Animal Magnetism

Animal Magnetism Series, Book 1

By: Jill Shalvis

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In this debut to an exciting new series, Lilah Young has lived in Sunshine, Idaho, all her life, while pilot-for-hire Brady Miller is just passing through. But he soon has Lilah abandoning her instincts and giving in to a primal desire. Contains mature themes.

©2011 Jill Shalvis (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An entertaining read and a good choice for readers who like cooing over cute animals as well as a cute romance." ( Publishers Weekly)

Cute characters and well crafted story

This story was better written than Shalvis' Wilder Series. The Wilder characters were distinct and entertaining, but these are stronger. Their qualities and values reveal themselves not only in the way they treat people, but in the way they treat animals. That might not communicate to everyone, but it communicates to me.

The three lead male characters also expose a lot about each other in the way they tease each other. The nicknames they assign to each other, the way one will respond to being teased by the others. We learn a lot about the characters by the way they joke with each other.

Lilah is interesting. I don't come off quite as impressed with the strength of her character as Brady does, but I am drawn to the loyalty she inspires from members of the community.

There is one question of continuity that bothered me throughout this book. That was the amount of time Shalvis allotted for various activities. She would say that it was a half mile walk from Lilah's kennel to the vet clinic....but then she would say that she could run home, take a quick showed and be back in 20 minutes. Everyone was always running across one field or another to do something--and then returning in a matter of minutes. If these locations were more than a few yards apart, Shalvis should have allotted more travel time.That is an odd complaint, even for me!

The narration is a little breathy, but Karen White did a good job of creating both male and female characters.

I recommend this book.

hot hot hot absolutely love the book

the book is awesome I couldn't put it down can't wait to buy the next episode of the book its a steamy hot love affair that warms the heart

A fun, light-hearted read

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I downloaded this book with a bunch of other romances that cost $7.95 or less in preparation for a 700+ mile solo road trip, overnight after having worked a full day (family emergency). I tried 3 or 4 of the others before settling on this book for the bulk my trip. Why? The author starts developing the sexual tension between the hero and heroine in the very first scene (what can I say? There is nothing like a steamy romance to keep yourself awake!). Since it engaged me and was a fun listen, yes, I'd recommend this book to my friends who enjoy reading romances.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Animal Magnetism?

Every scene involving Brady and Twinkles.

What about Karen White’s performance did you like?

There are many reasons why a narrator can pull a listener out of a story, but only one of them is good: a performance that's so exceptional, I can't help thinking about it (i.e. "Wow! This is a really good narrator" or "Wow! I really like how the narrator does that accent.")

Ms. White's performance didn't pull me out of the story because her narration was exceptional, but it did enable me to totally lose myself in the story, which, after all, is one of my main reasons for reading -- to escape from reality for just a little while. I'm sure her other performances would follow suit, so I'd have no misgivings about purchasing other books narrated by Ms. White.

4 Animal Magnetism Stars

I have read this book before but I haven’t listened to the audio and I gotta say I loved it more the second time.

I was in the mood for a sweet but smexy romance and this was right up my ally. I didn’t want anything to emotional because I know my next book is going to break my heart.

So Lilah and Brady’s was exactly what I needed. She is so guarded with her emotions and she doesn’t let people in because she is afraid they are going to leave once she loves them.

And Brady hasn’t really had roots. He thinks of the guys as his brothers but he never really had the itch to say in one place until he meets Lilah and everything he thought he knew gets turned on its head.

Like I said this is a sweet romance. I love the animal touch it’s pretty adorable to say the very least.

Also I enjoyed the narrator I think she does a great job. Though sometimes I think her voice was a little old for some of the voice but you get over that pretty fast.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

Enjoyable Listen

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The wasn't one part of this story that stood out as particularly interesting. It was a good well-rounded romance with all its parts being equal and necessary to the story.

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

This was my first Karen White narration but it won't be the last. She did a wonderful job with all the voices; they were clearly differentiated and understood in multiple conversations. She even made the animal sounds!

Did Animal Magnetism inspire you to do anything?

After listening to this title, I'm even more eager for the third story to be released in audio. Karen White returns and I'm confident it will be as professional and entertaining production as this one.

