Lovers Like Us

Like Us

By: Becca Ritchie, Krista Ritchie

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, J.F. Harding

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

From New York Times best-selling Authors Krista & Becca Ritchie, comes the next book in their sexy new contemporary romance series.

Twenty-seven-year-old Farrow Keene lives by his actions, and his actions say he's the best at whatever he does. As a 24/7 bodyguard and the new boyfriend to Maximoff Hale, protecting the headstrong, alpha billionaire has never been more complicated. And one rule can't be bent: Keep your relationship secret from the public.

Farrow is confident he's the best man for the job. But a twist in Maximoff's fast-paced life sticks them with the rest of Security Force Omega and their clients. On the road. In a sleeper tour bus. For four rocky months.

Sexual frustrations, check. Road trip drama, check. Awkward bonding, check. But Farrow couldn't have accounted for a high-risk threat (identity: unknown) that targets Maximoff before the ignition even turns. And it hits Farrow - someone has it out for the guy he loves. Every day, Maximoff & Farrow's feelings grow stronger, and together, they'll either sink or swim.

The Like Us series is a true series, one continuous timeline, that follows a family of wealthy celebrities and the people that protect them. You must listen to Damaged Like Us, book one, before listening to Lovers Like Us.

©2017 K.B. Ritchie (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Can't get enough of this series and characters! <3

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. The story (and whole series) are captivating, the characters are compelling and lovable and the audio narration is great!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Out of the main characters, Maximoff is my favorite because he's just so endearing. He's masculine and strong in so many ways, compassionate, loving, and selfless to a fault, and also super witty. I love him. I honestly love every character so much though - that's definitely what captures my attention about this series the most.

Have you listened to any of J.F. Harding and Alexander Cendese ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, in Damaged Like Us. It was consistent with their performance for the characters from the last book. Alexander Cendese as Farrow was a little more loud/aggressive sounding than I picture him to be but still enjoyable. I prefer them both on 1.25x or 1.5x speed though.

Any additional comments?

I'm always so impressed and satisfied after reading or listening to a Krista & Becca Ritchie novel. Their writing and story building is excellent. I've read all of their books multiple times and this one is no exception. Can't wait what's in store for us next!

Overdone to the point of distraction

Not sure what happened here. I like the writing of the Ritchie sisters but this book failed in several key aspects.

1) it was so angsty that half way through the book I was pretty much done with the Farrow/Maximoff story. It felt like all of the feelings/sensations/obsessions those two had toward each other were stuck on repeat, as if we needed to be reminded every other paragraph. For instance, how Maximoff foind Farrow's tattoed fingers super sexy or his alpha easy confidence irresistible. That is made pretty clear early on and as a listener, it got old hearing it over and over and over, ad nauseam. It got to the point that the revelations and feelings that were supposed to be overpowering by the end, landed kind of flat, sadly.

2) the Ritchie sisters seemed to have found about dozen descriptions that they really liked and used them like filler at every point they could. Not sure why, because none of thier other books that I've listened to suffer from this particular plight, but in this book it got really old, really fast. Along with that they tended to add lots of repetitive, unneeded descriptions that took away from the writing over all. Like they were trying to reach a specific word count and needed to padd everything they could.

I'm not sure if they were rushed to finish this book or what, but it really lacked a lot of what I enjoyed from previous books. However, I truly enjoyed getting to know the side characters better and am hard core shipping a few couples and I'm curious to see where thier story goes

Lovers Like Us Review

Where does Lovers Like Us rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It’s one of the best I’ve ever listened to. I love all of Krista and Becca’s books but I loved how the narrators brought this book to life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Farrow! I just love everything about him. I love his confidence and his swagger and especially how much he loves Maximoff. I really enjoyed how in this book you get to see how his love for Maximoff grows.

What about J.F. Harding and Alexander Cendese ’s performance did you like?

Both of the narrators embodied their characters so perfectly! It made feel like I was actually inside each of their heads and experiencing everything with them.

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

Yes! I had to make myself slow down so I could enjoy it longer.

Any additional comments?

I love all of Krista and Becca’s books and am patiently(not reall) waiting for Alphas Like Us! I can’t wait to see what happens next in Farrow and Maximoff’s relationship.

Could not put it down

The expression works for audios, too—in this case, it was my headphones I could not put down. The Ritchies, Cendese, and Harding made me care about these guys even more than I already did coming out of the first one. Normally the dual-performer approach feels unnecessary, but here, as with the first book, the tactic helped to emphasize how these two powerful personalities were coming from very different places and were finding it amazing how close and compatible they'd become. I'm going to be coming back not just to this series but to this installment, a second book that deepens the affection and connections made with the first.

