Striving for Normal

Striving Series Book 1

By: B.L. Mooney

Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's Summary

Normal. It was a relative term, or so I thought.

After a relationship from hell that almost killed me, I didn’t want another man in my life. A job, a home, and great friends were all I needed.

Simple.

Uncomplicated.

Until two men interrupted the calm I was pretending to be.

One could take me to the future—a future I never dared to dream I could have. A man who gave me a chance to smile and fix the mistakes I’d made. But, I shouldn’t get a second chance at a happily ever after.

The other would take me back to the past—a past I didn’t want but was all I knew. After losing the most important thing in my life, I didn’t deserve more than that.

Faced with choices I didn’t see coming, I knew I had to make a decision. Be thrust forward into a new life, or be held prisoner of bad choices from my old one. I was terrified of both.

Ages 18+ due to adult situations and violence.

©2013 B.L. Mooney (P)2015 B.L. Mooney

good

I received this book for an honest review. this my first book ive listen to by this author I thought this book was an good book to listen to to had my attention from beginning to end

GREAT STORY AND EXCELLENT NARRATION!

Would you listen to Striving for Normal again? Why?

I might...I enjoyed it very much!

What did you like best about this story?

That Drew was actually getting help and became stong!

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending!!

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

I cried a lot, and was angry at times...I hate how men try to control a women sometimes and treatb us as property!

Any additional comments?

** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Drew is very damaged from a bad relationship that caused her to be abused, exploited and ultimately caused her to lose her first child in a violent way! But she does not stay a victim, she get help, and with the love of good friends and new sweet man, she becomes whole again....I cried a lot during this book ans was very pleased with the happy ending!

Meghan did a great job on her narration and I loved this book!!

Thank You Audiobookblast(dot)com

surprisingly better than expected...

Where does Striving for Normal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a well written book with great organization and planning. I didn't expect the book to be this good if I were to be honest. However, the story was really strong and great narration.

What other book might you compare Striving for Normal to and why?

I haven't read one like it. 50 shades of grey was completely different. I see other reviews comparing the two but honestly this book had more story than 50 Shades and the sex was steamy.

Have you listened to any of Meghan Kelly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listen to Meghan Kelly's performances before but I really enjoyed her. She did a fantastic job. She is one of the top performances I have heard and I listen to many books. The only constructive criticism I would give would be to fine tune the male voices they tend to get a little awkward but same problem for most female narrators.

She speaks clear, concise, and fast but not to quick.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hot, steamy and leaves you wanting more.

Any additional comments?

This book says it is the 1st one. Hopefully a 2nd once comes soon. I am eager to know what happens.

I Wasn't Moved By Description Of Book - But Great

The description/publishers summary did not really sell me, however *I agree to listen to the book in exchange for a review.

I am so glad that I did. The story line was set up from a woman speaking to her therapist about her past abusive relationship.

The time and appointments in therapy led to past memories and situations, however the author cleverly weaved these throughout the story making them the common thread to build the story around.

Drew (female main character) seems to make a little bit of progress but then is pulled back into a similar relationship that she just escaped. She has a choice between Dennis, a decent guy who respects her and Craig – the alpha male who would rather strip a woman of everything (literally clothing but also confidence, trust, etc.) To this listener, the choice seems like an obvious one, Dennis. But we must remember that Drew is scarred and fights a tendency to go back to what is familiar, no matter how bad.

There were only a few instances where I got a bit lost between the flashbacks and current time. I'm not sure if it was because of the writing or that I wasn't paying attention closely enough. A minor detail in judging the book.

Meghan Kelly always delivers. If you look at my reviews, you will find that I use the same terms for her performance over and over again – perfection, great talent, ability to perform both male and female characters. She is able to easily maneuver between situations, characters and descriptions. Meghan is one of my top three favorite female narrators. She also has excellent taste in the books she chooses to perform.

B. L. Mooney is a talented writer and I look forward to the rest of the Striving series. Come on Audible, please get the rest when they are available. Along with Meghan Kelly, B. L. Mooney make a dynamic duo!

