Hard and Fast

Italian Stallions, Book 2

By: Mari Carr

Narrated by: Marina Barrett, Oliver Highpoint

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Penny is tired of being seen as the gamer, the crazy cat lady, the mom-jeans-wearing, YouTube-bingeing, quirky IT girl. She’s barreling toward 29 and ready to make some changes…in her appearance and her nonexistent love life. But she’s smart enough to know she needs help—and who she needs it from. Her billionaire playboy boss, Gage Russo.

Bachelor Gage’s life is typically full of excitement, on the work front and in the bedroom. He’s never lacking for female company and he rarely sleeps alone. Regardless, lately, he can’t shake feeling bored. That is, until Penny challenges him to a friendly wager…one he promptly loses. Her prize? Lessons in seduction—from him.

Lines get blurred as Gage pushes harder…moves faster…teaching Penny things she’s only ever fantasized about. But the playboy with all the smooth moves makes one big mistake when he fails to tell his sexy student that the lessons are no longer fake, and what he wants from her is very, very real.

©2022 Mari Carr Books LLC (P)2022 Mari Carr Books LLC

The story line

Not only did this book have a romantic storyline the details the other put on the thoughts of the characters really made you feel their emotions. 10/10 would recommend.

Nerdy Love

Absolutely loved Penny and Gage’s story. This sweet, heartfelt, steamy slow burn romance will keep captivated until the very end. I loved the banter, chemistry, and storyline overall. The narration was perfectly cast for these two characters. Marina Barrett and Oliver Highpoint are two new to me voices and they won me over with their storytelling. They had me hooked from the start. I love this series and I can wait to read the next book.

#PinkFlamingoProductions 
#TheFlockReviewer

Great read

Aww I enjoyed this book! I love their chemistry. Marina & Oliver did an awesome job at narrating

Book 2 - Italian Stallions

Okay, so this is book 2 in Carr's Italian Stallions series and the first in the series I've read / listened to so it can be a standalone but I think there are repeat characters so I wouldn't mind getting to know and having the opportunity to read / listen to book 1.
In this book, we have our main characters Penny and Gage. I love these characters! Penny is just one of the guys - a tech nerd who really isn't looking for love but when her bday looms in the not-so-distant future she beings to take a long hard look at herself and what she wants in her life. Enter hottie, billionaire boss Gage who's easy on the eyes and have recently developed a friendship of sorts with. Who better to teach her the ways of seduction than her playboy boss - only 1 rule, don't fall in love. But rules are meant to be broken and this one is broken by each of them. Will they be able to admit it to themselves, much less each other?
A fun, well written romance with a smooth flowing storyline and a beautiful HEA. I loved it all. Perfect dual narration for the dual point of view and a great balance of sweet, steam and angst. I can't wait for more!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I voluntarily provided this review.

Loved this!

I thought the narration fit Penny fantastically! She’s strong in many aspects of her life, just inexperienced in others. I thought this was a great nerdy romance, it’s nice to have girl-nerd representation! Will re-read in the future for sure!

Loved this!

I loved the story and their banter with each other. Fun story! Narrators we're both Amazing!

Billionaire Romance

Hard and Fast by Mari Carr is a billionaire romance that I listened to on audio narrated by Marina Barrett and Oliver Highpoint. This is the second book in the Italian Stallions series.

I really enjoyed the relationship that bloomed between Penny and Gage. I liked that we got both of their points of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

I can't wait for the next book in the series Rough and Ready to be released on audio so I can get Gio, Rafe and Keeley's story.

Marina and Oliver did a great job on the narration. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future.

I would recommend this book if you like contemporary romances, billionaire romances, boss romances, or friends-to-lovers romance.

The Flock Team

funny and very entertaining

I always love a good laugh with my romance and this one delivered. Well written and a cheecky good rump.

Fantastic Story & Narration🎧 A Steamy Delight!

Mari Carr pens another wonderful romance novel set in her “Italian Stallions” series, the second book in the series and it was just as amazing and captivating as the first book “Down and Dirty”. This book stands on its own, though characters from the first book make appearances, but everything you need to know about them in included in the descriptive details so you never feel lost or that you are missing something. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with, they are easy to care about too. Penny Beaumont is turning 29, and she still has not lost her V card or even had a boyfriend, she has always been on the nerdy side, quirky too, and she lacks experience with dating. She has no problem hanging with the boys, since two of her best friends and coworkers, Rich and Toby, are who she spends time with, not only at work but she games with them too. She has a crush on one of her bosses, Gage Russo, a known womanizer who would never give her the time of day. Or would he? When he joins her and her friends for gaming, she thinks he would be the perfect person to help her with men. She presents him with her idea and he is onboard, agrees to help her, telling himself he is bored and wants the challenge, but we all know he has been watching her and he finds her to be intriguing. I loved how everything played out in this book, it is a wonderfully written and plotted story with the perfect balance of drama, charm, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. Mari Carr, thank you for another fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Marina Barrett and Oliver Highpoint continue to do an amazing job of bringing these characters and their story to life. Their portrayal of the characters is spot on, they give each character a voice that suits their character’s persona and is believable in every role they play. They set the perfect tone for the story, capture all the characters’ emotions and project them into their performance, having you feel every single one. These entertaining storytellers make a great team, they are versatile voice artists and their voices complement each other’s. Thank you for another great listen.

Fun, Flirty and Entertaining

This was such a fun read. Penny and Gage were amazing together. I loved seeing Gage get Penny out of her shell. This one started out as a slow burn but when they got together it got steamy real fast! Their witty banter was great and they had amazing chemistry.

Marina Barnett and Oliver Highpoint are fantastic! The way that portrayed Penny and Gage was spot on. They made a great team and made the story even more entertaining.