The Safe Bet

Hidden Truths, Book 1

By: Brittney Sahin

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Ava Lucas

Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

She's there to plan the military ball - not to fall for the Marine in charge.

Michael Maddox thinks he has his life under control. No attachments, no relationships - he's too busy transforming his knack for military intelligence into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. But when headstrong event planner Kate Adams comes barreling into his life, everything changes.

From the moment she arrives in Charlotte, Kate is tongue-tied by Michael. She's never fallen for a client before, but then she's never had a client like him - sleek, hard, and impenetrable as steel.

While Kate struggles to keep her distance, a stalker sends her tumbling more deeply into Michael's world. The handsome Marine is equipped and willing to protect her, and yet, Kate finds herself more terrified than ever in his care. For as they grow closer, she realizes that Michael has his own secret past. And while he might save her life, he will surely break her heart.

A stand-alone romantic mystery with no cliffhanger and a happily-ever-after.

©2015 Brittney Sahin (P)2021 Brittney Sahin

Plus catalog worthy

The only thing special about this book is Jason’s narration, not even the love scenes were memorable. Not worth a credit to me. Books like this are perfect for the plus catalog.

Exceptional Story

Michael Maddox is no ordinary man.  Complicated, confusing, broody, and yet his generosity to his fellow vets and their lives is immeasurable.  He’s all about giving back.  And his love for his sister is unending.  But his past is a demon he can’t outrun.  But when he meets the stunning event planner, Kate Adams, that his sister hired for his upcoming charity ball, he’s left with feelings he can’t manage. Their attraction is evident but he can’t chance it.  She deserves more.  But when Kate finds herself with a stalker and her painful past close behind, the warrior and protector in Micheal comes out.  He’ll protect Kate with his life. 

Clarke and Lucas do an amazing job narrating.  Lucas reveals the heartbreak of Kate’s past and the hurt of loving a man not available.  Clarke delivers the haunted Maddox with precision.  They transition with characters so effortlessly. 

Amazing Audiobook!

suspense and romance

Take an ex-marine turned billionaire who doesn't do relationships. An event coordinator planning a fundraiser for vets who doesn't do one-night stands. Add in a stalker, some twists, and Jason Clarke's voice and you get a great Romantic Suspense audio!

This is lighter in the suspense than this author's Stealth Ops series so a great listen when you want something less technical.

Jason Clarke has always had a hot voice but he really shines in this format where there are multiple male characters, he is excellent at making them all unique. Such a pro. (But warning, he doesn't have a lot of chapters in the first half but then equal in the second half of the book)

Female narrator was bad.

I love the story but the female narrator wasn’t god. No emotion in her voice. Jason Clarke was god as always.

Not my favorite

Although the narrators were good and it had a decent plot, I found the actual writing to be uninspired and bland, and the characters to be unimaginative and flat.

Fantastic story

Love the story line, Michael & Kate are great characters & I love Jake’s character in the series. I didn’t however enjoy the female effort of the male voice. It was a bit cringy.

Intriguing and fast paced

This was a great read. After finishing Brittney Sahin’s Stealth Ops and Hidden Truths series, I decided I’d dive into her backlist for some more reading. The Safe Bet was a fantastic read! I had already met Michael and his sister in the Stealth Ops series, but didn’t know much about his story. We get to see him in full protector operator mode and he is every bit the Alpha I expected him to be.

Michael Maddox’s company is hosting a fundraiser for their veteran’s program and his sister brings on Kate to help plan the event. He’s fired all the previous event organizers but can’t quite bring himself to run off Kate. She intrigues him and their mutual attraction is off the charts, but Kate turns him down for a one night stand. That’s all he’s willing to give and it’s not enough for her. They continue planning the event, despite Michael’s dislike of the idea, and the push and pull between them continues until one night. Michael learns that Kate has been receiving messages from a stalker and everything changes.

