Derailed

By: Renee Lee Fisher

Narrated by: Ann Simmons

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

When you get hit by it, you will know.

Aubrey Tanner is married to her work. With her recent separation from long-time boyfriend and the town's most eligible bachelor, she definitely isn't looking for love. Working in her bakery keeps her busy, feeds her the town gossip, and pays the bills, all that she needs...At least until she finds herself under attack with no way to save herself.

You can't see it, but it takes your breath away. Tate Manning travels where the leads take him, like a tourist town with a bakery full of sugary concoctions, the sweetest of which is the owner. In the right place, he pulls her out of harm's way, allowing him to see through the town's sleepy veneer to the crime running beneath the surface. Worse, Aubrey is unknowingly in the center of it all, and he can't bear another innocent to be lost on his watch.

In that moment, love changes everything. Neither Aubrey nor Tate expects the temptation the other brings nor the complications. Aubrey must choose between the man that held her heart for years or the stranger who saves her from a bad situation. Unfortunately, Tate brings with him secrets and an agenda. How will he choose between his mission of revenge and the woman who chases away the darkness?

©2015 Renee Lee Fisher (P)2017 Renee Lee Fisher

Wow!! What a book!

Renee Lee Fisher is a new author to me and Ann Simmons is a new narrator to me. Both are extremely talented. I found this story to be intriguing, touching and full of heartache and suspense. The author did a great job with the character development and the twists and turns. This book pulled me in from the beginning. At times I was so frustrated with Aubrey with her playing along with her boyfriend's (Emerson) whims and not giving Tate Manning the attention he deserved. Emerson seemed like the kind of guy any smart girl would stay clear of. The emotions the author and narrator conveyed in the story were spot on. I was voluntarily provided with this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher.

Outstanding

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

Yes, the story is compelling and well developed. if not for the slow voice of the narrator I would give it five stars all around. It draws you in and keeps you listening even though the narrator puts you to sleep and you have to rewind. Do not by any means listen to it while driving. Talking about distracted driving.

What other book might you compare Derailed to and why?

I don't think it has one. This is a good story on it's own.

What aspect of Ann Simmons’s performance would you have changed?

I would have changed the narrator. her voice is too soft and flowing and almost monitone to deliver this powerful book.

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

Yes, when Tate got the letter that inspired him to return and fulfill not only his late wife's dream but the h dream also.

Any additional comments?

I got this book via audiobook boom.

Interesting storyline

What did you like best about Derailed? What did you like least?

I see on Ms. Fisher's author page that she's written several books that have been generally well-received. I did enjoy parts of Derailed, and the suspense surrounding Tate's search for his wife's killer and his battle against drug traffickers was interesting. At times, though, I found Aubrey's "victim" attitude too annoying. Parents and grandparents die; such a loss shouldn't turn an intelligent, attractive woman into a doormat, but that's what Aubrey was for a large part of the book, and the losses she had suffered were part of her excuse. I also had problems with the writing style: the point of view often switched in the middle of a passage and there were a few glaring grammatical mistakes ("for Emerson and I" - please don't!!!). Tate was a nice hero, but he gave up a little too easily after the climax, running home with his tail between his legs. This review sounds negative, but I didn't completely begrudge the time I spent listening and would probably try another of Ms. Fisher's books in the future. This recording was gifted to me by the author/publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

modern bodice ripper

OK, I expected an Noir-ish novel and the first couple of chapters delivered in a promising form. But in my humble opinion the book was actually a modern day bodice ripper masquerading as a hard boiled mystery. Ann Simmons did a good job narrating Renee Lee Fisher's story. As for Fisher, I would welcome another novel knowing that she has a knack for the Noir Genre that I like. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher

Fascinating romantic mystery!

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

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would like to read more books by this author.

What other book might you compare Derailed to and why?

I enjoyed the story line and characters. The female lead, Aubrey was pretty naive given what she knew about her ex-boyfriend and still welcomed him back in her life, even though she didn't seem to like him very much. I imagine this was due to her low self esteem.