Notes: Some descriptions of sex & strong language. This is not a book for those of you who enjoy vanilla romance books. It is for those who enjoy racy and descriptive writing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. If you found it helpful, would you take a moment and select yes directly below this text? Thanks again.

AN EMOTIONALLY RAW YET ADDICTIVE LISTEN

Drew is a mentally abused and traumatised young woman who is trying desperately to come to terms with, get over and move on with her life, despite what has been done to her, with the help of her Therapist. Slowly, in flashback scenes during chapters, Drew's suffering is revealed and then the action resumes in present day life where she has met Darren who's kind, thoughtful, supportive and caring but Drew wonders if that's what she truly deserves when she's been such a terrible person in the past. Then, to add to that confusion, she starts to get manipulated all over again by the forceful Carl..... who plays dirty. And suddenly Drew doesn't know whether to go with what she has been programmed to feel or what her heart is telling her.

There's a lot of heart-achingly painful memories that come spilling out throughout this listen and, all the while, you're routing that Darren will be strong enough, fight for and hold on to what he wants.... a life with Drew. And thankfully that is exactly what he does - oh yes he falters along the way but he doesn't know the truth, is trying to be understanding and loves Drew deeply but he also wonders if that will be enough. Because not only has he got to fight Drew's memories that's haunting her, he has to fight the demons in the present that all conspire to destroy his chances. Like his bitter twisted and bitchy Sister, the rich and handsome Carl and now Craig the man who started it all because suddenly the danger has turned deadly as he's been let out of prison and has come back to once again claim Drew..... and the outcome will lead to betrayal, revelations, a chilling reunion and murder.

This was an addictive listen because you're drawn into Drew's life and you hope she makes the right choices so she can finally put her past behind her and get the HEA ending she so deserves. There are a few times when I thought "hold on that just wouldn't happen" like taking a child in her care alone to the child's empty house, bathing her and settling her down.... how did she get the keys, you wouldn't and shouldn't just take a child home and just what was she thinking. I can usually (and happily) overlook unrealistic scenes for the sake of the romance but this was just too implausible. There was sex... angry sex, needy sex, romantic sex and sex scenes from the past but none of it was very graphic. The narrator did a very good job as you could easily tell male from female and she put all the right emotional emphasis into each scene. Told from Drew's pitiful and confused POV which thankfully changed as her character grew stronger as she, at last, started to believe in HEA's. Good selection of secondary characters.

Worth a credit? Although I found this to be a rather depressing listen, and they're not ones I usually like, I do realise that it was a harrowing account of the mental and physical abuse many women have gone through and are still going through today and that surviving through such trauma doesn't magically give you a clean slate after the abuse ends. If you think you want to listen to one such story then this is your kind of book. It was a good book, it was hard hitting, it was at times, romantic.... but creditworthy.... well I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Therapy for getting over an abusive relationship

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Depends on the friends. If I knew this was in there field of interest, I would.

Would you be willing to try another book from B.L. Mooney? Why or why not?

Maybe if it wasn't read by the same person. I did not enjoy the voice of the person reading the book.

What three words best describe Meghan Kelly’s performance?

Jagged. Over Emphasized.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

If there was more going on between Dennis and Drew. I didn't feel very invested in their relationship and what each liked about each other.

Any additional comments?

Just on a side note, this book is not a typical kind of book I'd normally read. I do have to say I thought the book was very well written. I did not however like the main character. I personally an not a fan of weak women, but understand that was the point of the story. My rating in now way reflects my personal feelings.

Drew is seeing a therapist to help her strive to be normal after getting out of a very abusive relationship. She gets into a love triangle with two men. One she is set up with by her friends, who is a positive influence. Then there is a other who is the father of a girl at the daycare she works for who is very reminiscent of her abusive ex.

The love triangle in the book reminded me a lot of many women these days. They aren't strong enough to make good choices, even when friends and doctors try to help them. You see them falling down the wrong path again and again and making the obvious worst choice despite having the best choices right in front of you. Drew many times in the book put herself in situation that were unnecessary, and only got her in trouble. If she had the smarts to think things through rationally, she would see the bad choices she's making. The good news is, she does grow and learn as the book goes on.

