Coming to Terms

By: KA Moll

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Coming to Terms tells the story of Sawyer James, a cop, angry and alone, an alcoholic. Sexually abused by her father when she was a child, she keeps secrets with her twin sister, and numbs past trauma with the bottle. When her twin is psychiatrically hospitalized, she’ll work with the hospital social worker, and in doing so, will be offered no choice but to deal with past horrors.

Sage Carson is a clinical social worker, a divorced woman who has no desire for a relationship, one man being enough for a lifetime. When she meets Sawyer, questions about her own sexuality will be awakened, and she’ll have no choice but to deal with them.

And, with this backdrop, as these two women begin a new relationship, Sawyer must perform at the top of her game, engaging in a desperate hunt for a serial rapist-murderer, a hunt that will become all too personal.

©2015 KA Moll (P)2023 KA Moll

Good story

the relationships seemed to form out of miss air. otherwise, great book. I'd read this author again.

i liked the story line.

there is a point at around chapter 23or 24 where the story could have ended but kept going. its after that part the story becomes pretty difficult to listen to. as in the details of trauma. pretty heavy stuff. i did keep coming back to listen to the rest of the audio book. i would recommend it. i just wouldn't listen to it on a cross country trip.

Pacing issues

This book has some significant pacing issues. There were numerous times when I felt like the action was happening off camera, so to speak, and the parts we actually get in detail have odd time gaps. Overall I think this could have been at least twice as long if some of the details, the things I felt were being condensed and skipped, were a little more fleshed out. That said, there were also some bits that might've been unnecessary and could be condensed or cut entirely.

The narration was good. I only remember one jarring moment when the narrator said parameter when context dictated that it should have been perimeter. I don't know if this was actually an error in the writing or just a quirk of the narrator's speech.

The writing, pacing issues aside, wasn't bad. I think this author just needs a good editor.
The chemistry between the two main characters was believable, although I did feel that their relationship was rather accelerated. Again, pacing issues.

I don't regret my purchase, but I wouldn't put this high on a list of recommendations to others.

Definite page turner

Would you listen to Coming to Terms again? Why?

Lots of details.

What did you like best about this story?

Fast paced, and talked about real issues.

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

No

Any additional comments?

Great book, it is a welcome addition to my library.

Spoiler Alert

This was my first book by KA Moll. It was a great story. I enjoyed it because both characters got together early on in the book and embarked on this journey...together! Didn't have to go through break ups and making up, but, rather enjoyed how they overcome the obstacles that stood in their way. I loved how both characters 'changed their stories'
And I think the narrator did a great job of relating the story. So, worth listening to!

This is a great story, but a hard one to hear

Emily Beresford once again does a fantastic job with her narration. It took me a little bit to get used to her reading K.A. Moll's stories as I've always associated Emily's voice with happier stories, but she does a great job with differentiating the characters and with using the appropriate tone - happy, sad, etc. when needed.

The main plotline of this story is Sawyer's childhood trauma and how she has coped. Then, it is how Sawyer's love interest, Sage, helps her to not just cope, but to learn how to deal with it and not let it control her life. The love story between Sawyer and Sage is sweet. How Moll has the characters deal with Sawyer's past is believable and she does a fantastic job making the reader/listener feel Sawyer's pain.

I love how K.A. Moll doesn't stick to the usual romance narrative. While, the romance is important to the story, the main theme quickly becomes helping one of the MC's to deal with some type of trauma. Moll's characters are never perfect and are easy for most of us readers/listeners to relate to because of their personal and romantic struggles. I love how she writes about everyday people just trying to live their lives day in and day out.

Excellent

Great story line, deep characters, well developed story. Narration was great. Even the side detective story was very good

It's not about finding love

Any additional comments?

Coming to Terms is one of two novels by KA Moll that is narrated by Emily Beresford, the other being the supernatural romance, "Haunting Love".

The main relationship is unique in Moll’s literary world, in that their struggle is not to find each other. Here, they find solace in each other’s arms early on, and the story is driven by one character's need to deal with her past so she can let her girlfriend love her. It’s a different kind of romance, with the dark forces of external characters driving the action forward. Sawyer’s father, in particular, is perhaps one of the vilest characters Moll has written to date.

Beresford once again delivers a fine reading, playing with the tension, drama and lighter moments to great effect. You can read my full review on glamadelaide dot com dot au under the Entertainment section, where I've also reviewed some of KA Moll's other books and had the good fortune of interviewing her.