Instant Gratification by Lauren Blakely

Full cast narration, starring Andi Arndt and Shane East

Stands alone well, but closely ties to the rest of the series.

I feel like I write the same review for each Lauren Blakely audiobook, because how many ways can you say that she is a genius? How many ways can you say you LOVED it? Lauren Blakely has a way of taking familiar tropes and elevating them, making them smart, sassy, sexy feel-good romances with characters you totally want to hang out with, and Instant Gratification by Lauren Blakely absolutely fit that bill to a T.

Sure, the best friend’s sister trope has been done over and over, but Lauren’s stood out with her perfect take on the trope. Instant Gratification is the second in the Always Satisfied Series, and it easily stands alone even though it is closely related to the first, Satisfaction Guaranteed (see my review). Malone, the hero in the first book, has a twin sister, Truly, and his British best friend, Jason. Jason and Truly have always secretly perved on each other, and even had a 1-night-stand at a wedding, but they never let it happen again out of respect for Malone.

Charlotte: As long as you don’t slip onto his dick again, you can totally be friends forever!
Truly: Thanks for the tip. I’ll try to avoid falling onto his cock.
Charlotte: Well, you do have a history of accidentally landing on it.
Truly: Purposefully. It was a purposeful landing.

I loved Jason’s jobs! He is a best man/groomsman-for-hire! What a great idea for when the groom has fewer friends than the bride or no friends at all. He is also on a podcast on how to be the perfect gentleman. With his accent, it totally works for him. Truly is looking to expand her bar business, and is working on a proposal for an English pub. Who better to help give her an authentic feel than Jason, a Brit? Jason also needed a plus one at some of the weddings he was booked at, so who better to take than Truly? This may lead to trouble folks!

“He’s too charming, too amusing, too easy to be with. He’s like a bag of popcorn. Have you ever tried to eat just one handful of popcorn?”

This one was a little slower-burn than some of Lauren’s books. Though all of her stories have career-minded couples, Jason and Truly are so focused, they don’t want love to distract them.

As always, Lauren brings the HEAT.

“All I can think about is how to get this dress off you.”
“And have you figured it out?”
“Oh, I absolutely have. I’ve mapped out the fastest way to undress you. In my head, you’re already naked.”

These two are perfect together. Everyone sees it but them. But how would Malone feel? After a bad experience in the past, he and Truly agreed to never date each other’s friends again.

“How could I do this? And by this, I mean engage in earth-shattering, toe-curling, bend-me-over-the-bed-and-take-me-hard sex with my brother’s best friend.
By the way, did I mention the sex was incredible?”

Likes:

Smart, sexy and fun.
Pretty low angst.
Made me laugh.
Can you say HOT?
Amazing side characters.
Visiting with characters from the previous book and even older series.
The full-cast narration.

Dislikes:

None.

The Narration:

Oh, how I love a full-cast narration! Especially the way Lauren does them. You can tell they are in the same room because the characters play off each other. I will say, in this case, I think it’s better sped up. Because you have multiple speakers having conversations, it sounds much more natural sped up, otherwise there are pauses between each speaker. Since talking over each other, the way real conversations are, is a little too messy sounding for audiobooks, speeding it up really helps. Otherwise, the narration was INCREDIBLE. Shane East and Andi Arndt did a great job as the leads, but the side characters were phenomenal as well. I especially loved Jason Clarke with a British accent. There is no doubt about it, Lauren Blakey’s audiobooks have officially ruined me for any others. I wished I had the cast list when I was listening, so I created one!

The Down & Dirty:

Once again, Lauren Blakely took a familiar trope and made it something completely unique and totally special. Smart and sexy, with great supporting characters, you can never go wrong with Lauren Blakely whether you read or listen. Add to that a phenomenal cast of narrators, and Instant Gratification is instant gold. I actually slowed my listening because I didn’t want it to end and unlike other audiobooks, I really wanted to pay full attention and enjoy the full cast. I am SO EXCITED for Overnight Service!