The male lead, Tate was an absolutely perfect man, very loving and understanding (wish I had run into him!).

Which scene was your favorite?

The drug bust scene was my favorite.

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

I stayed up to listen how it turned out!

Any additional comments?

I received this book at my request in exchange for an unbiased review.

It was not my favorite audiobook

I was given a copy of the book in exchange for a an honest review. I expected to really enjoy the book. Unfortunately the dialogue was stilted and sounded like the author is not a native English speaker. The formality of the characters' words pulled me from the storyline frequently and many words used seemed as though they were pulled from the thesaurus. The plot was good, and with better editing, the dialogue could be also. When speaking, most people use contractions but the book's characters rarely do.

Derailed

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars

I'm torn on this story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It pulled me in from the start and kept me listening until the end. (despite my problems with the narration) The story was really good, engaging and interesting. At the same time the heroine annoyed me.

Very entertaining story with a bit of mystery, a little romance and enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. Even though the story was a bit predictable it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment.

Tate was a great character. Strong, hot, immediately likable, all around decent guy.

Aubrey was likable but she was a doormat for most of the story. The things she did or things she let herself be talked into were annoying. She needed a backbone and some sense smacked into her at times.

It was pretty easy to figure out who Emerson was having an affair with. It just kept you on the edge of your seat waiting for Aubrey to find out. With "friends" like that who needs enemies.

This is the first time I have listened to Ann Simmons narrate a book. While she did a good job overall there are some areas that could use a little work. She has a pleasant voice. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. The tone of the narration is very monotone or sedate especially in the beginning. A little more oomph was needed at times. I may have even liked Aubrey's character more with a bit different portrayal of her in the narration. She does add a bit more emotion into her narration of Tate's character. I don't think she is a bad narrator maybe just not the right one for this book.

Aubrey's scene in the bathtub was hard to listen too. It was suppose to come across as sexy or passionate but it made me cringe.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

So many mixed feelings. Backstabbing so beware..

Would you try another book from Renee Lee Fisher and/or Ann Simmons?

I haven't read any other books my Renee Lee Fisher and I'm not sure I want to at this point. Ann Simmons is an iffy one too. I might if the situation was better suited to her voice.

Would you be willing to try another book from Renee Lee Fisher? Why or why not?

I don't really like the writing style that was going on in this book. I didn't like how naive Aubrey was and how malicious others were to her in the book.

Which character – as performed by Ann Simmons – was your favorite?

I think truthfully Lacy was my favorite probably. She wasn't really a main character but her voice wasn't too odd. Ann was the wrong narrator for this book. I felt like Aubrey was in her 40's due to the voice of the narrator.

Was Derailed worth the listening time?

I kind of felt like the book went on and on when it could of been shortened and I would of liked it better.

Any additional comments?

Spoilers! One thing that bothered me was that details of crappy sex with Aubrey and Emerson were told, but not any good ones with Tate and Aubrey once they got together. Also, the cardinal romance rule was broken here and the heroine was having sex with different guys, and one was cheating on her at the same time with her, "best friend". So not cool.
I think the suspense in the book just dragged it out too long. It could of been better with it being shorter and faster paced. Usually I try to find the longest books I can so I have more to listen to, but in this case, it should of been shorter. For me personally, I wouldn't spend the credit to get this book. I don't like the suspense romance where the number one romance rule is broken and you have really bad back stabbing friends surrounding you. I prefer the more lighthearted things, and this got a little too dark for my tastes.
This book was given to me for free at my request and in exchange I provided this honest voluntary review.

Derailled

Very beautiful love story! Also a story of fulfilling a promise & keeping a promise!! It is also how to overcome physicals & making dreams come true!

Excellent Story

I couldn't seem to put it down, always wanting to know what happened next. I'm glad Tate was able to learn to love again. I'm also glad Aubrey found out the truth about her housemates and was able to forgive. HEA to this book was excellent.