Over the past year or so I have become a huge fan of dark romance. I love the break from the norm, and there is something to be said for a story that is able to draw a reader out of the real world and into something that is nothing like my day to day life. So I was really excited when given the opportunity to listen to Wanderlust by Skye Warren, narrated by Lucy James. Unfortunately this one wasn't for me, and I had several problems with this one. At this point I am no stranger to a kidnapping victim falling for her captor and that isn't what I had issues with. I had issues with the story itself, the characters and the narrator chosen for this audiobook.
Evie had always dreamed of seeing the world, despite all the warnings her mother gave her. When she gets the chance to take off, she sets out on her own. But what started as her dream quickly becomes a nightmare when a trucker kidnaps her. As Evie travels across the country in his truck, she plots her escape from Hunter. But the more time they spend together, the more she begins to wonder if what she has been looking for is the man sitting right next to her.
I had issues with both of the characters. Evie was hard to get behind or relate to for me. She was extremely naive at times, and it was something that I didn't like even though I understood some of it. She had been sheltered at home and was in the real world for the first time, and yet there were some things that she did and said that I just didn't buy despite her upbringing. To me, when I read a dark romance I need to find some redeeming quality when it comes to the man. But unfortunately, I just didn't see one here with Hunter. He was a jerk, he never came around, and you would have thought that given what we learned about him he would have been different. But he just never did, and therefore I just couldn't ever get why Evie would fall for him. I need to see a connection to get behind a romance such as this one, and I just wasn't able to here. Things felt more forced than consensual here, and that didn't seem to change as the story progressed. There were a few parts that definitely had me feeling uncomfortable, and that is saying something with some of the books that I have read.
My other problem besides the story and the characters, was that I just didn't care for the narrator of this story. At the beginning of each chapter, there was a voice that was done that was just weird to me. I didn't like it, and I can't really put my finger on what it was that I didn't care for other than I just didn't. The narrator's voice here came off as very young, childish and whiny. It made me not want to finish the book just so I didn't have to hear her speak. Besides the fact that the story itself felt slow and long, despite being a novella, the narration seemed to slow the book down even more. I got lost in how much the story was dragging and just lost interest. Unfortunately for me, this one was a miss all around. I think that there are those that will enjoy this story, and it very well might be that this is just one that didn't work for me. If it sounds like something that you might enjoy, give it a shot.
**Audiobook Provided by Author**
I just listened to the audio book and searched for reviews because I knew I couldn't be the only one that found the narrators voice to be annoying. I felt like it sounded different every chapter. I had to stop listening and just read because of it. Smh.
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