Beauty from Pain

By: Georgia Cates

Narrated by: Bunny Warren, Robert Black

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

They agreed on three months... but their love knew no boundaries.

Jack McLachlan is a winemaking magnate and easily one of Australia's most eligible bachelors. His success and wealth makes him no stranger to the complications of romantic relationships and that's why he goes to extreme measures to avoid the hassle. He prefers simplicity in the form of a beautiful female companion with no strings attached. He arranges relationships like business deals and they're always the same. No long term relationships. No real names.

It's his game and his rules. He's content to play as usual, but when Laurelyn Prescott enters his life, his strategy must change because this player is like none he's ever encountered. His world is turned on its head after he begins a three month affair with the beautiful American musician. Nothing goes according to plan and as he breaks more and more of his own rules for her, she's exceptionally close to becoming something he never thought possible. His ultimate game changer.

Beauty from Pain is an adult contemporary novel and is not intended for younger listeners due to mature content.

©2013 Georgia Cates (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Yummy

I have to admit that I love the M/F narration. I will warn you in advance that this one will leave you hanging and you will have to go on to the next book, but the good thing is that you won't have to wait. I enjoyed this book. In my opinion it's not overally sexually explict (wish it was "hotter"). It is a decent love story and it holds your attention. I consider it a credit well spent.

OMG! Loved this book.....

I am on a book high after listening to Georgia Cates Beauty From Pain. High...yes this book was some of the finest audible Crack I have ever devoured. There are only a few books that make it too my all time favorite's shelf...and this is one of them.

Laurelyn aka Paige is an attractive twenty-two year old aspiring country music artist, avid pole dance exercise enthusiast and happy-go-lucky sort of person (she somewhat reminded me of Mary from the movie Something About Mary.) Laurelyn and her best friend Addison take a much needed vacation all the way around the world in Australia. On her first night out on the town she meets Jack aka Lachlan.... who stalks her like a hunter selecting its prey. Jack is a super attractive, Aussie vineyard owner who wants nothing more than to add Laurelyn to his no strings attached anonymous piece of ass list. Laurelyn is super attracted to Jack and has no idea he is Australia's most sought after eligible bachelor. Jack lays his cards on the table by offering Laurelyn a relationship "agreement" with promises of the slamming sex and fun while she is on holiday with the expectation of nothing more. Laurelyn dives into this relationship understanding that she will cease to exist in Jack's life when her three month trip is over and they part ways. She doesn't think she will fall for Jack since she will be going back to the US. Jack is thrilled that she agrees to their commitment free relationship with a firm expiration date in place. She didn't expect that her heart would ever turn into emotional road kill. He didn't think he would ever want to settle down...and this is their story.
I have to say I LOVED this book. Cates writing style is brilliant and engaging... and awesome steam factor. Listen to this books now...if you can deal with a cliffhanger ending. Cates published the first chapter of book two...which will hold me over. Ok...truth be told I'm dying for the next book. Cates is a writer to watch and this book effing rocks!

Great story! Very Hot.

If you could sum up Beauty from Pain in three words, what would they be?

fan-F-ingtastic hooked me

What did you like best about this story?

The story, even though predictable like most love stories. It was entertaining and great love scenes. You get caught up in their story.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bunny Warren and Robert Black ?

Anyone else. The guy would have to have the accent and the girl needs a southern drawl. But these two need to practice a bit more. Robert read the lines in spurts. No natural flow when he read. He has a good voice and sexy accent but it was exhausting listening to him rush through his lines. Bunny, is to nasal sounding. Her southern accent sounds forced. If the story had not have hooked me, and I hate to waste a credit, I would have stopped listening due to their voices. Hate to be harsh. Sorry.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No names, Hot Sex, all my fantasies met, no pretenses. A perfect distraction......until I lost my heart.

Any additional comments?

Great book, bad narration.

Totally Beautifully written !!

Any additional comments?

I loved this book! This book had everything…romance, strong hero/heroine, lust, sex and angst. This book was beautifully written and I’m now a fan of Ms. Cates. I read this book in one sitting and found the plot intriguing - it left me wanting more. I even loved the secondary characters and enjoyed how Ms. Cates made them interesting without detracting from the main hero/heroine. The witty banter and sexual tension between them was wonderful to read. Whether Jack knew it or not, his protective instincts came out with her. Whether worrying about her getting a sunburn or watching her suffer a migraine, he couldn't help himself from wanting to take care of her. Laurelyn was the parent, so to speak, with her mom, so this was sweet to see. I really liked both of the characters and found it interesting that Laurelyn, who had a troubled past was more open to her feelings than Jack, who had a stellar upbringing with loving parents. I'm already listening to the next book and its just as good as the first :)

I didn't want to stop the pain!!!

First let me just say, don't start if you have to stop. I simply couldn't stop listening. This was a fun well written story from both POV's. Jack McLacklan is a wealthy Australian playboy who doesn't do long term relationships. Matter of fact, he doesn't even do real names. Laurelyn is a beautifully broken young American musician who travels with her best friend to Australia to take a break from her life. When Jack promises her the best three months of her life with no strings attached, she agrees. They are drawn to each other from the beginning and their story unfolds with humor and great sex. Lots of funny things happen along the way to keep the story interesting and fun. Of course as predicted, they both fall in love but are to stubborn to tell. Laurelyn ends up going home without Jack even knowing her name. AHHH, but don't be to disappointed you'll have many more hours of listening with the second book in the series. Don't start one without plans for the other, you'll like it just that much. There are several reviewers irritated with the Australian accent in the book but I didn't have much trouble with it once I was used to it. Just take the story for all it's worth and enjoy.

