Unafraid

A Small Town, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense (Amber Ridge, Book 1)

De: Nyssa Kathryn

Narrado por: Lucy Rivers, Connor Crais

A new town. A fresh start. An old enemy.

Aspen Davies had three reasons to move to the small town of Amber Ridge: to get away from her overbearing mother; to escape the clutches of her psychotic ex; and Jesse Hayes. Okay, maybe Jesse isn’t a reason to relocate her entire life. After all, he’s just a friend. A housemate. And someone she absolutely is not going to date. At least…that’s what she keeps telling herself.

Discharged from the military, Jesse Hayes is back in his hometown of Amber Ridge. Only, he’s not alone, as he expected. His new housemate is right down the hall, and every day with Aspen is a new form of torture. She just got out of a relationship, and she’s not looking to get into a new one. He knows that. Doesn’t make wanting her any easier. He needs to keep his distance, for both their sakes.

But when Aspen’s past follows her to her new home, keeping his distance is no longer an option. Jesse needs to keep Aspen safe and in his sights. Because the enemy is proving formidable—and clearly playing for keeps.

A Small Town, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense from Bestselling author Nyssa Kathryn.

©2025 NW Partners PTY LTD (P)2025 NW Partners PTY LTD, Blue Nose Publishing

Good story and narration

I really enjoyed listening to this romantic suspense story which captured my attention and great start to this new series. Connor Crais and Lucy Rivers were fantastic as always.

Duet narration

The female narrator is very whiny.
The story is good. She moves to the other side of the country to get away from her ex-abusive bf & her mother who has undiagnosed mental illnesses.
TW: DV

Welcome to Amber Ridge

After loving Nyssa Kathryn's Deep River series, I was excited to dive into the first book in her Amber Ridge series.

While Unafraid can be read as a standalone, many of the characters are introduced in the Reckless series, particularly Reckless Love. do think reading that book first would have made some of the relationships and backstory even more meaningful as the book opens alluding to a past friend's with Jesse.

Aspen has fled Tennessee to escape an abusive ex-boyfriend and is determined to build a new life. She's now living with Jesse, the Sheriff and new friend who has one goal above all else: keep her safe. Aspen is trying to move forward, but the scars from her past still have a tight grip on her, and when danger follows her to Amber Ridge, Jesse will do whatever it takes to protect her.

Connor Crais delivers another standout performance, bringing warmth, strength, and emotional depth to Jesse. Lucy Rivers captures Aspen's vulnerability and resilience beautifully, and the duet narration keeps the story immersive from beginning to end. The suspense builds at a steady pace while the romance develops naturally, making it easy to stay invested in both the relationship and the mystery.

If you're a fan of Catherine Cowles and enjoy small-town romantic suspense with protective heroes, emotional healing, and plenty of tension, you'll want to add Unafraid to your TBR.

Aspen and Jesse

What an incredible story! This was my first read by Nyssa Kathryn and definitely won't be my last. I was completely invested in Aspen and Jesse's journey. Aspen wants to start fresh and get away from her terrible ex and unstable mother. Her friend, Jesse Hayes, ex-special forces, has moved back to his hometown of Amber Ridge, and is now serving as the town sheriff. Aspen moves to Amber Ridge where she and Jesse become housemates. Despite their growing friendship and clear attraction to each other, Jesse tries to keep things platonic. Aspen starts to feel settled in Amber Ridge until an unexpected visitor from her past threatens to ruin everything, including the life she wants to build with Jesse. When things turn bad, Jesse is there to protect Aspen and keep her safe.

I loved Aspen and Jesse together! They were so sweet and the perfect match. Aspen is strong and a fighter. I truly felt for her and everything she was going through with her mother and ex. She did not give up though and she was determined to somehow find happiness. I fell hard for Jesse. He was patient, thoughtful, and always put Aspen's safety first. Aspen and Jesse truly helped each other heal. I could not wait for the moment they both finally gave into their feelings for each other. The development of their friends-to-lovers relationship was beautiful, and I loved their special connection. This story has twists and turns that kept me locked in and unable to stop listening. The action, yearning, tension, and steam were perfect. I definitely need more of this series and can't wait to see what comes next.

Narration:
Lucy Rivers and Connor Crais performed this audiobook in duet and it was phenomenal. I am a huge fan of both of these amazing voice actors, and was blown away by their performances. They fully embodied the characters and kept me engaged from start to finish. Although this was told in third person POV, I felt fully connected to the characters and immersed in the story. Lucy and Connor elevated the story, and created a memorable listening experience.

I couldn't stop listening!

The duet performance was amazing and both characters were so lovable. I now need to listen to every book by Nyssa!