Collide

Collide, Book 1

By: Gail McHugh

Narrated by: Mary Kowal

Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

A missed first encounter....

Colliding with a second chance....

On the heels of graduating college and trying to cope with her mother's death, Emily Cooper moves to New York City for a fresh start.

While harboring secrets of his own, Dillon Parker takes care of Emily through her grief. Knowing he can't live without her by his side, he's sweet, thoughtful, and everything Emily has ever wanted in a man.

Until she meets Gavin Blake - a rich and notorious playboy who is dangerously sexy and charming as hell. Emily tries to deny the instant connection she feels, but Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is not inclined to let go so easily. Recovering from his own painful past, Gavin will stop at nothing to win Emily over.

This unexpected encounter compels Emily to question her decisions, forcing her to make a choice that will destroy friendships, shatter hearts, and forever change her life.

©2013 Gail McHugh (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

want more

Loved it. Would love to have more of Gaven and Emily. Wonderfully wrote to keep you guessing. Drew me in, I felt everything that they felt.

Love this story !!

If you could sum up Collide in three words, what would they be?

It's great how the right guy gets the right girl and the bad guy gets what he deserves. I really enjoyed it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gavin was determined but still gave Emily space. So definitely Gavin.

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

Her voice is easy to listen to, she did a good job with changing her voice with caricature.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was hard to have to put the story away for the night. I wanted to continue listening....

Any additional comments?

Well done!

i almost gave up because of poor narration...

i wanted to throw in the towel so many times i lost count, and it had everything to do with the narrator. she was just sub-par. maybe this just isn't her type of storyline, maybe she should stick with more victorian-type novels or just stop narration altogether. it was that bad.

she butchers the new york accents so horribly, that every time one of the characters began to speak i would cringe. lots of eye-rolling. i wish i didn't have to be so harsh but honestly, she can only seem to do TWO voices... harpy female and old man. it was bizarre. i could never tell dillon and gavin apart but worse than that, they both sounded like they were fifty year old men, not men in their late twenties/early thirties. yuck. and emily was "ok" most of the time, but fallon? dear lord. BAD.

HOWEVER, the story was great and that's why i stuck it out, and i even purchased the sequel (Pulse) and by that time i was fairly used to the lacking narration. oh well. can't win them all.

the story has a lot to offer, especially if you're someone who continues to make the wrong choice in men and can't seem to break that cycle of abuse. i thoroughly enjoyed it and loved book two as well.

i bought it on sale. don't waste a credit.

I was pleasantly surprised

There were various reviews on this book and I was not sure what to expect as I have not read this author before. I really, really liked it. The price was great so I just bought it rather than use a credit. I know that a storyline about cheating is not usually a positive story but you can understand why Emily and Gavin were drawn together. The struggle between right and wrong and the underlining hint of abuse from Dillon make for a tense story. I think I was drawn in because you could understand her indecision and struggle to follow her heart. I wish Emily was a little stronger but the author made you really feel her struggle. I think that the ending was a bit abrupt but knowing the sequel is out there you can understand why she did it. I think there are more twists to the story ahead so I am waiting for the next book. I am disappointed that audible does not have it. I am tempted to buy the book and read the next part. I loved the characters but have to say that the narrator was not my favourite. She did a good job on the 3 main character's voices but some of the other male characters and Fallon's voice was not good. Overall once you got into the story you can look past those details. It is not that the narrator was that bad but I like other's better. This is a hit with me and I am glad that I gave it a shot. I love tension filled stories that make you crave the story to continue.

ending was kind of fucked up she let him do it

could have been a better ending but good listen wasnt as bad as expected to be

She deserves it

If you could sum up Collide in three words, what would they be?

Troubled. Lustful. Intriguing.

What did you like best about this story?

Gavin showing what a true gentleman is all about and not being afraid to go out on a limb for the girl he wanted.

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

I haven't heard Mary previously but she did well playing believable female and male characters. I wouldn't mind hearing her read again.

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

When Gavin stood up to his long time for the sake of his love? There were other moments that made me angry that Emily lacked self confidence and self worth.

Moron heroine

So lacking. No backbone. She just let things happen. She bored me to death, very dull

WHAT AN AWESOME BOOK AT AN AWESOME PRICE TOO

It's all been said before in all the positive reviews but this is what happens when love at first sight is ignored because Gavin knew from the start Emily should be his but instead she was with Dillion. She felt the pull, the chemistry and the attraction too but she was sure she loved Dillon. As soon as Gavin, Emily and Dillon's love triangle begins your swept away with the romance, the secrets, the temptation, the manipulation and the heartbreaking bitter devastating consequences of assuming things rather than just talking things out.

I loved every minute of it and I'm now desperately downloading book 2 Pulse to see what other anguish, angst and drama will befall these three because I'm sure there's more turbulence to come in their love life before there will ever be any hope of a HEA ending in sight for three broken and battered hearts.

Worth a credit? Dual POV's, a narrator who had many interesting characters and emotions to do and she managed to do it with ease and a story that'll have you pulling you hair out at the end with the wrongness of it all. That's why I'm off to listen to Pulse now..... I need the emotional high of a HEA ending. This would easily have been creditworthy but for under $8 for nearly 12 hours of undiluted bliss this was the bargain of the year as I just bought it saving a precious credit.

OMG! Worst narration ever!

Would you listen to Collide again? Why?

NO. THE NARRATION WAS THE WORST EVER! THE VOICE IS ANNOYING AND SHE SUCKS WITH DIFFERENT VOICES.

What didn’t you like about Mary Kowal’s performance?

SHE SUCKS WITH DIFFERENT VOICES. MADE ME THINK I WAS LISTENING ONE OF THOSE NICKELODEON TWEEN TV SHOWS WITH THE CRAPPY ACTING.

Any additional comments?

DON'T LET HER NARRATE ANY OTHER BOOKS EVER!

The Importance of Choosing a Good Narrator...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Maybe, maybe not. I read the book first so I had already formed an opinion of the characters, plot, and writing. If I hadn't already read the book, the narration would have absolutely driven me insane, so much so that I honestly don't think I could have finished listening. It was that bad.

What other book might you compare Collide to and why?

If you enjoyed the Beautiful Bastard series, Driven trilogy, or Tangled you'll probably enjoy this book (please read it, don't listen to audio version).

Would you be willing to try another one of Mary Kowal’s performances?

That's an easy answer...NO way! One thing kept coming to mind, Yogi Bear. MK's character voices sounded so much like cartoon characters. Fallon in particular (a female, supporting character) sounded just like Yogi Bear to me. Every time she would "speak" I would immediately shout out "Yoooogi Bear." That was probably the worst but, every characters voice was so over-acted that it became a major distraction from the storyline.

Was Collide worth the listening time?

No, absolutely not. Go buy the book and read it, it's an awesome romance (I love Gavin) and is completely ruined by this narration. Gail McHugh is so talented, don't let this weird narration keep you from reading more of her books.

Any additional comments?

Note to authors:You have spent a lot of time writing, editing, rewriting, marketing and pouring your heart out in to your books, please, spend some time selecting a narrator. It will make our break your book for so many listeners.