Review of ‘Coast Guard Rescue One’ by Natalie Debrabandere
Audiobook narrated by Emma Wilder

Retired Army Captain Jordan Armstrong suffered a traumatic loss while on a tour in Afghanistan. Now she is a Search and Rescue pilot based in McKinley Point, Western Australia. She likes keeping to herself despite having plenty of women interested in her, that is, until American paramedic Sara Matthews shows up in her life. Will Jordan be able to let Sara in and start a relationship?

This is an entertaining lesbian dramatic romance audiobook with a bit of action at the side. Despite its title and cover, the main focus of the book is the love story of Jordan and Sara who have a bit of a rocky start. After their initial hesitation, things progress between them quite quickly, with powerful intensity and raw emotions that the author captures well. However, their relationship evolves a bit too fast for my liking, insta-love included. Their chemistry is sizzling and there are some very light elements of BDSM that I wasn’t expecting but made sense within the plot.

Regarding the action part of the story, the best is left for last with some rescue scenes that will keep the reader/listener’s attention. These scenes pick up the pace of the story which makes a good contrast with the slow rhythm of the romantic plot. While there is a lot of telling how the characters feel about each other and themselves, the action parts show quite well their personalities in motion.

I’ve listened to the audiobook version of this novel for free with my Scribd subscription, narrated skilfully by Emma Wilder. This is the first time I’ve listened to her and I was impressed. Ms. Wilder conveys the rawness of emotions beautifully and makes them very believable. A good part of the tone of the book is dramatic and the narrator performs it well without overdoing it. I also liked her interpretation of the different voices, even the male ones. It was pleasurable to listen to. I think her narration made the book even better and I’m not sure if my enjoyment would have been the same by reading it.

Overall, a good dramatic romance with a bit of action at the side and a very good narrator’s performance. 4 stars for the story, 4.5 for the narration. Average 4 stars.

Not available on Audible Escape but it’s free with the Scribd subscription.