Audiobook Review: Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters, Narrated by Shayna Thibodeaoux and Sebastian York

After reading Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters, I jumped at the chance to get Lead Me Not. I really loved her writing style, and I felt like Walters was really able to capture the true nature of the characters and made them seem so real. That story was raw and emotional, so I really wanted to see what she would do with a good girl that falls for a bad boy in the underground club scene. I expected this one to be really emotional and raw, and Walters definitely delivered. This story was more than I ever could have expected, and I really felt like she captured the addiction and struggles with drugs well. But while I did love the story and can't wait for more, I had some problems with the narration of this audiobook.

Aubrey Duncan is determined to help others in a way that she didn't help her sister. She is attending Longwood University and has been assigned a support group that she will help co-facilitate in order to continue her education. She meets Maxx Demelo in the group, and is instantly drawn to him. While Maxx may be captivating in group and draw the attention of those around him, Aubrey can tell that there is much more beneath the surface with him. Maxx is supporting his little brother by working the underground club scene, and selling pills to those looking for an escape. But he has also been using the pills to self medicate from dealing with his troubles. When Aubrey comes along, Maxx realizes that Aubrey could be the one to save him, and he is just as drawn to her as she is to him. They quickly form a connection and find themselves unable to stay away from one another. But despite the feelings between them, Maxx sinks further into the dangerous world of drugs and addiction. As Aubrey struggles with her feelings for Maxx and the complication they provide in regards to her future, she must also figure out a way to help him out of the dangerous situation he has found himself in. But in order for Aubrey to really help Maxx, he has to want to be saved. Aubrey knows that the longer she continues to let things go on between them, that they more likely she is to end up with a broken heart and a shattered future.

I really felt that Maxx was a good guy. He was in a bad situation and had been struggling with all of the responsibility he was forced to take on at such a young age. Maxx was such a different person when sober and I really loved seeing that side of him. It was hard to watch him spiral out of control and I kept hoping that he would be able to pull himself out of he destructive patterns. I think that Aubrey meant well, but she didn't really go about helping him in the right ways. Aubrey was pretty hard for me to connect with and I didn't understand her much of the time. For someone that had suffered the loss of her sister from drugs, I would have expected for her to do more than just barely try to convince Maxx to leave the drugs behind. At one point she literally just walks away and leaves him behind when it becomes too much for her to handle. I felt like she could have done so much more for him and I just didn't get it. She did save his life, and I was glad when she finally was able to stand up and say enough was enough. I think that she made the right choice in the end and did what was right for both her and Maxx, even if it was hard on both of them. I really felt the chemistry and emotions between them, and I could see that they both clearly loved each other.

While I felt like Sebastian York did an excellent job narrating Maxx's character, I did not care for Shayna Thibodeaux's narration at all. This is the second story that I have listened to her as the narrator for the female character, and not only does she sound way too young for the character but she also sounded exactly the same. She didn't do the character justice, and her voice was not right for the story in my opinion. I feel like she reads everything the same, and she also has a tendency to speak in crescendos. It gets very irritating, and really distracts from the story. Sebastian York however was the exact opposite. I felt like he brought Maxx to life and really portrayed the raw and gritty emotions that Maxx was experiencing. His voice was easy to listen to and was very engaging. I found myself enthralled with the story and didn't want to stop listening when he was speaking. I would definitely be interesting in listening to more stories with Sebastian York as a narrator, and I thought that his portions were by far the highlights of this audiobook. Despite Shayna Thibodeaux's narration, I really felt like the story was so good that I wanted to keep listening. I really can't wait to get more about Maxx and Aubrey and I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment in this story. While this one does not end with a huge cliffhanger, A. Meredith Walters does leave us wanting more and with things unresolved. I think that this book is definitely worth the read/listen if you are looking for something real and raw. This story might not be all hearts and flowers, but I think that is what makes this one worth the time. I can't wait to read more from A. Meredith Walters in the future and I would love to listen to more narrated by Sebastian York.

