Come as You Are

By: Lauren Blakely

Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

I couldn't have scripted a more perfect night.

For one fantastic evening, at a masquerade party in the heart of Manhattan, I'm not the millionaire everyone wants a piece of. Fine - multimillionaire. But who's counting all those commas? Not me, and not the most intriguing woman I've ever met, who happens to like dancing, witty banter, and hot, passionate up-against-the-wall sex as much as I do.

There's no need for names or business cards. And that's why I'm eager to get to know her more, since my mystery woman seems to like me for me, rather than for my huge...bank account.

Everything's coming up aces. Until the next day, when things get a little complicated. (Newsflash - a lot complicated.)

***

He's charming, brilliant, and an incredible lover, and right now, I want to stab fate in the eyeballs.

I've had one goal I've been working toward, and lo and behold, my mystery man is the very person who stands between me and my dream job. A job I desperately need since my hard-knock life has nothing in common with his star-kissed one.

But it's time to put that fairy-tale night behind me and focus on learning what makes him tick. Too bad it turns out his quirks are my quirks, and his love affair with New York matches mine.

And as we spend our days together, I discover something else that feels like a cruel twist of fate - I'm falling for this naughty prince charming, and that's not an ending I can write to our story.

This audiobook includes the bonus novella Most Irresistible Guy, which is only available in audio in this edition of Come as You Are.

©2018 Lauren Blakely Books (P)2018 Lauren Blakely Books

✫ 5 Stars ✫, a Bonus Novella and a little duet too

I love a "Cinderella" type of story. This book didn't have all the Cinderella plots but it did have a masked ball and true love between two people who didn't even know who each other were in the beginning so it reminded me of my favorite parts of Cinderella! I love how down to earth these characters are, does't matter that he is rich or that she is not, neither of them act the part, they are just who they are. I also love how this book has NO drama... I mean NONE!!!! In the scene that most authors would have added the misunderstanding that causes drama Lauren leads these characters in the mature direction where they TRUST each other!!! That alone made this book great for me! I also really liked the story and relationship between Sabrina and her brother. It was sweet and I really liked that she went to him for advice instead of treating him like a kid because he was younger than her.
Lauren always adds so many fun "tidbits" to her story's and I always find myself waiting for one and this book did not disappoint (Pineapple Math)! I love the quirkiness of her characters, no matter how normal they are, they always have a quirky side. In the end I'd say another great book by Lauren Blakely!

The narration was great as always with Sebastian York and Andi Arndt but this one had a little something extra! The last epilogue was duet narrated! These two are great separate and together but listening to them do a duet was fun and now I want a full duet audiobook with them narrating.


Most Irresistible Guy: This novella was added at the end of the Come As You Are Audiobook. It was a prequel for Most Valuable Playboy. Just a little quick background on Violet & Cooper. It was sweet and made me want to listened to Most Valuable Playboy over again!

20 of 20 people found this review helpful

Clever, Irresistible, Sexy Romance!

I loved this enchanting, fun & flirty forbidden romance! Ms Blakely gave us a refreshing, sexy romance with irresistible characters who will steal your heart. Sexy millionaire nerd, Flynn Parker, and down on her luck, talented journalist, Sabrina Granger, have a chance meeting at a masquerade ball. They both want to be liked for who they are, not for their wealth or circumstances. With masks on, their attraction heats up, and they can't deny the intrigue of a clandestine affair. After a passionate evening and without exchanging names, they plan to meet again. When Sabrina's new job puts her and Flynn together, motives are questioned and they are forced to put their affair aside.
There is so much to love about this story, like the witty grammar banter, the fun and steamy 'Duke & Angel' texts, the non-dates where they explore their favorite & unconventional New York spots, not to mention their hot and steamy passion. Flynn and Sabrina are so perfect together, with their shared thirst for discovery. They are both so adorkable and my new favorite couple!
Andi Arndt, and Sebastian York are pure magic as Flynn and Sabrina. They recreate the fun and passionate chemistry beautifully. They made this clever, irresistible, sexy romance into a stellar audio experience!

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

A fairy tale in the making!

