Against All Odds

By: Kris Bryant, Maggie Cummings, M. Ullrich

Narrated by: Melissa Sternenberg

Police Officer Peyton Clarke and Real Estate Agent Tory Stevens are complete strangers who experience an instant attraction during a moment of shared misery: trying on bridesmaids dresses. But their flirtation comes to an abrupt end when Bradley Richter enters Angelina's Bridal Boutique determined to end every life in the store. He's deranged, heartbroken, and sure of his sharpshooting skills, but he has miscalculated. Two survive.

Peyton is determined to capture the guy who killed 11 people, but for Tory, the tragedy is a wake-up call to open herself up to more than professional success. She and Peyton learn that love can be found in the most hopeless of places. They escaped death once, but will they survive when Bradley's determined to make his kill rate 100 percent?

©2018 Kris Bryant, Maggie Cummings, M. Ullrich (P)2021 Bold Strokes Books INC

Narrator Ruined Book

I had high hopes for this audiobook as i am a fan of all 3 writers, but they chose the wrong narrator (or the wrong narrator was chosen for them? not sure how that works). Sorry, but Melissa Sterneberg has the opposite of a sexy voice and all her characters sound the same. I almost gave up on the book several times. I wasn't sure who was talking half the time. The story was good, but lost umph along the way. Wish Kris Bryant wrote the whole book and had Abbey Craden (swoon) narrate or Lori Prince... bet the whole thing would have been much better.

Excellent thriller/romance

I loved this book. I am impressed at how well each author’s writing meshes with the others’. They each have their own voice and yet they work wonderfully together. It felt like I was getting the best of each (even though that’s not really fair to M. Ullrich), hearing each of their voices distinctly while completely forgetting there was more than one writer. They work seamlessly together. Each author wrote a character – Tory, Peyton, Bradley – and the story is told from each character’s point of view.

What Tory and Peyton went through and the ensuing PTSD made them all the more relatable to me. I won’t compare our experiences but I know that strange feeling that something wonderful came out of an event that killed and maimed so many and traumatized even more. Not that they wouldn’t have been relatable otherwise. They’re lovely in a normal, not-Hollywood way. They have normal people flaws and qualities. Tory, for example, can be quite judgemental, especially when it comes to bridesmaids dresses. Both Peyton and Tory are endearing and they feel very approachable and caring. I loved them both, I felt their fears but also their joy and wonder at finding love in the strangest circumstances. I also liked that the authors kept the PTSD to a minimum. It’s there, everywhere, always, but it’s not the story being told and it doesn’t overshadow the romance.

My only issue is that I wish the authors hadn’t written Bradley as deranged. It wasn’t necessary (not all mass shooters are crazy) and it plays unnecessarily into mental health stereotypes. I’m also not a fan of being in the bad guy’s head but with three authors writing, it makes sense. Apart from that, I loved everything, except Bradley, of course, whom I hated. I also like Melissa Sternenberg’s narration a lot. She doesn’t have the most distinctive voices for the different characters, but honestly, I’d rather have a well-read story than bad acting and Melissa Sternenberg’s reading is perfect: the intonations, the rhythm, the breathing, the small touches of vulnerability… It serves the book impeccably.

A definite winner.

I absolutely loved this book. A unique story written seamlessly by trett authors. What's not to love.

this was goodt... with the T

I love the way you got to know how each of the main characters was feeling, what they were thinking... and of course Melissa Sternenberg did her thang bringing each characters to life♥... mein.... yyyaaassss I need more like this... make it a series please

Well Done Story

Three Authors, whose individual works I enjoy immensely, combined their talented writing styles to create a well written novel with just the right amount of angst, mystery, romance and steamy times. Add in Melissa Sternenberg as the narrator and you had me hooked. It was an enjoyable listen and the pacing was just right.

I highly recommend Against All Odds and will definitely be listening to this story again.