**Audiobook Provided by Simon and Schuster**

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Audiobook Review: Rogue by Katy Evans, Narrated by Jason Carpenter and Shayna Thibodeaux

I was somewhat hesitant to start Rogue by Katy Evan if I am being honest. While I really loved Real, I struggled a bit with Remy and Mine. Don't get me wrong I love Brooke and Remy, but I felt like with Remy and Mine they weren't as good as Real, and I found them to be repetitive. I was really interested in Melanie though. I loved her as Brooke's friend, and I couldn't wait to get to know her better. I think that Katy Evans did a great job with Rogue and I really loved Greyson and Melanie. I was really excited that this book had both a male and female narrator and I felt like that really brought this story to life. Before listening to Rogue, I had no experience with either Jason Carpenter or Shayna Thibodeaux. But I would definitely love to listen to more from Jason Carpenter! He could not have done a better job with Greyson, and he absolutely made this story for me.

Melanie has always wanted to fall in love and get married. Ever since Brooke found Remy, she has been wishing that she had her own Remy. When she meets Greyson and he helps save her car from the rain, they both feel a connection unlike anything they have ever felt before. Melanie knows that Greyson could be more than just another guy, and for the first time she begins to picture her future with him rather than just with generalities. But Melanie only sees what Greyson allows her to, and has no idea about his secret life. She has no idea who he really is, or what his real job entails. Melanie looks forward to the times when they are together, and Greyson does his best to make up for all the time that he has to be away from her. But when Melanie finds out about who he really is, things get complicated and dangerous quickly. Greyson would do anything to make Melanie his forever and to protect her from his world. But will it be enough to keep her safe and make her his for always?

I really loved Greyson. He was so complicated and mysterious, but he was completely driven. He was determined to do his job with the end game of finishing and finally getting the information on his mother that he had been waiting for since he was a boy. He was so drawn to Melanie, and he knew that things with her would never be easy. He wanted to protect her and care for her, but he also knew that no one could find out or she could be used against him. You could really tell that he would do anything for her, and that his feelings for her were so real and intense. I thought that Melanie was great as well. She was strong and feisty, but she was also more vulnerable than she let on. I loved that she was private and kept things to herself because she was capable, and she wanted to do it on her own. She could have easily taken from others or had her friends bail her out, but she was as determined as Greyson was in her own way. I loved the banter between Greyson and Melanie, and I really enjoyed that they kept each other on their toes. They were a great match and a lot of that was because they both pushed the other and challenged each other while also being there for one another and offering them the support that they needed. I really thought that they had off the charts chemistry though and that these two were beyond hot! They really had the steamy stuff down, and I loved every bit of it.

As far as my rating goes, it was sort of hard for me to pick an exact amount because of everything I had to take into consideration. I would definitely say this book was between a 4 and 5 star rating based on story alone. I loved the story and the characters, and I thought that the writing itself was great. If I were to rate this story based on Jason Carpenter's narration this would absolutely be a 5 star rating. He was fantastic! I loved the emotion in his voice and how he brought Greyson to life with ease. His voice was easy to listen to, and I think I would listen to him read pretty much anything. He drew me into the story and really held my attention. I loved his portions of this book and I never wanted them to end. I hated having to wait to return to his narration and preferred his narration by far. But if I was to rate this book based on Shayna Thibodeaux's narration, the rating would be much lower and probably be only a 2 or 3 star rating. I didn't like her voice at all, and I thought that she was irritating for almost all of her parts. I felt like she was emotionless and never really could get used to her voice. I thought that I would warm up to her over the course of this book, but it just never happened. It really felt like someone was sitting in front of me just reading something and it wasn't able to hold my interest like with Jason's parts. If it wasn't for the story itself and Jason, I think I would have given up because of her parts. This audiobook would have been so much better if Jason Carpenter had been the narrator for the entire story. I will say that after listening to Rogue, I can't wait for more from Katy Evans and I want to go listen to everything that Jason Carpenter has done. Even though I didn't care for Shayna Thibodeaux's narration, I really think that this audiobook is worth it for Jason's performance as well as the story itself.

**Audiobook provided by Tantor**

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