I love fairy tales, and this fun and flirty story reminds me that there are Prince Charmings out there! Meeting at the masquerade ball, Flynn, the nerdy millionaire is taken with Sabrina, the unemployed journalist. When the chance comes for Sabrina to apply for a job, and her story is about Flynn, their relationship becomes professional only. Or does it? Lauren Blakely entertained me from the first chapter. The banter with these two is so fun, between texts with their magical counterparts of "Duke" and "Angel" and their conversations together, it's easy to fall in love with both characters. I especially loved the interviews that Sabrina conducted and how many times it took them into places of New York that are not frequented, little spurts of history coming to the surface making me want to go explore! Sabrina's family brought some flavor to the story, loved her brother, Kevin and of course didn't like her mom. Flynn and Sabrina were definitely made for each other and the result of their circumstances gave their relationship a slow burn feel. The story is swoon worthy and so romantic, it will give you that warm feeling inside.

The addition of Most Irresistible Guy at the end of this story is a pure bonus! It gives that little bit of history between Cooper and Violet and makes me want to go relive their story in Most Valuable Player.

Who better to deliver this story by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt? And I noticed in parts the story was read in duet..what a wonderful surprise! Arndt brings that strong, spunkiness to Sabrina with a hint of vulnerability. Flynn could not have been given a better voice that what York portrayed. His smooth sound gave this tech nerd the smart, sexiness of a wonderful Prince Charming.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

All the Diamonds....

Lauren Blakely writes such feel good while you listen books that have some endearing characters. I loved Angel and Duke (alias Sabrina and Flynn) in this book. The imagery and descriptions in the story were outstanding. I loved the concept of Pineapple Math and Flynn's description of Sabrina being a wordsmith was so neat. This book has so many wonderful facets that pull the listener in. I so enjoy listening to Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. They were spot on with their POV and various voices. I thought this book had some Cinderella-esq vibes to the story with how some descriptions and comparisons were worded. This book was so good, its hard to summarize all the wonderful details and points I took away from this listen. I will definitely listen to this book again.
Also, included in the audiobook was a short novella that was fun to listen to and it was performed by Andi Arndt.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Nerds can be very dirty!

I love how Flynn and Sabrina met, and the immediate connection between them. I remember Flynn in Dylan’s story, and I wished he got his own book. There had to be more to Dylan’s glasses-wearing twin. And Lauren brought it! Flynn and Sabrina both have some baggage from previous relationships that didn’t work out. I really enjoyed getting both their points of view on their feelings, fears, hopes and silliness. You get so many feels, and I enjoyed them all. Their inquisitive and romantic personalities were a perfect match. There were almost equal parts nerdy, cute, sweet, funny, dirty, dirty (ok, maybe a little more dirty), swoony, and lovely. This was a great story and I really enjoyed all the characters.
Again, Lauren creates such a vivid picture of all the locations, you feel you’ve gone all over New York. There are several places in this story I’d definitely like to visit.
At this point of reading Lauren Blakely books, I’ve stopped trying to pick a favorite, because either her next one will be the best, or I’m reminded of one of her previous books, and that will be my favorite. SPOILER: They’re all amazing, and I love them all!

As usual, Sebastian and Andi do a phenomenal job. For me, listening is a different experience from reading, and they are masters at their aural craft.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Story

This one was a very good love story. The narrators are always on spot. Loved it!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Witty and clever modern fairytale!

What a clever and sexy rom-com! Loved the costumes, the wordplay and Flynn and Sabrina!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Love It

Just love Laurens stories, pulls you in for a wonderful love story with strong characters.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Simple storyline, enjoyable light read

Lauren Blakely writes really well, her stories are engaging and the characters have depth and are very real. While this story followed the well trod path of the rich guy meeting the sweet, day dreamer who is working hard to pay someone else’s debts, it is a relief that the hero and heroine are both independent and intelligent. The hero realises that he doesn’t have to ‘save’ the girl, she can save herself, he can just support her and care.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A sweet and easy listen

Come as you Are is such a sweet story. I think this book came to me at the right time, I’d been reading some angst filled books just lately and then this gem came into my life. It was such a sweet and easy listen. Lauren Blakely always finds a way to entertain me and put a smile on my face. Her words are a definite must for anyone feeling out of sorts. Flynn and Sabrina are adorable, I just loved them so much. This book is Lauren at her best. Grabbing the listener’s attention and keeping it until the last page. I liked the cover, but I have to say it wasn’t my favourite, it didn’t really give me a feel for the story as I read it. Still a nice cover though.

These characters are so sweet. There isn’t a conflict as such, even if I was worried for a second there. But, I felt that was awesome because it truly showed Flynn’s character growth. He was such a sweet guy, he made time for everyone, he had insecurities that were understandable. Sabrina, was fantastic, she may have been down on her luck but she kept going, wanting to do the best for herself and her brother. I loved the relationship she had with him. It was sweet. The way she overcame her insecurities to be with Flynn. Their relationship and how they meet, for the first and second time. Watching them form a friendship and then that blossom into something more. It was just lovely and just what I needed.