#LoversLikeUs

This series just keeps getting better and every single chapter left me wanting more. This next instalment in the Like Us series sees Maximoff head out on a tour bus with his four oldest cousins and their bodyguards. They are making their way across the States raising money for HMC Philanthropies a charity in which Maximoff founded and is currently the CEO. The real heart of this story is in the details of each and every character. Each person has their own unique personality, but the focus throughout is on the growing love and relationship between Maximoff and his bodyguard Farrow.

Perfect narration choices for both of the main characters. Farrow just oozes self-confidence, sex appeal and raw masculinity. While Maximoff just shines as the loyal, stoic celebrity superstar that he is. I loved every second of this and can happily say this will not be my first or last listen. Amazing series about the second generation of celebrity royalty and their lives in the spotlight.

10/10, and 100% recommend!

What made the experience of listening to Lovers Like Us the most enjoyable?

Other than this being one step closer to bringing my favorite characters to life, the narrators do an amazing job portraying the characters!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Maximoff has been my favorite the whole time, but I have to say that this installment also made me truly fall in love with Farrow. Donnelly also has a special place in my heart! I love them all, okay? They're so tangible, I don't know of any other writers who manage to make characters feel so undeniably real.

What about Alexander Cendese and J.F. Harding ’s performance did you like?

They're amazing at capturing their character's essence. In Damaged Like Us I was partial to Harding, and couldn't imagine a better fit for Maximoff. Similar to my love for Farrow, my appreciation for Cendese grew in this book - he *is* Farrow.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Oh, so many. One of my favorite things about this book is how much it solidified Maximoff and Farrow as a couple. They're it, from now until the end of time... There was one scene towards the end of the book particularly that spoke volumes to me, backstage in a dressing room. And the last chapter actually brought happy tears to my eyes... <3

Any additional comments?

Scene after scene I'd excitedly grin and think, "oh, I love this part!" Lovers Like Us is chock full of pricelessly entertaining and memorable moments. Mostly feel-good with a sprinkle of angst.
This series and its predecessor are the only audiobooks I want to listen to again, and again, and again, and still find new things to love about them every single time
10/10, and 100% recommend!

Entertaining

Entertaining with a plot that gets fragile at times. Climax falls a little short because I believe there are about 10 characters too many. By the time you learn of the culprit you have to remember back to one of dozens and dozens of characters that were probably introduced too early and all at once. Regardless, worth the listen if you liked the first. Performance was great.

so in love

i am LOVING the book
LOVING the series , absolutely LOVING the Maximum and Farrow and just all the love. story line is great!
i LOVE LOVE.LOVE the narrators! just so much love! im hoping the guys stay just as in love and just as together cause i.mihht die if they are ever not together and in love and fighting the world together cause they are PERFECT together!!!

Everything I didn't like in book 1, and more,

I made what turned out to be a mistake and bought the four titles related to Maximoff and Farrow when audible had their sale a few months back. While they were only $4 each, having now finished three of them - I want a check from the authors. These books are terrible, not just corny, or formula, they are terrible. I wish I could return the last one, but I'm not sure if audible will refund my money - I didn't use a credit.

The narration is much like the first book, but a bit harder to listen to. I will be honest, one of the books - maybe its book three has some serious production issues where you can tell then added dialogue later and it is very jarring. It is mostly in Harding's part, a couple of them don't sound like him so I wonder what happened, but also don't care. I found Cendese even more grating in this book.

Then the story. The first book ends at a fundraiser at a summer camp that somehow raises millions of dollars. I am not making this up. A few of the attendees participated only to harass Jane, the cousin who is also Maximoff's best friend. In what is supposed to be a big emotional moment, Jane confronts the harassers with Maximoff, and rather than having a breakthrough, things are escalating - until, wait for it - everything changes when during the argument a story breaks on twitter that Jane and Maximoff are having an incestuous affair! This stems back to the escaped cat escapade when Maximoff is searching for Jane and a cat in his underwear. The paparazzi snap photos that show some love marks on Maximoff so everyone assumes he is having sex with his cousin. I am not making this up. So the parents all believe this story and it sets up an even less likely plot for book 2.

