Mystery Man

By: Kristen Ashley

Narrated by: Kate Russell

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A headstrong woman and a protective man with an Alpha attitude are sharing passionate nights together . . . but is their relationship beyond physical?

Night time is the right time….

Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He's hot, he's sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Sure, it's a little strange that he only appears in her bed at night, but Gwen is so sure he's the one, she just can't turn him away….

Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. She's gorgeous, headstrong, and skittish about relationships. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. Yet when Gwen is drawn into Denver's lethal underground scene, Hawk's protective nature comes out full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk's Alpha attitude in the daylight, she's not so sure he's the one anymore….

©2012 Kristen Ashley (P)2013 Hachette Audio

LOVED THIS BOOK!!

This was my 1st Kristen Ashley. It certainly hasn't been my last! I've never read/listened to a writer like her. I loved the stories, and while I'm not sure I want a man like the ones she writes, I SURE DO LOVE READING ABOUT THEM. Her hero's are NOT politically correct and I have to say that's a refreshing change, they sound like they should be. If you like ALPHA males and strong women, then these books are for you. The NARRATOR IS GREAT!! HOPE THEY CONTINUE TO USE HER VOICE FOR MORE OF KA'S BOOKS!! I ONLY HOPE MORE KRISTEN ASHLEY BOOKS MAKE IT ON AUDIBLE!!!!

good book good narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Mystery Man to be better than the print version?

Yes because of Kate Russell and her narration

What did you like best about this story?

So many things to like -- good plot, great characters

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

Yes, she narrated Wild Man (another book in this series) and I really enjoy her narration of both books. I look forward to listening to other books she narrates.

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

I really enjoyed the part where Gwen finds out what Hawk's name is. I also liked their 1st meeting in the daytime in Gwen's house. And of course loved how Hawk said "Babe"!

Any additional comments?

Good book, great narration! Other books in the series are good too Wild Man, Law Man and Motorcycle Man.

Lots of Fun

This is a FUN listen. I thought at first she was too ditsy for me but it turned around pretty quick when it started explaining how the relationship went on. Really enjoy Kate Russell's narration.

I had my doubts...I was soooooo wrong!!

About 25% through the story I restarted and fell in love with "Gwen's Man!" In the beginning I was not impressed and then it started to get to me, so I restarted it and could not stop! The storyline was really kind of interesting, different than your usual falling in love with a sexy hot man kind of story! Sadly another series in my wish list...you may have to bury me with my ipod and earbuds. The narrator is a little annoying at times but the good out weighs the bad and I wouldn't want to hear it with anyone else!

Dominant man, submissive woman

Would you try another book from Kristen Ashley and/or Kate Russell?

Maybe

What could Kristen Ashley have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A stronger Gwen. Men who do not force their point of view.

Would you be willing to try another one of Kate Russell’s performances?

Maybe. She did a good job with Gwen and Hawks voices but not so goo with the other men.

What character would you cut from Mystery Man?

Mitch - he was never developed - no need for this character.

Any additional comments?

The character Hawk reminds me of Ranger from the Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum novels.

5 Dreamy Alpha Hero Story Stars!

I have been hearing for a while now that Kristen Ashley's books are like crack for romance book addicts. Well, knowing my proclivity towards romance immersion, particularly when I find a series that I like, I avoided Ms. Ashley's books like the plague for quite some time now. But I have had Mystery Man burning a hole in my Audible account pocket for a while now, and I finally decided to dive in a couple of days ago. Nearly 14-hours of audio later, and barely having come up for air in between listening sessions, I can honestly say that I now definitely get all the Kristen Ashley buzz. If you love alpha bad boy romances, and you have not yet had a chance to read or listen to Mystery Man, you should move it to the very top of your reading/listening list!

"Yowza"! What a story Mystery Man is! Protective alpha bad boys abound in an action-packed, suspense filled world. From our mystery man himself, to a hot biker gang leader and top law enforcement officer, the Mystery Man heroine, Gwendolyn Kidd, is just surrounded by "yummy" heroes! All of whom seem to want to help her in her plight to save her sister who has double-crossed the wrong people.

Add in a rather interesting beginning to her romantic adventures with mystery man, "Hawk" Delgado, which begins with him
clandestinely finding his way to her bed for a year and half but nothing more, and you have a rather interesting romantic journey for two people who for their own reasons have a "hand up" to prevent themselves from ever being really in danger of falling in love.

I absolutely loved Ms. Ashley's writing style! What a breath of fresh air and I highly enjoyed Kate Russell's delivery thereof. I could just hear Gwen's flirtatious nature, and unique personality, come through my ear buds, and I thought her delivery of the many humorous passages, including the numerous passages containing Hawk's and Gwen's witty banter, were flawlessly delivered. My only wish is that she had found a way to make the male voices slightly deeper. While Hawk's voice, for the most part was in keeping with my picture, Tack's voice in particular just didn't seem right. It was described as being deep and gravelly but Ms. Russell's portrayal thereof just didn't have any of that effect. Nonetheless, putting that aside, particularly given Tack's smaller role in this book, I think the narration overall was quite satisfying and enhanced my experience.

Overall I give Mystery Man 5-stars for the writing and 4-stars for the narration.

Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

Need a fan to cool down

I thought Kate Russell did a fantastic job with both male and female narration. I would love dual POV's but it wasn't needed.

This was a sexy and tingling listen! Holy crap you're going to need a shower to cool down. I will definitely be buying the other audios.

I hope that Kate is the narrator because I really enjoyed her voice

Just OK

It was ok. Narrator sounded like she was whispering for most of the book. Her breathy voice made any action seem anticlimactic

Good Story, Good Narration, Enh Main Characters

Liked the story and narration, and it was worth the time, although it did drag at points. The H and h, though.... not so great. There's a thin line between alpha and a-hole, and he usually stomped right over to the wrong side. I just got the sense that he was really good at mind games, and if other men hadn't been interested in her, I'm not sure he would have gone back with her. There's a thin line between quirky and crazy, and she was usually on the right side, but barely. She was, however a spineless dishrag of a woman when it came to men, and I'm convinced that she would have been fine with any of the three men who became infatuated with her, and only ended up with the one who was the most persistent. Didn't get a romantic, meant for each other vibe most of the way.

Some weird, some annoying, some good

This was my first book by this author so I am not sure how much of this is her style vs being unique to this book. However, there are a few points I wanted to call out:

A few phrases are repeated way too many times (squishy tummy, “golden spot” ugh). The same is true of actions - hand on the neck, for instance. Is this an alpha trope or something? Maybe I just don’t know the genre.

Gwen is a huuuuuuuuge flake. Even liking the story by its end, I still cannot reconcile how very easily every male character is able to get his tongue in her mouth.

The narrator is so inconsistent. She will speak lines in a normal voice, that are followed in the narrative by “she whispered”. Then she will whisper an entire five minute dialog that doesn’t have the same context mention. It really detracts from the story and is annoying; I’m kind of disappointed the same narrator is used for the following books.

Nowhere was it ever clarified what Hawks actual job is. Why?

I did get into the story and enjoyed it. I will likely read another book by KA. I’m unsure if I will continue this particular series though due to the narrator.