Barefoot in Lace

By: Roxanne St. Claire

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

Kick off your shoes and fall in love in Barefoot Bay! Destination wedding planner Gussie McBain needs a man - specifically, a wedding photographer. Just her luck that the shutterbug she runs into is more used to snapping pictures of glamorous models in couture gowns than brides in white lace. But Gussie's never been one to let bad odds stop her from a good gamble, so she asks for a favor she never dreams superstar TJ DeMille will actually grant. Tom DeMille lives his life exactly as he pleases - always alone. In fact, he's got that motto tattooed in Greek on his arm. But when Tom is suddenly saddled with guardianship of his 12-year-old niece, he'll lose more than his freedom if he can't figure out how to take care of her. Then an alluring young woman with pink hair and a sassy mouth shows up at his door, and he agrees to do the unthinkable - photograph a wedding in exchange for some help with his niece. As they work together, Tom begins to take down the walls Gussie has erected around herself to discover a truly beautiful and tender woman he knows he could love. But will his own heartache and refusal to lay down roots prevent him from giving Gussie the family life she craves.... or could she be the one woman who can finally break his vow of solitude?

©2014 South Street Publishing (P)2014 Audible Inc.

A tentative thumbs up...

This was a solid book (though I have the first to listen to later for some reason) and I'm not quite sure why it didn't grab me, though I can see why so many people like it so much. I listened on audio and the narrator had a few tics that didn't seem quite right for the book, though she's an engaging reader. I liked Gussie though I also thought she seemed a bit too perfect, despite having a big cosmetic flaw. Maybe it was the audio reader, but she seemed a bit of a manic pixie dreamgirl, despite not actually being that character. More like a Mary Sue, where everyone just loves Gussie and she's all adorable. And while not out of the realm of possibility, quite a few of the plot points were, shall we say, unlikely to actually happen. Three stars from me, and I might read others in the series... maybe.

What a beautiful love story

I've been reading/listening to so many love stories this past month that just had the usual ending...blah
Barefoot in Lace is a book I completely forgot I downloaded & thought last night was the time to read/listen. I was up all night...I finished this morning. It was touching, emotional, and a true gut-wrenching, see right through the person you want to know for a life partner...love story.

It wasn't ’bubblegum’ or sex on every other page, mind you there is sex, but not literally every time they see each otger. Sure, the sex was discussed, lingered verbally about, but its what a couple that's totally infatuated with each other does, flirt and then some. Hence the word infatuated with..’Gussy’ is a true energetic almost 30 yr old that doesn't want her heart broken but in reality, can't let down her past that she's hiding from. She meets Tom, a by himself raising his niece Alex because his sister had just died. He is a famous photographer & travels all over the world. Alex cannot be reached through her ’mask’ & basically doesn't want to be living with Tom.

’Gussy’ has a bridal beach business with her friends & basically bumps into Tom in the street. She hooks up with him later because she needs a photographer. He likes her energetic, bouncy self and she likes his gorgeous tattooed body...total infatuation...until...all 3 of them need their ’masks’ taken off in order to be free.

I do have to admit I wanted to knock a bit of sense into Alex, she just wouldn't & couldn't let Tom in, she loved ’Gussys’ personality because she acted like a kid, Tom needed that, but they soon need more from each other.

I adored I mean truly adored Jessica Almasy as the narrator! She was Gussy! She was Tom! Her voice was whoever she took on, and that's why I listen to books! I want to feel like I'm there, in the story and imagining the narrator taking the entire book on, not just certain parts.

One more thing, this book is about taking our ’masks’ off. We all have thsm, they're hidden wherever we want them, and if we don't want to change we’ll always remain the same...FYI from me. 👍

I highly recommend and it's a true 5+++++stars..just beautiful.

Narrator is HORRID!!

The story was so intriguing I was able to bite the bullet and finish but if Jessica Almasy is narrating your other books, I won't be buying them.
Her voice is shrill, she runs on between characters so you don't know who is speaking unless the writer had indicated the speaker, and sometimes speech turned out to be thoughts but also in a manner so it appeared the character was speaking until they contradicted what was said and it was revealed to be only their thoughts. Just overall horrid.
I will definitely read the other books from this author, but I will be noting Jessica as a "definitely won't buy any audiobooks she narrates".

Problem with audio

I had a real problem with the audio. The female voice was loud, but when I turned the volume down I could not hear the male voice. I ended up listening to this book with the female voice so loud it hurt my ears while I had difficulty hearing the male voice.

Wonderful!!!!!

As a true romance novel, it doesn’t get any better than this. This is a story I will listen to many times. In addition to the perfect story, there could not have been a better narrator. She brought this story to life in glorious color. Ten thumbs up

Awesome

I loved the book I cried I laughed it was fantastic my only complaint is the volume had to be turned up and turn down the whispers were too soft hard to hear

Wonderful Story with so much Depth!

A beautifully written and wonderfully woven story that had so much more substance than the usual fluffy contemporary romance. At first the narrator Jessica Almasy seemed to speak very fast, but I quickly got used to her style and her voice was perfect for the heroine Gussie and both her male and female voices were very distinctive, I would gladly listen to other books narrated by Jessica. I am very grateful to the Book Nympho Blog for recommending this book and series! Otherwise I may have never known about this amazing series. I hope the 3rd book, Barefoot in Pears is released soon!

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Skip the audio version and read it

Where does Barefoot in Lace rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the bottom of my list . . . actually I'm trying to return it for a refund because the narration made me want to throw my iPod across the room.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Barefoot in Lace?

I love this book and was excited about listening to it until I heard about five minutes of the narrator. The story is terrific and as delightful as all of Roxanne's other books.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jessica Almasy’s performances?

No, I will steer clear of her. It was like listening to baby talk, everyone sounded stupid. Slow, nasal, and she made the strong female lead sound like a thirteen year old drama queen.

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

This is an audio book I want a refund for.

Any additional comments?

I'm sure Jessica Almesy is a lovely person and provides good narration for the right books, this just wasn't a book she should have been hired for.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Poor Narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Barefoot in Lace to be better than the print version?

In this case the printed version of the book was far better than the audio version

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the characters were equally favoured, which is the sign of good penmanship

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator speaks way too fast, as if she is on an express train, and can't wait to finish the story, it diminishes the romance of the story. Roxanne St Clare is a great author but this audio has been spoilt by the narrator.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

Please choose narrators carefully, when trying to sell these books to an English audience, use English narrators

Poor narration, couldn’t finish.

I have listened to, and loved, the first book in this series. I am currently enjoying listening to the third. But I could not finish this book, the second book in the series.

I am sorry to be so critical but the narrator is awful. She speaks so fast that sometimes you could hear her almost tripping over her own words. The h’s voice was like a pre-pubescent teenager, and the H’s voice was murmured in such a low tone I had to keep adjusting my volume control to hear what he said. Emotional scenes were stripped of all feeling as the narrator spoke so rapidly that any sentiment or feeling was lost in the rush to get to the end of each paragraph. I got as far as chapter five and gave up. Very,very disappointing. The rest of the series is great. This one I will buy on my kindle and delete the audio version. Annoying waste of a credit.