• On a Night Like This

  • The Callaways #1
  • By: Barbara Freethy
  • Narrated by: Robin Rowan
  • Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (294 ratings)

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On a Night Like This  By  cover art

On a Night Like This

By: Barbara Freethy
Narrated by: Robin Rowan
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Publisher's summary

From #1 NY Times Best-selling Author, Barbara Freethy, comes a romantic new contemporary series about the Callaways, a big, blended Irish family born to serve and protect.

The second oldest of the Callaway clan, Aiden Callaway veered from the family tradition of urban firefighting and became a smokejumper, never questioning his choice until the job took the life of his friend, Kyle, and left Aiden with injuries and fractured memories. Everyone blames Aiden for what happened, but he doesn't remember, nor is he sure he wants to remember. The truth may clear Aiden of blame but destroy Kyle's reputation and hurt the people he left behind.

Aiden seeks help from an unlikely ally…

Sara had always been untouchable, sweet, innocent, his sister's best friend, and the girl next door. But one reckless night in their youth took their relationship to a new level. Sara has never forgiven or forgotten the way Aiden brought it crashing down, but she's no longer that girl with the crazy crush. She's a woman in search of her own truth.

The sparks between Aiden and Sara have been smoldering for a very long time. Sara is afraid to take another chance on a man who broke her heart, and Aiden knows better than anyone how dangerous an intense fire can be.

As teenagers they weren't ready for each other. Are they ready now?

On A Night Like This is the first book in an eight book connected contemporary romance series featuring the intriguing Callaway family. Love, mystery, adventure - the Callaways have it all!

©2013 Barbara Freethy (P)2013 Barbara Freethy

Critic reviews

“Freethy has a gift for creating complex characters.” ( Library Journal)
“Barbara Freethy is a master storyteller with a gift for spinning tales about ordinary people in extraordinary situations and drawing readers into their lives.” ( Romance Reviews Today)
“Freethy's skillful plotting and gift for creating sympathetic characters will ensure that few dry eyes will be left at the end of the story.” ( Publishers Weekly on The Way Back Home)

What listeners say about On a Night Like This

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    102
  • 4 Stars
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    49
  • 2 Stars
    17
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    98
  • 4 Stars
    103
  • 3 Stars
    43
  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enticing story to the end!

Where does On a Night Like This rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Because the story line is so good I'd say this audiobook would rank in my top 10.

What was one of the most memorable moments of On a Night Like This?

When Aiden finds Sarah at her house after she finds the box of pictures and sweeps her off to Redding for an escape.

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

Well, I have to say I was not very happy with Ms. Redding's performance. The women often sounded pouty or too your for their ages. Many of the men were dramatically too snappish or angry. In fact she made everyone too drama filled much of the time. I have listened to many books now and there is just no reason to have the characters sound so poised for dramatics so much of the time. It would do Barbara Freethy's books a boon to find a new narrator As her stories are very good and her characters are very likeable.

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

There are many but I suppose to pick one it might be when Aiden and Sarah go to visit Kyles Wife.

Any additional comments?

This book has a story that moves right along. it kept me listening and wanting more. It ended leaving some dangling ended that makes me want to move quickly on to the next book in the series. Barbara Freethy is a skilled writer.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Poor Narration

Loved the storyline, but felt like I was listening to a mechanical voice. The clipped words made me feel like the audio was produced by a computer reading the words. It was missing an easy flow and was difficult to make myself listen.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Second chance romance

If you could sum up On a Night Like This in three words, what would they be?

Sweet, connection, and discovery.

What was one of the most memorable moments of On a Night Like This?

There were two really memorable moments. One was when Sara confronted her father and the other was when Aiden discovered the truth about why Kyle died in the fire.

Which character – as performed by Robin Rowan – was your favorite?

Sara

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

Yes, it was. I wanted to see how the rest of the story would unfold.

Any additional comments?

There was a good story, good pacing, and great characters. I would recommend this book and I'll be reading the other books in this series.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good grief..

Any additional comments?

This narrator is just terrible. Aiden sounds just like Sara, which should be real interesting when they have sex. I just bought this audible for $1.99 and I can certainly see why it's on sale. If you're not even going to try to sound manly then don't be a narrator. I'll finish the book by just reading it. Geez!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story

but the whispering little girl voice the narrator used for the female characters was a bit off-putting. Also, the gruffness of some of the male characters' voices made them unlikable to me.

