Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Love Connection by Denise Williams Narrator: January LaVoy, Shane East
Series: Airport Novellas #1
Published by Penguin Audio on April 5, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Length: 3 hours, 36 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Ollie Wright loves the thrill of taking chances, like opening a pet grooming salon in an airport where every day is a little unpredictable. The one thing she won't risk is her heart, so catching glimpses of a cute stranger from afar is enough romantic entanglement for her.
Bennett Baker is a professional risk assessor by day while writing popular romance novels at night, except he finds himself facing writer's block. His life of carefully planned stability comes crashing down when he rescues a slippery pup in the airport and returns it to the enchanting pet groomer whose laugh inspires him to start writing again.
The Love Connection is the first of the Airport Novellas. As a shorter piece, the development is not quite as much as fuller length book. The characters are interesting and I liked them.
Ollie (Olivia) runs the pet grooming shop in the airport. She is the business side while her friend, is the groomer. She is adventurous and looking at expanding to new locations. But she is not up for much risk, particularly a long distance relationship, after her past experiences.
Bennett works a day job to reduce the uncertainty of his real passion, which is writing romance novels. He is a bit shy and charming. He’s talented at his day job and they’d like him to do more, but he would rather spend the more time writing.
Their personal issues and career issues along with their attraction creates a bit of a perfect storm. It takes a bit of thoughtful consideration to make a relationship workable. That all seems right, but the pacing was too fast for the serious decisions they were making. But it was fun, and a very enjoyable listen.
Narration:
The narrators are both familiar and favorites of mine. So I really enjoyed listening, letting myself get lost in the story. Different chapters were in the point of view of the two characters with LaVoy narrating the female POV chapters and East narrating the male perspective for dual narration. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About January LaVoy
photo: Scott Sherratt
January (she/her) is an Atlanta-based actress, best known for her role as Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on the long-running ABC daytime drama ONE LIFE TO LIVE. She has appeared on and Off-Broadway, in regional theaters across the country, and guest starred on several prime time network series, including Elementary, Blue Bloods, and N0S4A2. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, and was a faculty member in the Department of Theater and Dance at Emory University from 2019-2021.
An Audiofile Magazine “Golden Voice” since May 2019, January has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover. With hundreds of audiobook titles to her credit, she has received more than thirty Earphones Awards, eighteen Audie Award nominations (including seven wins), and was named Publishers Weekly’s “Audiobook Narrator of the Year” for 2013. Her voice has been heard in national campaigns for dozens of products, and she shares a 2020 Grammy nomination with Meryl Streep and the cast of the Charlotte’s Web audiobook, in which she plays the title role of Charlotte.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
I know you’re not crazy about these short stories so it’s good to see you enjoyed this one despite the brevity, Anne💜
They’re still fun. And these are favorite narrators.
awww! How fun!
This was fun and I wanted more of the couple together time.
This sounds like a fun shorter listen. I do really like both of these narrators.
I took this because I love these narrators. It is shorter and fun. I always wish for more character development with these shorter one. But that’s me.
Sometimes a shorter book is just what I want. Nice review, Anne
True Wendy. Sometimes a shorter book is a nice respite. It was entertaining.
Sounds like a fun read. Great review.
Thank you Nadene. It was fun and while there were some issues each had to solve, they weren’t too angsty more just figuring things out.
I love the way Denise Williams writes her characters so I can’t wait to read this novella series. This installment sounds fun. 🙂
yes I enjoyed the characters, their careers and the growth of their relationship. And the dogs.
I’m enjoying some of these shorter reads myself! Especially if they have good narrators. I’ve added this one to my wishlist on Audible. Great review!
Thanks Lisa. It doesn’t hurt that these are two of my very favorite narrators.