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After Care by LB Dunbar – Audiobook Review

07/29/2018

After Care by LB Dunbar

Narrated by Coleen Marlo

First in a Connected Standalone Romance Series for Women Over 40.

I absolutely LOVE a book where the couple is over 40! Being a mom of a 20-year-old touring musician, many of the stories I have thought about have to do with an older rock star. So imagine my surprise when I read After Care by LB Dunbar! She wrote the book I’d been thinking about! Now I get to enjoy the fruits of her labor without the work of writing it. LOL!

 

Edie Williams is a 43-year-old breast cancer survivor. After 20 years of marriage, hers ended while she was going through cancer. Now in remission, with her hair starting to grow back, she takes a vacation to Hawaii with her two grown kids. She is befriended by a young woman traveling with her kids, who turns out to be the wife of a rock star. The whole band is there on vacation, including her Uncle Tommy, the band’s manager.

Edie has some self-esteem issues, and I could so relate to her! Not only has she not been naked in front of a new man in 20+ years, she just has a mastectomy and implants. Her hair is just starting to grow back. She is a survivor, but those kinds of things are hard to overcome when faced with getting naked in front of a gorgeous charming playboy, even if he is in his 40s. (WHY do men get better as they age? I mean LOOK at the cover! Can you say HOT?)

“I knew Tommy Carrigan was going to break not just my heart, but all of me”

Since the story was only from her POV, there was only one narrator. She was great at doing Edie’s parts, but Tommy’s parts came out sounding totally cheesy and most of the time, not at all sexy. Now here is where I had trouble. I am not sure if it really was cheesy or not because I can’t separate the narration and the story in this case. The references to age seemed deliberately added, and it made it feel even a little cheesier.

“Actually, you look like a fine wine, aged to perfection, sweet on the palate and lingering on the tongue long after you’ve been swallowed.”

Tommy was quite the dirty-talker. I usually love that, but it just didn’t work that well in her voice and his lines just seemed so much like lines rather than feelings. I felt like he pushed her further and faster than she was ready. I did enjoy the overall story though. I love the way they tried to keep it a vacation tryst and it became more. I love the side characters and family dynamics. I love how Tommy brought out the inner spirit of Edie. She so needed and deserved that.

“You’re igniting dreams I didn’t know could exist for me, Edie Williams.”

Likes:

  • I love a story with the MCs over 40!
  • She is a cancer survivor.
  • She had insecurities from her hair and breast surgery.
  • Such a relatable story for me.
  • How wonderful he was with her insecurities, especially about her breasts.
  • He is an alpha and a dirty talker!
  • Love the secondary characters.

Dislikes:

  • Tommy came off as kind of cheesy, but that may be partly because of the narration.
  • He was also a little too pushy. There is alpha male and there is rapey.
  • Single POV (female).
  • They both seemed immature for the ages (but so am I!)
  • Sometimes there were weird age references (like describing her skin as wrinkled. She is only 43!)
  • Tommy’s love of making her jealous: “…jealousy is an ugly shade of green, but on you, the color is beautiful.”

The Narration:

It was single POV. The narrator was great with the female parts, but I was not thrilled with the execution of the male parts at all.

The Down & Dirty:

I love love love that L.B. Dunbar wrote another book about a 40+ couple. Making it about a cancer survivor with some totally legit insecurities made her even more relatable. I totally loved Edie. Tommy was a dirty-talker with some secrets, and I found him to be a little cheesy, but I am not sure if that is from the narration or his dialogue or both. Even so, I still totally enjoyed the story, and look forward to reading Midlife Crisis, about another 40 something former rocker.

One other thing. Maybe because I’m 51 and not grey with very few wrinkles, I feel like calling someone in their early 40s a “silver fox” was a little misleading (I guess I assume that means an older man 50-60). My husband didn’t have grey till his mid-50s either. I also went with my son when he toured with the Allman Brother’s drummer at 69, and a rocker in their 40s is usually in the height of their career. I feel like these characters might be aging a bit before their time. The next is about a character named Midge. My grandma had a friend named Midge. She would be about 100 now. Over 40 does not mean OLD! I do understand that there has to be references to their ages, but 40s, to me, is still in the prime!

