An Unconventional Courtship

By: Scotty Cade

Narrated by: Finn Sterling

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's Summary

Tristan Moreau loves his job as chief administrative officer and personal assistant to Webber Kincaid, President, Chairman, and CEO of Kincaid International. It would be the perfect job...if only he hadn't fallen in love with his boss as well as the work. After two years, he's still doing everything in his power to keep his feelings hidden-mostly because he wants to protect the reputation of his famous boss but also because he wants to keep his job.

Webber Kincaid has stayed in the closet, using his best friend and confidante as his beard. Everything in his life was working out just fine until he met Tristan Moreau. Within months, Tristan stole his heart and became his lifeline. But Webber knows the rules of the workplace better than anyone, so he's kept his distance.

But two years is too long to wonder “what if?”-especially when business takes them to a private Caribbean island. When Tristan and Webber succumb to the tropical heat, their professionalism starts to backslide. It's a seemingly impossible relationship, making a go at it under the paparazzi's microscope. It may be the best-or the worst-business decision they ever made.

©2012 Scotty Cade (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Wonderful Romance

If you could sum up An Unconventional Courtship in three words, what would they be?

Sweet, moving, romantic

What was one of the most memorable moments of An Unconventional Courtship?

I love their interactions in the Virgin Islands. Webber went out of his way to romance Kincaid. It was beautifully written.

Which character – as performed by Finn Sterling – was your favorite?

Webber. I loved his soft southern accent. He also did a very passable Caribbean patois.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I had to work the next day.

Any additional comments?

Please give Finn more work. I am very impressed with his narrative skills. If more books were read by him or other narrators with his talent, I'd be broke from buying them.

When good narration happens to a bad story

Any additional comments?

Though it has a promising premise - office assistant in love with his boss for years - the execution was lacking.

This is what happens when good narration happens to a bad story. It didn't matter that Finn Sterling delivers a good performance. The story grated from early on, ruining any opportunity for me to really enjoy it. Full disclosure on why it didn't work for me: It's overly descriptive for everything, it's a giant miscommunication plot early on, which takes more than half the book to correct, and the "twist" at the end was far too predictable.

I actually marked this DNF at 52%. However, after taking the night (and having errands to run around town) I decided to go ahead, try it again, and, if not enjoy it, then at least tough it out and finish the audio book. *sighs* I spent most of it with b*tch face.

There is a whole plot with one of the most see through "villains" I've ever encountered, which was just...painfully obvious, and to top it all off it ends completely unresolved

Bottom line: If you prefer saccharine sweet fluff-filled confectionary Harlequin-like romance novels with an over-abundance of description for day-to-day items, a huge miscommunication plot, slow burn build up to not-too-terribly-descriptive love scenes, behavior which does not fit the age or gender of the characters (there's a lot of unnecessary weeping, wailing and metaphorical teenager-like wringing of hands), a cellophane villain, and an unresolved ending...then you'll love this story. And bonus! The narration IS lovely.

QUOTE:
When Tristan was finally able to form coherent words, he looked at his lover with amazement. “My God, Web, that was the most intense thing I’ve ever done in my life. I didn’t think I was going to survive the pleasure. You were amazing.”
Webber rested his forehead against Tristan’s. “Baby, I love you so much. I never knew it could be like this.”
Tristan knew it was the adrenaline release, but suddenly he was on the verge of tears. His bottom lip quivered and he wanted desperately to tell Webber he loved him, but his voice cracked and left him before he could get the words out. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he caressed Webber’s face. At this point, the best he could hope for was that Webber saw in Tristan’s eyes what was overflowing from his heart.

If that's not your cup of tea, I wouldn't recommend it.

Extremely romantic!

If you could sum up An Unconventional Courtship in three words, what would they be?

Romantic, intriguing, heart-warming

What other book might you compare An Unconventional Courtship to and why?

No comparisons.