Cute Contemporary Romance

This was a cute story, with likable characters and a nice romance. I loved the setting (an vet clinic and animal boarding facility) because the animals really added to the story. What I didn't like was hearing OVER AND OVER how hot the hero was. I got it the first time -- his arms/butt/chest were huge/hard/cut. Ugh. Over and over! I think it was something I would have skimmed over if I was just reading the book, but on audio it was hard to avoid. I still enjoyed the story enough to recommend it though!

I loved Brady!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This may be your typical love story where the strong, damaged guy meets the sweet girl next door from some random small town, but you know what? I don't care. I loved it. The story was sweet and endearing and Brady might quite possibly be the sexiest man alive.He's the strong silent type.He's the kind of guy who can fix anything and make you feel safe and loved.This is the kind of story that makes you love a good love story.It might not have been the best love story ever written, but it was sweet and in the end you are left with a smile on your face. So is that really a bad thing?

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes absolutely. Even though you knew what was coming and how it was all going to end, it was still well written enough that you wanted to stay with it until the very end.

Love this series!

I absolutely adore Jill Shalvis' books and began this particular series with the fourth book, and have ever since been dying to find the time to go back and start again at the beginning of the series. While it is a series, each novel can be read as a standalone companion novel, but trust me, once you begin, you will definitely want more. The story is set in the beautiful town of Sunshine Idaho. Lilah Young runs a shelter and kennel service for animals. She loves animals of all kinds, and is the go-to person for finding strays and other abandoned animals a home. She is fun-loving, witty, a very hard worker, and always has about a million things on her plate. Her two best friends AKA the hottest set of bachelors in town are Dell and Adam Connlelly. Dell is a veterinarian and runs an animal center, His brother Adam helps and also trains search and rescue animals. Lilah, Dell, and Adam are best friends.

Adam and Dell have a third brother, Brady Miller, who they haven't seen in quite some time. Brady is ex special forces, a pilot, and lives and works in extremely dangerous situations. While in town, he and Lilah meet in the most comical way. I don't want to give any more about that away, but trust me, you'll enjoy it. The chemistry between these two is intense from the moment they meet, but Brady doesn't do long-term relationships and has his own set of issues stemming from the past he has to deal with. Lilah has been hurt before and is reluctant to go down the relationship road again, but girls, Brady is just to hot and sexy not to have a little fun with. Whether or not she can keep her heart out of the mix will be the challenge, not to mention the fact that Dell and Adam are extremely overprotective of her. That said, the heart wants what the heart wants, and everything that happens between the heart wanting and actually getting that proves to be an absolutely delightful story.

Animal magnetism is one of those books that totally captures your heart, makes you smile, swoon, and sigh over and over again, and I total loved it. This series is a definitely a must read for fans of contemporary romance.

As far as the audio goes, the narrator is awesome and does a wonderful job, making this a pleasure to listen to.

Surprisingly Sweet!

Hey sometimes you feel like junk food!! This is one of those books, but it is also a very enjoyable listen. I'm certainly getting the next book in the series just to see what happens. Karen White did a fine job narrating so I have no trouble listening to her and the characters are very likable. I'd certainly love to work in the vet hospital in the story. Sounds like a lot of fun!

Great story - didn't want to turn it off

Would you listen to Animal Magnetism again? Why?

Yes, I'd listen again. Brady and Lyla were well drawn characters and the story was fun, perfect for a little bit of comfort listening. The best stories give you a lift, taking you into a realistic fantasy and this one was exactly what I wanted. I fly a lot, being gone from home and missing my husband and family. Having this family of characters to keep me company made the time go by easier. The chemistry between Brady and Lyla was enough of a spark that I didn't want to turn the story off or made me wish it was time to turn it back on. I'll def listen again and will also listen to the stories of Del and Adam.
The vocalist was also great - her intonation for men was especially good. Some readers try to drop an octave, even when it doesn't sound right. This artist did a great job and I'll look for other readings she's done.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked both Brady and Lyla, they were multidimensional, by turns fun, tense, goofy, loving and lusty. I prefer alpha male characters and Brady was that, most def.

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

No, this is the first performance but I'll seek out her other work.

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

You'll never know when you'll crash into love.