The Blinding Light

By: Renae Kaye

Narrated by: Jonathan Young

Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Jake Manning's smart mouth frequently gets him into trouble. Because of it he can't hold a job. Combined with some bad luck, it's prevented him from keeping steady employment. A huge debt looms over him, and alone he shoulders the care of his alcoholic mother and three younger sisters. When a housekeeping position opens, Jake's so desperate he leaps at the opportunity. On landing, he finds his new boss, Patrick Stanford, a fussy, arrogant, rude...and blind man.

Born without sight, Patrick is used to being accommodated, but he's met his match with Jake, who doesn't take any of his crap and threatens to swap all the braille labels on his groceries and run off with his guide dog unless he behaves.

Jake gets a kick out of Patrick. Things are looking up: The girls are starting their own lives, and his mum's sobriety might stick this time. He's sacrificed everything for his family; maybe it's time for him to live his life and start a relationship with Patrick. When his mother needs him, guilt makes his choice between family and Patrick difficult, and Jake must realize he's not alone anymore.

©2014 Renae Kaye (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Very well written

If you could sum up The Blinding Light in three words, what would they be?

Erotic, realistic, happy

What did you like best about this story?

Very descriptive and well written

What about Jonathan Young’s performance did you like?

The accent made the story more believable

If you could rename The Blinding Light, what would you call it?

The blinding manners

Any additional comments?

I have never read/listened to a book from start to finish. I could not stop listening!

Absolutely Lovely !!

This story is well written , charming , heartfelt and real. (And has some steam!) I loved that it told a story of two people that had an honest attraction without excessive angst or overreaction to "problems" . The narrator was also fantastic ! I couldn't stop until I was done

Just as good as I remembered

I adored this book when I read it myself so decided to try the audio version. It's such a sweet story with really no angst other than how Patrick perceives himself due to his blindness. Jake is really too good to be true, but you just can't help falling for him. I loved his snarky humor. I really rooted for him to get his fairytale ending.

Pure pleasure!!

What did you love best about The Blinding Light?

The writing was so clever and witty. I fell in love with the Jake immediately. The characters grabbed me from the very beginning. I was totally sucked in from the start.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Blinding Light?

When Jake first met Patrick. Jake is so funny as he assesses the situation.

What about Jonathan Young’s performance did you like?

He was fantastic. Of course I loved his Australian accent. He was perfect for this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES!! I couldn't stop listening.

Any additional comments?

What a way to start the year! 5 happy stars for this one!

Giving Care

Jacob is a caregiver. Whether it is at work or in his personal life it just seems that's what he does. Patrick is very independent despite his disability but he is also a bit fussy. But when they meet Jacob's care giving opens new doors for both of them. I love how neither man does anything to damage the others own sense of independence. Together they have a busy life ahead of them.

Jonathan Young does amazing job with amazing story

This is the second book I have read by this author and I will definitely be looking for more. The setting is Australia, so you get a few funny words, but for the most part, the setting could be anywhere. Jake is a young man who is a little bit too perfect but in a way that is so funny and sweet, you can’t help but forgive him for that.

Patrick is fantastic. Curmudgeonly and surly at first, only to be completely turned around when his sh*t is thrown back in his face by the mouthy Jake.

It’s almost a Cinderella story in that Patrick has so much money and Jake is dirt poor, but since Patrick is blind – the inequality isn’t quite so profound. You really get the idea that the two do have something to offer one another and that makes the disparity more tolerable.

Jake’s friends and family are funny and well rounded as characters who add to the story without really detracting from the main thread.

There was an appropriate amount of smexy scenes, not overwhelming and those that were there were definitely hot.

The ending kind of came from left field, but in a way I really liked it. Sometimes life does throw you a curve ball and you have to take what you get when you get it.

I also liked how the two resolved the issue of money between the two of them. It might not be the most romantic way to do it, but it’s a realistic approach to a sensitive, relationship-breaking subject.

Overall I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone in search of a sweet, light read.

Audio

Jonathan Young is a great narrator who does a fantastic job with this. He makes the voices unique and has just the right amount of accent to make it feel authentic but not over the top or hard to listen to - definitely adds to the enjoyment of the book!

Sweet and cozy listen

This is a very sweet story and i like the Two MCs very much. It is a Nice listen with a lot of love for family in spite of all the crappy things the MC had to deal with. It is not the best story i ever listened to but it is worth the time. Narrator is also good.

Sweet, sexy, charming, and surprisingly deep.

What made the experience of listening to The Blinding Light the most enjoyable?

The narrater was perfect for this book. He captured and projected Jake, as well as the other characters, wonderfully.

What other book might you compare The Blinding Light to and why?

I suppose it has some minor similarities to Pride and Prejudice, but it's wittier, funnier, even more romantic, and utterly captivating. I listened to The Blinding Light twice in the space of two days. It was just that good.

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

No, but I'd very much like to.

If you could take any character from The Blinding Light out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I'd want to have a ten course dinner with both Jake and Patrick. I imagine I'd laugh all evening thanks to Jake's snaky wit, and Patrick would be so interesting to get to know as he experiences the world through different filters due to his upbringing and physical handicap.

Any additional comments?

This book was refreshingly grounded, and oh so hilarious at times. That said it was also packed with very powerful conflict and emotion. There was no needles drama as the story was solid and very relatable on multiple fronts, even considering that I'm a straight woman.

A sweet story with a solid narration.

Sweet, slow burn story about a housekeeper falling in love with his blind employer. Low levels of sex, folks, but HIGH levels of charm!

I really enjoyed this story. It was easy listening, and surprisingly low angst for all the obstacles that the MCs faced. It was also fairly low drama, which I ALWAYS appreciate. The story was sort of hurt/comfort-light, or more like opposites attract. Where Patrick is uptight, stuffy, and caught up in his disability, Jake is down to earth and selfless (almost to an annoying level). They meshed very well together, and I liked the buildup and organic feel to them as a couple.

I think if it was rating the book on content alone, I would be rating this in the 3-3.5 star range. However, I really enjoyed the narration of this book. Warning: If you are Australian or very familiar with the Australian accent, I would stay away from the audio of this book. From my untrained, Americanized ears, I loved the narration, but I recognize that the forced-Australian accent was a little... wonky. It didn't bother me because my ears aren't trained to pick up what a correct Australian accent sounds like, but I'm just picturing what it would be like for a native of that area. It would be like a British person trying to do a bad New Yorker accent... shudders.

Accent aside, the narrator, Jonathan Young, did a very nice job. Great emotion, great cadence, great feel. I judge audiobooks more on my gut reaction than anything else, and my gut REALLY connected with this one.

All in all, a very nice introduction to Renae Kaye for me, and it got me pumped to try more from her in the future.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

The Blinding Light

Oh how I liked this book, Jake is such a warm soul he love with his whole heart and I love how he treats his family. He never makes them feel like a burden. Even when he puts his life on hold to clean up after them. He just does what needs to be done.

One of his jobs was a housekeeper and it kinda awesome how he and Patrick meet I loved that Jake was falling for him even before meeting him. But it was more than that it was how he just accepts Patrick’s blindness. I hate when books only focus on one thing and harp on it that didn’t happen with this book. It was a part of Patrick and that is that.

These two were sweet and I just enjoyed listening to their HEA. A much deserved love story.

The narration was perfect for this book, the right accent makes all the difference this book wouldn’t have worked otherwise at least not for me.