The Fortunate Ones

By: R. S. Grey

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

At Twin Oaks Country Club, there are the fortunate ones, and then there are the rest of us: the waiters, the caddies, the valets, and in my case, the cabana girls. Most days, I’m poolside in a pleated skirt, dishing out margaritas to tycoons and titans. It’s not exactly my dream job, but it does come with one perk....

James Ashwood.

He’s my silver lining in a custom black suit.

Besides being a legacy member at the club, he’s a tech mogul and Austin’s most eligible bachelor. Oh, and those dimples? Yeah, they make my stomach dip, too.

On good days, I catch his sleek Porsche winding down the tree-lined drive. On better days, I steal a glimpse of his handsome profile as we pass in the hall. And on the absolute best day, I find him alone at the bar, looking for company.

"Come have a seat."

Those four little words set me down a path I never could have imagined. Private planes, penthouse suites, and temptations around every corner make it impossible to keep my distance. His world feels decadent and wild - but overindulgence comes with a cost. Every kiss comes with strings. Every erotic encounter is a promise I’m not ready to keep.

When I pump the brakes, he hits the gas. James doesn’t want to go slow - he wants a commitment.

And the thing about the fortunate ones?

They’re used to getting what they want.

©2017 R. S. Grey (P)2017 Novel Audio Inc.

Comes off hard and cynical.

This seems to be the story of two very confused people who are stumbling their way to acknowledging their love for one another. It uses glamour and self depreciating humor. Unfortunately the reader's voice is hard and cynical and ironic, a good voice for a Hunter S. Thompson novel or something by Vonnegut or a hard boiled spy thriller but not a love story, not this love story. James comes off as an insufferable egotist, a controlling, spoiled rich boy or a Ayn Rand hero. With a softer voice, that could include some mystery, some slowness and tenderness as these two people struggle with themselves and their emotions, it could be a satisfying novel. As it is I seriously worry about the author and the kinds of choices she will make (has made) in relationship. James comes across as a potentially abusive man and Brooke as the kind of woman who will wake up at 40 and realize nothing in her life is her own not even her own feelings and wishes except for a huge rage inside her.
Brittany has a good voice with a lot of range of voices and inflections and I'm sure there are novels that she could express and compliment with her reading.
I sometimes long for a novel read with a neutral voice, just steadily read, which would allow the listener to insert the quality of voice that they would hear in the different characters. That is the magic of reading a novel. When the vocal reader attempts to interpret the characters then the story becomes a closed thing, a hard boiled egg, without the room for the listener to make it their own. The over-damatized story becomes a media thing, like a film without the visuals.
I need to acknowledge that I am not a fan of Romance and often find the genre disturbing. So take this review with that caveat.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great narration!

I really liked the narration for this audio - the narrators did a great job of bringing the characters to life. This was funny and I loved Brooke's personality. My only complaint about the story is that I wish we got James point of view, at least a little glimpse would've been great.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Irritating

I just can't appreciate a story where the female is flighty and irritatingly too stubborn to listen to reasonable advice. I couldn't finish the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brook was a spoiled brat.

The story started off great, but I couldn’t stand how bratty Brook became. It got to the point when I wanted to help James kick her to the curb. It’s sad because the story line is good, I just couldn’t get into the mind of Brook, she was mean at times. The book could have been great .

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

No complaints!

Any additional comments?

This is about the fourth book I've listened to by this author. I enjoy her humor and believable storyline. Good narrator too on this one. I look forward to the next one.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Very entertaining, with wonderful narration

Loved this book and flew through it too fast! I am now searching for more books narrated by Brittany Pressley. She is fantastic!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

this story is slow.

for a twenty five year old, this female protagonist is OBNOXIOUS. For being well educated, she's clueless. For being well traveled, she is naive. She behaves like a 17 year old. Way, way too angsty....ugh

It was ok

I have loved every book I’ve read by RS Grey so far and this one isn’t bad, but it’s not my favorite either. The character of Brooke annoyed me at times with her thought process and decisions. I just didn’t feel as connected with her as I usually do with the heroine of a book. The voice performer did a good job though.

Enjoyable Story

This was a good story if you don't want anything really heavy to listen too. It kept me entertained and listening. This is now my third book by R.S. Grey and I have yet to be disappointed. Brittany Pressley did great with the narration.

Star crosses lovers

Just when you think they will hook up pride gets in their way. Very cute book.