Speakeasy

By: Sarina Bowen

Narrated by: Seraphine Valentine, Lance Greenfield

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes you fall for Mr. Right, and sometimes for Mr. Right Now....

May:

Did you hear the one about the girl who walks into a bar and catches her live-in lover kissing someone else? No? You’re the only one in town who missed it. Luckily Alec is there to wrap me up in strong arms and carry me out the door before things get too ugly. And that’s not all Alec is good at. Our unexpected chemistry makes him the perfect rebound guy.

Alec:

I should know better than to hook up with my rival’s little sister, but the fiery look in May’s eyes really turns my crank. She needs cheering up, and I’m just the guy for the job. It’s not like I’ll fall in love. Not even after a string of scorching hot trysts and the realization that we’re good at the same things: wild nights and familial disappointment. I don’t do love; never have, never will. So this is the perfect arrangement for both of us. Nobody would approve, but nobody has to know....

Cover design by Sarah Hansen.

©2018 Sarina Bowen (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Loved it !!!!

I’ve enjoyed this one the most so far. Griff was my fav until this book. I absolutely love Alec. More people in the world need to be this excepting and rolling with the punches. He showed zero F$&@s about May’s Bi status nor was he threatened by it! Thumbs up for Alec. He also never once treated her with kitten gloves about her addiction but was never callous either. I related a lot to May I have trouble ‘fitting’ other people’s molds and have spent much wasted time trying to shape myself into them. Luckily for May she found someone that liked the shape she was already in and she stopped being so hard on herself.
I seriously enjoyed the performers of this book Lance has a nice voice and he sounds like he has a great sense of humor and is very chill. Miss Valentine not only has a boom ass name ;) she has a slight scratchy quality to a nice low toned voice that is relaxing and pleasant. Couple that with Bowen’s excellent humor and fabulous skills and its a great time to be had.

Good addition to the series

The narration is good, each narrator playing off the other. The story is a mix of humor (thanks Grandpa Shipley) and also some real series troubles (CW alcoholism, cheating). Alec took a bit to grow on me but I did really like him by the end. And May is a wonderful woman who fights every day to maintain her sobriety. I recommend it!

loved it

I really enjoyed reading this author.  I look forward to reading more books by this author in the near future.

Put the male voice in context and it makes sense…

I read the harsh reviews on the male narration, so I went in expecting it to be less than stellar.

I was 100% wrong - the male narrator clearly studied the character (Alec), On the outside Alec is acerbic with no filter and quick to say whatever comes to mind. A slightly obnoxious, hard edged delivery was true to the character Sarina Bowen created. Lance Greenfield chose to give Alec a voice that allows listeners to experience the character as the author intended. Had he given Alec a sexy, smoothly delivered voice, the dialogue and interactions between Alec and other characters wouldn’t have rung true and the story would have lost it’s edge.

✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫

Oh this book was PERFECT! I loved everything about it. May is a seriously great character, she has baggage but she is so sweet and sexy! Alec is the best kind of guy, he's funny, sweet and so SEXY. Their relationship has amazing chemistry and they really do compliment each other perfectly. This story hits on a lot of things between both of them but together they overcome so many obstacles and so much baggage without an extreme amount of drama. I know this book will be a re-listen for me for sure!

The narration was incredible! Seraphine Valentine might become my new favorite narrator. I really hope to see a lot more of her on Audible.

Great Book

Speakeasy is the fifth book in the True North series. It can be read as a standalone, but I found the entire series, including this book, to be much more enjoyable reading the series in order. May Shipley has been through a lot, and her family treats her like she's going to fall apart at any moment. But that's not true. I cheered for her as she built her confidence and gained her strength. Alec was the perfect match for her, and I enjoyed their romance.

some of my favorite things

I love when books include some of my favorite things like knitting, bartending, and silly dad jokes. The overall story line isn't my favorite from the series but I did still enjoy this book! I also love that grandpa was included more in the book. He is hilarious and I hope I grow up to be just like him!

Loved this

I've enjoyed all of this series and this one didn't disappoint. The readers were very good and added a lot as usual.

Super sexy & Great Bisexual Heroine!

I love Sarina Bowen's True North series! The Shipley family is very much like my own in many ways, so it's always great to spend time with them. May has been there since the first book and it's so great to finally get her story.

May is struggling at the beginning of this story after she catches her girlfriend cheating on her. There were a lot of problems with her relationship, so she's not devastated, but she does struggle with understanding her queer identity when she ends up having a fling with Alec, the town playboy and member of the Rossi clan. As a bisexual woman, it was refreshing to see a character figuring out her desires even though she sees herself ending up with a woman, and what it might mean if she doesn't. Alec has a great arch around his business, The Gin Mill, and his desire to make craft beer. He really comes into his own as a business owner, though there is a lot of hardship on the way there.

I really like Seraphine Valentine's narration but Lance Greenfield is a little too much for me. It was hard to take him seriously. I am not sure why. Something in his voice just sounded like a performance the whole time.

Like her other books, Bowen examines social issues in Speakeasy like drug and alcohol addiction, recovery, and bisexuality. It's a great story and has all the sexiness you love and want from a romance story.

Childhood friends to lovers. 1POV HEA. Standalone.

This is an almost “sexy” romance set in a small town in Vermont. The main characters knew each other from growing up in the small town. Almost a bit of enemies to lovers as well. There were several funny moments and and I loved it. Lots of fun banter AND sexy times. Narration was great. There is an HEA but it is short and sweet. You will find out more about the couple in “Fireworks”. There are several books before this in this series but you don’t really need to listen to them before this.