Audio Review: A Change of Pace by Freya Barker

 

A Change of Pace (Northern Lights #3)  by Freya Barker

Publication Date: November 30th by Spectrum Audio

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 14 min

Narrators: Stephanie Nemeth-Parker & Matthew Maddux

Source: Publisher

Pages: 440

Rating: ★★★★

Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible| Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Frederique is a counselor for troubled youth and Newt has just moved to the small town of Parry Sound to help his daughter cope with some events that led to self-destructive behavior.  Newt and Frederique knocked heads a bit on first meet, but that made getting to know each other all the more fun. They’re thrown together when Frederique is called in to help with Millie, Newt’s twelve-year-old daughter.  Frederique’s caring and unconventional approach by using her menagerie of animals to help break the ice works wonders with Millie and the two bond while working on Frederique’s mini-farm.

Newt and Frederique form their own bond not able to fight the chemistry and attraction they’ve felt from the start. They lend each other support while dealing with a few outside dramas, one dangerous situation and another with a health scare. I really appreciated that both Newt and Frederique were determined to stick by each other no matter what.

I loved A Change of Pace and devoured the audiobook in one day! I’m really enjoying Freya Barker’s Northern Lights series. All are set in small lake towns with rustic cabins, and beautiful scenery as a backdrop making me long to leave city life! I also love that she’s made these mature romances with the couple in their 40s, more comfortable in their identity and not prone to insecure dramas.

I really enjoyed both Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and Matthew Maddux’s audio performance. Ms. Nemeth-Parker had a calm sultry lilt, and Mr. Maddux was nice and masculine.  Both were a pleasure to listen to, enhancing the story. I listened at 1.25x.

4 Stars

Audio Review: A Change of View by Freya Barker

A Change of View (Northern Lights #2) by Freya Barker

Publication Date: July 10th 2020 by Spectrum Audio

Source: Publisher

Narration Length: 9 hrs 44 min

Narrators: Anneliese Rennie & Austin Barringer

Pages: 301

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Goodreads

About the book:

What if one morning you look in the mirror and no longer recognize the person looking back?

When Leelo can no longer identify herself by the roles that once defined her, it's both terrifying and liberating. Oh, she feels the loss, the grief, and then the anger, but when she inherits property up north, she jumps at the promise of freedom and independence.

Yet not everyone in her new community is what they seem, starting with the surly mountain man down the road.

As owner of the local fishing lodge, Roar is content with his everyday life. And the older he gets, the less he appreciates change. So when a blue-haired, tattooed ‘city girl’ moves into the old motel, shaking up his daily routine, he’s none too pleased.

Still, something about the woman’s easy smile and almost reckless grit has him step up as her keeper.

My Thoughts:

Leelo inherits a lodge/cabin rental property in Northern Ontario and decides to move up, renovate, and make a new life. She needs the change in scenery after a bitter divorce, but tackling the property updates proves harder than she bargained for. No worries, her growly neighbor Roar has taken upon himself to help out.

Roar owns the lodge up the road and so when he sees Leelo up on the roof on one of the cabins trying to repair damage during a thunderstorm he goes off on her for her recklessness. A dressing down that Leelo doesn’t appreciate, but he does help, and even with his gruff nature, it’s not long before sparks ignite between the two of them. However, they must fit in their romance between the dangers that come from someone trying to sabotage Leelo’s efforts to get her lodge up and running.

I got a definite Kristen Ashley vibe here with a bossy alpha male determined to protect, niceties be damned. Roar was a sweetie, but he was very direct and concise.

Leelo was a bit of a prickly pear at first, not taking to kindly to Roar’s take-charge attitude, but I could see where she was coming from after being walked all over by her husband and taking it for years. The divorce did some damage to her relationship with her kids, but I got that, too. I’m sure it’s hard when you’re going through hell not to complain about your cheating ex, but I was glad to see Leelo get a handle on that, rise above and be the bigger person.  It made a huge difference with her kids, and I loved seeing them mend fences and draw close.

