Starting Back

By: Stephanie Rose

Narrated by: Gregory Salinas, Ava Lucas

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Kristina

My accidental solo vacation takes a turn for the less depressing after a drink that leads to a date with a brawny bedroom-eyed firefighter. I’m 42, divorced, with two daughters at home. I thought romance was in my rearview mirror until the mysteriously intense Leo made me feel like I was the only woman in the Florida Keys.

I know better than to get attached. But between midnight kisses and dirty talk under starry skies, our connection feels so real. So right.

I can’t give up my entire life for a fling. Not even for a man that reminds me I’m not defined by a failed marriage and a carpool calendar. And especially not one who has no interest in a family of his own, let alone a package deal like me.

Leo

We were supposed to be temporary, just like everything else in my life. So why can’t I get Kristina out of my head? I’m the master of no strings, no attachments. But our time together haunts me after she leaves.

I’m not cut out to make a life with a woman. A woman with two kids? Forget it.

At least, that’s what I thought until fate brought us together again. It turns out the move I made to be closer to family brings me to Kristina’s hometown—and right in her path.

I can’t still explain the overpowering pull between us, but I’m sure of who she is.

Mine.

I’m not letting her go this time.

©2023 Stephanie Rose (P)2023 Podium Audio

I love this story

I loved this story when I read it but Gregory Salinas and Ava Lucas are the perfect voices for Leo and Kristina. They brought this story to life and I could visually see the book play out in my mind. This is a must get!!

loved loved loved!!!

I loved everything about this book! From the story to the narration to the characters, everything was perfect!! The book tells a story that no matter the time in your life , the most delicious and best surprises can come at just the right time!!

Chemistry, Fate, and a Whole Lot of Steam!

I love seeing a minor character in a book I love get their own HEA, and Stephanie Rose does Kristina’s (An Unexpected Turn) HEA justice in Starting Back. She brings the steam and all the feels to do it, too. Having read this book before, I was excited to dive into the audiobook. And I was not disappointed. With perfect timing, cadence, and inflection, Gregory Salinas and Ava Lucas bring their characters and the story to beautiful life through their narration,

Rose builds the perfect story around Kristina and Leo. Their chemistry is beautiful and genuine, igniting quickly and creating a deep sense of connection that carries through the entire novel. And there’s just enough angst to keep it real but not have you screaming at the characters. Because the characters are wonderfully authentic, easy to fall in love with, and absolutely perfect in their imperfections.

Starting Back infuses multiple themes and layers of starting over, living for yourself, and finding your soulmate. The messages of understanding who you are, knowing your worth, and overcoming your vulnerabilities rings true and clear through both Leo and Kristina’s individual stories and histories as well as within their connection with each other. I love seeing two people recognize how amazing they are on their own, but how much better they are with the right person by their side.

While readers first meet Kristina in An Unexpected Turn, Starting Back is truly a standalone love story for Kristina and Leo. But once you’ve met Kristina’s family, chances are you’ll want to read An Unexpected Turn as well. And I am definitely holding out hope for another minor character in Starting Back to get their own HEA soon as well.