She Can Run

She Can

By: Melinda Leigh

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's summary

Elizabeth was a young widow with two small children when she met Congressman Richard Baker. Handsome and wealthy, with a sparkling public image, Richard seemed like the perfect man to provide the security that Beth and her kids were craving. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret about her new husband, Beth realizes he will go to any lengths - even murder - to keep it. After barely escaping with her life, she and her children flee. They eventually make their way to a secluded estate in the Pennsylvania countryside, where Beth dares to hope she has found a safe place at last....

Forced into retirement by an unexpected injury, Philadelphia homicide detective Jack O’Malley is mourning the loss of his career when his uncle abruptly dies, leaving Jack to dispose of his crumbling country house. Unbeknownst to him, his uncle engaged a caretaker just before his death, a mysterious woman with two children and a beautiful face that haunts his dreams. Determined to know her, Jack begins an investigation into Beth’s past. When he uncovers the shocking truth, and a local woman is viciously murdered, Jack puts his own life on the line to keep Beth and her children safe.

A 2012 International Thriller Award nominee for Best First Novel, She Can Run is a sexy, satisfying debut from award-winning author Melinda Leigh, packed with enough suspense and romance to get even the tamest heart racing!

©2011 Melinda Leigh (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Well...

I'm glad this wasn't my first book by this author. I'm already a big fan of hers, and this is obviously an earlier work-definitely not her best.

The story itself had so many moving parts it felt like I was inside a Swiss watch. The pace would drag a bit, then huge plot points would drop like bombs and I'd find myself backing up because I had missed some key elements (that happens when you multi-task while listening). As I finally got a grip on things, I found myself liking the story, although there were times that a character's behavior or a plot point would bother me and I'd have to let it go. I reminded myself to enjoy the book for the escapism quality, and I did.

The character of Jack was one I thoroughly enjoyed. He's angry at things that are beyond his control, and frustrated that he's not able to be the man he once was. Easily understood concepts. He's got a serious White Knight complex going on, and that's just what his new staff member needs.

So, there is a lot to like in this story, and I enjoyed it-even if the narrator was less than stellar.

Very predictable

Too predictable. Narrator’s voice was same for every character. Too much sex for my taste.

Suspenseful but flawed

The plot groups the reader from the beginning. However there is a ridiculous psychic element that is not revealed until far into the story. (I would've skipped the book if I had known this.) The psychic element ends up producing a silly deus ex machina in the end. Also there is no character development.

Great story

It was a great story,it really was but the only thing is that I wish there were a little bit more of the serial killer side than the love story side but I did enjoy the book.

I wanted to love it

I couldn’t make it through chapter 5 unfortunately the narrators voice just didn’t appeal to me and I couldn’t focus. Monotone and quiet. I have loved all other books and I suspect this story is also great.

Good story. Horrible, horrible narrator.

Would you try another book from Melinda Leigh and/or Amy Rubinate?

Yes, I loved the story however the narrator was absolutely horrible. She did ok on the characters voices but the straight reading was so monotone it was just about unbearable. If I wasn't so "into" the story, I would have returned it for another book. After dozens and dozens of books and many different narrators, this is the worse one and the only one which led me to even consider returning a book. I'm sorry, I know that's mean and I've questioned people before who gave bad reviews of narrators; now I realize how they felt. If the narration is bad, the book is way off.

Would you be willing to try another one of Amy Rubinate’s performances?

Never.

Do you think She Can Run needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. I'm satisfied with the ending.

Any additional comments?

Listen to the narrator before you buy to see if you can tolerate her voice.

Distracting narrator

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

I'd recommend the author, as I thought the book well written. It was compelling enough to grit my teeth and not let the narration keep me from finishing it.

If you’ve listened to books by Melinda Leigh before, how does this one compare?

Haven't listened to her work before, but would again.

What didn’t you like about Amy Rubinate’s performance?

I love listening to books and have a very high tolerance for different styles of narration. But this time I was so distracted by the breathy voice, which alone might have been ok, but when combined with a cadence that rises at the end of phrases instead if dropping naturally, I found my attention focused on figuring out what was bothering me rather than the story. I kept waiting for her voice to drop. It gave an over dramatic flavor to the reading without which the work itself was quite ok.

Any additional comments?

I rarely post a review, but I think this author deserves a different narrator.

Narrator is terrible!!

Narrator is terrible. Book is good. She tries to put too much sexy in her voice.

5 out of 10.

Let me start by saying that I love the story line from beginning to end. My 5 ou of 10 is beacuse of the narrator. I had been an audiobook listener for a while now and I had found a few narrators that would had made a huge difference in this book. January LaVoy for instance, could had made this book a 10. As a listener, I appreciate the work quality of the narrator as much as the book. Not very satisfy with this one.

annoying narration

Would you be willing to try another one of Amy Rubinate’s performances?

no. most of the narration seemed to have the same breathy tone, with most sentences ending with the same note, It seemed as if it was read as if she was trying to keep me in suspense. I found it very annoying.