As the book starts, in order to get away from the paparazzi and stalkers and the parents they're angry with in Philly, Maximoff and Jane join their other cousins that have reached the age of 18 for a comic con style bus tour of the U.S. to show their fans that they aren't having sex with each other. Remember that Maximoff has a job as a CEO of charitable trust that oversees insane amounts of money either donated by his family or that he has raised. But, he's going to jump into this bus tour with no notice and go. PS the tour is also for charity. On the bus we have six body guards and a bunch of cousins - all sleeping in double bunks on a single bus. A single bus. 12 people. One bathroom. This tour goes on for months around the country. Nothing about this makes any sense. Besides Jane and Max, you have the ballet dancer and his twin brother who doesn't do anything but brood, and another cousin who is a gold medal swimmer. And a virgin, they can't stop talking about that. That is the set up. Oh wait, the body guards also drive the bus. Because hiring bus drivers makes no sense. They also don't seem to think they should have some of the security guards in a second vehicle.

What moves this story? Will Maximoff ever be able to bottom for Farrow - that runs most of the book. Drama at the conventions within the family, and from outside. Some pot cookies, and a stalker who wants to kill Maximoff. Spoiler - only Farrow seems concerned about this stalker. Even Max downplays that the stalker knows everywhere they go - even though as tour that is selling tickets, everyone should know where they're going - that's how tours work. But not in this book, every tour stop seems to be a surprise. They are on this bus for months! Everything goes to hell in a hand basket when the security guards put on a "sexy" Santa contest on the bus, which for some reason the cousins record and send to the family members not on the tour. When the tape is leaked chaos ensues as the now the security guards are famous too? Again, I am not making this up. The other trial for our boys is Farrow's father and their strained relationship. Farrow was supposed to be a doctor like his father, but instead of finishing his residency, he follows his heart and becomes a security guard. Dad has never forgiven him. This brings up a key aspect of Farrows character. He was raised very well to do, attended Yale for med school, so why does he sound more and more rough as the book continues?

The story meanders from there for quite some time with a few other implausible dramas peppered in, but it is just more of the same. I will not reveal the ending - but let's just say that anything related to the stalker is handled so unrealistically that it is laughable. Sadly, I didn't expect any better.

Could these have been a good book with minimal effort? Absolutely. Everyone should be a minimum of 5 years older. Maximoff needed something, anything that would have truly made him a celebrity - a child actor, or a model, raised in the excesses of the family's billions. Something that he could have walked away from as an adult to move towards the philanthropy. He lacks a reason. All of the cousins turn to him as a role model or protector - but from whom? The parents are all clean, and engaged. None of them are terrible, in fact that are incredibly supportive. There is no foundational conflict that says why Maximoff is who he is, and other than the aggravation of the paparazzi, things don't seem so bad.

Can do no wrong these ladies

I’m blown away consistently by how great these ladies have created a world of characters that feel so real that I am totally sad they don’t exist! This is easily my favorite book series and I love the Marrow coupling best after LiLo or it’s a dead heat really. I can’t say enough you have to read the series to understand just how amazing it is. You won’t be disappointed I promise!

Disappointing

Terrible lame and desperately in need of a plot. By the end of the book I was hoping the stalker would get them all

I'm not sure how they do it

Having forgone all TV/Netflix/Prime/movies for books in past 5 month I was feeling jaded about reading another series.... However I did not realise how wrong I would be. I usually like to get to the point be and know what happens, but amazing writing in there series makes me want to slow down and enjoy every single page.
Looking forward to rest of the books.

Sweet

Narration is good, story is reasonably sweet if a little incredulous and over the top.

Boring af

This book was a torture. Boring, stupid and unrealistic as much as possible. Don’t waste your time!

Living for it

This has been a lifesaver in this horrible year. I tell people about Maximoff and Farrow's drama as if it was happening to my friends. Accept it for what it is - a hot romantic dramatic time - and enjoy it to the fullest.

A series to make you warm and fuzzy inside

Just finished the second book, very addictive listening really well written and read you are immersed into their lives - a must listen!

breath taking

Another amazing book, 10/10. when listening to them I can't switch them off, I'm 100% hooked and have already bought book number 3.

A very good listen

Really enjoyed this - downloaded it as soon as book one finished. I'll be downloading book three now

I love these books so much

If you could sum up Lovers Like Us in three words, what would they be?

Sexy, Love, epic

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love everyone in this book they all add something special to the story But Maximoff and Farrow are just an amazing couple they play off each other so well. I love that they are both alpha males they are one of my favourite book couples.

Have you listened to any of Alexander Cendese and J.F. Harding ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

The first book Damaged like us is a must read/listen before this one as this is the second part to the story. Also J.F Harding is fab in JB Salsburys Split.

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

My whole body and soul love this book so much I just love every book Krista and Becca have written.

Any additional comments?

I can't wait for the next book Alphas like us to come out in March 2018

Outstanding

Wow I could not stop listening to lovers like us so full of action and drama the characters show so much passion and love throughout a truly amazing story
Thank you Krista and Becca Richie