From Dust

Portland, ME Series

By: Freya Barker

Narrated by: Brian Rodgers, Lorelei Avalon

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Pain punished her.

The bottle numbed her.

Guilt kept her trapped.

In the dark alley of a pub, the words "Please don't" take hold of her heart and break the silence she seeks. Thinking herself beyond redemption, she tentatively grabs on to the slim thread of hope that unfolds inside of her. Holding her secrets close, she can't resist the comforting draw coming from The Skipper. The unconditional friendships it offers, the protective roof it provides, and the spark that its owner ignites in her - melting the frost off her heart, and slowly stripping away her resistance.

His life flows from one crisis to the next. Under the pressure of competition crowding him out of his family's pub and the need to protect his children from the ruins of a bad marriage, he barely breathes. That is until a mane of strawberry-blonde hair and a set of big, pale blue eyes, shake him up.

He never expected the shadow of a woman he finds on the floor of his washroom to bring him the air - the balance and the light he's been missing.

Due to content of a sexually explicit nature, this book is recommended for a mature audience only.

©2015 Margreet Asselbergs as Freya Barker (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Not quit for me

I've always hated it when reviewers are cruel - because writers and performers are just as human as the rest of us (if not more so). The woman narrating was perhaps just not a good fit for me. She spoke so slowly, enunciating so well, that she would have been amazing if narrating several other kinds of stories or non-fiction. But for this story, I kept asking myself if I would have liked the story better had I just read it in a book, hearing my own voice in my head haha. Speaking slowly like that was also appropriate when maybe drunk, in shock, still homeless. The man narrating was good (tho I kept wanting an accent to go with the rough and tumble swearing!).

I loved the concept of a homeless, broken woman finding redemption, new love and getting a new start, but a couple of things bothered me here, too. The story still managed to be pretty formulaic, however with a story meant to be filled with tons and tons of sex, that's common enough. Again though I may have liked the story a lot more with a more appropriate female narrator. But I was really turned off by how into Syd's thinness Gunner was...that it turned him on - and that he was fantasizing about "fucking" her when she was dangerously thin and unhealthy and she had JUST come in off the streets. Wth?!! That was disgusting. And then he went on to obsess over her smallness. Same with his wanting to get down and dirty right after she was assaulted. Hey I get kinky but this felt just sorta sick. Lastly, did a man write this? Because most women don't orgasm so fast each and every time.

Sorry for the negativity. But I hope it's seen as constructive criticism!

Love from start to finish

First in a new series by Freya Baker. This is a tear at your hear and put it back together.
Hero is Gunner. Heroine is Sydney We all have issues in live but Sydney thinks hers are bigger than life. Sydney live is on the street and sh s so use to it it’s like first nature now.
She meets Gunner who owes a dinner/Pub . Gunner sees that Sydney needs help so he offers her food a place to work and a place to stay . Gunner also has 2 children and Sydney doesn’t know how to take it Slowly Sydney sees what a trend Gunner is. They both start to connect and the children help Gunner and Sydney see they should be together
This is an emotional listen that helps you feel good

First time I heard from these 2 narrators and they were great

What a wonderful journey

I loved these characters and the story when it first released. I loved revisiting Sid as she works her way from rock bottom. Finding a chance she no longer felt worthy of thanks to her family that should have helped her in her time of despiration. Finding the wonderful people at the Skipper gave her so much more.
Can't wait to listen to more of the series and fall in love all over again.

Beautiful story

Syd is living on the streets and dumpster diving for food behind a local pub, when she is caught by the manager, Viv. Viv recognizes a tortured soul and gives Syd a job...this act of kindness is frowned upon by the pub’s owner, Gunner, until he gets to know Syd. Great chemistry between the pair but is an HeA in the cards with someone bent on destroying the pub’s reputation, and Syd’s past resurfacing? Beautiful story of ‘paying it forward’ and healing.

Everything that we've been through...

From Dust is a contemporary romance full of pain, passion, and real romance. Syd is a woman who has been battling her entire life to overcome a heart-wrenching loss. Homeless and desperate to forget the demons from her past, she finds solace in a quaint dive bar called the Skipper. When a friendly woman offers her a warm shower, a meal, and a job, something sparks in Syd and she begins to feel again. When the bar owner Gunnar sparks passion after years of believing she would never love again, Syd begins to trust again. But when Gunnar finds out the truth about her past, will Syd be able to stay or will she run?

Told in dual POV, From Dust is a beautiful story of friendship, family, and love. The journey that Syd takes in learning to love and trust again is slow and painful and yet, with Gunnar's love Syd finds the strength to overcome. The plot is quite unique as the author finds the perfect balance between passion, action, and addressing real-life barriers such as addiction and divorce. I found the supporting characters to be just as imperative as the main characters in this read as the conflicts greatly affect the balance of life for all of the characters.

Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend From Dust to anyone who enjoys an angsty read with raw emotions and a lot of heart. Syd and Gunnar story is one that I will not easily forget. This was my first Freya Barker read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Side's Evolution. Great Narration

Can a story be heartbreaking, yet heartwarming at the same time? My heart hurt for Sid from the very beginning of this book, and I didn't know her full story yet.

Gunnar and Sid kept taking one hit after another. Sid was such a great character because after hitting bottom, she kept pushing forward in spite of all the obstacles placed in her path.

That is not to say that Gunnar had an easy road to take either. He was battling insidious outside forces regarding the Skipper, an ex wife with major issues, 2 kids he was trying to single parent, and a pub he was attempting to run.

I was glad that Gunnar and Sid both were closer to 40-45 years old. They both had some life experiences and a level of maturity that was appreciated.

The heartwarming part comes in as Gunnar and Sid cautiously begin a friendship that turns into a relationship. I love that not only Gunnar, Viv, and Pam had Sid's back, but also the majority of the Slippers employees and patrons.

Of course there were a couple of bad seeds and one total reprobate in the book. It took everything in me to keep from shedding tears at different points. There was one point that I can't begin to describe all the emotions I went through other then to say it was painful.

Things do start to eventually turn their way. Sid and Gunnar do get their HEA. There was one thing that left me wondering. What decision was made about the house after Jacob showed up? How did was that resolved. One thing that drove me a little nuts was how long it took to get Sid's full story. I would give this 4.5, maybe even 4.75 stars.

I wasn't sure how far I was going to venture into this series, but decided I will definitely be purchasing the next audiobook.

love this author

I just love this author her stories are so close to being all people are and how people can be and I love it

overall a good book

Good book loved the story line. The female reader was hard to listen to at times, not my favorite reader.

Loved it!

This is one of my favorite books by Freya Barker!
Original story with wonderful characters.
Loved these narrators.

Excellent

this was an excellent read and even better listen. the narrators really brought it to life