Chez Stinky

An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy, Book 1

By: Susan C. Daffron

Narrated by: Pam Dougherty

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Kat Stevens is a slightly insecure, mostly bored technical writer who likes her cat a lot more than her boss. She hasn't laid eyes on her great aunt Abigail since she was eight, so she's stumped when she inherits Abigail's house in the small hamlet of Alpine Grove.

Kat's uncomplicated life gets decidedly less so when she discovers the inheritance comes with some hairy conditions: four dogs and five cats that her aunt wanted her to love as her own. Of course, the house smells like a barn - with a touch of antique skunk - and, naturally, has serious roof issues. And that's before the three-legged cat gets stuck in the wall and the shower goes kablooey.

When Kat meets Joel, an unemployed techie type with no love lost for his sister, Kat looks past his obvious flaws, given his timely and desirable skill set: a talent for fixing things (and his own tools). Despite out-of-control dogs, cat fights, dust dinosaurs, massive spiders, and an old grizzled hippie passed out in the yard, Kat discovers the tranquility of the forests of Alpine Grove starting to seep into her soul. And why she can't she stop thinking about Joel?

Note: Chez Stinky is a full-length novel that is the first book of the Alpine Grove romantic comedies. It's a feel-good novel that appeals to people who enjoy a little light romance and quirky animal stories.

©2013 Susan C. Daffron (P)2018 Susan C. Daffron

This was a fun book to listen to.

Chez Stinky is the first book I've read by Susan C. Daffron and I've had the Kindle version in my library for quite some time. I have to admit that the main reason I requested an Audible review copy was because I love Pam Dougherty's audio performances. I've listened to three other audiobooks she's done and absolutely loved all of them. Her voice is so easy and pleasant to listen to and the various inflections and tones she uses really enhance my listening experience.

As for the story, it was really cute and funny. I liked the characters and I love books with rescue animals (these critters weren't exactly rescues but I loved them just the same). This is a very clean romance with only fade-to-black/behind closed doors sex, very few damns/hells and not one f-word.

The only somewhat negative comment I have is that I felt the book ended too abruptly. There is a nice epilogue but that still didn't really make up for how abruptly things ended in the last chapter. The story had a lot of build up for various things happening and the one major thing kind of just ended. Chez Stinky is part of a series, although reads as a standalone, so perhaps Kat and Joel will show up again in another book.

I would read more from this author and I will definitely listen to more books performed by Pam Dougherty.

An audio review copy was provided to me at my request but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.

Great story

I really like the story but the narrator isn't a favorite. Not bad but distracting from the story.

easy listening story

love the author. love the narrative. characters are interesting. 2 people find love among the trees and the animals.

Loved it

Sweet, fun, heartwarming... one of those books so easy with to flow to read/listen. Highly recommend it!

A Cozy Sweet Story

When I started this audiobook I was worried that it would focus mostly on Cat and her relationship with the animals she has inherited. And you do get to meet them and see each of their personalities but you get so much more! The house, the town, Cat's job, the people in the town. I found the humor in this delightful, to the point I was smiling a lot! It really is a sweet story with some romance mixed in. A wonderful way to block out traffic or cleaning!
I found the narration really great. She changes characters easily and you always know who is talking. I actually really enjoyed the voice she used for the best friend. And there is a bit where the narrator made sounds like when a cat throws up and, being a cat owner, she got it. I giggled.
All in all, a good time
I was provided a free copy of this book and I am leaving an unbiased review

Okay

I was gifted this audiobook with the understanding that I would leave an honest review. I was drawn to this book because it said it was a romantic comedy. I found the book made me smile but never really laugh. I will say that the romance was very tastefully done. I tend not to read romance novels because they can be very explicit but this book was very clean. I did find the characters to be one dimensional. I found myself thinking really Kat just stand up for yourself. All in all the book was entertaining (main reason I like to read). Pam Dougherty does a very nice job of narrating this book. Her voice is a smooth voice and really kept me interested. Another big plus for this book was all the animals in the story.

endearing

very adorable romantic story The Simplicity of it was what endeared me so much the story was very sweet and very cute I just loved it very much the narrator was good to

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Wonderful Cozy Romantic Comedy

This was such a fun romance... It reminded me of the cozy mysteries that I like with the writing style and it had a good amount of comic relief throughout the story. Based on the content I would say it's a young adult read although it it was a movie it could be PG to PG13 in rating. The author does a wonderful job of closing the bedroom door quickly so there's no descriptive sex scenes. I thought Pam Dougherty did a great job with the narration and was easy to listen to.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Beautiful

I got this story via audiobook boom and this is my voluntary review. I loved this story from beginning to end. The narrator really made this story. The humor was evident and compelling. The secondary characters added so much to the story especially the heroine's best friend. Her boss was the bomb and the animals. Man oh man. this story had it all.

Recommended

Overall a good story. It got a little long at times with all the details. At first it felt a bit like chic lit or maybe women's fiction, the animals and property taking the highlight. About half way through it turned more toward a romance. The romance moved quickly and after all the details the end just happened with a epilogue. It was like we were building up to the climax but ended before it was complete then told what happened. Disappointing.

The characterization was on target tho some of the real life details were just not there. In a small town like that the aunts friend should have known Cindy and Joel. The allergic reactions Joel did or didn't have.

Pamela Dougherty did a excellent job with the narration.

I was given a free Audible copy of this story, at my request, in exchange for a honest review.