Ever Yours, Annabelle: A Rescued from Ruin Prequel

Rescued from Ruin Series, Book 0.5

By: Elisa Braden

Narrated by: Mary Sarah

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

She's not one for half measures.

Lady Annabelle Huxley believes anything worth doing is worth doing boldly, and that includes adoring Robert Conrad. As a girl, she chased him with reckless abandon, and he always rescued her when she pushed too far...until the day rescuing her cost him everything - and lost her the boy she loved as no other.

He's not the boy she remembers.

The accident that shattered his body and his future left Robert Conrad fighting a battle only the hardest men win. After seven hellish years, even his tough soldier of a grandfather thinks he needs a wife to "civilize" him. But the season's sole temptation is Annabelle, no longer a worshipful girl, now a siren with a womanly laugh, sarcastic mouth, and curves to make an uncivilized man sweat.

Love this powerful is not so easily broken.

Her habit of chasing trouble hasn't changed. Neither has his driving need to protect her. So, when a scandalous secret draws danger too close, he'll wield his weapons ruthlessly - blackmail, betrothal, seduction - to keep her safe once more. And when his strength is all that stands between her and a perilous abyss, she's reminded why loving Robert Conrad has always been the hardest habit to break.

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Elisa Braden (P)2021 Tantor

Liked the story but...

Oh no, the narration made it difficult to continue on. The narrator had a decent range in terms of character identification but our H sounded like he was a weird kind of superhero, whispering all the time...and most sentences throughout were ended on a breathy “sigh”- leaving me very agitated! It became a burden listening despite the storyline being pretty good. I will have to return this audible version and purchase the book. Sorry!

Magical story of childhood crush turned soul mates story!

Wooooooooooowwwwww this was a BEAUTIFUL book! I loved every moment of it! Childhood crush turned lovers with a finger-licking HEA is my personal catnip. I absolutely adore it! This story brings in a little extra magic as well because while Annabelle has strong feelings of love for Robert from the very beginning, Robert doesn’t consider Annabelle a pest AT ALL! They have a connection of the soul that grows from platonic to romantic as they grow.

This book reminded me a lot of one of my all time favorite contemporary romances: To Love Jason Thorne by Ella Maise. Heroine’s brother is best friend to the hero, heroine crushes HARD on hero as a young girl, hero indulges heroine but doesn’t yet have romantic feelings towards heroine, hero crushes hopes and dreams of heroine. However that is where the story diverges. I don’t want to spoil to much but it is important to note that from an early age the hero is her protector. He really cares about her and is truly her hero. It is that relationship and connection that causes trouble and ultimately drives them apart. There were a number of plot points that I was not expecting. Some twists and turns that weren’t predictable at all. But the love and sacrifices that each made for the other are so heartbreaking and poignant I just couldn’t put it down.

There is a period of separation for the two as they grow up and heal in some ways and break apart in others. But they grow in to individuals during this time (that time doesn’t really happen on page except via letters that Annabelle writes but never sends to Robert) and they develop quirks and character they might not have otherwise. One of those is the heroine’s tale t for drawing charactatures which I thought was a neat talent which she eventually sells to a gossip paper. Early on I would have said that my one complaint was how the heroine seemed to bow to the paper owner’s demands for sketch revisions: she isn’t poor and/or desperate... she doesn’t NEED to sketch to survive. It’s a hobby. For fun. She doesn’t HAVE to post cruel, false cartoons in the paper. So this moral struggle felt pretty weak. But it was relevant to another plot point so I guess I’ll let it slide. There wasn’t a ton of action in this book other than in the last half or so. There was a bit of a mystery but it was very secondary and simply moved the romance along.

There was definitely something magical about this book. I’m enjoying how Elisa Braden is bringing in some very light supernatural elements that help you believe in magic and soul mates because man did this book deliver that feeling!

Good book ruined by horrid narration,

It's a no brainer, narrator can enhance or completely ruin the book. In this case it's the latter. Such a shame, as I can't read books due to eye condition and hence will not follow this author, in spite of well written and seemingly entertaining storyline. Narrator chose to use a completely "made-up" language, stretching the vowels and spicing up her speech with whimsical affectations. Sadly will be returning this title.