Preservation

The Walsh Series, Book 7

By: Kate Canterbary

Narrated by: Christian Fox, Lucy Rivers

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Two lonely hearts.

Just once, Alex Emmerling would like to be someone's first choice.

She's strong-willed and spunky, but she's left picking up the pieces from her ex's lies and manipulations, and daydreaming about taking a scalpel to his scrotum.

Flying under the radar is what Riley Walsh does best.

He's laid-back and loyal, but he wants the most off-limits woman in his world, and nothing will ever make that a reality.

An arrangement of mutual benefit.

Two months, four dates.

Five, if things go well.

Five at the most.

But possibly six.

Definitely no more than six dates.

Only the appearance of a romantic relationship is required, and they expect nothing more from their time together. There will be none of those benefits involved.

One wild weekend.

After waking up in bed together - very naked and even more hungover - the terms and conditions of their arrangement no longer apply. Now they're faced with something riskier than exposing their fake relationship: Letting go of the past and zipping up the future.

Some things have to fall apart before they can be put back together.

©2017 Kate Canterbary (P)2020 Kate Canterbary

Walsh Series Hangover!

I just tore through all 7 available audiobooks in this series in 7 days and it is definitely one of my favorites and will be a repeat listen for me! Preservation is no exception to this storytelling and performance excellence! Throughout the series we have had snippets of Riley as kind of a mess. Preservation takes a deep dive into this complex character who is tortured by the shared past of the family as well as feelings for someone absolutely impossible. He is sweet, funny, intelligent, talented, and if you are lucky enough for him to share that side of himself he is a dirty-talking sexual dynamo genius who meets his match when he wasn't looking! Alex is a hard-working, devoted, no-nonsense surgeon fighting for recognition in a male-dominated profession and dealing with double standards with sex, relationships, and even her family. She is a bad ass whose main flaw is self doubt and feeling like she is always the runner up, never the first choice. They come together by first being friends and doing each other a favor, which is the best way to build something. They are electric together and the pieces that don't look like they could possibly work click together. Mistakes are made. I was hooked. Devoured this audiobook in less than 24 hours.

The narration by Lucy and Christian is wonderful. I experienced this whole series and really got lost in their performances. I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next book on audio! Definitely worth the credit!!!

Delicious story!

I had been anxious to get to Riley Walsh's story and he did not disappoint! He and Dr Alex Emmerling are HOT in the bedroom and bonus for the cameos of Dr Nick Acevedo! Lucy Rivers and Christian Fox are excellent together!

Arguably the best in the series-Riley & Alex

The youngest Walsh brother, Riley, has been marginalized for years but has a much talent as his big brothers and sister. He’s also considered the most easy going but he’s hiding a few secrets. He meets Alex at his sister Erin and brother-in-law Nic’s. They agree to cover each other as dates for necessary events and become friends. But the attraction is too strong and they slowly develop trust. Riley has not had a great models and takes a while to recognize the difference between an infatuation with the idea of love one the love of a real not perfect but perfect for him love. Alex appears to have it all as a brilliant young doctor but in reality has the worst self esteem thanks to her twin and her parents. She also has to learn to trust in herself as well as in Riley. They are both interesting characters and the advice from the Walsh family and friends adds depth from the series. A fun book with hot scenes and family caring a sweet HEA. Hoping for an update on the whole family - maybe something with a Covid stuck at home theme!

Secrets and redemption

This was not what I expected. Riley is the secret keeper of the Walsh family but he's been keeping a secret of his own. Erin and Nick were the only ones privy to his secret but it ruled his life for years until he met Alex. Rile has always been immature and scatter brained but boy is he an alpha male. Alex was perfect for him with her take charge attitude but she also had vulnerabilities of her own. They are hilarious together but Alex brought a side of Riley that he embraced and he was then able to recognize why he was infatuated with his sister in-law. As Riley fell in love with Alex, he finally understood why his siblings were falling over themselves for their spouses. I laughed so hard when he found out that his secret wasn't really a secret from Matt but Matt handled it with grace but he also understood just how much Matt was in love Lauren and she only had eyes for her husband.

Oh Riley!

Preservation is full of heart and heat. It’s well written the story is unforgettable, the characters lovable. A perfect mix of smart and sexy book.

Favorite Walsh

This is my favorite of the Walsh books. I’ve loved Rylie from the start but to see him com into his own and meet his match was so fun. The voice actor does a really great job with this character. These books are so steamy and the author has a way of taking something kinky and a little risky and making it seem totally normal. The story is believable and the characters are endearing.

Super sweet story!

If you can get past Riley and his inappropriate crush on his sister in law, this is a really fun, easy read. My only issue is that Lucy Rivers had a weird robotic delivery in this book that was more pronounced than in the previous books that took me out of the story a few times.

Batman and GastroGirl

Riley has a secret: he's been in love with a woman he can't have. The more he fantasizes about her the guiltier he feels. He's also in a pickle: he has to go back to RISD for a long weekend so he can look for new potential interns for the firm but really doesn't want to go alone and face his girlfriend from college, Dorrance, who's responsible for most of the major shenanigans he got himself  into - some that involved big sister Shannon bailing him out of jail and him losing his drivers license. He needs a date to help him stay away from Dorrance, who seems to be under the impression that they never broke up. 

Enter Alex, aka Gastro Girl, Nick Acevedo's colleague at the hospital. She also needs a date to a a hospital function to erase her reputation as "the attending who slept with her intern". So they strike up an arrangement of mutual benefit: two months, a few dates and they part ways amicably. But, a couple of months later,  a drunken weekend in Rhode Island has them waking up in bed together after a night of bar hopping and tons of naughty times. A lot of miscommunication ensues and they're not even sure if they can remain friends. But here's the thing: Riley has just realized that Alex has obliterated all thoughts of "the woman of his dreams" from his mind and replaced them with herself and Alex has found out that the "man-child" is so much more than what she thought...

I loved Riley since book 1! I'll confess that my jaw dropped to the floor when I we find out who he has been pining for and heavy naughty fantasies about. That couldn't be right... How is his story going to get sorted after this nugget of information? But it does get sorted and Alex is perfect for him! We had already heard about Gastro Girl in The Spire but I wasn't expecting she was going to be Riley's HEA. LOVED IT! 

(Sebastian Tremmel is introduced in this book)

Narration: Christian Fox is perfect again. He's now cute and sexy as the devil-may-care man-child. Lucy River rocks as always. 

Rep and Possible triggers: Riley stutters when he is nervous; history of emotional and physical abuse by a parent; FMC experiences sexism at work

Loved this story and the narration!

Awwww- I love Riley and Alex - their characters and story were so good! As usual, Lucy Rivers and Christian Fox were excellent!

Christian Fox is a new fav!

I love the Walsh family so much! Every book gets me more attached to this family and I would gladly take new books for every character.