron’s widow, Natalie, to make sure she is taken care of.

Though at first Natalie resists Liam’s efforts, nothing will deter Liam from his cause, knowing full well that if things were reversed, Aaron would have done the same for him. Liam’s tenacity eventually leads him to falling in tune to an easy rhythm with Natalie, one in which they settle her finances and take care of matters affecting Liam’s estate, while also ensuring that Ara, Natalie’s newborn daughter, is well provided for.

However, when this ease leads to unexpected feelings, both Liam and Natalie are left at a loss, with guilty feelings, and Natalie is also left grappling over whether Liam is just the consolation or her true prize. Natalie also faces the horrific prospect of handing over her heart again to a man who lays his life on the line for his country on a routine basis. Can there possibly be a HEA under these circumstances?

I have had great experiences with both Andi Arndt and Sebastian York in the past and this one is no different. Narrated in the typical New Adult, contemporary romance style, Ms. Arndt performs the chapters from Natalie’s perspective and Mr. York, the ones from Liam’s. As most of the chapters are told from Natalie’s perspective, at least three quarters of the book is narrated by Ms. Arndt.

This approach works well to differentiate the internal thoughts of each character as they each deal with their own conflicts and feelings towards their unexpected attraction. Additionally, both Ms. Arndt and Mr. York have a natural knack for moderating their pace to adequately convey the mood of the scene, adding to the effect of this already emotional and poignant story.

Being a wife, I typically avoid stories involving widows and death. These stories are sometimes just too sad to fathom enduring through the difficult parts to reach the HEA. However, there was something in the description of this story that pulled me in, and the prior reviews of the e-book version which was released before the audiobook further convinced me to give it a shot. Well, boy am I glad I did undertake this adventure, as I found it in the end to be an inspiring and thought-provoking story. However, Consolation does end in one whopper of a cliffhanger, so now I’m pining away to start Conviction to learn the ultimate fate of these empathetic characters.

BJ

Narration: Andi Arndt B+/ Sebastian York B+

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Minimal

Genre: Contemporary Romance - New Adult

Publisher: Corinne Michaels

Consolation was provided to AudioGals for a review.