Racing the Sun

By: Karina Halle

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

It's time for 24-year-old Amber MacLean to face the music. After a frivolous six months of backpacking through New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia, she finds herself broke on the Mediterranean without enough money for a plane ticket home to California. There are worse places to be stuck than the gorgeous coastline of Southern Italy, but the only job she manages to secure involves teaching English to two of the brattiest children she's ever met. It also doesn't help that the children are under the care of their brooding older brother, Italian ex-motorcycle racer Desiderio Larosa. Darkly handsome and oh-so-mysterious, Derio tests Amber's patience and will at every turn - not to mention her hormones. But when her position as teacher turns into one as full-time nanny at the crumbling old villa, Amber finds herself growing closer to the enigmatic recluse and soon has to choose between the safety of her life back in the States and the uncertainty of Derio's closely guarded heart.

©2015 Karina Halle (P)2015 Tantor

Take me away

Beautiful and steamy! A great book to get lost in. Everything you want in a romantic get away.

the first

This was my first ever audio book and I loved it!! The narration was the best, perfect for this book. Love this story and fell so in love with these characters. I laughed and hurt right along with them. Thank you, love your writing so much!

Fall in Love With Southern Italy

Karina Halle is one of the best at writing destination books. Heat Wave in Hawaii; Love, In English in Spain; Where Sea Meets Sky in New Zealand; The Debt in Scotland and some others. They’re always so vivid and this one is no exception. From the quaint village to the beaches and magical caves Halle paints a wonderful picture that plants you right inside of the setting and story.

Amber is a 24 year old who has an English degree and no experience using it. After being fired from her job she decides that she is going to go backpacking in Europe in hopes of seeing the world and finding something she is passionate about. When she runs out of money she decides that she is going to try to get a job and ends up being the English teacher to two children who are in the care of their difficult older brother Desiderio after their parents have passed away.

What’s wonderful about this book is the evolution of the relationships and characters throughout. There are several dynamics at play. Amber’s relationship with the kids, with Derio and with her parents each evolve. Each character comes out of their shells as time goes by and I liked that it was a progression. Amber’s relationship with Derio is electric and the chemistry is hot. The sex scenes are hot as well and are the perfect amount of naughty.

If you’re looking for a fun read/listen this one is for you. The narration is great. The scenery is beautiful. And it’s the perfect escape.

Profanity

Is it really necessary for the “f”word and “GD” to be repeated and repeated for the character development? I liked the characters and the setting just not the obscene vocabulary.

Tissues required..

Racing the Sun proved to be quite the ride. I found myself thinking about when the book would climax, but the story had such good substance there wasn’t an issue with the length or the rate at which things happened. So many books are somewhat predictable, but I didn’t feel this way and really enjoyed how she didn’t tell the reader/listener too much for that to happen. So many imperfect people coming together to find comfort in each other while still struggling to fight their demons. When the climax does come make sure you have tissue in hand. My heart felt like a lemon being squeezed and I looked around me thinking someone would soon find me crying. I truly found this story very enjoyable and it might lead me to enjoy it a second time which is incredibly rare. Don’t pass this one by.