Bad Reputation

New Haven, Book 1

De: Samantha J. Ball

Narrado por: Lisa Lynn Sandlin

A reputation, a mistake, and years of separation.

Melanie Danvers thinks her life is on track. She has a successful career, great friends, and a special someone in her life. But when she least expects it, fate throws her a curveball—a face from the past—the man who deemed their one night together a mistake.

After eight years away, a temporary work contract brings Steven MacAlistar back to his hometown—a place to which he thought he’d never return. It only takes one encounter with Melanie to make him realize that despite the long absence, his heart has never left.

Inextricably linked, Melanie and Steven discover they have their own lessons to learn, mistakes to forgive, and fears to overcome before they can even hope for a future together. With all there is to lose and reputations to salvage, will Melanie and Steven finally take that bold leap of faith and get their happily ever after?

This is the first book in the New Haven series, following the lives of a group of people who are linked through family, friends, and employees. It can be enjoyed as a stand-alone. A happy ending is guaranteed, and there are no cliffhangers. (No swearing and kisses only.)

©2020 Samantha J. Ball (P)2024 Samantha J. Ball

Loved

Such a great story! I really enjoyed it! I haven’t read one with this plot before and it was great

Swoon-worthy romance

I absolutely loved this clean second-chance romance audiobook! It's the perfect blend of swoon-worthy and heartwarming moments. The narrator's skillful delivery truly made it unforgettable. Perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good love story!

Super Sweet Second Chance Romance

I loved this second chance romance! The MCs were friends in high school but lost touch after graduation. Then low and behold end up meeting once more eight years later. Steven the MMC, is a travels a lot for work and ends up coming back to New Haven for his current contract, exactly where Melanie, the FMC, works. Thrown together by work they start to get reacquainted, flaming old feelings back to life. Steven is much more for this relationship then Melanie at first because she holds secrets then she doesn't want to let out. Becoming friends, they get closer and closer until the tension can no longer be denied and they give in.

But it's not an easy relationship by any means, they have so many mistakes, misunderstandings, history and secrets between them. They work through all of this and more, growing to really understand each other, see that misconceived ideas were false, learning to forgive and trust, to let someone into their hearts and lives.

Most of the time they were hanging out with friends so you get to see lots of different interactions with different characters and the relationships between them. There are many friendships, brotherly love between blood relatives and chosen ones, the love of children, and possible other blossoming romances.

Speaking of romance there is lots of tension, banter, and flirting! There is lots of sweet heartfelt moments, as well as deep honest moments, there is pain and healing, mistakes and growth. An interesting story that will keep you reading. And as a reader you know this big secret and the whole time I was just waiting for it to be spilled and for the truth to come out so in keeps you on your toes lol. The ending you get everything you wished for, and it ends on such a happy not it will leave you satisfied and smiling.

Lisa does such an amazing job narrating this book, I really feel like I'm there with the characters, and there is a lot of them so being able o differentiate between them all is tough but Lisa manages it so well! She gives each a character their own voice that I no longer feel like I'm hearing her but their own voices. She gives it so much emotion and depth bringing the author's amazing work to life. I love her narrations.

Content: Closed-Door/passionate kisses, intimacy implied and wanted, it's a bit lusty but never goes past kisses on page.

second chance romance

4.75 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 - ALC review

This was a story of second chances for Melanie and Stephen. I couldn't stop listening - I had to find out how else he'd jump to the wrong conclusion, and when he'd finally learn the truth and would Melanie tell him or someone else.

Melanie, Stephen and Sophie are such lovable, likeable, relatable characters. Melanie and Stephen knew each other in high school, life took them different directions, and 8 years later they ended up working together and got a second chance - but a false reputation and a secret linger between them. A wonderful story of love's struggles, challenges, learning to trust each other, and speak the truth. And the ending Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!! Don't worry it's happy. I laughed and cried, screamed in frustration with both Melanie and Stephen, cheered and more throughout the story. I can wait to read the other books in this series and see the relationships all grow and change ❤️😁❤️

The narrator of this audiobook @narratorlisalynn did an amazing job! I loved listening to her!

Thank you to the author Samantha J. Ball for providing me a copy of the Audiobook. This review reflects my honest and true thoughts and experiences with the story.


#closeddoorromance #audiobook #advancelistenerreview #booksread2025

A sweet, clean, and very swoony romance

What a delightful story!! Could two people so perfect for each other have so many mishaps and false starts? Beautifully narrated, I was hanging on every word until the happy ending actually happened! Enjoy!

The Characters felt like friends ❤️

I was hooked on Bad Reputation from the very start. I just had to know how Stephen would react to the big secret! The audio brought the whole story to life in such a dynamic way, making the emotions sharper, the tension more gripping, and the swoony moments even sweeter. It felt like I was right there in New Haven, experiencing every twist and turn alongside the characters who became more than just names on a page, they felt like friends I didn’t want to say goodbye to.

Super Swoony!

This was a fun read! The anticipation of “When will he discover her secret?” kept me reading till the end. It’s a very romantic book, so if you like lots of kisses & romance, this book is for you! However, it is clean - if it were a movie it would probably be rated PG. It’s also the first of a series, so I could tell there were minor characters whose stories will be in books to come. Overall, it’s a very entertaining book & the narrator, Lisa Lynn Sandlin, is fantastic!

Closed-Door Romance with Miscommunication and Second Chances

What a story of miscommunication! I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a tortuous couple before. I actually found myself talking back to my phone while listening —explaining to Stephen what his problem was, and fussing at Melanie for not being honest when she had the chance. That level of emotional involvement says a lot about how invested I was in their story.

Despite the rocky relationship, this is a sweet, contemporary romance with a supportive friend group and close family that adds warmth to the story.

This is a closed-door romance, but the intimacy does lean a little more intense than I expected. There are some passionate make-out scenes and an implied pre-marital moment that is later confirmed. Nothing is graphic, but I personally wouldn’t share this one with a teen.

Narration is excellent! Lisa Lynn Sandlin does an amazing job with such a vast cast of characters, making this story an enjoyable and entertaining audiobook.

I received an Audible code to listen to this story, but my review reflects my honest opinion.

Really Steven?

Let’s be real for a moment… who ever really loves high school? Absolutely no one that I know of. It’s filled with nothing, but hormone raging gossips who just like to stir up drama. And our MFC Melanie is a victim of a vicious rumor that leads her to be a single mother with trust issues. I am glad that this novel ended with a happily ever after, but I will say that I was not a big fan of the love interest aka Steven. Regardless of that, the drama, tension, and complex characters are what had me coming back for more!

P.s. Ms. Lisa Lynn Sandlin did a fantastic job narrating this novel!