Single

Stockton Beavers, Book 1

De: Collette West

Narrado por: Aundrea Mitchell, Gary Furlong

Underdog Luke "Single" Singleton is yearning to make a comeback. After getting hit in the neck with a pitch - an injury that nearly cost him his life - he has one last chance to play for his hometown team, the Stockton Beavers. But his mom has Alzheimer's, and he's all she has to depend on. How can he pursue his career, much less someone special?

Personal care aide Roberta Bennett is done dating baseball players. Having had her share of heartbreak, she heads to Stockton hoping for a fresh start. But after she finds Luke's mom outside, lost, and alone, she can't refuse when he hires her on the spot. Unbeknownst to Luke, Roberta is all too familiar with the violent tendencies of the pitcher who hit him.

Now that they're living under the same roof, the last thing either of them is looking for is a relationship. But it's not long before they find themselves drawn to each other. And right when Luke is thinking about finally making a change to his single status, a secret from Roberta's past emerges with the power to tear them apart.

©2016 Collette West (P)2016 Collette West

Great Sports Romance Story

I love Luke Singleton! If you love the Sports Romance genre, specifically baseball. You'll be very pleased with this overall story. If I look at this book/audiobook as a whole, I am overall pleased with the story. If I pick it apart, not as much.

I really like Luke's storyline and Luke's character! He's an athlete coming back from an injury dealing with some pretty serious stuff in his home life. But, he's helped through it all by Roberta. She's kind, caring, compassionate and it's impossible for her to resist those same characteristics in Luke. The baseball, recovery and romance aspects of this story were spot on and I really really enjoyed them.

There were a couple of things that bothered me. Please take them with a grain of salt. Semi-Spoiler-Alert: There is an adoption storyline toward the end of this book. Many of you may know that our son is adopted and this is a very personal issue for me. There were just too many inconsistencies for me between the story and real life. I couldn't reconcile the inconsistencies and it made it hard for me to enjoy the ending of the story. But, if this isn't an personal issue for you, I think the conclusion could be really fulfilling, so don't let this stop you if that's not an hot button for you!

I love audiobooks. I listen to 2-3 a week, some are better than others and I'm able to overcome a lot of small annoyances. I loved the male narrator! I think he did an excellent job and I enjoyed his interpretation of the story. However, I did not care for the female narrator. Her voice had an awkward cadence. She maintained that rhythm regardless of the content of the sentences and dialogue. I would often find myself re-phrasing the passages in my head so they made better sense. And, I could never match her voice with the images in my head of the characters.

I think this is one instance where I would have liked to read the book more than listen to the audio. I'm basing my ratings on the overall story. I would say this is a good, solid, sports romance that delivers what you're expecting from the genre. If you can be forgiving about some oddities in narration, I think this is a story you can really enjoy.

A copy of this audiobook was received from the author. Receipt of this copy did not impact the content or independence of this review. BFF Book Blog also uses a set of icon ratings. This book received additional ratings for: character development, tension, romance and hero.

Sports Romance with Heart 💝

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. After reading one of the negative reviews, I wasn't expecting too much but I'm thinking that maybe that reviewer just didn't truly relate to some of the issues in this book.

Single is a story about an "underdog" (Luke) who is a sweet and dedicated baseball player who is very loyal to his family. Roberta, is a misunderstood young woman with a good heart. Together, they start toward a path of friendship, respect and love. It's a sweet story that touches the heart.

There was a lot I could relate to in this book but the topic of Alzheimer's and abuse was front and center for me. The author was very respectful of Luke's and Roberta's journey dealing with these issues. Every Alzheimer's and abuse case is different and it was nice to see this written with dignity.

The narration was good. It took me a while to get used to the female narrator but once I did....she did fine. As always, listen to the audio sample before purchasing. Everyone's narration preferences are different.

Note: For those who want to know.......There is some swearing and are sexual situations in this book.

Overall: 3.75

I would like to thank the author, narrator, or publisher for providing me this audiobook at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.

A Baseball Romance..

Any additional comments?

This was a good story.

I liked Luke, the male lead, and Roberta, the female lead as well. He was attracted

to Roberta but she tried to fight the attraction due to her past and baggage.

Luke was loyal and Roberta was caring. The romance developers slowly due to so

much going on in both of the main characters lives.

I thought that made a good couple and complemented each other.

This book was a Good Read and I look forward to other books in this series.


Aundrea Mitchell did well with the narration.

Note:
"This audio book was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review."

Great narration, great characters, emotional story

Would you listen to Single again? Why?

Possibly. I thought the narration was really well done, and i liked the way the author dealt with the issues of dealing with a family member with Alzheimer's.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Single?

Early in the story, Roberta finds Luke's mother wondering in the rain near a wooded area. Scary and realistic.

What about Aundrea Mitchell and Gary Furlong ’s performance did you like?

