Excess Baggage (Standalone)

Babes of Brighton, Book 1

By: Laura Barnard

Narrated by: Penny Scott-Andrews

Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Stuck in a dead-end relationship, Erica Bennett finds herself daydreaming of her first holiday romance. She was 15, and it was exciting, new, and full of possibilities...and Jack Lawson was hot as hell. That kind of thing leaves a mark.

So when her friends suggest a girls' holiday to Luna Island, it’s exactly what she needs to take her mind off things. What she doesn’t expect is to spot Jack - a much older, hotter version of him - across the hotel lobby.

Their attraction is still there, and it isn’t long before sparks fly, but 15 years is a long time. They aren’t the same people they were back then, and besides, it’s only a week, right? Is it a second chance at something real, or will their excess baggage ruin their shot at love after they leave Luna Island?

©2017 Laura Barnard (P)2019 Laura Barnard

heat and humor second chance

Evelyn was such a buzzkill for Erica and she really irked me. They went to have fun, not to be chaperoned by the voice of doom and gloom! Maybe Evelyn needs a man or she's jealous!! The angst and tension between Jack and Erica had me on tenterhooks waiting for a positive outcome. I think I may have an ulcer from angsting over these two and hoping they'd get it right. The author delivers in spades! Wild, zany,
funny book you must read/listen to. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a great job.

Loved it - A must-read!

I adored Excess Baggage! Erica is daydreaming about her a romantic holiday when she was 15 and who happens to be across the lobby? Jack,... from 15 years ago. We jump right into a very steam pool scene and it just continues to get hotter as the story progresses.

Okay, now that is out of the way, Erica is an absolute hoot. Everything adventure they go on, she comes out of it with some sort of mishap. Most of the time it involves her bathing suit. She really made the book very funny. I can't imagine all thing that happened to her every time she step out to have fun. She just rolled with it. I am seeing a lot of white bathing suits in the stores this year and I just find myself laughing as I think of Erica. She is too funny.

What will become of Erica and Jack after 15 years? What happens when Erica's boyfriend (whom she broke up with over text) shows up on Luna Island with a ring? I can't spoil it for you.

Lover’s Holiday

This was a quick and very satisfying story.
It amazes me how people get their wires crossed and misinterpret things all the while being completely funny.
Laura Barnard writes the best self deprecating characters, and they are thoroughly entertaining too.
Erica and Jack... with their history, the obvious passion and electricity between them, will they finally get things sorted out?....I’m not telling... you’ll just have to listen (narrated extremely well by Penny Scott-Andrews) yourself to find out!
Brilliant!

Love the Narrator

I like this story and the characters. I like the laughs and the light tone. I love the narrator. As an American, a British accent (any UK accent) is soothing and enjoyable. Penny Scott-Andrews takes me on location with the characters. I like her a lot.

However, listening to the story highlights the things I didn't like when reading the book. Primarily the push/pull for a ridiculous reason and the too quick ending. I'm sure this is my age and people in their 20s or 30s will relate more with the characters' dilemma. I feel like a sit down and conversation makes more sense then avoiding happiness for something blown out of proportion. I'm not trying to imply that the book isn't worth reading because it is. It is worth your time and the audio is well done.

Cute short story

The story is cute but typical. The narrator's voice was anoying to me. She flowed well but her tone is grating. This is a basic 2nd chance book but I'm glad I took the time to listen.

Entertaining short listen

4.5 Stars for Audio Review of Excess Baggage
I have read a few books by Laura Barnard but as I’m fairly new to Audio books Penny Scott-Andrews the narrator is new to me.
Excess Baggage is a second chance romance mixed with some hilarious laugh out loud moments especially the scene at the Water Park. Erica Bennett is away on a trip with her girlfriends and the last person she expects to bump into is Jack Lawson the man who broke her heart. First loves are always special and for Erica and Jack it seems nothing has changed over time, the attraction and chemistry are still there so with the help of some interfering girlfriends life starts to heat up once again for this couple who fate has given a second chance at love to.
Sizzling chemistry, witty banter, great friends and a entertaining plot all added up to make Excess Baggage an enjoyable fun listen.
The narrator did a great job with so many characters to portray.

A good story

This is a second chance at love story and although I have read several books form Laura Barnard, the narrator Penny Scott-Andrews is new to me.
This is not a particularly long book to listen to and although I enjoyed the story line I could not get into the narrator at all.
A girls trip away leads Erica Bennett to a blast from the past, when she comes face to face with her first love Jack Lawson, the man who broke her heart. However, the attraction is still there and now all that needs to be considered is whether they should act on it since nothing has really changed from when they were 15.
The chemistry between Erica and Jack is intense and thanks to their interfering friends life becomes complicated. I really enjoyed the camaraderie with the secondary characters who were entertaining.
Can Erica and Jack, get through the emotional baggage from their past and in doing so create a future or should they quit while they are ahead?

