Bella Andre’s Sullivan Series has been on my radar for a long time. I have a few of her books on my kindle, but I haven’t gotten around to them on my TBR. When I saw The Look of Love (The Sullivan’s 1) on the audible Valentines Day sale list, I grabbed it figuring it would be a great series to listen to on audio.
I only listen to audiobooks when I walk or drive, sometimes while putting on makeup. Three places where I shouldn’t get sleepy or horny. This audiobook did both at the same time, plus it made me blush!!!! How is that possible? Well damn, there was some HOT, FREQUENT sex. Somehow, listening to it is kind of embarrassing, and nowhere’s near as satisfying as reading it might have been. Why sleepy? The narrator had such a quiet, breathless quality I felt like she would have been better off doing relaxation or hypnotizing CDs.
Let me tell you about the story. Chloe is escaping her abusive ex-husband and driving her old clunker down a deserted highway in the middle of a huge rainstorm. She crashes into a ditch and is rescued by the gorgeous high fashion photographer/playboy, Chase Sullivan. Chase is one of 8 gorgeous siblings. 6 amazingly famous or successful brothers and twin sisters.
Chase and Chloe have an immediate connection and proclaim lifelong love to each other after having fuckhot sex for 3 days. The end.
Of course there more to the story, but not much.
Honestly, I am not sure if it was the narration or the story itself that didn’t do it for me. I think it may have been a combination. I think this would have been a very quick bedtime read had I read it on my kindle. Sweet, sexy and forgettable, probably a 3.5 star read.
But as an audiobook, it was very slow, corny, breathless and dull. So I’m splitting the difference.
Audiobook Rating: 2.5 generous Stars Heat: 5 stars
I am curious to read more from this author. I think I would enjoy her writing (though maybe not this story so much, it was just too quick) if I were reading it rather than listening. It might just be worth it for the smut alone. I have also read reviews that say the first book of the Sullivan Series is the worst and that they get much better after this. So if From This Moment On (The Sullivans Book 2) ever goes on sale, I will grab it. The books all seem to be quick sexy reads, and perhaps if I put my own voice to the characters, I will enjoy them more.
Try Audible Now and Get A FREE Audiobook!
Purchase The Look of Love by Bella Andre (The Sullivan’s 1)
Audible | Kindle | BN.com | iBooks | iTunes Audio
Joanne Christenson says
I always love your reviews….they have saved me money and cost me even more….but either way I’m so glad I found your blog
Ana's Attic says
<3
Sue says
I have tried to listen to audiobooks in the past and can’t stand them. I agree with you they sounded corny and I coudn’t get past the narrators trying to talk in more than one voice for the different characters.
Ana's Attic says
I started listening to them on my long commutes to work. They have a 50/50 hit or miss rate to me.
Christiana says
On the subject of audiobooks, I have tried 2, one a personal favourite that I have read several times. The other was a past RITA winner from a well known author. I too found it a bit cheesy that the narrator puts on different voices. Her voice of the hero made me dislike him because he came across as condescending towards the heroine who seemed quite the airhead because she had the breathy high voice. I dont want to name them here as my purpose isn’t to criticise the narrator, just my thoughts on the subject. I enjoyed the audiobook I had read before better and I found the male voice quite soothing to listen too before falling asleep. Again, his female rendition of the heroine made her seem less credible. The other audiobook had a female voice and a British accent and a couple of times, I had to rewind the story to figure out what she had said, which was a bit annoying.
In future, if I was interested in rereading I might try an audiobook but otherwise, I find it takes longer and the experience quite different. I also borrow them from th public library so the selection is limited but I wouldn’t buy them as they are quite expensive compared to the ebook version, especially after my initial experiences.
Ana's Attic says
I borrowed the whole Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series (24 books in a row) from the library. The narrater changed after book 5 to a WAY better one, and from then on, I enjoyed the series a whole lot more.