Adventurous Proposal

One Month Til I Do, Book 1

By: Laura Barnard

Narrated by: Karena Gregory

Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

After a string of bad dates, Florence Gray is so over online dating. So much so, that if she has to survive another guy standing her up she might just do something crazy...like accept the first proposal she gets.

So when she finds herself alone in the bar, again, Florence can hardly believe her eyes or ears when Hugh Humphreys swoops in and presents her with an proposal so adventurous she can't believe she's actually considering saying yes.

Because, after all, 25 days to plan a wedding is some feat and that’s while getting to know your fiancé, their disapproving mother and dealing with a jealous ex. Throw in the small matter of where they should live and you have Florence wondering what the hell she's gotten herself into.

Can you really countdown to a wedding like an advent calendar? Fall in love with a stranger and make them your husband? Because if she's going to make it down the aisle Christmas morning, Florence has to find out and fast.

©2017 Laura Barnard (P)2019 Laura Barnard

Great Read

Adventurous Proposal: One Month Til I Do, Book One was a great read by Laura Barnard. Florence is done with online dating when she is stood up by another bad date. She finds herself alone in a bar when Hugh Humphreys swoops in and decides to give her a proposal that she is considering. They decide to get married in 25 days on Christmas, all while she is getting to know her fiance. Unfortunately things don't go as planned when there are people who don't want them together. Karena Gregory did a great job of narrating the characters. I can’t wait to read more by Laura Barnard.

Just okay

This book was just okay to me, not really anything special. I thought the blurb was cute, but the story was more like a really REALLY cheesy Hallmark movie. It didnt really hold my attention.

Really Cute

I really enjoyed this! A really sweet story that helps the time in traffic fly by. I really enjoyed hearing the inner monologue of the lead character! Very sweet and light romance.

My only issue was the mic consistency. Sometimes the narrator sounded further away from the mic on certain chapters, leaving me adjusting the volume in my car, Otherwise she brought life to this story.

All in all a nice sweet way to pass the time..

I was provided a free copy of this book and I am leaving an unbiased review

Rom-Com

Adventurous Proposal by Laura Barnard is a romantic comedy that I listened to on audio narrated by Karena Gregory.

This is the second book of Laura’s that I have read and it definitely won’t be my last. She does an amazing job with these rom-coms. I absolutely loved Florence and Hugh!

Karena did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of her work in the future. The only thing I noticed was the sound quality was a bit off on this book which could be a bit distracting.

I would highly recommend this book if you love romantic comedies, holiday romances, or romance books in general.

Unexpected, impromptu, whirlwind relationship.

Audiobook review

This book is about an unexpected, impromptu, whirlwind relationship between 2 people who have been having a hard time finding love. At 30 years old, Florence is desperate to find "the one" so that she doesn't miss out on kids, love, happiness - but all of her online dating experiences have been either lackluster or complete no-shows. On one of these no-shows, a rando at the place starts chatting her up, pointing out her no-show disaster. Their conversation leads down some funny paths and when Flo brings up being almost "too old" for everything (she's 30 - gasp!) he respond "try being 35 and single!" *gasp* They wax poetic to each other about their abysmal search for their life partners. One thing leads to another quickly and Hugh suggests that maybe, a relationship can work if the 2 people want it to. Let's just do it, let's get married! But hey, it has to be by Christmas, which is less than a month away. It's such an outrageous idea that Flo has to say yes.

When it's time to break the news to and meet the parents...well, that's a whole other ball game. With little money & such a short planning window, Flo charges her bestie to help with arrangements...who isn't coping well with the limited budget. Oh, it also doesn't help that spiteful Hugh's ex-girlfriend seems to be mentioned every single time his parents and friends have any sort of conversation with Flo.

The banter in this is great. I liked Hugh's laid back attitude and spunky character. Relating to Flo's resentment of mornings was super easy for me. The writing was fluid and it seemed more "real" than a lot of books out there. There were no over-the-top, can't relate to this rich person back and forths - which is what appealed to me. The class difference was just upper-crust snooty enough to draw disgust, but not so much to fit some obnoxious stereotype. There’s not a whole lot of frisky business up front but they get at it toward the end a little.