This was a steamy, suspenseful romance with intriguing backstories for both characters. Their slow burn romance was complemented by an action filled plot that kept the story moving. Michael is all yummy alpha, just this side of pushy enough that you don’t want to throttle him. We are introduced to some of the other characters whose stories follow The Safe Bet and it made me immediately purchase the rest of the series. If you are a fan of Brittney Sahin or even romantic suspense at all, this is a must read! Jason Clark and Ava Lucas narrated this story to perfection. I loved every minute of their performances.

Disappointing and boring

I enjoyed the stealth ops series, it had strong female and male lead characters but this has been the worst Brittany Sahin book I have listened to.

Both lead characters were lukewarm with very little character development. I couldn't connect with either and they weren't really likeable. Their back stories did not come through in their personalities and characters, which made them seem a bit fake. Kate is supposed to have a Harvard MBA, just to get into the programme is really tough, and the course itself even tougher but she came across, not like an educated savvy businesswoman, but like an immature petulant teenager with a crush, at times. Michael is supposed to be a prodigy who graduated with a degree whilst still a teenager but he didn't come across as a particular smart person or a strong soldier. Characters can of course, have vulnerabilities that it is what gives them depth, but these characters were just weak and superficial.

Overall, the plot was boring and drawn out. My thoughts drifted off in parts and I didn't even bother to go back to listen to it again.

Not worth a credit

Michael Freaking Maddox

This book is one of the first I ever read of Brittney’s books and I fell in love with the over protective men in the series. Protective former military man and event planner tangled together in her past she’s not even aware of. But find love in the middle of it all. The narrators are amazing and give you exactly what you need. If you like romantic military Mysteries that keep you guessing with twist and turns this book is perfect for you. 100 star love love love!!

Subpar all around

Let me preface this by saying that I'm usually a big fan of Brittney Sahin but this has me second guessing purchasing her work in future.

It's a pet peeve of mine when a book reads like an author got an advance for a book and consequently a subpar piece of work is published. While I'm not expecting an Agatha Christie level of mystery from a romantic suspense book the plot is thinly veiled at best. 85% of the story isnt buildup or sexual tension, it's the banality of two people who go from Michael wants Kate when Kate doesn't want Michael and then vice versa. ON REPEAT.

I'd say that this book should go in the plus catalog but I won't lie, even if this had been free I'd still be annoyed by this book.

Joe did a great job with narration as usual; Ava....is not my cup of tea. I think that she is talented but I personally find her voice annoying and I will be avoiding books narrated by her in future.

An amazing beginning to this series!

This is the start of Brittney's Hidden Truths series and her debut novel and I cannot get enough of it! This is literally where it all began and I love it just as much as her later work. The story is fast paced, the is suspence is spot on and the characters are amazing. I loved Kate and Michael's push and pull and the tension these two have, the audiobook just brings it out more. The narrators were great and I loved how they captured the characters. Definitely worth the listen and now I can't wait to listen to the next book, Beyond the Chase!

Great Story!

It’s been a few years since I’ve read The Safe Bet by Brittney Sahin and after listening to this story on audio, I feel silly for waiting so long to revisit Michael and Kate’s story.

This is the book that started it all in the Hidden Truths series.

Michael and Kate have amazing chemistry and the narrators do a great job portraying it in this audio version. I especially love Jason Clarke’s narration.

The Safe Bet is a great read/listen and Brittney Sahin’s writing and story telling keeps getting better and better as the series continues.

I definitely recommend this one!

superb

I am a massive fan of Brittney!!

I love the story , I have read it but listening to it really brings the character to life !

the narration was okay but I felt like the male narration was gritting his teeth a lot to deliver the lines which I found a little frustrating. it didn't put me off listening to the entire story.

Amazing book

What a great story. I loved this book when I first read it and now having the audible it makes the experience even better. The narrators were great. I’m really looking forward to listening to all the other books now in this fantastic series.