Once Upon A Sure Thing by Lauren Blakely Audiobook Review

Once Upon A Sure Thing (Heartbreakers 2) by Lauren Blakely

Narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt

2nd in a series of related standalones. Romantic Comedy.

Lauren Blakely is ridiculous already. Seriously. Somebody has to stop this madwoman! You would think that with the speed she writes there would have to be a dud in the mix, but nope. Her books are like a decadent dessert that doesn’t make you fat. All yummy goodness with no major angst or pain. And I love EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Even better, she writes them with the audiobook listener and narrator in mind and you can tell when you listen. When someone asks for an audiobook recommendation, I ALWAYS suggest her books first. Once Upon a Sure Thing was another perfect example of all the reasons I love listening to a Lauren Blakely audiobook.

Miller is the always happy middle brother. He misses singing with his brothers, The Heartbreakers , but he is realizing that it won’t happen again. So he takes his brother’s idea and runs with it.

“Picture this: Miller Hart and Female Singer To Be Determined. It’s time for me to sing with a woman.”

Miller’s best friend, Ally, is a YA audiobook narrator and viral youtube singer with her brother. Her sweet, clear, young-sounding voice is what she is known for, but her brother is moving away, and she will lose all the Youtube income they generate. She is also raising her niece in New York City after her sister passed away, so she really needs the money. But she and Miller have tried singing holiday songs together and their voices just didn’t work. She was all sweet and he is all rocker. Plus, even if they did sound good, they don’t want to mess with the perfect friendship.

“Singing with your best friend seems like a surefire way to torpedo a relationship. I’ve been there, done that, and have a truckload of medals to prove it. If there’s one woman I want to keep in my life, it’s Ally.”

Enter Honey Lavender. After hundreds of audition tapes, Miller fixates on one sultry voice. And he can’t stop thinking of her as his anticipation of meeting her increases. Imagine his surprise when he sees that Honey is his best friend’s alter-ego. And when they sing together like this? SPARKS FLY and the videos go viral.

Miller was such a good friend to Ally, and he was a huge part of her niece’s life, playing the father figure, that they both deny their feelings so they don’t mess up what they have. And what they have is adorable and flirty.

He holds up a finger. “I have a hunch craft stores are frequented by the Fifty Shades crowd.” I laugh. “DIY BDSM-ers?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Ribbons are for tying pretty wrists.”

But when things develop no matter how hard they try to fight it, it’s beautiful.

“Let me just kiss you for a while.”

The relationship is built on friendship and respect. But can they take the chance on more? Can Ally risk her niece’s heart? Well honestly, who could resist Miller?

“Maybe I was never just friends with her. Maybe I’ve always been racing to this…racing toward her.”

Likes:

The sexual tension between friends.
That she is a single guardian with custody of her niece.
The funny mention of romance tropes that describe Lauren’s books.
The guest narrator.
The side characters. As always, I want to hang with Lauren’s characters.
I smiled the entire time.
The respect that Lauren’s heroes always show women.
It’s a complete standalone, but even better if you read Once Upon a Real Good Time.
Lauren Blakely sex scenes. If you haven’t read her yet, have a cool washcloth or BOB nearby.

Dislikes:

(Vague, for readers only:) I loved her gift, but I loved hot stuff. I want both.

The Narration:

To me, Sebastian York will always be a Lauren Blakely hero first. As always, Andi Arndt was awesome. I think Lauren writes her books with the narrators in mind, because they just work SO WELL. I love the way Lauren uses duet in text conversations, and in this particular book, we have an awesome cameo! Look for a 3rd voice during texts!

The Down & Dirty:

Once again Lauren Blakely delivered a favorite! I almost feel like I could copy and paste my review from book to book because all I do is rave about the prolific writer. But if Lauren can keep coming up with new and different stories, I can keep giving new and different reviews. Once Upon a Sure thing was everything I love from Lauren. An amazing friends-to-lovers story, older characters, funny and sexy banter, a charming and sexy leading man, a heroine you want to be buddies with, great kids, super hot bedroom scenes, and a smile on my face the whole time. I loved the first in the Heartbreakers series, and I think I love this one even more! What will the third bring? Thank goodness I only have to wait 2 weeks.