The narrator, Karena Gregory, did a fine job with the narration and character inflections, the actual audio recording was terrible. Almost each chapter started out really soft and hollow, and it would fluctuate from this to almost "normal" audio levels and then back. Sometimes it was like the narrator stepped back from the mic mid sentence. Clicks and noises too. I'm not sure if an editing team could go in and clean it up or not, but it would be worth a try, if not just to level out the volume to something consistent. I had to turn my headphones up 2-3 clicks at the beginning of each chapter and then down as it went on, then up again. Maybe a better mic, more soundproofing, and a visible mix board to monitor levels. If it were rerecorded I would want Karena Gregory to do the rerecord, not someone new. Again, I liked her voice and inflection.

STARS: Story: 4* Narration: 4* Editing and mixing: 1*

I’d definitely listen to more of this series if there is one, but the audio really needs to be cleaned up.

I received this book from the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Cheery Chick Lit Christmas Romance

I enjoyed listening to this one. I liked that it was set in England. An English narrator always makes my ears happy. The romance, the friendship, and the humor make it a great read.

Adventurous proposal

I think you'll either love it or hate it. I liked it because it is not taxing on the brain, predictable and short. Sometimes I like these types of book after reading/listening to ones that are more complex.
My only problem is the sound quality. The narrator was ok but there was some audible issues that distracted me from enjoying the book.

Romantic and Holiday what more could you want

Having read or listened to several books by Laura Barnard I was interested to listen to Adventurous Proposal narrated by Karena Gregory who is a new narrator to me.

Florence (Flo) Gray has had enough of disastrous on-line dating and decides to do something rash.

Being stood up yet again is the final straw, although it does give her the opportunity to meet Hugh Humphreys. When he presents her with an outrageous proposal she is shocked that she is even considering it; he wants them to marry within a month.

Can Flo pull a wedding together in such a short time as well as get to know her fiancee and fall in love? All before Christmas morning?

Adventurous Proposal was a funny, sweet romance. Throw in Hugh’s mother who is far from welcoming, an ex that just keeps interfering and you know you are in for a chaotic yet fun story.

I really liked Flo and Hugh, both separately and together. A fun, not overly long story based around Christmas. What more could you need?

Okay

I got this book via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review, This was a strange story that twisted itself around a couple who meet in a bar. Have a weird conversation then the next day he asks her to marry him. The story goes on from there getting stranger and stranger. People are either happy for them or angry about their marriage. The narration was good but there were audible issues. hollow sounds and strange clicks.

A fun romantic ride that will keep you guessing

What a fun book! This is a let's take a chance romance. Florence and Hugh meet after being stood up by their online dating dates. They hit it off and agree to see each other again. Florence didn't expect it to be hours later at 3 am. Hugh comes up with an proposal that they get married. They have good chemistry and hit it off right away and they can spend the rest of their lives getting to know each other. It's a crazy idea but Florence goes for it. As they plan their wedding, that will be in a bout a month!, they get to know each other and all their secrets start to come out. Hugh has an ex that still wants him and a mother that is controlling. Florence hopes she is making the right decision. As the days go by she keeps second guessing her decision. But she can't deny how Hugh makes her feel like she never has. And talk about swoon worthy...Hugh. Their love making is off the charts and Hugh's commitment to her just makes my heart warm. It goes to show you that when you meet that person for you you just know. This book also had me guessing the whole time. I really didn't know if they would make it down the isle. I loved their friends as side characters. I actually hope they have stories too! I will reveal there is one scene where Florence is in a metal club with her girls for a celebration and that scene had me laughing out loud I did see some negative reviews before I read this and after reading/listening to this book I don't get it. Yes it wasn't realistic really but who wants 100% real life all the time? I loved this fun story and I guarantee so will other readers/listeners.