The story was good and had enough content to make this a possible to-read series, but I would not listen to the rest.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Long drawn-out story...

I swear, this story could have been wrapped up in fifty pages.

I like the second-chances theme, but the back and forth was tiring and the "big reveal" wasn't a "big reveal" at all.

The narrator did a good job, no issues there.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • DK
  • 01-08-16

Another Series I've Been Suckered In To!! :-)

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

Absolutely, this audio book would be safe in a couple different circles of my friends. There is enough spice to keep it interesting without going over the top with graphic descriptions.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Aiden, because he was dealing with so much and denying even more.

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

Yes it was and I had to spread it out over two days! It just about drove me wild. It's a romance wrapped up in danger with a bit of mystery as well. I made myself shut it off at 1 am last night with 3 hours to go. It was the first thing I put on today because I wanted to hear all of it, right to the end.

Alex is coming home for her dad 60 birthday. They have never had any sort of relationship, but she is hopeful that as he saves he will also soften. I cannot really elaborate anymore than the publisher summary for fear of spoiling. (See more of my comments below)

Publisher's Summary:

The second oldest of the Callaway clan, Aiden Callaway veered from the family tradition of urban firefighting and became a smokejumper, never questioning his choice until the job took the life of his friend, Kyle, and left Aiden with injuries and fractured memories. Everyone blames Aiden for what happened, but he doesn't remember, nor is he sure he wants to remember. The truth may clear Aiden of blame but destroy Kyle's reputation and hurt the people he left behind.

Aiden seeks help from an unlikely ally…

Sara had always been untouchable, sweet, innocent, his sister's best friend, and the girl next door. But one reckless night in their youth took their relationship to a new level. Sara has never forgiven or forgotten the way Aiden brought it crashing down, but she's no longer that girl with the crazy crush. She's a woman in search of her own truth.

The sparks between Aiden and Sara have been smoldering for a very long time. Sara is afraid to take another chance on a man who broke her heart, and Aiden knows better than anyone how dangerous an intense fire can be.

As teenagers they weren't ready for each other. Are they ready now?
--------

Any additional comments?


I can tell you that 'I like the heck out of this' and have added the other 8 Callaway books to my Wish List.

My only critique of the book is that there were a lot of outside characters to keep track of. I find this is typical in the first book of the series. I may have missed some of the more subtle story line but look forward to continuing these with these characters as the series progresses.

The performance was OK. There were moments where Robin Rowan started out of character but quickly adapted. I think it's difficult with so many main characters and secondary characters – men, women and kids – to try to keep track of who you are supposed to be portraying. I don't know how any of these narrators are able to do this.

ALWAYS listen to the sample before buying. I found that listening at a little faster speed made it better. But I don't think the performance was nearly as bad as other reviewers charge.

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my review. I would recommend it for any of the "typical" romance types. It may be a little bit steamy for a straight-laced granny (although they are the worst – those grannies and their secrets.)

As I said, I'm going to put the remaining Callaways on my Wish List. This does not happen often when I am listening to a book in exchange for a review. This series reminds me of Bella Andre's Sullivan series.

Notes: a few mature scenes (18+) but other than that there isn't anything to warn about.

Note to you, reading this~

I enjoy leaving reviews, as I know that I read them the reviews of others before I purchase a book. If you found my review helpful in your decision about this book, would you please select yes directly below this paragraph? Thank you so much.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • JB
  • 04-07-22

Story Ok, Narrator MEH...

This was very painful to listen too. Robin Rowan sounded like she was 13 years old in her rendition of this story. The characters are WAY older than high school, even if the characters went to school together. The syntax was lousy, and very choppy. I could not wait to finish this listen. I may have to read the rest of the books to find out more of the characters. HORRIBLE!! The only redeeming factor, her "male" voices were sort of decent. Just "sort of".


The story had a fairly decent premise, and the outcome not as mysterious as the author wanted to lead us to believe. Thank goodness it was a 'realistic" outcome and not something outrageous.

I could not recommend this book to listen too, but, maybe to actually read it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable story!

I love this book, the writing, and the characters. The story has some mystery but is mainly about 2 people finding their way through life's trials to a happily ever after ending. The narration is good but the male voices were hard to differentiate from the female voices at times making it difficult to know who was speaking.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you

For you are my new author I hope to read many of your bookshelf have found a few more of this series and will be enjoying them

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