Audiobook review: Rockaway Bride
Author: Pippa Grant
Narrators: Savannah Peachwood & Jason Clarke
Audio Speed: 1.25x
Series: Girl Band Books #3; The Royals #2; Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased
After being with Martin for seven years, Willow admits to herself that she doesn’t want to get married to him, and on the night before her wedding she gets wasted with her stepbrothers. They encourage her to run away. The next morning… Dax Gallagher, lead singer of Half-Cocked Heroes, is dealing with a huge hangover when he realizes he has kidnapped the fiancé of Martin, the man who stole all his money and ruined his life. Willow, free for the first time in forever, takes this opportunity to do some traveling, bring Dax along for the ride.
Rockaway Bride is a crazy story set in Pippa Grant’s Girl Band world (with ties to the Royals series). We’ve met Willow in Sia and Parker’s books, and now it’s her turn to find herself and true love. I absolutely adore Willow’s sweet and wild personality. She’s a preschool teacher and uses cute cuss-replacement words. She’s always done what is safe, so seeing her break out of her shell and live her life was thrilling. And it captures Dax’s heart. He’s guarded because he thinks she wants to use him just like everyone else, but the more time they spend together, the more he realizes she’s the read deal. They have crazy, laugh-out-loud adventures and their romance is hot. The best is near the end when Dax realizes his love for Willow means he wants her to be happy no matter what, and tries to get her mom to help with that. He’s a rockstar dream – rough on the outside, and a sensitive family guy on the inside.
Narration: I really enjoyed the performances of Savannah Peachwood and Jason Clarke, who is becoming one of my favorite male narrators. The story is shared in the alternating, first person POVs of Willow and Dax, and both narrators are equally suited to their roles. Mr. Clarke has a gravely, deep voice (that I love!), giving Chase a very sexy vibe. His female voices (most notably Willow) are softer and distinguishable. Ms. Peachwood breathes joy into Willow’s voice, but can also perform the worry and stress. Her Dax is slightly deeper and male sounding but not overly deep and gravely. She also does indeterminate accents for her stepbrothers and other characters that work well. The pair make a great team, enhancing the story. Their tempos are equal and their performances complement one another.
After enjoying Rockaway Bride, I’ve come to realize that Pippa Grant is a new go-to author for me, sharing wonderful, silly romantic comedies with characters I have come to love.
My Ratings:
Story: B+
Narration: A-
Jen
About the Book:
A Rock Star Kidnaps a Runaway Bride…
Kidnapping the bride seemed like a good idea at the time.
Her fiancé stole my fortune, so I stole his woman.
Tit for tat. Or tat for tit. However you want to look at it.
The one thing I didn’t expect?
Willow Honeycutt, preschool teacher, boy band super fan, is completely crazy.
And somehow she’s turned the tables on me.
Now, she’s holding me hostage, and she won’t let me go until we hit every item on her sparkly new, completely insane bucket list.
And that last item?
That last item might cost me more than any fortune.
It very well might cost me my heart.