Andi Arndt and Sebastian York were fantastic casting for this story. They both deliver such strong performances and really immerse you in the story. Although it’s a dual performance, the text messages were in duet and I thought that was really clever, maybe because I’m such a fan of duet anyway. The production was great with no issues of note.

Most Irresistible Guy is included at the end of the audio. I was excited when I found out as I was hoping it would get the audio treatment. I even held off reading it. Andi Arndt was superb as violet. If you’ve read Most Valuable Playboy this is a great little prequel to make you smile and it’ll probably make you want to do a reread of MVP. If you haven’t read it, this is a great introduction to some of the characters. It was short and cute.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

light and entertaining

3.5 stars

This was an entertaining listen from Lauren Blakely as always but this one didn’t completely thrill me. It took me a while to get into Flynn and Sabrina’s story after their initial exciting meeting. However, the last couple of hours were really good. I found this to be less humourous than some of Blakely’s books and I’m okay with a more sincere approach sometimes. Even though this wasn’t rom-com territory, the dialogue was generally good.

I am a little fatigued with same duo narrating and I must say I appreciated Lauren Blakely switching things up for her last few books. In this story, for the first time there was a dabble in duet narration which I really appreciated BUT it wasn’t consistent. Sometimes it was normal dialogue with a single voice doing both characters and then occasionally we got the duet approach. I don’t understand why it was a mixed approach because when it was ‘on’, it was superb.

I know I can rely on these books for a light-hearted read with steam and that’s what I got.

A voluntarily listened to a review copy of this audiobook.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Five Fairy Tale Stars

Once Upon a Time there was a rich Duke and a Poor Angel.......

The Duke lives in a big town house in Manhattan, where as the Angel lives in her cousins flat while she is away on an extended vacation, otherwise she would never be able to afford to live in the city.

The Duke and the Angel meet at a masquerade party and sparks fly, they have one fabulous, hot encounter in the library, and they never see each other again.........................or do they?

Sabrina Granger is a freelance journalist looking for her next big break, it comes in spades with a fantastic job offer, she gets to interview Flynn Parker, the new big thing in technology for a company that she is dying to work for, not only is Flynn a brilliant businessman, he is also one hell of a hot Puppy !

Flynn Parker is a self made millionaire, he has the looks, the charm and the money, his day is spent coming up with brilliant ideas, and also trying to look interested when people are trying to sell them theirs, i mean why would he want to invest in a "how's my sexual performance" App for your phone??

With the interview set up Sabina agrees to meet Flynn Parker the day after she has agreed to meet her mystery Hot Duke at a bar as he managed to contact her, but who walks into her line of vision and sits right down next to her..........Oops, now what???

🎧🎧 Narated by the always amazing Dream Team of the sexy voiced queen Andi Arndt and the Sexy Melted Chocolate sounds of Sebastian York, these 2 together could set your grocery lists on fire

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing and such a sweet story!

I l Bed this rom-com so much. It was funny, sweet and so beautiful. But as it’s Lauren’s book dirty and sexy is a given. And what a nerdy sexy it is!

I loved the story line. A ball. A masquerade. And of course them. Both with baggage from previous relationships but still deep inside beliving in love

This book is a must. And Andi with Sebastian did an amazing job.

Well done guys.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fairytalesque

This is one of my favourite way for a couple to meet in a book, a fabulous masquerade ball!! it is so fairytalesque! And the fairytale didn't disappoint, Flynn was the perfect Prince charming, handsome, smart, kind, sexy and swoon worthy.

Sabrina was not a damsel in distress, who needed rescuing, but she did have a few of life's obstacles in her way, and although a modern women never needs a man to take care of them, sometimes a hand to hold along the way sure is nice.

I loved both characters, they were a delight to get to know, as was the setting, once again I get to enjoy a little of the area that Sabrina and Flynn live in as Lauren describes the scenes and areas so well.

Another few places to add to my places to see on my book scenes map of the world courtesy of Authors read.

Andi & Sebastian are a dream team in the romance genre and can put no foot wrong. A dream to listen to, bringing the characters to life in their unmistakeable style.

Come as you are

This is a lovely romantic story, with great ups and downs all made from their own insecurities. Loved lisening to this as Andi Arndt and Sebastian York have great expressive voices.