Handling Susannah

By: Amelia Smarts

Narrated by: Ken Solin

Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Rancher Adam Harrington has long yearned to marry a diligent, virginal bride with a sweet disposition. When he reads a young woman's unusual advertisement requesting a mail-order cowboy as her groom, he thinks they might be a good match. He writes the woman a letter saying just that, and she pens a favorable response, accepting him as her future husband. Adam packs up his belongings and heads west to a bright new future.

When Susannah Smith's father bequeathed his ranch to her, it was under one condition: She must be married. For Virginia City's fallen woman, finding a man to marry is no easy feat. The men in town who seek to court the hot-tempered, unwed mother are sluggards and drunks, not the kind of men capable of running a ranch. Desperate to find a suitable husband or else lose everything, she expands her search by listing an ad in the paper.

When the two meet, Adam's commanding presence makes a startling but good impression on Susannah. The attraction between them is undeniable, but that is soon followed by wariness. Susannah had planned to marry a man who would do her bidding, not take over everything. It's her ranch, after all! Equally befuddled, Adam thought he'd be marrying a woman who knows her place, not a temperamental brat who could benefit from some time over his knee.

Susannah feels outraged by Adam's authoritative ways, but his dominant handling in the bedroom leaves her trembling with desire. Will she learn to accept his firm leadership and expectations? And will Adam grow to love the woman who differs so drastically from the kind of wife he thought he wanted?

Warning: Handling Susannah is a historical western romance containing sexual scenes and domestic discipline, including punishment spanking. If these themes offend you, please don't buy this audiobook.

©2017 Amelia Smarts (P)2017 Amelia Smarts

Good quick listen!

I liked this book and storyline. I felt the narrator definitely brought something to the story. There is true connection between all the characters including Caleb.

Susannah and Adam

I really enjoy Amelia Smarts writing style and this book is no exception. It is the first book of the Mail-Order Grooms series. This was a good story and nice quick listen. Quite a bit of spanking goes on. This was a great historical western. Ken Solin did a great job with the narration. I received this free copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Hot but sweet love story

Hot but sweet second chance at love ! I enjoyed the way Adam was strong but loving with Samatha . His ruff ways weren't all he was it his surprising gentleness that made him sweet . The story brought tears when her son got in a fight defending his mom even when he didn't understand what the words meant. Adam was so.proud of his " son " and that made me love the man even more .

Wonderful story line and great narration!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Handling Susannah to be better than the print version?

Absolutely YES!!! My imagination when reading the print version is no where near as excellent as listening to Ken Solin's voice...... just WOW!!!

What other book might you compare Handling Susannah to and why?

In comparing this to Amelia Smarts' other books, this one is equally wonderful with delightful characters whose interesting lives make for page turning enjoyment. The way the love story unfolds and the feelings that develop between them cannot help but put a smile on your face.

What does Ken Solin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narration of this book brings a wonderful western/cowboy dimension that I could never experience w/o the audio book. Authors who care enough about the readers to put their books on audible.com are beloved by everyone who reads audio books.

Any additional comments?

I found this entire story-line delightful and am so grateful to Amelia Smarts for this book. Her books are at the top of my favorites list and I read them over and over.

Nice romance story

Would you listen to Handling Susannah again? Why?

No, I don't often listen to books more than once

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't have a favorite character

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ken Solin?

Maybe, but not a romance book.

Any additional comments?

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

Interesting story

This is quite a kinky story with spanking as discipline. It starts off with Adam answering an advert for a Mail Order Groom for the well-off Susannah and of course he is chosen.
Susannah has a very bad habit of omitting relevant bits of information that she should have told Adam and this gets her into trouble with him. She is quite spoilt and used to get away with all kinds of things with her late father, but Adam won't stand for her nonsense.
Besides this, the story tells of a blossoming relationship that is quickly turning from mere attraction to warm love.
I particularly liked the cuteness of her young son, Caleb. He sure has spunk.
There is something wrong with the recording or the editing of it from time to time - the beginning words of some of the sentences seemed to have been either omitted or cut out - I think perhaps due to faulty editing/recording but this didn't really detract from the story. It just annoyed me a bit.
Ken Solin has an interesting voice with a husky, slow drawl which lent itself to the story.
I received a copy of this audiobook for free and this is my unbiased review.

