Insider

By: Olivia Cunning

Narrated by: Joe Arden, Mackenzie Cartwright

Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Toni Nichols set aside her dreams to raise her little sister, but now she's reaching for the stars as the creator of a revolutionary interactive biography about Exodus End. She's on tour with the rock band to immerse herself in their world, but how will she ever gain the trust of four veteran superstars who've been burned by the media before? Nobody said this was going to be easy. Then again, good things can come in hard packages.

Adrenaline junkie Logan Schmidt lives for the rush of playing his bass guitar before thousands of screaming fans. When he's not performing onstage or in the bedroom, he's looking for his next thrill in extreme sports. So why does a sweet, innocent journalist get his heart pumping and capture his full attention? Is Toni the real deal, or is she just digging up dirt on his band? Logan's eager to rock Toni's world, but when she starts to get too close to his heart, she takes her insider look to a place he may never be willing to go.

Contains mature themes.

©2015 Olivia Cunning (P)2015 Tantor

More Please!!!

This book rocks!! I am so excited the Sinners books are continuning with this series. I cannot wait for more. If you like the first series, you will like (read: need to get) this book. No spoilers here, but I was a bit turned off by the summary, so it took me a few days to give it a try. For some reason the thought of another journalist/rocker romance seemed a bit tired and over done to me, but there was a different twist to this one and it took me all of about 15 min to be completely engaged! Definitely recommend.

16 of 16 people found this review helpful

So hot and funny at the same time!

This book was great. It was hot and funny, so funny that I'd laugh out loud and I know the people in the cars next to me while I was driving must have thought I was nuts! LOL! I didn't know if I'd like someone as much as the Sinners, but Exodus End is equally likable and after meeting Logan and the guys, I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series. It was cool to see how their story went along with the Sinners' books and to have familiar characters in the book made it nice. If you loved the Sinners' books you love this one!

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

a good rock band book

the story line was good but like always would have been soooo much better if Arden did not have to try and sound like a female. He did a decent job but still lacking.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

NEW BAND, GREAT CHARACTERS & HOT ROCKER LOVE

Toni is a 25 yr old geeky and naive virgin, she's got a young dependant special needs Sister who she has almost given up her social life for opting to be home taught rather than attend a School or College because her Mother is focussed on their Publishing Company rather than trying to cope for Birdie her younger daughter. Toni now works from home for her Mother, has only one gay friend, is totally naive, shy and clueless but very loving, loyal and is clever - having developed an interactive programme and she couldn't believe that her Mother is actually sending her off to join the world famous rock band Exodus End to get the insider profile.

Olivia Cunning wrote it so well you felt nervous for Toni as she was shaking in her boots about to meet the famous Band and when she locked eyes with the sexy and gorgeous Bass Guitarist Logan, who's an infamous man-whore, there was an instant insane sexual connection that skyrocketed them both to new heights. The pair very quickly became lovers and their romance was so sweet, funny and very hot as Logan couldn't get enough of Toni and his character completely changed as he morphed into a jealous, over-protective, sexually consumed, dirty talking one woman guy who couldn't keep his hands, or mind, off Toni. Which was so funny, as the rest of the Band riled him up, provoked him and mercilessly teased him about his denied infatuation with the quirky Writer. And Toni felt way out of his league, just as infatuated, inexperienced at her job as well as sexually inexperienced..... but Logan (the sweetie) was willing, very capable and looking forward to teaching her everything he knew and Toni, well let's just say she was an eager student (the lucky lucky girl!).

Toni was so gentle, loving and easy to talk to that it wasn't long before all the rest of the Band members accepted her and were confiding in her, sharing their secrets and spilling other people's. And, by now, you just know where the story is going to lead.... predictable yes, but it had my stomach churning as to the how, when and the fallout of it. After the 'inevitable' event there was devastation, tears, heartache, confusion and a few family surprises and a twist but, through it all, Toni and Logan's love prevailed. Then heated words, a shocking revelation and a little girl's pleas sent the lovers off to their HEA..... back to join Exodus End's World Tour.

There were a few scenes in this listen that I thought really stretched the bounds of credibility but it's so smooth and well written with loveable characters who each had such a believable fun-loving interaction with each other that any of those scenes were heavily outweighed and outnumbered by the humorous, tender, sexy, passionate and romantic ones. As well as the heartwarming, heart-aching and heart-stopping scenes that made up this addictive listen which was told from both POV's and the narrators did an awesome job.

Worth a credit? YES, it's oh so sweet, very hot, thoroughly entertaining, funny and has a full cast of very loveable characters with their own quirks, histories and stories yet to be told. And, in Olivia Cunning's hands, her fans know that each story is going to be just as enjoyable as all her other listens were.

16 of 18 people found this review helpful

Don't wait. Get this book!

O.C. and her rockers. I don't think much else needs to be said. She writes the very best rock star stories. I'm not a big fan of Sole Regret but I am a big fan of Sinners. This is written more in the Sinners style. It picks up a week or so after Double Time. If you haven't read the Sinners books I would start there. Buy it or use a credit. Just don't miss it!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

HOT followed by HOTTER

I love Olivia's books and I can't wait to read the next installment in this series. That being said it was almost predictable in the story line but the characters were interesting and certainly not boring.
Strong characters and the story following on from the Sinners made it a great time waster!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

slow to start but stick with it!

