A romance with an ice queen and a very cute kid
I’m not sure why this author has escaped my lesfic radar until now since she’s written two books already, this being her impressive debut. I have to admit that probably I wouldn’t have read this book anytime soon if the audiobook version wasn’t narrated by Abby Craden. A typical case of choosing a narrator over a story but I’m glad I did it as this was a good listen.
AJ Beckett’s life isn’t easy, as a single mother of a 7-year-old autistic child, she’s struggling emotionally and financially. Melanie Cooper is a famous actress who is tired of the pressure of being a celebrity and ready to retire. When both women accidentally meet, neither of them was ready to embrace their intense connection. But as they get to know each other, trying to fight their mutual attraction is futile.
This is a celebrity, opposites-attract romance with an ice queen and a very cute kid thrown in the mix. I’m sure it will catch the attention of many readers who are fans of these tropes. The main characters are very different from each other but their attraction makes perfect sense and their interactions sound realistic and natural.
Despite that both characters are likeable, Parker (AJ’s autistic 7-year-old daughter) steals the show. I know very little about children with autism but Parker’s sensory overload when facing certain stimuli, her taking things very literally, and her avoidance of physical contact, among others, seemed authentic. I have to give praise to AJ for knowing how to deal with her daughter’s reactions and keeping calm and collected. As a parent myself, I would love to behave like that all the time… This novel also features an adult in the spectrum who also seemed genuine to me.
Having said that, I’m not convinced by the three very coincidental meet-cutes between the mains. I didn’t find them believable and it kept the main characters separated from each other for a longer period of time than I would have preferred. However, I’m glad that I kept on listening despite some pacing issues because the story piqued my interest later on.
I know I sound like a broken record but Abby Craden’s narration is as awesome as always. I loved her performance of Parker, her little girl voice and her mood changes are very well done. Even better than her performance of the twin girls in Three reasons to Say Yes by Jaime Clevenger. Ms. Craden’s voices for both main characters and her performance of emotions are spot on. It certainly improved my enjoyment of the story. 4 stars.
Length: 7 hours and 24 minutes