A high spirited Western with sighworthy feels!

If you could sum up Handling Susannah in three words, what would they be?

Fun, wholesome and heartfelt

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adam! He was such an amazing hero..stern, bossy and demanding yet sweet and gentle. I loved his delightful sparks with Susannah and his sweet rapport with young Caleb. He was just what this scandalized single mom and her fatherless boy needed in their lives...strong family leadership with a tender, loving touch.

What does Ken Solin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His slow, steady drawl and deep, ruggedly masculine voice seemed to suit the character of Adam well. I could picture him on the frontier land, working the land, and keeping his wife and child in check. He also did a fine job with the characters of Susanna and her young son Caleb.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Little House on the Prairie with hot spanky times!

Any additional comments?

Amelia Smarts is my go-to author for sweet and swoony Western spanking romances featuring ruggedly authoritative frontier men and the sweet, feisty women who lasso their hearts. And HOLY HOTNESS... HANDLING SUSANNAH is all sort of delicious!

Without giving too much plot away, this is the high-spirited story of taciturn rancher Adam Harrington who is in the market for a sweet, achingly innocent mail order bride but the beautiful, tempestuous young woman he ends up tying the knot with has not been totally upfront about her background, including the fact that she has a tarnished reputation and a sweet 5 year old boy in tow!!

Now this big, manly rancher has his hands full with his ready-made family! Teaching his not-so-virtuous new wife, Susannah Smith, some lessons in honesty, humility and obedience is far from easy but I wouldn't have it any other way because taming his naughty little kitten into sweet submission leads to some SCORCHING HOT bottom warmings and a red-hot passion that BLAZES OUT OF CONTROL!

What I love about Ms. Smarts writing, aside from her quiver-inducing sexy/spanky times, is that there are always deeper layers to her characters and storylines and it's SHEER BLISS watching her protagonists fall hopelessly in love despite their best intentions!!

True to form, I found the emotional journey Adam and Susannah embark on together in HANDLING SUSANNAH to be both HEARTWARMING and HEARTSHATTERING! I loved Susannah's sassy, strong-willed personality but of course the adorable spitfire proves no match for her strict, heavy handed hubby who has ZERO TOLERANCE for her temper tantrums or blatant disrespect! But, naturally, as with all of Amelia Smarts tough yet exquisitely tender dominants, he has a mighty big soft spot for his willful wife and she arouses PRIMAL LUST and FIERCE PROTECTIVENESS in him.

In addition to the poignant love story and panty melting hot romantic interludes, I melted into a PUDDLE OF GOO during the heart-tugging bonding scenes between Adam and Susannah's little boy, Caleb. Turns out, sometimes the love you think you WANT isn't the love you NEED, and ultimately, this touching romance stirs powerful and poignant emotions that leave a lasting imprint on the heart!!
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Surprisingly Entertaining

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher, and/or narrator.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. Anything with mail-order bride/groom attached ro it makes me cringe, but I'm glad I gave this book a try.

I really liked Adam's character. He did not hold back and had no problems expressing his thoughts and disappointments. When he leaves his own ranch behind to answer Susannah's marriage proposal he's unhappy to discover her trickery when he finds he has to basically audition with 2 other men for her hand in marriage. Despite Susannah wanting a man she can control, she ends up with a man who has no problem taking charge and doesn't hesitate to put her in her place. Susannah gets a reality check when her spoiled behavior that her father enabled in her will no longer be tolerated by her new husband.

I seriously loved how Adam took control and had no problems bending Susannah over his knee to punish her for her childish behavior. But more than that I loved how they wanted their marriage to work and the sexual chemistry was very hot.

The narration was really good and made this book that much more enjoyable.

A fun quick listen

I received this book in exchange for my unbiased review. This was a fun, quick listen. Handling Susannah is a great historical romance with realistic characters and issues that are still pertinent today. The part I was less thrilled about was the narration. At times, the narrator seemed monotonous. Otherwise, a very enjoyable listen.

Good

“ I voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good book