Void

By: Cassy Roop

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

I am an escort. I screw men and get screwed for money, living my life everyday as Jericho Lane. My clientele list is immaculate. I am sought out, demanded and damn good at my job. I don't care that these men have families at home, or that they are important people. I do it for the money to survive. There is nothing that could make me feel a bit of remorse or concern about what I do because I was born with the inability to experience or feel emotions...I don't feel pain and I don't feel sorrow. I don't feel extreme happiness or love. I am void. A blank canvas of emotion. An empty hole in an endless sea of circumstances, moods, and relationships. Until one client changes everything.

©2015 Cassy Roop (P)2015 Cassy Roop

Obvious mystery and careless writing mar story.

While the story and characters are basically interesting, I had a couple of problems with this novel. First, the mystery is pretty obvious early on so the suspense is not especially effective. Second, the writing and/or editing is careless in a number of places with an incorrect word used, for example emerged vs immersed. I don't know if the mistake was the writers or the readers, but the editors or producers should have caught these careless errors.

What if you couldn’t feel anything?

I was warned when I chose this book that it is not a traditional romance. And it isn’t. But I’m always willing to try something new and this book is definitely unique. It is hard to compare it to other books accurately – especially romances.

Alexithymia is a personality construct characterized by the subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions in the self. The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating.

So what does it mean if your heroine has this disorder? Is it a mental illness? Is there treatment? If she is happy, does she really need to change? Is change even possible?

Nicola has life mapped out. She was diagnosed at a very young age as being unable to show emotion. She’s present, but does not feel emotionally invested. Her parents noticed pretty quickly something was wrong, but all the therapists in the world won’t fix what is wrong with her. Or so she believes.

As an adult, she has chosen to be an escort. And why not? The pay is good, hours are decent, and she has complete control. The best part? She has no feelings. Her clients are just that – a means to an end. A way to pay her bills. Even the act of sex doesn’t elicit any particular pleasure. But she’s good at sex and so that works for her. I liked that Nicola/Jericho Lane was empowered. Some women end up being an escort because of financial reasons while many women choose the lifestyle because they enjoy the money, the sex, or the power.

Or all three.

Because of Nicola’s alexithymia, she is a void. She might feel pain, but she has no emotional reaction to it. She can acknowledge the emotions others feel and can pretend to have those emotions when it suits her purposes, all the while feeling nothing.

Anyone who has ever suffered crippling grief over the death of a loved one, or heartbreak when losing the love of your life, or jealousy when someone gets something you have coveted, might envy Nicola. I didn’t. I need connections in my life, not just casual friendships, transitory relationships, and people who come and go. I need to emotionally and physically connect with people. Not necessarily sexually, but at least to have touch and physical affection.

A void.
Nothingness.
No connection.

I’ll take anything over that.

When Link appears in Nicola’s life, everything changes. Since I am not familiar with her illness, I don’t know how realistic her turnaround is, but that almost doesn’t matter because I want her to find happiness, to find fulfillment.

Her encounters with Link are sexually fulfilling, but when Nicola begins to crave the emotional interact, he puts up barriers. (A quick note – he has reasons and they didn’t impress me, but that’s just me.)

There is an entire subplot which almost distracted from the characters’ growth and development, but in the end, I found the book oddly satisfying.

This is not the first book I’ve listened to that was narrated by Meghan Kelly and I continue to enjoy her work. I will definitely listen to more.

As Nicola said, she was ‘no longer void,’ and she is ‘now fulfilled’.

Not Quite What I Expected

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

I did not read the print version, so it would be impossible to make a comparison.

What other book might you compare Void to and why?

Void reminded me very much of the book Alpha by Jasinda Wilder, which incidentally I also listened to. It is probably the only other book I have listened to in this genre and the similarities are pretty striking. I don't want to give away the story, lets just say blindfolds, money and hot sex (lots of it) were the predominant themes.

Which character – as performed by Meghan Kelly – was your favorite?

I would have to say Nicola/Jericho who was the main female protagonist in the story. Aside from the male protagonist Andris, who I also liked, there weren't many likable characters in this tale. Meghan Kelly did a fine job bringing the many different voices to life.

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

Not really, it was not that type of story.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to anyone that likes this genre (Erotica). I was a bit curious as to the psychiatric condition that Nicola suffered from and am assuming that it was real. I always thought that total lack of empathy was sociopathy, a condition for which there is no "cure". I guess that's why this is fiction right?

I was gifted this book for an honest review.

Amazing, Weird and Extra Hot!

What made the experience of listening to Void the most enjoyable?

Meghan Kelly's performance is unbelievable. The plot is very different from other similar love stories like this and I think the audio version is far better than just reading the book (which is also amazing).

What was one of the most memorable moments of Void?

Two destroyed people find their piece in each other. Each and every scene between them is memorable, strangely amazing and although very weird it comes to a final awesome ending!

Which scene was your favorite?

The first one (the meeting) and the last one (the understanding)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hot & ADDICTIVE

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts opinions and ratings are my own. I was under no obligation to post a review or give positive feedback.
Thank you very much Cassy Roop and of course Meghan Kelly for this book.

Unique and hot

Really liked the psychological aspect of the story. A unique and erotic novel is pretty hard to find. Narration was great

THIS BOOK IS FREAKING AMAZING!!!

I can't tell you how much I LOVED this book!! It will TOTALLY keep you on the edge!! You think you know what's gonna happen, but NOPE, you don't!! I could not stop with this book!! I actually growled at my hubby when he tried to bother me!! LOL!! Cassy is SUPER TALENTED!! I haven't loved a book this much in a while!! And the Narration was PERFECTION!! I absolutely LOVE Mehgan Kelly!! She is soooo good at this!! I have loved every book I've listened to by her!!

Good stand alone

I really enjoyed the suspense about link. I do wish the epilogue was more.. more in-depth more into the other characters.. I don't feel it's a strong enough story line for multiple books but just a more complete epilogue. Love the narrator and her portrayal of the different characters... The recording was a little choppy. over all really enjoyed the story and the telling of it and would definitely recommend it :-)

WOW! What a great read and re-read

An erotic story that I won't soon forget. I didn't put this book down from the first word to the end! I was so glad I was listening to it with ear buds and no cover. I don't know how I would explain to my family what this was about. I kept it all to myself and my imagination. I don't intentionally look for books like this, but I really enjoyed the break from my routine.

Sexy and dangerous too!

Nicola who is a call girl using the name Jericho is void of emotions. Nicola doesn't feel sadness, happiness, fear, nothing. She didn't even get upset to bad over her parents deaths. The only thing Nicola feels as Jericho is pleasure. There fore Nicola has been seeing a shrink for 25 years trying to over come this problem. Jericho is offered a 12 week special task as a call girl. It is hot and fun and leads her straight into danger too!

Read along with The narrator, Meghan Kelly, as she delivers to flawless read to us with multiple voices and excitement. The author, Cassy Roop did a great job on this plot. Besides having hot sex in it, this book also has danger, mystery, and lots of intrigue in it. I loved the happy ending too! I loved this book!

Loved this book!

What did you love best about Void?

I loved the whole book, the best part is when she started to have feelings. She had never been loved, so she was unsure what to do.

What about Meghan Kelly’s performance did you like?

I just love Meghan Kelly, she truly makes the books enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Void is a book about two people that meet by chance, both have had horrible past and will work together to have a better future. Don't miss out on this book, it is a great book!