Review of ‘Capturing forever’ by Erin Dutton,
Audiobook narrated by Krystal Wascher
I have read a few books by this author, which some I enjoyed more than others. But this one is right up my street. I didn’t know the narrator but I decided to give the audiobook a go.
This is a slow burn, lesbian second chances romance audiobook about Jacqueline and Casey who were a couple for thirteen years and now have been separated for eight. They manage to co-parent their son but conflicts from the past keep them at arm’s length. When family issues force them to interact daily, they realise that maybe being separated wasn’t the best option for them…
I absolutely loved this book and was one of my favourites of 2016. Ms. Dutton brings the main characters to life with such a skill that you can feel and empathise with their contradictions, struggles but above all, their ability to love. The secondary characters, their son, Jacqueline’s father, their friends and lovers are all well portrayed and contribute to get a whole family picture and make the story credible.
The plot develops and manages the tension perfectly so much so that you could actually feel their anguish and need for a resolution. Ms. Dutton builds the chemistry between the main characters to sizzling levels. Their intimate moments, as well as their ‘will-they or won’t-they’ scenes, are skillfully written.
The audiobook version was narrated by Krystal Wascher. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my high expectations for this story. For once, I personally didn’t like Ms. Wascher’s performance of some of the voices, specially Jacqueline and the male characters, which are very important in the plot. Additionally, I thought that the narration tone was too light for the story. It worked well for the scenes in which the characters were college students or in some lighter parts but not for the majority of the book. The more dramatic scenes felt a bit overdone. I’m sure this narrator would do great for new adult or chick lit genres but, in my opinion, it didn’t work well here.
Overall, a very good story with an average narration. 5 stars for the story, 3 stars for the narration, average 4 stars.