Rating: 4 Stars, 4 Heat, 3.5 Narration

Purchase After Care by LB Dunbar

Also for over 40:

 

Related posts:

  • By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate | Book ReviewBy Any Other Name by Lauren Kate | Book Review
  • Seatmate Love Lines 3 by Cara BastoneSeatmate by Cara Bastone | Audiobook Review
  • Flirting With Fifty by Jane Porter | Book ReviewFlirting With Fifty by Jane Porter | Book Review
  • The Reunion by Meghan Quinn | Audiobook ReviewThe Reunion by Meghan Quinn | Audiobook Review
  • Much Ado About You by Samantha Young | Audiobook ReviewMuch Ado About You by Samantha Young | Audiobook Review
«
»

4 stars, 4-5 Heat H's, 4-5 stars, audiobook, Audiobook 4 stars, L.B. Dunbar, Reviews 0

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Ana's Attic

Ana’s Attic Book and Audiobook Blog was established in 2012.

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“Note to self: When you’re lucky enough to sit “Note to self: When you’re lucky enough to sit next to a very attractive woman on a long bus ride, maybe don’t bring up your mother so much, and probably don’t give an extremely detailed overview of why you’re a bad date.”

The first two books in this series by @carabastone were at the top of my 2021 Favorite list. Seatmate will be on the list for 2022. This made-for-audio book is best experienced with headphones. I really felt like I was eavesdropping on a real conversation, and it just made Seatmate by Cara Bastone another 5 star favorite.

🎧Listen: https://amzn.to/3PzGOXY (included in #audibleplus )
đŸ’»My review: https://anasattic.com/seatmate-by-cara-bastone/
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Much Ado About You by Samantha Young is a booklove Much Ado About You by Samantha Young is a booklover’s fantasy romance. It was light, a little cheesy and predictable, but I still enjoyed listening to every word. Samantha did a fabulous job of transporting us to this little English town and falling for the townspeople and the bookstore. If you’re looking for a light and easy read that will keep you smiling, I think this would be a good one.
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đŸ’»My review: https://anasattic.com/much-ado-about-you-samantha-young/
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Though it took me a long time to finally try, The Fantasyland Series by Kristen Ashley is one of my all-time favorite series. So I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear that Kit wrote another book in the series! I think Gossamer in the Darkness by @kristenashleybooks is enough to pull in the last holdouts who think they don’t want to read fantasy.

đŸ’»My review: https://anasattic.com/gossamer-in-the-darkness/
📚Read it: https://amzn.to/3LREzx2
🎧Listen: https://amzn.to/3FivudP

—
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Meghan Quinn has always been a top 5 author for me Meghan Quinn has always been a top 5 author for me. But The Reunion was about 3 siblings fighting with each other while finding love. There were SIX narrators. I enjoyed the stories but the switching was a bit too much for me. 
See My Review: https://anasattic.com/the-reunion-by-meghan-quinn/
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Prequel: THE ONE NIGHT:
📚Read it: https://amzn.to/3KfJN4e
🎧Listen: https://amzn.to/3KkD1u1
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THE REUNION:
📚Read it: https://amzn.to/35AoMmf
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—
#kindleunlimited #favoriteauthor #romanticcomedy #romancereads  #audiobookreview #bookreview #audible #audiobook #bookcoverlove
When I was 37, my 7 year old begged me daily for a When I was 37, my 7 year old begged me daily for a little brother (or sister). We obliged, but because of my age and I had lupus, the pregnancy was high-risk. At 17 weeks I had an amniocentesis. 2 weeks later we got the devastating news that our baby, the sibling my son was begging for, had some major genetic abnormalities, plus heart problems. If she survived the birth she would need multiple surgeries & would likely never leave the hospital. 

We made the most devastating decision to end the pregnancy. The baby we made FOR my son would just crush him. It would take me away from him. He would watch her suffer and be in pain. And how would we pay for it all?

Four months after, I became pregnant again with my wonderful son who is now 16.  Despite 8 years difference, he and his brother are best friends. They have both had a great life with a mom who was fully present for both of them.

I thank Roe v Wade every day that I was able to make that CHOICE. It was the most devastating, horrible decision we ever had to make. But it was the RIGHT CHOICE, both for that baby & my family. Plus, my son wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t made that CHOICE. These decisions are NEVER easy. They are deeply personal and usually horrific. 

Until the government can pay to keep all these babies fed, clothed and homed. Until they can pay for medical bills and the parents to leave work, until they can provide for the needs of the babies women are forced to have, they need to stay out of our bodies. I’m scared for the future of all of our rights.

@pocketsized_pageturner will donate $1 to @brigidalliance (provides travel assistance to those seeking abortions), $1 to @wrrapreprojustice (volunteer organization rasing money to help low income individuals access abortions and emergency contraceptives), and $`1 to @nationalabortionfederation (helping those in the US and Canada gain access to abortions through financial and travel assistance with a multilingual hotline) for every pink stack posted by May 31 with the #stackforreproductiverights. ⁣‹⁣‹#bookstack #bookstacks #pinkstack #bookstackforacause #pinkbooks #bookstackchallenge #prochoice
I love reading about older couples! Flirting with I love reading about older couples! Flirting with Fifty by Jane Porter could have been a little more exciting, but I still enjoyed the read, and can recommend this to any women looking for older couples in their romances.

đŸ’»My ARC review: https://anasattic.com/flirting-with-fifty/
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“Oh, I’ll give you hot flashes.”

Nobody else but Tara Sivec can make me literally laugh out loud and bawl my eyes out at the same time. I look for books with older couples, so I’ve read a good number of them, but this portrayal actually felt the most real of any to me.
With This Flirt by @authortarasivec is my first 5++ star book of 2022!

Kindle: https://amzn.to/389abiH
My Review: https://anasattic.com/with-this-fling-tara-sivec/

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If you are a fan of Cat and Bones, or you just want to start a new series, I 100% recommend The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost.

đŸ’»My review: https://anasattic.com/the-other-half-of-the-grave/
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The last day of @passion.con made me sad! I wish w The last day of @passion.con made me sad! I wish we had another day, but we got to see seals!  I can’t wait for next year. 
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Saturday night fun at @passion.con - they did our Saturday night fun at @passion.con - they did our hair and makeup and we had a fabulous night! @toscamusk, the whole @passionflix team plus all the actors and authors were amazing! I can’t wait to come back next year. 
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Some photos from Saturday at @passion.con we had a Some photos from Saturday at @passion.con we had a blast doing a scavenger hunt, had a fabulous breakfast and lunch, plus author and actor panels, and we got our hair and makeup done for the evening festivities. #passioncon #passionflix @passionflix @kristenproby @thereallaurelinpaige @authoremmachase @oliviaapplegate @jodi_ellen_malpas @melagreenh
Live at the @passion.con @passionflix lead actor p Live at the @passion.con @passionflix lead actor panel.

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It was SO GREAT going back to Kristen Ashley’s F It was SO GREAT going back to Kristen Ashley’s Fantasyland world again! I tried to read as slow as possible because I just didn’t want to leave. Though the whole Fantasyland series is best read in order, Gossamer in the Darkness easily stands alone. You don’t have to like fantasy or regency to love this, you just have to love romance. I am so happy to have this as a new addition to one of my favorite series, and now I may have to go and listen to the entire series again.

đŸ’»My review: https://anasattic.com/gossamer-in-the-darkness/
📚Read it: https://amzn.to/3LREzx2
🎧Listen: https://amzn.to/3FivudP

—
@kristenashleybooks 
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“Sometimes, things need to break to be put toget “Sometimes, things need to break to be put together right.”

@catherinecowlesauthor has a way of blending steamy romance, angst, suspense, family, found family, friendship, kids, and a whodunnit into something completely unique and special. Falling Embers may be my favorite yet.

—>Check out my review: https://anasattic.com/falling-embers/
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