The reason I could not give this book 4 or 5 stars was for some flaws I saw in the book if it is truly set in current times. In real life many things that happened in the daycare could not happen. Parents, friends, boyfriends, would not be able to stroll in and out as they pleased. Daycares would not instruct a teacher to take a child home if they are sick and take care of it. I also don't believe if there was a known issue between a teacher and a parent that the staff would leave the one teacher alone after hours with the potential of running in with that parent, especially if there were harassment issues.

I can definitely see the appeal of this book for many readers. I would recommend it to someone if I knew this fell into the kind of fiction they enjoyed as the author does have a way of drawing you in.

I was given this as an audiobook for an honest review.

Great mix of suspense, drama and romance

Four years ago, Drew escaped an unhealthy relationship. With the help of her therapist, Joseph, and her best friends, Terri and Mark, with whom she has been living, she is striving for normal. Drew's abusive relationship with ex-boyfriend, Craig, is revealed through therapy sessions and flashbacks. Her friends believe she should be moving on and encourage her to see Dennis. Dennis is an all-around nice guy. Reliable, funny, safe.
But when Drew meets Carl, who is a widower with a little girl Drew is taking care of in the childcare center where she works, Drew has conflicting feelings whether normal and safe is right for her. Carl is self-assured, manipulative and controlling. In many ways very similar to her ex-boyfriend, Craig.
And what will happen when Craig comes back into their lives?
This was a very compelling story with a brilliant mix of romance, suspense, family drama, lots of emotions and some nice twists. B.L. Mooney's writing really draws you in and the characters are very well developed, that includes all the secondary characters.
I had a bit of a love/hate relationship going on with Drew. She is obviously a very vulnerable young woman with a traumatic past and I really wanted her to succeed. But, she made some pretty stupid decisions along the way. Some of the events relating to the childcare setting I found very difficult to believe.
The narration by Meghan Kelly was convincing and enjoyable.
I received a complimentary copy of the audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Interesting....

What made the experience of listening to Striving for Normal the most enjoyable?

At first I was a little confused about Drew and all her drama, but as the plot continued, various feelings were uncovered and the story kept getting better and better.

What about Meghan Kelly’s performance did you like?

Meghan Kelly is the best, I love every time listening to her perform. Even in times where the plot was difficult and somewhat stuck, she manages to make a difference and deliver the feelings and the emotional state of every character. She is amazing!

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

The ending was marvelous! All in all the book has extreme scenes, sexual, violence, psychological traumas, etch. but it is very good and keeps your interest up to the end.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts opinions and ratings are my own. I was under no obligation to post a review or give positive feedback.Thank you very much B.L Mooney and of course Meghan Kelly for this book.

Enjoyed it all!

Striving For Normal was not quite what I expected. Started pretty heated and ended in the best way. Story line was not something I have ever experienced, but helped me to be more empathetic to those that have. I've always asked the question...how could you allow yourself to...? B.L. Mooney did an excellent job of helping with that. Once again, Meghan Kelly did an excellent job of narration. Her ability to tell a story by bringing you into the world of the characters is outstanding. I'm never disappointed. Good book, good narration. Definitely one that I would recommend!

Wow, just wow!

My head is just reeling after this book! It is an edge of your seat, the girl just can't catch a break kind of book. There are so many twists and turns in this story , that I am just floored. This book is love, romance, danger, suspense and thrills... oh yeah and some sex too! I really enjoyed this book. It's sheer genius!

The author, B L Mooney did a superb job on this novel! It is a great story line, with an excellent plot. The outcome had my jaw dropped to the floor. The narrator, Meghan Kelly only added even more suspense & drama to the story with her multiple voices and accents. I loved the character Terri and hated Craig. Poor Drew, what a strong soul and Dennis is awesome! Great book, great narration, loved it...

*** I received this audiobook of Striving For Normal by B L Mooney as a gift in exchange for a honest and unbiased review of my thoughts on it. ***