Audio: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren @ChristinaLauren @ErinMallon @SimonAudio @GalleryBooks ‏ #LoveAudiobooks

Posted November 7, 2019 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 22 Comments

Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Audio: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren @ChristinaLauren @ErinMallon @SimonAudio @GalleryBooks ‏ #LoveAudiobooksTwice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
Narrator: Erin Mallon
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on October 22, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 8 hours, 29minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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three-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

I love the way Tate had amazing women in her life: Nana, her Mom and Charlie.  Also, I hate the men in her life or that drop in and out so quickly. Her parents divorcing when she was young and her Dad being a big movie star has to be weird.  And then her Nana and Mom never talk about him and she never sees him.

Tate is very likable although a bit insecure about men. Well, that is not surprising. Sam may have reasons but I don’t like what he did. At all. I enjoyed getting to see a bit of his thoughts from the four emails he sent her.  I totally get Tate being attracted to him but I hate it.  Her father, well, she has experience with him and it isn’t going to help her feel secure.

Twice in a Blue Moon is two emotional whirlwinds for Tate with a decade plus between them.  Each time is emotionally authentic but I don’t like the time gap.  I’d also like to see how things go forward a bit from the ending point. It’s one thing to let a woman be independent enough to choose, but another when you don’t communicate anything.

Narration:

I have listened to Erin Mallon before.  Her female voices were distinct but I felt she had mostly one male voice. I love that male voice but it was weird coming from a couple different characters. I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.

Listen to a clip: 

About Erin Mallon

Erin Mallon is an actor, writer and voice artist in NYC. Her naturally warm personality and youthful sound have proven excellent tools for the many young adult and romance titles she narrates. She has originated roles in the theater with Ensemble Studio Theater’s Youngblood Company, The Drilling Company, Mabou Mines, Incubator Arts Project and many more. Erin is a devoted volunteer at The 52nd Street Project, the voice of many TV and radio commercials, and was one of BACKSTAGE’s “Career Dispatch” columnists for 2012.

About Christina Lauren

Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The #1 international bestselling coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced fourteen New York Times bestselling novels. They are published in over 30 languages, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, won both the Seal of Excellence and Book of the Year from RT Magazine, named Amazon and Audible Romance of the Year, and been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. They have been featured in publications such as Forbes, The Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, People, O Magazine and more. Their third YA novel, Autoboyography was released in September, followed by a contemporary romance, Roomies in December, and their first Women’s Fiction, Love and Other Words in April.

Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you can find her at her desk, writing or watching BTS videos. She grew up in Utah and is absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 17 year old (right??), thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration (Audio)
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Anne - Books of My Heart
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2019 Audiobooks
  • 2019 Releases

Posted November 7, 2019 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 22 Comments


22 responses to “Audio: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

  1. The time gap with some second chance romances and the big cause of the split can be problematic at times. I love Erin Mallon’s narration work, too, but haven’t listened often enough to run into the one male voice thing. I can see how that would bring to mind other characters. 🙂

    • Yes certainly everyone is younger before the time gap and certainly has less experience and maturity and communication skills. Sigh. I think it could happen with any narrator and I’ve had problems when I heard a narrator on one book and then heard a previously read book’s character in it, if that makes sense. It doesn’t happen too often, thank goodness. But when 2 characters in the same book sound too much alike and they are both pretty main characters I have more trouble. I won’t mention the characters because it could just be me. I enjoyed it anyway.

    • Well you might not have the same issues so that’s why I didn’t mention the 2 characters I thought sounded similar. Some of my issues are just my issues and may not be relevant to anyone else. I enjoyed the book anyway. I hope you enjoy it.

  2. I thought this one was okay but certainly not my favorite by Christina Lauren. Tate’s relationship with her father bugged me and I grew tired of her constantly seeking his approval/love. That was a relationship she should have let go a long time ago. I also wished there had been more from Sam’s POV instead of just the few emails.

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books recently posted: Monthly Wrap Up | October 2019
  3. Jen

    I grabbed this one for review b/c I have usually love these authors. However, after seeing a few reviews similar to yours, I’m not sure I’ll end up reading it. And I DNF’d their last one. Hmmm… maybe time for me to take a break. Thanks for your review.

  4. I was on the fence about this one. I really enjoy Christina Lauren but I wasn’t sure I’d like the time gap either. There are a few authors that have done it and made it work and it is a beautiful thing. But then there are a few that haven’t gone well for me since I’m still mad at one of the characters, emotional reader that I am. Still this looks like something I could be into in the right frame of mind.