Great Story, Narration? Not so much.

Any additional comments?

Narration? Um... I keep thinking of a Transvestite almost every time I hear Laurelyn's voice and every time I hear Jack's mom's voice. It's really annoying. The Jack narration is really good, I wish the female part was just as good. It's really hard to be drawn in to the story because of the bad female narration. This would be much better reading it than listening to it. I loved the story, I just felt like it should have been longer. The "scenes" in the book were short and then it would move on.

Proposition Read

Would you listen to Beauty from Pain again? Why?

yes. once i found out more about the characters and the plot i was hooked. the premise of the book is definitely fantasy in the since that two people whom don't know each other, not even their real names, can agree to have a sexual relationship for three months. but then again i think, this is a novel and it did what it was supposed to-entertain. i enjoyed it a lot.
i liked Jack. his wealthy, quirky family. i could even understand his hesitance in being in a "real" relationship. and when he made his proposition to Laurelyn and got to know her a bit i knew it was all over for him. she wasn't the typical woman he encounters. she was genuine, emotive, sensitive, and had a great sense of humor. who wouldn't fall in love with someone like that.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Beauty from Pain?

when Jack took Laurelyn to meet his family at the hospital and she sat with the kids while the adults went to see his father.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

i didn't like listening to two different narrators. it turned me away initially, but as i listened to the story i got accustomed to it.

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

not really. it flowed nicely and was entertaining.

MY NEW GUILTY OBSESSION! LOVED THIS BOOK!

I had been searching audible for a new, exciting beautiful romance and I'm so glad I stumbled upon this series!

First of all, the dual narrators worked so well for this audiobook! I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Black's gorgeous, deep voice and his Australian accent was so delicious! Now, Bunny Warren took a bit of getting used to, as I wasn't too thrilled about her southern accent, but I got used to her in no time.

The proposition that Aussie multimillionaire, Jack McLachlan makes to Laurelyn Prescott, American sweetheart, is nothing new. I mean we've all read another book (or two) where a rich, hot man sets specific limits for a defined arrangement with a vulnerable girl with the expectation for a mature romp with no string attached…..well, just as this formula is destined to get complicated with the "right" woman, let me tell you, it does. This book was so delicious, amazing and simply intriguing because it's about an Aussie man and an American woman. That combination alone is alluring and quite combustible!

Overall, this book lends so much beauty, freshness and is simply intriguing because of the characters. It is very well written and I could not help but fall in love with Jack and Laurelyn's love story. Both Laurelyn and Jack have backgrounds that enhance and add dimension to this story. I loved their chemistry, and the tangible way Laurelyn drew Jack in. It's almost as though you can see Jack fall for Laurelyn. She imprints herself in his heart and how could she not?---She is beautiful, adorable, funny and so talented! I don't want to give any details away as any reader would savor to delve into this book and discover how perfectly compelling "Beauty from Pain" is for themselves.

I have to say that although the initial proposition had been done before, the "no sharing of true identities (including names)" was unique. At this point I had to turn off my critical mind as to how implausible anonymity is in our google-friendly world.---And, this helped open my heart to the full enjoyment of the story.

Even though I thought Jack was one hot, mesmerizing Aussie, I secretly could not wait till the part where his arrogant arse got what was coming to him. Yes, that's right, even from the beginning, I could not wait to see him suffer in love just because of his indifference toward women/relationships. Well, I got more than I bargained for in that respect because I'm the one suffering since it's 3:30 a.m. and I'm already downloading the next book in the series (and I'm not on vacation!!!).

Now, on to book #2!!!!!! (PLEASE AUDIBLE CAN YOU WORK ON GETTING BOOK #3????…PREFERABLY BY THE TIME I'M FINISHED READING/LISTENING TO BOOK #2--WHICH MEANS LIKE IN A FEW HOURS)

Unfortunate accent

What disappointed you about Beauty from Pain?

I really wanted to get into this book but I just could not handle the male narrator's attempt at an Australian accent. It was so poorly done, I don't understand why they didn't get a native accented Australian to narrate as it was pivotal to plot. I DNF at about 30 minutes. Too bad, I guess I'll have to read it. If you can suspend judgement on the accent you will probably enjoy this…I am not Australian but am married to one so I know what it should sound like :P

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Female narrator was pretty good (southern accent) male narrator was not even close to an australian accent.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Story is really engaging right from the beginning.

Great Romance Down Under!

This book was a truly an entertaining listen! Unexpected love at its finest. Well worth the credit or to just outright buy it. You definitely won't be disappointed.

While I enjoyed the male and female narrator changes, Robert Black's portrayal of Laurelyn's voice leaves a lot to be desired. It sounds real nasally; but, other than that one small criticism, it was an outstanding story. I am eagerly anticipating the next installment, "Beauty from Surrender".

Halfwit Holiday

This is a tale about a halfwit on holiday,voiced by a narrator who sounds halfwitted! The statements and actions are just non-redeeming for the female MC, leaving everything open for the male MC to take. This is one of the worst books I've encountered in a while. HORRIBLE