Sweet audible that will make you smile and laugh

Erica is stuck in a relationship she doesn't want and when her friends tell her they should all go for a getaway Erica agrees. What Erica didn't plan on was seeing her first love there Jack. Erica met Jack when she was 15 her first love and heartache and now there both grown up! Will they reconnect or will Jack and Erica make it a just a getaway romance since they both have separate lives? Will they both tell each other how they feel? Great second hilarious chance romance that will have you laughing and swooning at the same time. Plus the narrator made the story come to life! 4/5 stars

Fun second chance, vacation romance

This is a great second chance, vacation romance. This is the story of Erica and Jack. They had a fling on vacation as teenagers. Their relationship ended up in heartbreak. Years later they are both adults and moved on with their lives. By chance they are on vacation at the same place. The feelings they both tried to forget resurface. There are complications of course. It was a fun story to follow. I wanted these two together so bad. I am a sucker for second chance romances. Jack had me swooning for sure. I loved Erica. She was fun and I could relate to her inner turmoils. The supporting characters were also fun, the friends with them on vacation. I would love to see another book with these characters. Narrator Penny Scott-Andrews does a great job telling the story to the listener. I loved her voice and she was a perfect Erica. Even when she reads Jack's parts I heard Jack as a male not a female. This is a great read/listen that will become a quick favorite.

Second Chance at love

Erica and Jack fell in love as teenagers but being teenagers it was hard to maintain a long distance relationship. They broke up. Fast forward fifteen years and Erica is on vacation with her girlfriends. Who appears at the same hotel? Jack. Her first love. The one that got away. The one who broke her heart and made her feel unworthy for a long time. What follows is a hilarious (on Erica's part) story of the same chemistry that they had as kids and fighting the attraction but at the same time not. Will it work out this time? Can they make it work?
This is a sweet 'short' second chance romance that will crack you up and also make you facepalm yourself at Erica's unfortunate happenings. I highly recommend.
Penny Scott-Andrews does an amazing job bringing to life all the characters and I'm going to keep her on my watchlist.

Great, light hearted listen

I loved listening to the audio version of this book. It was a light hearted, fun listen about a second chance romance. It was funny and easy to listen to. The narrator did a good job too. I would recommend this story 😊. I look forward to more from this author.

Light relief

I’m not really into romance and chic lit but I love a good audio and I do like something lighter in between the heavier stuff I tend to listen to - this was an entertaining, shortish audio that I went quickly through whilst walking to the supermarket and prepping food - the characters behave a little immature for my personal taste, Jack’s ‘big secret’ really isn’t something anyone needs to keep secret, he also thinks with his genitalia an awful lot and Erica certainly hasn’t moved on much from her fifteen year old self, the white bikini incident seems pretty daft - girl, what??? And whose girlfriends wouldn’t immediately spot that?
But then, if you pick this up you don’t expect a nuanced character study or realistic portrayal of adult relationships.
It was fun and a little naughty and the narrator did a pretty good job - I have the other two in the series lined up and I’m sure they will make just as good a light-hearted relief as this one.

Feel good fun

Ok I loved this audio is so sweet and frustrating and reminded me of summer holiday romances and that feeling that the men you meet are the sun, moon and stars but in this case our heroine in this story has never got over her first summer fling and when a chance encounter brings them back together it sets off a chain of misunderstandings and frustrations to a love that never runs smooth. I loved it but note to self don’t listen to this and let your mum in the room as it is quite saucy and my mum is still recovering lol.

Predictable with Awful Narration

If you are looking for a quick, cheap, second chance love story, then this is the book for you. I mean, I didn't hate it. It was ok. But the narration was so annoying, it probably made the story a little worse than it should be. Penny Scott-Andrews puts on a terrible squeeky voice for the main character, stupid annoying voices for her friends, and ridiculous voices for the boys. It's pretty relentless.

The story itself is pretty predictable. There are no shock twists, even though it acts like there will be. The ending is thrown in over 10 minutes. It all feels too rushed. The characters have no real depth, and you never find out the outcome of any other character. There's barely any subplot at all.

So, yes. Quick, easy listening, smutty love story? Crack on.

would have been nice if it synced with the kindle

good story, would have liked to read a little more and would really like it if it had synced with the kindle version

Second chances

3.5 stars

An enjoyable, fun second chance romance.

I listened to this in audio. Brilliantly narrated.

I loved the whole girls on holiday, getting away, letting their hair down kind of story with girly times, laughter, humour, flirting, sassy & witty British character's, which gave it a Bridget Jones kind of feel. Throw in a group of boys and Erica meeting her first love from a holiday way back when she was a teenager at just fifteen and this girly holiday turns into a sexy second chance romance.
Fun read with plenty of giggles.
​Told in first person dual pov. leads to a hea with a surprise I didn't see coming so I also felt it was a little bit of a rushed ending but overall I liked it.

A Great Listen

Excess Baggage is a great book, but I will say it's even better to listen to. Penny Scott-Andrews was the perfect narrator for this, although I found her voice a little baby-ish at times, I think it was just right for Erica's character.

This a great second chance romance, with lots of humour. Its a good job I work by myself as I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times.

If you like a light read or listen and a bit of humour I highly recommend this Audio.