A Building Passion

DIY, Book 1

By: Sandra Kyle

Narrated by: Kelley Hazen

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Vanessa moves to Savannah to pick up the pieces of her once very certain existence after her fiancé cheats on her. An independent and self-sufficient accountant, Vanessa also has a knack for DIY. When she purchases a ramshackle property in need of repair, she crosses paths with Daniel, a sexy and skillful carpenter. Daniel is a ladies' man who plays the field and has his own romantic issues to conquer. As Vanessa embarks on a journey to embrace her new community and rehab her new home, she enlists Daniel's help. Tackling the house is the easy part, but can two do-it-yourselfers find a way to work together to fix their love lives as well?

Discover the contemporary romance series from author Sandra Kyle. A Building Passion, book one in the DIY series.

Note: This novel contains adult language and sexual content.

©2016 Sandra Kyle (P)2017 Sandra Kyle

A Building Passion

I loved this first book in the DIY series. Vanessa is a strong woman to have handled the situation she was in, the way she did. I was drawn right into the story the way it unfolded. The secondary characters were fantastic too! (Nate is the best!)

Fantastic narration by Kelley Hazen. She really has a knack for handling multiple characters with their own unique voices.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

A Great Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the narrator and found it very entertaining even though I don't usually listen to contemporary romance. The main characters are well written and the story moves along well with a bit of humour and suspense. I found myself chuckling as I drove down the road. It's well worth a listen.

Sweet Listen.

Not a lot of angst, which I really appreciated! Sweet believable story. Excited for the next story, as the blurb implied a revisit to these characters.. “I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

Passion Builds in an Easy to Love Romance

I absolutely fell in love with Vanessa and Dan. Vanessa definitely proved that she is a woman to be respected from the very start of this book, and her personality just won me over. (I can only hope to have the grace she shows with that beginning incident!) Dan is a super hottie with a bit of a rep, but he's such a good guy. the interactions between the two characters are just so great. I really like to that for the most part no one's trying to get away with anything. The author does let each characters mystery get unveiled slowly and honestly. the pacing in this story is excellent, the characters are incredibly well-written and likeable. Passion is present, but not overpowering. (The secondary characters are great too) The narrator did an excellent job as well. Many times the narration can suffer when voicing men and women, but I found the entire performance to be quite strong. The writing and the voice work paired perfectly. this is a voluntary review of an audiobook gifted by the author and narrator. I will certainly be picking up the next audiobook in this series. This one is a total recommendation, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

A Great Way To Spend The Summer

What made the experience of listening to A Building Passion the most enjoyable?

The book had me wanting a DIY project and find a Daniel in my area to help me with it.

What other book might you compare A Building Passion to and why?

I've not read a book like this recently. Would not compare to another book if I did. It's not right to make a comparison. Not fair to either author. You could try and compare narrators but that's not fair to either of them.

Which character – as performed by Kelley Hazen – was your favorite?

I may surprise some but my favorite character was Nate. I wouldn't mind him as a neighbor. He's an experience. He had me wanting to take a trip to Savannah and look for his establishment. I want to try his special root beer.

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

I didn't have an extreme reaction but there were times that I had to laugh. Since I was in the car at the time I'm sure onlookers may have wondered what I was doing. It was a great way to make a long trip more enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

This was an audio version where I probably would have enjoyed the book itself better. Ms. Hazen was ok as a narrator but felt that she did a greater job when she was in character. I loved those moments. But at other times it almost felt as if she was reading in a monotone voice and that made it hard to concentrate on the story she was telling.

The author has written characters that are very believable. You can see Vanessa working on her home, especially with all the DIY shows out there, while having an interesting tenant next door. Then there's Daniel. He's a man that was in the right town at the right time when Vanessa moves there. His job just happens to be perfect for what she needs in order to improve her new home. Daniel certainly had me wondering if he had a friend who could help me around my house.