I was looking forward to this book, finally a extension of the sinners series! I find that this book does a great job laying the foundation for the upcoming series, and I cant wait to see it! loved this story, but the whole virgin jumping into bed with someone (even if that someone is a hot rockstar named logan) is outside the realm of reality, other than that I really liked the story and cant wait to read the exodus end series! rock on guys :)

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Innocent to Confident --Aloof to Well Centered

I take my reading seriously, so reading a book based on erotica is not my forte. That all said, I love books about the music industry and this was one I couldn’t pass up. I was thoroughly glad that I chose to read Insider: Exodus End World Tour, Book 1. My affinity for this book began page one however a few hours in, I was getting irritated by the amount of sexual material as it was overkill. Toni’s absolute awe of the things that could be done sexually was very off putting as well . It was frustrating to hear her say things constantly like wow, how does that work, or oh, I didn’t know that could be done. I often questioned her upbringing which was on a farm primarily isolated with her little sister Birdie, but even that was like, okay this girl who’s been through college, has watched porn and masturbates is really not that naively innocent. The portrayal of Toni’s loss of innocence once again came to my question in her later deeply sexual journal entries with her new found confidence. It was just a very overnight change for this character. Another mild irritant while reading this book was the author’s use of random words that seemed misplaced, but there were only a couple handfuls of those. By mid-book, with the amount of sex, I considered my options: whether I should keep reading or move on to something else. It was both Logan’s and Toni’s supreme character development, the small uncovering of the band’s secrets, the missing journal and Susan’s role in the whole novel that helped me to forge through. I am glad I did. Insider: Exodus End World Tour became everything I could have asked for in a music industry fiction novel. By book’s end, the characters were fully developed and had made mass changes, there was just enough drama to keep the reader turning the page, and it ended up having more of a literary feel as Logan and Toni both dealt with their family issues. The end Birdie story line felt rushed and very out of place for the novel, but a necessary evil to move the plot forward. I wish the author would have taken more time with this end and the telling of it to help Toni progress to the next level. Birdie making the decisions she did in her quick manner and Toni’s seemingly little care about those decisions and their implications seemed out of character for them both. Even Logan, who isn’t the quickest to pick up on human emotion questioned Toni on how she was feeling about these events before she really delved in, in a paragraph or two. Also, the band’s, especially Regan Elliot’s quick change of heart seemed rushed and needed to be fleshed out as well. Despite all this, the book became one of my favorites and I can barely wait for book two to come out. While I am new to Olivia Cunning, I plan on reading the Sinner’s series and I understand she writes racier stuff. I think with Cunning’s ability to turn a plot the way she does and to see human needs, wants and desires, paint a word description picture and offer just enough detail to allow her reader to make their own pictures without stupefying them, she has a great career not only in erotica and romance but in many other genres as well. The audio book presentation of this book really gave the characters a new depth and I would strongly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

She's Done it Again

I loved the book except that I should have know better than to start one of her series before the next book is even in the horizon of being competed. I want the story to continue. I think that the end was rushed a bit but the hook into the next book or series is clear.
I think that the end was so rushed and there could have been more in the development of the story. I am hoping that book two continues a bit more with Logan and Toni it just even with the ending doesn't feel like the riding in the sunset completes the fantasy too many unanswered questions and tangents while briefly addressed I want more.
I am hoping that the second book will pick up on it there is the opening and I know the themes will continue I just love the characters. Can't wait for the next one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Tedious. Probably won't finish this book.

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Different...everything. The story line was tired and implausible: 22 year old geek, unworldly, unsocialized ugly duckling virgin lands gorgeous rock star, and they live happily ever after - I'm assuming that last part because I'm only halfway through the book and will probably not finish it. The writing style - it was almost like she wrote a 100-page simple sentence story and then filled each sentence with as many adjectives and adverbs as she could. He gasped haltingly, He smiled brokenly - it just got to be an eye-roller for me. And then her choice of words - He could't wait to sequester her in his hotel room???? No horny guy talks like that. If she'd said he couldn't wait to get her alone, I would've breezed right through that one, but she kept tripping me up with that stuff. And the more odd and superfluous word choices I heard, the less I was able to pay attention to the story. The story...it just wasn't believable and seemed to drag on. I think my biggest complaint, though, is all the extra and/or unnecessary words in this book. It seems more like a writer's first manuscript submission that would eventually be sent back by the editor for a massive rewrite. Except it was published. Go figure. And the fact that I'm the only one who thinks this way makes me wonder, too.

What could Olivia Cunning have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I wish she'd written it more in the style of the first Sinners book which I absolutely loved, but each book after the first was more of a disappointment than the last. For the Sinners series, my disappointment was due more to the story line than the writing style. I think this Exodus End book was written by a different person. Or maybe it was written as a college project and then filed away for years, and she hauled it out because her editor was calling for a new book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The male narrator didn't do anything for me. Nothing specific - I just didn't enjoy listening to him.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

frustration, eye-rolling, head shaking, mental threats of "if she uses that word one more time, I'm going to return this book". Stuff like that.

Any additional comments?

Sadly, she's no longer on my list of favorite authors. And another sad realization is that a unanimous high rating of a book is certainly no indication that I'm going to like it.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Loved this

Where does Insider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

really enjoyed it, it was fun humerous and hot

What did you like best about this story?

The characters and the banter

Have you listened to any of Joe Arden and Mackenzie Cartwright ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I loved the change in the characters accents they made the story come across more real and narration was good

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

it was funny in parts you got the feel of the rockstars on the bus how they would humor each other and you felt the emotion of the characters

Any additional comments?

Great rock star romance book Loved it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful