Underneath It All

Walsh Series #1

By: Kate Canterbary

Narrated by: Christian Fox, Lucy Rivers

Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Matthew Walsh doesn't have feelings, and he likes it that way. Between breathing life into his family's third generation Boston architecture shop, keeping the peace with his five siblings, and competing in triathlons, he doesn't have much time for feelings. At least that's the case until Lauren Halsted tumbles into his life.

The feisty, beautiful blonde isn't what he wants and definitely not what he expects. She's so much more. Lauren Halsted doesn't have time and that's turning into a real problem for her. Losing focus isn't something Lauren does with any regularity. She has checklists and to-do lists and action plans a mile long. She doesn't have distractions and she doesn't let anyone tell her what to do.

When she trips down a flight of stairs and into her architect's arms, she gives into distraction for one night. They weren't looking but they found each other anyway.

©2015 Kate Canterbary (P)2015 Tantor

Matthew and Lauren

Honestly, I have never been more annoyed with a main character than I was with Lauren. She spent 90% of the book pushing Matthew away and making him feel bad. For the first time in a long time, I kind of wished that they didn't end up together. He deserved someone that wouldn't run away every time things got a little difficult. However, I did enjoy the complicated family dynamic.

Christian Fox is one of my favorite narrators and Lucy Rivers did a wonderful job as well

A good listen, but be prepared to be frustrated.

Unexpected!

I loved this book. I think the story was nice and easy and funny and sexy. It was a good break from the angsty books I usually pick, I feel emotionally charged and full of feel goods.

The narrators, especially Christian Fox, really made this book come to life. Thoroughly impressed all around.

Great series

Lauren and Matt have a beautiful relationship. Sweet and very HOT. I read this series out of order until I realized it then started over. Each book is amazing. It doesn't ruin the story of listened to out of order either. Great family series

Loved It

This book switches things up from the norm and it flows at a nice pace and the characters are funny

Enjoyable book.

I discovered this author earlier this year and I’m addicted to her words/books. Her stories are funny, loving and set in New England. This New England woman couldn’t be happier, I can picture all the sites in the book. Great books.

Love the story love the narrators!

I love this story, It has it all the feels and steam too. I've listened to the entire series several times.

Immature Underneath It All

I can't decide who was more immature: Matthew the hostile, self-absorbed architect or Lauren (28) the workaholic teacher planning to start her own elementary school.

While Kate Canterbury showed great promise as a writer, her supposedly adult characters acted more like insecure adolescents than intelligent, rational grown-ups. When Lauren hired Matthew's family firm to help her find & remodel a building, their instant sexual attraction soon became deeply disturbing and violent.

Matthew's father was a sadist asshole who hated his own children, blaming them for their mother's death. Rather than having him arrested for physical assault and getting a restraining order to keep him from harassing his family, they all accepted his ridiculous abuse. Sadly, the siblings played the victim and took their frustrations out on themselves and the rest of the world.

Matthew was an angry and aggressive man who liked to hit, bite and degrade women, which was strange since he adored his mother's memory and loved his sisters. Matthew became totally obsessed with Lauren, stalking and pressuring her into having a sexual relationship that left her battered and bruised. Matthew thought he cared about Lauren but wasn't actually capable of genuine love or affection.

Considering that Lauren was raised by loving, normal parents, I didn't understand why she was willing to allow Matthew to treat her with such disrespect. Where was her common sense? (example unprotected sex) Rather than hiring help or finding volunteers to assist with her school project, Lauren tried to do everything herself, making her tired and cranky. I admired her dream but didn't understand her martyr act.

Both Matthew and Lauren needed counseling to deal with their personal issues, not a dysfunctional and degrading relationship. I found this book depressing, not romantic, sexy or romantic; at least the narration was excellent.

Really nice story

I truly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next in series..... I also believe that these awesome narrators make a book so much better !

Pretty good book.

I don't often leave reviews because I listen to about 4 to 6 books a week and most of the time I'm busy at work when they end and I've just got to click a few buttons to get to the next book I've already downloaded to my library.

With respect to this books story and narration, the story was believable and the characters were having very relationship problems. In many of the reviews I read prior to feading/listening, it was a very common theme that people didn't connect with her, didn't like her and found her to be very cruel and undeserving of him.

I disagree with that wholeheartedly. I think the author just did a better job getting into his feelings and thoughts than hers. I think that there wasn't enough back story about either of them, but mostly her. The whole, "I don't have time for a relationship only goes so far in the face of heat, passion and a lifetime-tyle of love. The author allowed this girl to kind of act like a jerk but there was no real explanation as to why she was so blind to her goals that she was willing to treat him poorly, but again, we have no idea why. Her friends had careers that they tweaked to have a personal life, her parents were in a living decades long relationship and both had fulfilling careers at some point. Why would she think it couldn't happen for her? People do both all the time and if you're with someone who supports your initiative, understands the time needed for such an endeavor and wants you to succeed... that's a good thing to seek. Not through away.

Another thing that could have been fleshed out more is her relationship with her friends. it seems like they were only surface friends, "in real life," but the author said they had been super close. The separating of their friendship because of their changing lives is a choice. Not a foregone conclusion. She should have talked to r
her real friends about her real problems. She didn't talk to anyone about it and that doesn't seem real.

Anyway, that's my 2 to 5 cents on the topic. I enjoyed the book, appreciated the spice level, the dirty talk was a nice addition to their sexual tension and desires. The female narrator could have out a little more feeling into her voice. I've listened to her multiple times and feel like her female voice lacks inflection and depth and if she's reading a book like this one who doesn't have a strongly sympathetic female character, it can hurt the readers perceptions of the book.

The male narrator can, as the sexually thirsty ladies say, "come and get it." He has a great voice for narration and knows how to use it. ;-D

85% Love...15% Hate

I hate that u have a love/hate relationship with this book. It was darn near perfect for me with the exception of the heroine. I couldnt stand her. She took way too long to come to her senses and the way she did was weak at best. The plot, the setting, the narrators, the other characters, even the villian, I loved .