Besides giving her readers characters that are thoroughly likable, Ms. Kyle gives us a character to hate. I came to like Vanessa - could picture her as a friend. As such you don't like to see a friend hurt because of a failed relationship. Every once-in-a-while her ex makes an appearance that may have you wanting to be there the next time he makes an appearance.

It would be interesting to see if this is going to have a second book in the series. The toss up becomes whether I read the book or if there's an audible edition available would I listen. It might depend on who the narrator is. This book was a great introduction to this author and I would read more of her work.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Audio Copy of this book.

Loved This Story

Would you listen to A Building Passion again? Why?

No. Therenarebtoo many others to listen to. But I will listen to the next one in the series.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Toss up between Bruce and Nate. Although they were secondary characters the story would have been very empty without them.

What about Kelley Hazen’s performance did you like?

Everything

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

Yes, when Daniel confronted Joe and his wife gave him some hard truths.

Any additional comments?

I got this ARC via audiobook boom.

Great Read

A Building Passion (A DIY Romance, #1) by Sandra Kyle was a great read. The life that Vanessa thought she had fell to pieces and she decides to move to Savannah to start new. Vanessa meets Daniel when buying things to fix up her house. I loved reading Vanessa and Daniel's story and can't wait to read more by Sandra Kyle.

Average book

Everything about this book was average, average characters, average plot, average writing. It wasn't really good, but it wasn't bad either. It wouldn't have taken much to make it above average, so I will continue with this author in hopes of excellence.

It's 2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I really wanted to like the book more, but it turned out to be somewhere between OK and good, thus my 2.5 stars for the story, rounded up to 3.

The premise sounded good: Vanessa comes to a new city to start a new life after her fiance (ex now) broke her heart. and meets Daniel, a ladies' man who has his own issues to tackle. Both are afraid to get involved emotionally, but find each other irresistably attractive... It's a good starting point for a story, in which two main characters slowly fall in love and heal each other's emotional wounds...

But, while the general plot is good - we find out why Daniel is so adamant never to give his heart to anyone (and it's an interesting background story) and we accompany Vanessa in her struggle against her ex stalking her, somehow the book left me kind of indifferent. Maybe it's because nothing much happens from chapter to chapter and the book seems a bit lenghty... or maybe it's because I can't really believe that Vanessa would jump into a new relationship so fast after breaking up with her ex, even if it was strictly sexual attraction...

All this said, however, don't give up on the book and the DIY series. This first book is the weekest of the three - but it's a good set up for the overall plot and puts in motions some events that will end up in a "storm" in the final (and best) book of the series.

As for narration by Ms Hazen, it's very good as usual. If you're new to her reading, you'll have to get used to the way she reads some of the male voices, but it stops bothering you with time. And she's great at doing female voices and acting out dialogues. A very good narrator, in general.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

A Building Passion

After a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex, Vanessa decides to move to Savannah, Georgia and start over again. She and her father share a love of home renovation, and when she finds a dilapidated duplex for sale she decides it's where she's meant to be. At the local hardware store she meets Daniel, a talented carpenter, and they share an instant attraction. Vanessa needs help with her renovations, and Daniel needs help with his bookkeeping, and it should be a match made in heaven. But Vanessa's ex isn't willing to let her go that easily.

This book is the first in a series but doesn't end on a cliffhanger. The sweltering city of Savannah was the perfect location for this steamy read! Vanessa and Daniel were interesting and well drawn characters, and just when I thought I had them all figured out another layer was revealed. Their conversations were so flirty and fun, and their attraction was built on more than just physical. The secondary characters were great, especially Vanessa's dad, and added even more dimension.

Kelley Hazen performed the speaking voices well, she gave each character a distinct recognizable voice. She narrated dramatically and with deliberation. I was provided a copy of the audiobook and I'm voluntarily leaving a review. I really enjoyed this book, and I will be keeping an eye out for the sequel!