The narrators did a great job of giving the characters distinguishing characteristics during their narration and infusing it with emotion.

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

There were a couple of characters that I really loved to hate, and I really felt for Luke trying to care for his mother, and for Roberta dealing with the aftermath of her marriage.

Any additional comments?

There was a nice cast of secondary characters that were well supported by the narration. I'm not usually a fan of flashbacks, but the author used them extremely effectively. The use of secret keeping to drive the plot kept this from being a full 5 stars for me, something that's a personal dislike. My first story by this author, I will be on the lookout for more.

Cute Story

Any additional comments?

I’m not completely sure how to rate this one to be honest. I think I give the story 3 stars, it was a sweet story but I struggled with the audio narration. I did enjoy Mr. Furlong and his telling of the story as Luke but truly struggled with Ms. Mitchell’s part and found it difficult to separate the narration from the actual character of Roberta. I definitely want to buy a copy of this book and read it for myself as again, it was a sweet and touching story.

Single Owns My Heart

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

Beautiful story, and Single is the best son a mother could ever ask for so it ranks in top 30 for 2016.

What did you like best about this story?

The love Luke has for his mother, his a beautiful person with so much compassion for others.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the boys in the team are all lined up ready to be auctioned off for a charity event, I love the banter between Luke and his team mates.

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

When Luke was taking care of his mom after the fire, it was very moving and emotional.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

Determination Over Fear

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

I think they're both great, with both having their positives. The audiobook makes it extremely easy to do other things while reading while the print version makes it easier to quote a specific passage. Love both options

What did you like best about this story?

How they worked together to come up with a solution

Have you listened to any of Aundrea Mitchell and Gary Furlong ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't

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

I laughed and cried throughout this story. Although this is a tough story to tell, Collette did an amazing joc!

Any additional comments?

Favorite Passages

Just wait until next time." "Oh yeah. Who says there'll be a next time?" "Your lips."
- Never lie to a good man about your past. It may seem like the right idea at the time but, you'll only end up hurting him in the end. Take heed and listen, he's the one who deserves your trust, not the one who came before him. A bad man can warp your heart, but a good man can open it up again. Don't deceive him like you were deceived. Both of you deserve better than that.
- Family always comes first.
- Love never dies, it goes on and on.

My Thoughts on Single

This story was awesome. Luke is a baseball player that was injured badly by a vicious and cruel player on a rival team. After struggling to recover he finally gets a shot to play again, but his mother isn't well and needs him. He doesn't know how he can manage having a baseball career and taking care of his mother. Until Roberta comes to town.

This book ended up containing twists I didn't anticipate and unexpected hurdles thrown in along the way. I enjoyed it all. Luke wasn't portrayed as your stereotypical leading man, he had hang ups about himself, he was down to earth and easy to relate to. The narrator for him I felt fit well. Soft voice, not overly deep, gruff, or gravelly.

Roberta was so strong and so kind and such a well written character. The things she had to overcome and was hiding from were just heartbreaking. I loved her. But I honestly didn't love her narrator. The voice was a little high, and I felt the tone and cadence of her reading was very repetitive. I couldn't hear any real emotion in her voice and often just felt the rise and falls came at the wrong time and didn't match what was going on or what was being said by the characters.

But with that being said, the story was still great. I'm still so happy I had the chance to listen to this story, the female narrator just wasn't a hit for me. I look forward to checking out more stories by this author in future.

Loved it!!!

Loved the story! Male narrator was great, female was too but her male voice could use some improvements. I would love to see a sequel to this based on Danny (single's b-ball friend).
This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

3.5 Stars I had a hard time with the narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I had a hard time with the narration of this book, especially the female character. She seemed to have a odd infliction in her voice while she read. I found that to be distracting.

If you’ve listened to books by Collette West before, how does this one compare?

This was my first audio by Collette West.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The female narration seemed slow compared to the story. The male voice seemed fine.

Was Single worth the listening time?

I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I would have read the book vs. listening to the audio.

Any additional comments?

Overall, this was a "down the middle of the road" story for me. There were parts I enjoyed and parts I didn't enjoy. I really liked how the story started off. I was really interested in Luke and his story with his mom. There were a few twists and turns with Roberta that caught me off guard, in a good way. While the story progressed, I found there to be some details that didn't seem necessary. Also, as the story went along, I didn't understand why Luke couldn't say anything about this mom. I just didn't make sense to me. I think there could have been a little more drama with Heidi. It was there, but didn't reach it's full potential.

For the narration, the story is told in duel point of views. So we get both male and female narration. I had a really hard time with the female voice. She had infliction in her voice that was distracting. Also, during more somber parts of the story, her voice seemed way to cheerful so it sort of contradicted each other. I enjoyed the male narration, that seemed to fit the story. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I would have read the book vs. listening to the audio.