The Professional: Part 1

The Game Maker, Book 1

By: Kresley Cole

Narrated by: Kimberly Alexis

Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

From number-one New York Times best-selling author Kresley Cole comes The Professional - the first scorching installment in her Game Maker series, an erotica collection that has listeners asking: How hot is too hot?

He makes the rules….

Mafiya enforcer Aleksandr "The Siberian" Sevastyan's loyalty to his boss is unwavering, until he meets the boss's long-lost daughter, a curvy, tantalizing redhead who haunts his mind and heats his blood like no other. Ordered to protect her, Sevastyan will do anything to possess her as well - on his own wicked terms.

Rules are made to be broken….

PhD student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous Sevastyan before the professional hit man whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. With every day she spends under his protection, she falls deeper under his masterful spell.

Are you ready to play?

Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy's reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest - and most forbidden - fantasies can come true...

©2013 Kresley Cole (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Loved it so much!

I wish we could of had more! it wasn't long enough, ugh the accents!! The narration was beautifully done.

ALMOST TOO GOOD FOR WORDS !!!

Where does The Professional: Part 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As of now, it is at the top of the list. I do not remember when I have been swept away or enthralled so entirely by a book. Ms. Cole kept this book from us for almost a decade and even with her explanation I'm not sure the world/me wasn't ready for it, however, I can say that this is the book with all of its content, that I have been searching for in audio for the better part of a year.

I don't think there is anything to compare it to; her writing is exquisite, her descriptions drew me in as if I were seeing them through each person's eyes, especially Natalie's when she went on her first horseback ride. I felt the wind through her hair and the crisp air on her face; I felt her eyes go wide when feeling the freedom in her soul when she described never having felt so alive; I saw the leaves falling from the birch trees and I felt when the air changed, grew heavy, and rain began to pelt her and her muscles tighten from the cold on their ride back to the stable.

I felt every feeling, including the erotic ones throughout the book. This is something that has never happened in my many years of reading and listening to romance, suspense, horror and especially my favorite, erotica.

Thank you Ms. Cole. Again, I believe this book is truly almost too good for words or for at least being able to describe them in short order.

What did you like best about this story?

Absolutely all of it, but most especially the getting to know each main character and the world they live/lived in.

What about Kimberly Alexis’s performance did you like?

This is my first experience with KA's performance and it was just that; she did not merely narrate but performed each character to perfection. KA's performance whisked me from listener to observer. I was truly captivated with the hero and heroine and of course, the kind, mysterious, dry-humored "father".

KA is not only the best female narrator I have ever listened to, but possibly none other can come close. There are only a couple of really good/great female narrators and they rank, in my opinion, several notches below KA. Also, the pairing of author and performer could not have been better; it truly was a match made in heaven and I commend Simon & Schuster and the audio publisher for taking the time, effort and whatever else it took to choose this performer. I have listened to many good books that have literally been ruined by a terrible narrator and the publisher's lack of care in finding the right fit.

Robert Petkoff and one Kaleo Griffith I consider exceptional male performers and KA ranks right up there, maybe even stretching a little beyond their greatness.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Natalie made me laugh and I found myself doing fist pumps at her thoughts and comments throughout the book. Savastian made me drool; his actions, his voice, his so alpha-male pushiness and the tiny bit of softness he doesn't want anyone to see.

Any additional comments?

I love that Natalie is not a meek, weak, and easily swayed female. She is strong, has convictions, however thin they become around Savastian, and her own stands she takes. Oh, there is so much more, but like I said above, either too good for words or too good for very few words.

Cole is dipping her toes....

I love Kresley Cole with a passion. She is a brilliant author and I listen and re-listen to her Immortals After Dark series-- A Hunger Like no Other is still an all time fav! I was wondering if she could pull off contemporary erotica/rom, but she delivered! This story is sexy, silly, and stomach clinching all at the same time. Its the typical "Cinderella" type story-- normal girl becomes a princess after meeting the hot Russian prince. Natalie and Aleksandr are white hot explosive together and I can feel the sexual tension and attraction between them. I found Natalie a tad annoying in the beginning with her waffling youngish behavior, but then i remembered, she is young! I tell you, if i could mail order an alpha lover---- Aleksandr would do just fine for me. Their chemistry could have been racketed up a tad more if they had more angst-y fighting while "courting" --- but this is pure princess fantasy & a short story to boot, so it still works for me. Just listened to book 2 and counting down to book 3!
The only annoying part is WAITING! Why-oh why did they do that?
Cole should have just published this as a full book-- one shot. Not drawn it out by dipping her toes in to see if her fans freak or pull away. It is annoying to get into a listen then suddenly be doused with a cold shower while your all revved up.....Plunge in Cole....

Leaves you wanting more

Would you listen to The Professional: Part 1 again? Why?

Yes I loved it! The interaction between the two character is awesome. It's something different.

What other book might you compare The Professional: Part 1 to and why?

It is similar to other of Kresley Cole books. It doesn't have the fantasy aspect, but I loved it.

What does Kimberly Alexis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is able to give the accents to the characters. I terrible at imagining the accents. She does an amazing job even making different voices within the same accent.

It was amazing, no I'm sorry spectacularly great

It was amazing, no I'm sorry spectacularly great. The voices was capacitiveing, I listen to the books over and over great job well don't .

So different and oh so good!

This trilogy is basically one book that continues through the three. The chapters do not restart at 1 with each new book. The story is great, different than what I expected, and so good. There is a lot of really hot Sex!!! In addition though as short as these books are there is a ton of depth and drama. Great book

Madly in love!

Struggled to put it down! This book captivated my attention from the first chapter till the last sentence. Beautiful!

Kresley did it again

Would you consider the audio edition of The Professional: Part 1 to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version hmmm is there a differnce? This was an unabridged audio.

What other book might you compare The Professional: Part 1 to and why?

Shades of grey and The Job

Have you listened to any of Kimberly Alexis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to her performance on any other book, but thought she did it justice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Lol PG 18 one of Kresleys hottest

Any additional comments?

A homerun. Looking forward to the next one.

Captivating

Really enjoyed this. I will be getting the other two as well but I do wish it was one book instead of 3. It’s odd how it was broken up into pieces

Perfect!! All I waned from a spicy mafia book

The pace is awesome and the characters are to die for. Love the writing love the plot loved everything about it. The perfect mafia love story. Totally recommended.