Search and Rescue

By: Lily Berlin Dodd

Narrated by: Ali Ahn

Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Winner of the #SoundsHot Steamy Story Contest, a thrilling romantic novella brimming with raw emotional power - available in audio first! 

For rock climber Wren Elkine, risking her life every day is an inescapable part of being on the Search and Rescue team, where she saves stranded mountain climbers from certain death. But her heart faces its greatest danger yet when she meets famous daredevil Clay Arden. Wren has no patience for thrill seekers like Clay who risk their lives for an adrenaline rush, so she writes him off...until he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. Clay will pay her a hefty sum to accompany him on his greatest stunt yet: climbing Morocco's perilous Ramah Spire without a rope or harness. 

As they travel to the site, Wren finds herself falling for the sexy, free-spirited adventurer. But how can she fall in love with someone who may not survive? And if he doesn’t make it, will she ever be the same?

©2019 Lily Berlin Dodd (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

✫✫ 4 Stars ✫✫

This was a fun audiobook. While I don't generally love such short books especially in romance because they ALWAYS contain Insta-Love which I really dislike (It's hard for me to feel/believe the love when it's only been a few days). This was was enjoyable and generally a feel good book. The writing great, the story line was unique and the ending was sweet and happy.

The narration was good too! My first by this narrator and she fit the characters very well.

The Highest Romantic Peak Imaginable

An unbelievable collection of human emotions, growth, and strength. Hard to believe this is a debut work, but easy to say that it will have you demanding to hear another story of Lily Berlin Dodd’s soon. She has truly summited the romantic literary experience with this one and is a great guide for every listener.

Incredible story, fantastic narration

This novel held all of my favorite characteristics of a strong female lead and a ‘bad boy’ who’s not really bad.

I love it most though because the characters built one another up and allowed one another to become fully realized as individuals. They helped one another become more themselves. And isn’t that what real love should be? The rock beneath you that holds you up,!that allows you to climb higher?

Short and Perfect

It was everything a romance should be and everything a story should be. It doesn't give you the answers it leads you to them and let's you get them yourself, and it is so worth it.

cleanish and nice

nice short story mostly clean. I wish there were more like this. some of the sweet ones are too fake and some of the deep ones are too descriptive

cute and quick

it was a cute story and worth reading. the insta love was a little unbelievable but needed in a short story. I liked the 3 years later epilogue.

Great listen!

This audible original is just what I needed! It's not too long and the story is wonderful. Lily Berlin Dodd weaves the story of Clay and Wren. Clay is a climber and everything that drives Wren crazy. She feels he is reckless, irresponsible and doesn't take other's feelings into consideration. When Clay is set to climb the mountain of all mountains, Wren is asked to come along as his first line of aid and she discovers things are not always what they seem. I loved this short. Part takes place in Morocco with beautiful imagery. The relationship between Wren and Clay is slow burning, their banter fun and the story line a little suspenseful and a lot thrilling. Narrated by Ali Ahn, it is brought to life with great voicing and excitement.

A Promising Start from a New Writer

Search and Rescue is the winner of the recent #SoundsHot Steamy Story Contest.

Wren Elkine went into search and rescue after her older sister died in a climbing accident. Daredevil Clay Arden shows up in her national park to scale one of the peaks there without equipment. Wren butts heads with him, calling him 'selfish' in his risk-taking.

By its nature, this is a short story/novella. Dodd did a great job setting the scene and sketching her characters within the structure of the novella. If anything, this makes me want to read more from her. And my only negative is the insta-love; it happened a little too quickly to be believable.

If i were a climber I would have loved it...

since im not, i liked it alot. It was intense in it own right. I learned a few things. And I was scared as if I were there.

Vivid, like a movie in my mind.

This is an entertaining short story and I could picture it in my mind’s eye as if it were a movie, it was that vivid. The hero, Clay, is a daredevil mountain climber and heroine, Wren, is a no-nonsense rescue climber. They clash but not in a hostile way. Both are likeable, and have depth that the author deftly explores. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and detail of this story. My one reservation is that I would have liked the romance to develop for longer, as it seemed a little rushed. However, the delightful epilogue drowned out any worries I had about the future of the relationship.

Reviewers have mentioned that this story is “steamy” which I found surprising because apart from mild descriptions of kissing, the rest of the amorous activity is tastefully given as impressions and you are cleverly left to your imagination. I was wholly impressed by this.

Narrator Ali Ahn was terrific except that I felt she raced along at times – she could afford to slow down a little. Overall, I felt her characterisations were spot-on and she provided me with an enjoyable listening experience that I repeated by listening to the story again.

Disappointing plot

The story line had potential in so many ways but failed to fulfil. Especially towards the end where the characters suddenly fall in love with minimal interaction never allowing the characters to develop. Then the story jumps & abruptly ends and then the epilogue concludes the story in a rush. I was so hopeful for the story to develop and it never really did and I was left disappointed.