A Change of View is the second in the Northern Lights series I’ve listened to by Freya Barker and I think I liked this one a little more than the first. I liked that it was a romance featured a mature couple, both are in their 40s.  It’s not necessary to read the first book, because they are completely unrelated other than maybe a similar location? Which sounded beautiful! Rustic cabins in the forest with lake views? I’m ready to head there now.

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed the performance. Austin Barringer narrated Roar’s chapters, and I enjoyed his rough, masculine voice. He did well with the female parts, too. Anneliese Rennie performed Leelo’s chapters, and she did well, but I did think her voice sounded a little older than Leelo’s age and maybe not particularly feminine. Not sure what it was, but I got used to her as the book went on.

The e-book is available through Kindle Unlimited.

 4 Suns

Audio Review: A Change in Tide by Freya Barker

A Change in Tide (Northern Lights #1) by Freya Barker

Publication Date: June 2nd 2020 by Spectrum Audio

Narration Length: 9 hrs 17 min

Narrators: Charley Ongel & Tor Thom

Pages: 398

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

About the book:

What impact would it have when everything suddenly faded to black?

For Mia, a crowded subway ride changes her entire life. Retreating to the wilderness helps her cope with a world that is suddenly too loud, too turbulent. Her existence safely contained to the small cottage on the lake, she is unprepared for the neighbor that moves across the bay. 

A career-ending injury has Jared permanently benched. His reputation as The Enforcer won’t survive the unanticipated responsibilities awaiting him. Away from the public eye, he adjusts to his new reality, under the quiet observation of the intriguing hermit on the other side of the water.

My Thoughts:

Mia lives in relative seclusion in a tiny cabin on a peaceful lake. Her choice after an accident on the subway leaves her dealing with fear of being around crowds or away from her cabin.  Everything is pretty much quiet until a new neighbor moves in across the lake. He’s gorgeous, but Mia doesn’t get the greatest first impression after witnessing him in a compromising situation out on the dock, in full view, with one woman, and then escorting another fully pregnant woman home the next week. Things aren’t always what they seem, which Mia soon learns.

Jared’s professional hockey career ends prematurely when an injury makes it impossible to compete, but the situation enables him to be there for his pregnant sister when her loser boyfriend abandons her.  He gets glimpses of his neighbor across the lake, and he’s intrigued, but it isn’t until they need her help as a midwife that they become more acquainted.

I was kind of jealous of Mia’s situation, not the fear part, but I’d love to live out in a cabin on a beautiful, secluded lake. It sang to my hermit tendencies! Mia left her career behind when it became apparent her panic attacks interfered too much to continue. The arrival of Jared and his sister forced Mia to step up, and actually helped Mia quicken the process of healing. 

I really enjoyed the slow build friendship and then romance between Mia and Jared. She can’t help being attracted to him. Who can resist a man with such obvious love of his family? I just loved the bits where Mia uses her skills and knowledge of newborns to help Jordy with her new baby. The baby parts reminded me of that intense time when I just had my kids and when my daughter had her babies. There’s nothing like snuggling a newborn or trying to calm them, which can really take it out of you, lol!

Jared was an intense guy and once he started having feelings for Mia he was pretty focused on her. I did mention in the first scene Mia witnesses him with another woman, but I should say that was it. For those worried about “other woman” drama from that, the woman didn’t have any other part in the story whatsoever. Once Jared and Mia get together, they can’t keep their hands off each other and if I had any complaints it would be that there were maybe too many sex scenes. Still, I really enjoyed their romantic journey and I plan on picking up the next in the series: A Change in View.  Both stories are available on Kindle Unlimited, but I recommend the audio version as well.

Charley Ongel and Tor Thom did an excellent job narrating the female and male chapters. Charley Ongel was easy on the ears with a smooth, lilting tone, and Tor Thom had a very masculine voice.

4 Suns