Bluegrass State of Mind

Bluegrass, Book 1

By: Kathleen Brooks

Narrated by: Eric Dove

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

See where the USA Today best-selling Author Kathleen Brooks began!

This is the first book in Kathleen Brooks' Best-Selling Bluegrass Series.

McKenna Mason, a New York City attorney with a love of all things Prada, is on the run from a group of powerful, dangerous men. McKenna turns to a teenage crush, Will Ashton, for help in starting a new life in beautiful horse country. She finds that Will is now a handsome, successful race horse farm owner. As the old flame is ignited, complications are aplenty in the form of a nasty ex-wife, an ex-boyfriend intent on killing her, and a feisty race horse who refuses to race without a kiss. Can Will and McKenna cross the finish line together, and more importantly, alive?

©2011 Kathleen Brooks (P)2013 Kathleen Brooks

Saved by the supporting characters

Wow – I couldn’t have finished this book if all the characters had been like Kenna and Will. Kenna is apparently an undercover brilliant, beautiful genius because everyone bows down to kiss her ass. Will is about as dull as they come for a love interest and doesn’t take up much space in the book. And like other reviewers this book is a hot mess but I adored the supporting characters and quirky little town more than other folks.

The supporting characters totally saved this book from a 2-star review for me. I loved Mo, Paige and the Rose sisters. The author did a good job of creating a unique little community. I honestly am glad the other books are about other characters because it gives me hope for the series.

The story itself isn’t bad but Kenna is in a very difficult position and the author ties it up a little nicely while also giving us a cliffhanger. I’m not a big fan of cliffhangers because of the length of time I take between books in series.

The narrator was okay except I felt like some one was reading a book to me and not part of the story.

Fantastically Written !!!

I loved everything about this book an writer ! I’ll definitely be reading many more o her books and I’m thrilled I’ve found her !!!

Just great

I have read this books 5 times and listened to the audible about the same. No matter how many times I reread or listen to it I still get hooked. Page turner, so worth the money. Love the whole series!

Kind of a let down.

Well, maybe I'm missing something. It has all the ingredients to make a good listen but really fell short for me and I'm sorry for that. SPOILERS: The h/h relationship didn't seem to have much depth and development. I didn't experience the journey. The ex wife was a good twist but again no journey or depth. The mystery plot was a good idea but again, no depth or development. The crimes were pretty whack but Kenna was running around more worried about what she was wearing to the derby and giving interviews on tv when she is supposed to be hiding out. A couple months in and she still hasn't pressed charges and when she finally sees her ex boyfriend it's like no big deal. He walks away.

As for the narrator, he has a wonderful voice but heads so fast through everything that it tends to de-dramatize everything. That's not too say I like a narrator to talk so slow that I fall asleep but to read so fast that I can't even feel the moment may have been a big part of what I feel was lacking.

I gave it 3 stars for effort but 2 stars may have been enough. Sorry. I just had high hopes. It got a lot of good reviews on amazon.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SERIES

I absolutely loved this book!!! This is the first book of the Bluegrass series written Kathleen Brooks, who is a phenomenal writer. The story begins with McKenna Mason, an attorney from the big city of New York, who gets into serious trouble with some dangerous powerful men who have no respect for a woman. McKenna flees the big city and comes face to face with her first love, Will Ashton. What follows is a wonderful story full of danger, mystery, intrigue, comedy, love, family values, and a great out-pouring of support for each other. You will laugh and cry, fear for their lives, and be completely taken in by the amazing way Kathleen Brooks spins her beautiful stories.
You will absolutely fall in love with the Blue Grass series and the wonderful people of Keenston! Take my word for it you will be hooked on this series and will rush back to buy the next 3 books in this series!!

Listening to the book, even after I had already read the book was still wonderful! I heard things I did not remember from the book. This is a whole new wonderful world for me!!

Welcome to Mayberry U.S.A.

If you are a past fan of the Andy Griffith shows, you will enjoy this. If you are looking for a more indepth listen, then you might want to punt. The narrator does a decent job and actually for me, he was the only reason I was able to complete the audiobook. But when you need a mental break then this will fit the bill. No humor, small suspense. Mostly a small town that embraces an outsider. Yeah, I may get the second book for that occasion when I need a 'fluff' diversion. But I wouldn't recommend this author or book to anyone I know.

Perfect!

This is the perfect contemporary romance! A little bit of angst, some chilling moments, a handsome alpha male, and a strong yet feminine female lead. The voice actor has a versatile voice and did a great job with the narration. This is the first book in a series and I've already started the second one. I won this book in a Facebook contest.

Liked it

Where does Bluegrass State of Mind rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I liked this book, but I am not rushing to listen to the next one. I have others I would rather listen to, but I'm not counting this series out. I am interested in checking out other books by Kathleen Brooks.

OK Story

Any additional comments?

I liked this story it was an good way to pass the time while doing house work. I just wished the author had the man's POV added it would have been more interesting knowing what he's thinking about etc. Why Will didn't get a restraining order against his ex-wife? why keena didn't suggest it cause she was suppose to be a lawyer? where was the editor?

Ends with many many open story lines

I enjoyed the book until it abruptly ended without any closure to the open story lines. Book 2 does not pickup where this one leaves off. If you like your dots lined up so you can connect them this series is not the series for you.