What does Finn Sterling bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's got an extremely sexy voice!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When you start knowing what Webber feels!

Any additional comments?

I loved the story! I'm waiting for the second part to come as audiobook.

Sweet love story

3.5 Blue Roses
4 Blue Flames
Finn Sterling brings a sexy brooding calmness to the story. I appreciated his smooth voice bringing angst to a stressful situations. He could be a little more humorous and exciting, but overall I enjoyed this audiobook. I had to listen at 1.5 speed. The plot left me with some unanswered questions, so I will make my final decision about the solidity of the plot after the next audiobook. I loved how this story truly is unconventional and how the two men knew they are life partners from the time they admitted their feelings to each other. Both these guys are very likeable.

I recommend this book for when you are in the mood for a true love story.

Happy Listening

Lovely story.

I enjoyed listening to this narrator. The characters were believable and the little bit of drama made the story interesting.

Beautiful story

You will love this one. You will find yourself crying, but still enjoying the story. I almost lost it. I listen to this one from start to finish.

A decent book

You won't be stunned or completely wowed, but it's enjoyable. The narrator was great, but it's hard to improve a basic story like this.

It was OK

I thought it was OK. I don't know why I wasn't feeling the audiobook. I read the book, and loved it. But the audiobook bored me.

Excellent Narrator

I love this story as well as its sequel. I think the narrator did an amazing job bring the characters to life. It takes real talent to incorporate multiple accents and he nailed it.

Too Sweet for me

While I normally love Scotty Cade boooks.. This one simply missed the mark for me. I really wanted to like it... in fact, I did like it.. until almost halfway.. Then it got too super sweet and, well, dumb. I hate to say that, but I can't stand insta-love books where two people know little about each other (in a relationship situation) but are willing to give up their world for the other person. Maybe it's just my jaded side that knows life isn't always so easy and things don't always work out.. but after the love declarations came out, I found myself completely uninterested in the book and couldn't wait for it to end.

The narration, however, was good and I can't fault the narrator for anything as he did an excellent job with the book.

I received a free copy of this book to read for Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.

You hope something is going to happen and ...

What made the experience of listening to An Unconventional Courtship the most enjoyable?

The story was well structured, and even if some bits seemed a little predictable, others were definitely not. There are things that you think are likely, things that you hope will happen, and things that you are willing the characters NOT to do, but the author likes keeping you guessing - I won't spoil the plot here. The settings and descriptions conjured up clear mental images of places I may never get to visit, but now feel like I have been there

Who was your favorite character and why?

Webber - he is trying his hardest to do the right thing, and ends up causing more problems just by doing the right thing and being misunderstood. His heart is definitely in the right place.

What about Finn Sterling’s performance did you like?

I found his characterizations to be consistent and easy to recognize. I congratulate him that - unlike some other narrators who seem to think that pronouncing each whole word completely and clearly is a luxury - I could hear and understand every syllable. I certainly didn't feel his female voices were caricatures. Please give this man more work!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I certainly could have, but it was even better listening to it on my way to and from work, and looking forward to the next installment. I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up book to be recorded as an audio book.

Any additional comments?

The author's style of writing has been criticized for being too slow, but because of the way the story develops, I found that most of the 'repetition' actually worked. Possibly a little more editing might have been useful (in the printed version as well, I imagine), but if you buy an unabridged story, you should know what to expect: if it's too slow, turn the speed up on your Audible player!

No real story & some painful dialogue

This book started off well, the narrator was good & the characters seemed appealing. Then as the story reaches the "1st date", it's rapidly downhill from there. The dialogue is cringeworthy (not to mention twee & completely unrealistic) & the middle portion of the book is just example after example of how rich the one character is & what a burden it is. There is an attempt at some kind of plot towards the end but it's so trivial & so quickly wrapped up there was really no point in even trying. As mentioned, the narrator does a good job but has nothing to work with. Not worth the purchase.