Because I Can

By: Elaine Marie

Narrated by: Carly

Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Jenna is a victim of an attack on her college campus. After barely escaping, she manages to make her way to campus security. With the help of the security guard, the local police are called, but she soon learns no one will help her case, and the police and the college administration dismiss her accusation, leaving her feeling empty.

Tired of the whispers and looks from her classmates and professors, she decides to take charge of the situation. Tired of being a victim, she's determined to take her life back. Jenna soon undergoes a dramatic makeover...one that leaves even her best friend unable to recognize her. With her new look and the help of some online self-help videos, she begins her search for her attacker.

In her search, the one thing Jenna didn't expect to find was the handsome, new student, Nic. As she gets to know him, she learns he isn't who he claims to be. It's then Jenna begins to suspect the guy she's fallen for.

As she closes in on her attacker, she makes a few new discoveries, and she can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. As she races against time, will she be able to uncover the identity of her attacker before he strikes again?

©2016 Elaine Marie (P)2017 Elaine Marie

So Strong

This was a great story of finding your strength after having your power taken away. Jenna was attacked but instead of dwelling on the fear and depression- she finds the strength to remake herself and look for not just revenge but vindication. I enjoyed the story line very much.

The narration was solid- I would have loved a bit more feeling/acting from the narrator but all in all, it was pretty good.

Drastic change can help overcome your fears

The story covered in this short book starts very disturbingly. Jena, the main character, was almost raped in college and now lives with fear and constant panic attracts. She does not want professional help with her fears but believes if justice is served, she would be better. Once realizing, it is not the case, she takes matter in her own hands, meeting on the way her love.

The narrator did a great job, she was good with different voices and emotions.

Very good short story

This short story was very good with mystery, tragedy and suspense romance. The narration was a little fast and the switch between characters was difficult to recognize. I received a free copy at my request.

Not the right Narrator for this book

The first half hour of the book the narrator was Yell-Talking at the listener at an Olympic pace. I'm an hour in, and at this point i have no clue what the female leads name is, or really who she is. The narrator's pacing is fast, and slowing it down made it worse. The elements of a good story are there, just a slower pace in the narration and to stop the yell-talking when the action picks up.

The book was good, but narration?

The story was good and could have used more detail in the sex senses. The narrator was alright but seem the rush in some parts of the book. Overall it was worth the listin.

Liked the premise, narration didn’t work for me

Jenna has been attacked at college and falls into a deep depression afterwards, but she’s ready to live again. She has a makeover; bookish girl to sassy girl, and sets out to solve who attacked her herself. She’s finding some odd things in her investigation and doesn’t know who to trust. Liked that Jenna gains the strength to arise from her depression after the attack and that she’s not going to let the assailant(s) get away with it. The romance is sweet with some spice. Liked the bit of mystery surrounding Nic. Some good suspense. I think things moved too fast at times. That may have been the narration of the audio though. I felt like the narrator was rushing the story on normal speed and didn’t express the emotion of the story properly. She didn’t have enough tone variations. Just very rushed. Since the story zooms by the emotional impact is missing. I still enjoyed the story though. Overall, a fun premise that entertained.

AudiobookObsessionReviewer

Difficult to evaluate

This is a difficult review because I liked the book, but didn't like the narrator.
I begun listening, and from the very start, the narrator speaks to fast, whith no recognizable emotion from the characters, some times too loud. So it was difficult to follow the story.
I was tempted to stop listening, but because I can't let a book unfinished, I continued.
Then it gets better, and you begin to enjoy the book.

My Two Pennies

Audiobook review: the narration was alright. I didn’t feel the separation between the characters often, but as I focused on the storyline itself I was captivated hearing now self empowered Jenna became and turned such a horrible event around. The lengths this woman took to find herself again as well as the person behind it all was what kept me wanting to know what and whom was involved.

The co-ed and the undercover cop...

This is a romantic suspense and did not disappoint. Jenna is attacked on her college campus but successfully fights off her attacker and gets help from the on-duty campus guard. However, the local police chief, as well as the college board, suspects that Jenna just wanted attention and the wounds were self-inflicted, so the case was dismissed. Jenna struggles through weeks of severe depression until she finally listens to her bff and decides that it's time to take back her life. She gets a full makeover and changes her name then re-enrolls in classes. Enter new student, Nico, who quickly befriends Jen. Nic/Nico is an undercover cop but does not share this info. The story heats up quickly with many surprises, including the discovery of Jen's attacker, his associates and the plot to bring him to justice.
My one dislike, which is why I could not give 5 stars...the narration was a bit hard to follow. Not much change in the voices so was difficult to tell when the characters change. Had to rewind several times to figure out what was happening.
I received a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Suspense Filled!

Suspense...that is what I like, and Elaine Marie gives you that in this short but thrilling book. Jenna, a college student is attacked on her college campus. While unable to see her attacker, he leaves her with the answer of why is he doing this in his horrifying whisper, "Because I can". This whisper haunts her dreams. After being dismissed by the campus police, she decides to take control of her life, Jenna wipes her slate clean and comes back a new woman. Nic, the guy Jenna sees on the dance floor is all of sudden the new guy popping up on campus. The chemistry between Nic and Jenna is hot and their feelings grow. Is he the one? Can she trust him? Maybe he is the attacker? There a few twists and turns in this book to keep you wondering what is going on. The answers are not always transparent and leave you wanting to know more. The suspense is there right until the end!

Carly Lynne is the narrator. This is my first listen of a book by her and found her performance lacking. She spoke too fast, and her ability to switch between characters was not always distinguishable. The quality of the story carried through this narration though.