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Waking Olivia  By  cover art

Waking Olivia

By: Elizabeth O'Roark
Narrated by: Rock Engle, Stephanie Wyles
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Publisher's summary

A failing farm. His father's debt. And a struggling college track team.

Will Langstrom has too many responsibilities, and the last thing he needs is Olivia Finnegan, a beautiful but troubled new transfer student.

A smart mouth. A strong right hook. And a secret that could destroy her.

Olivia is her own worst enemy, with a past she can't seem to escape, and the last person she wants help from is a cocky track coach she can never seem to please.

Refusing to be pushed away, Will is determined to save her. And determined to resist an attraction that could destroy them both.

Contains mature themes.

©2016 Elizabeth O’Roark (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Waking Olivia

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

Good but issue with male narrator

I loved this. It’s such a cute story and so funny. I’m partial to Brendon, the MMCs brother. He never said something that didn’t make me laugh.

The only downsides:

I don’t think the Male narrator was a good choice for this character. His voice was fine and his reading was.. but just NOT for Will lol. What is Will? Like.. 25, 26? This dude sounded like a dorky dad instead of a tough-love coach. He was just... way to excitable..

I have to this story is that the H is a fkn pussy and only acts on his lust out of jealousy, fear or coercion - never out of courage. It was a huge turnoff and a strong female like Olivia deserves a strong male who does nothing but make her know how wanted she is. At the very least, she deserved some open communication where his hesitation was concerned. He is well aware of her insecurities and where they stem from — why she doesn’t want anyone close. It just blew my mind that Will, who wanted to “save” her, could overlook this.

HUGE PLUS! The characters are all extremely well developed!

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

Will suck you in!

Absolutely LOVED Olivia and Will. This story will just pull you in! Yes a bit forbidden but the attraction is instant. The trauma of Olivias past haunts her. When her dream is on the line Will can’t help but feel drawn to help her.

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

MMC unpleasant

MMC's voice is so whiney. I loved reading this book and it was written by one of my favorite authors, but the male narrator's voice is very unpleasant to listen to when he gets upset or annoyed.

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

Wow

Now, let me tell you that I don't write reviews and you've probably heard this before. Even my favorite books, new and old, I have never felt the need to respond. This book gave me the urge to.

The story was gripping and real. The character detail and progress are amazing. I've been rut recently trying to a book that entices me, keeps me locked in. Finally, I found a great romance that I didn't want to end. (So glad that I'm out of this rut.)

The romance between Will and Olivia is spectacular and swoon worthy. With enough push and pull to keep your heart racing and frustrated at the same time.

Olivia as a woman is strong and after all she has been through, she still has a innocence to her.
Will progresses in into a real man, instead of just a boy with model body.

I give the narration 4 stars because sometimes the voices bugged me. They occasionally became monotonous and their opposite sex voices could use a little work, but really it was still good. I would listen to their voices again.

Hope you read it and enjoy it as much as I did. I'm off to read my next O'Roark book. Hope I'm completely out of my rut on stale books.

K. P.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So very good

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Great listen looking to read more books by Elizabeth.

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

Good female narrator. Hated the male one.

I-loved this book but the male narrator’s over acting ruined the story for me.

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

Taboo romance. 1POV. HEA. Standalone.

⚠️Trigger warning for abuse.

This is a Sexy, taboo (coach/college student) romance. The woman had a a horrible childhood and is still fighting the demons of what happened. The man is fighting his feelings for the girl bc he is her college coach and would get fired if he acted on it. All and all it was a pretty good listen with very little angst.

Steph Wyles did a great job narrating. Rock Engle.... has a nice voice but his dictation isn’t. It’s a weird juxtaposition bc his voice is “mature” but the fluctuation of his sentences makes him sound like a young, drunk, creeper.

There is a satisfying HEA set several years in the future. This is a standalone but there is a book after this based on secondary characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my absolute favorite reads and listens

Waking Olivia is written Elizabeth O’Roark and narrated by Rock Engle and Stephanie Wyles. Okay, for starters, this was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and I have read it several times since. However, I only just saw that it was in audio, so I was super excited to start it. I made the mistake of reading the reviews first and everyone complained about the narration and honestly, I really just DON’T get it. Perhaps, I’m such a fan of this story that I was able to not notice what everyone was saying, because I loved the narration. I had never heard either narrator before and I very much enjoyed both of their takes on the characters and the emotion they brought to the story. I loved the gravelly voice of Will, and the hard edge of Olivia. I even loved the voices of the accessory characters too. Often times, when you listen to your favorite book, the audio doesn’t always measure up and for me, this one did perfectly. So, if you love this book, ignore the bad reviews and give it a shot. I’m very glad that I did and I will be listening again in the future.

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

I would read the book before listening

The story is written well and I loved it. I have read the book twice and just finished the audiobook. The male narrator is sub-par. Had I not read the book beforehand, and been excited about what was to come, he would have ruined it for me. But I cannot stress this enough, THE BOOK IS GREAT! Female narration is also great.

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

Great story, bad male narration.

This is a great story, I’ve read it many times. The male narrator sounds like he’s old and I cringed when he spoke. The female was great.

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