COMING IN FROM THE COLD

Alpine ski champion Dane “Danger” Hollister does not do relationships, though he has an excellent reason. No woman would ever say “I do” to a guy whose faulty DNA will eventually cost him everything: his spot on the US Ski team, his endorsements, and the ability to fly downhill at 90mph.

While Willow Reade moved to rural Vermont to get back to the land, that wasn’t meant to include a night stranded in her vehicle during a blizzard. Luckily, the hot ski racer she practically ran off the road has granola bars and a sleeping bag, and is happy to share. Maybe it’s the close quarters, maybe it’s the snow, but soon the two are sharing a lot more than conversation.

Yet neither can guess how their spontaneous passion will uncork Dane’s ugly secret and Willow’s tentative peace with her own choices. Only their mutual trust and bravery can end the pain and give Willow and Dane a shot at hard won happiness. 

Audiobook Release Date: August 10, 2017

Contemporary Romance

Gravity #1

Narrators: Joe Arden & Maxine Mitchell

Review copy provided by Blunder Woman Productions

Liza's Review:

Coming in from the Cold is the first book I've read from Sarina Bowen. I was offered a review copy of the audiobook and was excited to give a new-to-me author a try.

I adored Willow from the moment we met her. She has every right to be a super bitter person thanks to things going wrong in her life, yet she seems to maintain a pretty great attitude overall. Dane on the other hand pretty much has a pretty great life with the exception of his brother's illness, yet doesn't seem to look at life with a positive attitude. He is full of angst and honestly got on my nerves a good bit at times. He really was a complete and total ass to Willow on more than one occasion, and I did question if his character could actually be redeemed. 

While Willow's and Dane's relationship if you will started out a bit fast, it initially ended pretty fast too. I think this was when Dane was the biggest asshat in the book, and I wasn't sure if I really wanted Willow to give him a second chance. I did like that Willow's friend Callie, who is a doctor who gets Dane medical results he needs, helped him start to act less like an asshat. I understood his worry over his possible health issues, but hated he was such a jerk to Willow without giving her the reason for his actions or fears in the beginning. I did end up really enjoying this story once Dane got his head out of his ass.

There was dual narration for Coming In From the Cold. It always takes me a minute to get used to 2 different voices, especially as they sound a bit different when they voice the character of the opposite sex. I think both Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Arden did a good job, though I did find Mr. Arden's cadence a bit slower at times. However, once I moved the speed to 1.50, it fixed the issue and I was able to enjoy both narrators equally.

The Gravity series is the first books I've read from Sarina Bowen and I found myself loving her voice even when I didn't love the characters at times. I've already listened to book 2 and can't wait to listen to/read more books in the future.

Rating: 4 Stars (B)