Single
by Collette West
Stockton Beavers #1
Publication Date: April 22, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Sports
Underdog Luke “Single” Singleton is yearning to make a comeback. After getting hit in the neck with a pitch—an injury that nearly cost him his life—he has one last chance to play for his hometown team, the Stockton Beavers. But his mom has Alzheimer’s, and he’s all she has to depend on. How can he pursue his career, much less someone special?
Personal care aide Roberta Bennett is done dating baseball players. Having had her share of heartbreak, she heads to Stockton hoping for a fresh start. But after she finds Luke’s mom outside, lost, and alone, she can’t refuse when he hires her on the spot. Unbeknownst to Luke, Roberta is all too familiar with the violent tendencies of the pitcher who hit him.
Now that they’re living under the same roof, the last thing either of them is looking for is a relationship. But it’s not long before they find themselves drawn to each other. And right when Luke is thinking about finally making a change to his single status, a secret from Roberta’s past emerges with the power to tear them apart.
Audio Review:
4 Stars
Single, was the first book that I have listened to on Audible. I quite enjoyed the narration, I particularly liked the male narrator Gary Furlong. On the other hand I felt that Aundrea Mitchell needs to work on her vocals for male characters. At times there was not a great deal of variation to the pitch and inflection and her pace was a bit slower than her male counterpart.
Being ill the last few days, I found listening to this book and lazing on the couch a wonderful way to recuperate. Not having to concentrate on reading on holding a device was quite relaxing and an enjoyable experience.
Single is the first book in the Stockton Beavers series. This is a lovely story with incredibly endearing characters. Luke the hero is a man with a heart of gold. He's strong, kind, caring, loving and loyal. He's an all round good guy. Roberta the heroine on the other hand has also had a tough and heart breaking past. She isn't looking for a relationship and certainly isn't looking to fall in love and be tied down with a commitment. She is genuinely kind, caring and compassionate. I empathized with her character for all she endured in her past.
This story has elements that are both heartwarming and also heartbreaking. I think that anyone who has a family member with Alzheimer's knows what a tough a situation it can be.
Single, is a slow burn sports romance full of heart. I look forward to experiencing more books by Collette West in the future.
About Collette West
Collette West grew up as somewhat of a jock-nerd hybrid. Entering the world three weeks premature, her dad nearly missed her birth because he had seats behind the dugout for a sold-out, highly-anticipated match-up between two of baseball’s biggest rivals. Not to be outdone, her book-loving mom taught her how to read by the time she was three. A love of the game coupled with an appreciation for the written word were instilled in Collette‘s impressionable brain from a young age. No wonder her characters believe in the philosophy: sports + romance = a little slice of heaven.
Splitting her time between the Pocono Mountains and Manhattan, Collette indulges her inner fangirl by going to as manygames as she can from hockey to baseball and downloading every sports romance novel in existence onto her iPad. When she’s not clicking away on her laptop, she enjoys walking her dog in Central Park, satisfying her caffeine craving at the Starbucks on Broadway and keeping an eye out for Mr. Right. But above all, she loves dishing with her readers. Email her atcollette_west@yahoo.com.
She is the author of the New York Kings series which includes: NIGHT GAMES, GAME CHANGER, GAME ON, PERFECTGAME, INSIDE GAME and GAME WINNER.
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Narrator Aundrea Mitchell
After receiving her B.S. and MBA Aundrea fell madly in love and decided to start her family. Ten years and five children later she was quickly living the full time wife, mother and household management life. Needing a temporary escape from time to time Aundrea returned back to her first love – reading! After devouring everything she could get her hands on she thought, -what if she could mix her love of performance and literature in a professional capacity? Once getting involved in the world of book narration she quickly became hooked and when not with her family you can find her in her studio working hard to grow in her own storytelling abilities.
Narrator Gary Furlong
Gary is an up and coming Irish Audiobook narrator and Voice Actor. He has a true flair for accents and dialects and has lived all over the world including Japan, Ireland and Texas. He can make listeners laugh, cry, seethe, think and feel and loves working with authors and writers to bring their message to audio! Gary has over a decade of experience as an actor and improv artist. Do not be fooled by his rugged handsome exterior, on the inside he is even more rugged… too rugged really. It’s becoming a problem.
