Far From Home

Belladonna Ink Series, Book 1

By: Lorelie Brown

Narrated by: Jill Smith

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

My name is Rachel. I’m straight... I think. I also have a mountain of student loans and a smart mouth. I wasn’t serious when I told Pari Sadashiv I’d marry her. It was only party banter! Except Pari needs a green card, and she’s willing to give me a breather from drowning in debt. 

My off-the-cuff idea might not be so terrible. We get along as friends. She’s really romantically cautious, which I find heartbreaking. She deserves someone to laugh with. She’s kind. And calm. And gorgeous. A couple of years with her actually sounds pretty good. If some of Pari’s kindness and calm rubs off on me, that’d be a bonus, because I’m a mess - anorexia is not a pretty word - and my little ways of keeping control of myself, of the world, aren’t working anymore. 

And if I slip up, Pari will see my cracks. Then I’ll crack. Which means I gotta get out, quick, before I fall in love with my wife. 

©2016 Lorelie Brown (P)2019 Riptide Publishing

Perfect narrator for a beautiful book

It’s rare to find a narrator so obviously perfect for a story. Jill Smith took an already beautiful story and shaped it into something absolutely stunning with her almost ethereal voice. I’ve heard narrators butcher accents so badly, it felt offensive to continue listening but Jill’s accents are lovely and effortless. The story itself is deeply touching on so many levels, I very nearly cried. This was well worth my time. Lorelie Brown and Jill Smith are a sublime pairing.

at long last

i've read this book so many times and I love it so much! I'm so glad that it's finally come to audible. this is one of those books that I was both scared and excited to see in audio because a good narrator can really bring it to life but a bad one could ruin it. there are a lot of challenges for a narrator any time that cultures intersect and I think Jill Smith did an absolutely wonderful job with it. she has really good emotional range and she pulled off the Indian accents believably. thank you so much Lorelie Brown for writing this book and thank you Jill Smith for bringing a favorite to life.

The series title doesn't do it justice

The series title Belladonna Ink, in my opinion, has no place here. Neither Pari or Rachel are connected to Belladonna Ink, Rachel's friends are and they are barely mentioned as is Belladonna Ink. If I hadn't read the blurb I would never have chosen this book, but I was intrigued by the anorexia. I am glad I took a chance on this book. There are two covers. I prefer this one as the other is misleading and like Rachel, the blonde is far from home.
I loved all of the characters, right down to Pari's mom. I was happy to see that through a different nationality and culture she was accepting of her daughter's sexuality. the story had a very realistic feel, the anorexia disorder was handled well and the sexual tension was hot.
This is a very good, well written, thought-provoking story.
This is my first narration by Jill Smith. I enjoyed it a lot. Her voice is clear, her inflection and pacing is good. It never felt like she was just reading the story. Her voice for Pari and her mom had just enough dialect to give them a unique accent. I loved it.

Oh I really loved this book

Rachel narrates this story from her point of view and she is sweet , deep and so introspective. I loved her from beginning to end. This is not you typical f/f the characters are flawed, mainly Rachel , but I pulled for her all the way. This a must read and definitely on my read again list.

Loved the narrator!

I absolutely loved the narrator Jill Smith. She was an excellent complement to a sweet and sexy story. It looks like the start of a series. I hope to check out the stories to follow... fingers crossed that Jill Smith will narrate.

Absolutely amazing!

This is such a beautiful story and the narration is perfect! I didn’t want it to end.

Very enjoyable and great narration!

The blurb for this book really doesn't do it justice. If I was looking for a book to read and only had that to go by, I probably would have bypassed it. But a dear friend said it was a favorite, so I wanted to give it a listen. Very happy I did!
Told from her point of view, "California girl" Rachel is in film production in Hollywood, trying to work her way up in a small production company to do something she can be proud of. But she's buried in student loan debt after getting her master's degree. She meets Pari at a party, who is from India but has been in the US. on a work visa. She overhears Pari saying she wants to branch out from the financial firm she works for and become an independent consultant, but then she'd lose her work sponsor. In order to be able to stay in the U.S., she'd need to find a woman who would marry her. Although straight, Rachel sees how accomplished, intelligent and beautiful Pari is and blurts out almost half-joking that SHE would do it. Pari asks her if she's even a lesbian and Rachel says no, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker. In fact, that might work out just fine. Pari isn't really looking for a relationship. She's a busy career woman, and so is Rachel.
They decide to meet up again and see how they would get along. And if that went well, talk about what it would take - and how long they would have to be legally married - for Pari to become a citizen. Then they could go their separate ways. Pari is in a position financially to take some of that burden off of Rachel's shoulders and has a wonderful apartment on the beach she can share with her. Seen as a business arrangement, they agree to terms.
Rachel is drawn to Pari right from the start, and it confuses her. But while her feelings for Pari grow, the Indian beauty isn't wanting to get involved with another straight woman. Been there, done that and she got a broken heart in the process. But as the women spend time and get to know one another, things begin to evolve.
There are several things I liked about this story. Rachel is anorexic and not a character I've seen in lesfic. Because the story is told in first person by her, there's some really fascinating - and heartbreaking - insight about what goes through the mind of someone with her condition. How she thinks about food, how she feels about herself and her body. How portion control and working out become obsessions. Pari recognizes that Rachel has issues with food, but doesn't know to what extent Rachel is suffering. Rachel also comes to realize through this experience that she's demisexual - something she didn't even know existed before she met Pari.
Pari is a wonderfully appealing character. She's warm, kind and generous, curvy and striking. And very close to her family. And when they tell Pari's family they are to be married, we get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a traditional three day Indian wedding celebration. We also get to see Rachel's relationship with her family in contrast to Pari's. While Pari's parents initially worried about their daughter being a lesbian, they grew to accept and love her. In fact, they insist on throwing a grand event to celebrate Pari and Rachel's union. Much of this story takes place while Pari's mother comes into town a month before the wedding to make all the arrangements.
The audiobook wasn't long - not quite six hours - and I was wondering how author Lorelie Brown was going to get the whole story in. She manages it - but not like you might expect.
I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop and found their moments to be insightful, sweet, romantic and ultimately, sexy. The author didn't take the easy way out near the story's end and I appreciated how it came together. There were also strong secondary characters - especially Pari's mother - who added much to the story.
I'm very picky about narrators and Jill Smith was unfamiliar to me. Not only did I love her voice, tone and overall performance, she did a really good job with Pari and her family's Indian accents. She injected just the right amount of emotion and brought the story to life. I'll be looking for more of her work.
I am grateful to have discovered this new-to-me author and narrator!

Wow

Que buen libro, exquisitamente escrito y sobre todo la Narración.. wow, 10 de 10 para Jill Smith.

best story and best narrator

best love story! i wish the was a bit more longer. it was so good that i am sad that it ended!
I loved the characters , story, and the narrators voice!

brilliant narration

I think this is one of those stories improved by the acting and accents of the wonderful Jill Smith. I really enjoyed the story and actually wish it was twice as long as it is, but I really appreciated the epilogue that lets us know how things turn out with our MCs. I will 100% listen to this one again.

9/3/2021 - so far have listened twice - love it both times

fauxmance

A passionate story about a fake romance. I think the story is well written. With a lot of passion and dedication, Rachel agrees to the fake marriage. You experience the story as a listener through the eyes of Rachel. the narrator emphasizes the feeling as if you are part of the romance because the words are spoken with passion.