Karen Grey

I was both happy and sad to receive the advance copy of When I Come Around. Happy because it was finally time for Whitney’s long-awaited story; we knew that girl had hidden depth. And finally Ford’s story, too. And to learn at last if there is going to be a Ford & Whitney story or a Ford story and a Whitney story. Would all the miscommunication and misunderstanding and unpleasantness from the past prove to be insurmountable? And my sadness? Well, this brings another of author Karen Grey’s fantastic retro series to a close. She writes series that you want never to end. Add another character, invent another situation, and readers will happily partake. Re-reading is always an option, and trust me on this, you can re-read Grey’s books all day long and they are just as satisfying. But leaving a series is hard.

We spent time with the rest of the Carolina Classics “gang” in the previous three books in the series: Violet, Sully, and Dani, and their significant others Nate, Helen and Lukas. Whitney and Ford were always there, not-quite-settled into their lives, always just on the edges. After Ford and Sully’s knock-down-drag-out where they demanded Whitney choose between them, she up and married that rich guy. They rarely see her. Ford is always on the move, always traveling, still in touch but doing his thing. They’re all together again now, though, even if only briefly, for Violet and Nate’s wedding. Except things turn dark and complicated when Whitney collapses and almost dies and Ford and the others start to think Whitney’s perfect-on-the-surface life might not be so perfect after all.

Author Grey throws Ford and Whitney together at work, drops in a little “friends with benefits” action, and makes us privy to their secret thoughts – and longings. And as readers all we can think now is, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, hurry up, speak up, man/woman up, make it happen.” But will they?

Grey’s characters are so unique, have so much depth. No run of the mill, cookie cutter, everyone longing for the house with the white picket fence, ready to give it all up for love and ride off into the sunset happening here. Some are traditional, some not so much. They have serious dilemmas and serious choices to make, need to find out what they need, what makes them happy, and what doesn’t make someone else unhappy. Not all serious stuff, though. There’s wit, humor and laugh-out-loud moments. A lot of them. And as always, Grey expertly sets the scene with details that take you right back to 1999. Every chapter or section begins with a hook that is perfect for the subject and era. This time it was AOL Buddy List chats. Remember those?

Thanks to Home Cooked Books and the author for providing an advance copy of When I Come Around. I was reading another book that was enjoyable enough if dragging a bit when I started this one. I knew from my previous reading experience with Karen Grey that this story would hook me at once and just zip along. And it did – from first engaging sentence to last completely satisfying word. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it, and anything and everything else Grey writes, without hesitation. And if you get the opportunity to listen to an audio version, by all means do so. The narration will be perfect and her dialogue is just meant to be listened to. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.… (altro)

This is a good book box set. It features a good variety of stories. I liked to the audio version of this box set and I really like the narrators. They brought the stories to life with their portrayals of the characters.

My favorite of the three is You Spin Me. I was laughing so many times listening to this story. I really connected with the characters. The other two stories are good too. With the novella, I felt satisfied that it was the right amount.

While these stories are all romances, they do also feature important topics. If you like light spice romances with good storylines, you will want to check out this box set.… (altro)

This was wonderful! I am about the same age as the characters in this book, so I loved taking a peek back at the not-so-distant past. I have fond memories of life before everyone was tethered to a cell phone and enjoyed reading a romance set in the same period when I was young and going on dates myself. I found this story to be incredibly entertaining and had a very hard time putting it down once I got started with it.

Luke, a former child star, has come to town to work as a producing director on a television show. He does not drive anymore and wants to relearn the skill. Dani is certain that she does not want children after helping to care for her numerous siblings growing up. She cannot find a doctor willing to perform a tubal ligation because she is young and unmarried. The pair decide to help each other get what they want and grow closer than they expected in the process. I liked Luke and Dani and thought they were perfect together. The chemistry between them was incredibly well written and I loved how they were able to help each other through a few things.

I listened to the audiobook and thought Alastair Haynesbridge and Amy McFadden did a great job with this story. I found both of their voices to be very pleasant and thought that they complimented each other’s voices very well. I enjoyed the fact that both narrators were able to bring a lot of emotion to their reading which helped to bring the story to life. I had no problem listening to this audiobook for hours at a time and am certain that their performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to others. This is the third book in the Carolina Classics series but works perfectly well as a stand-alone. I had a great time getting to know this pair of characters and couldn’t wait to see them find their happily ever after. I am a fan of Karen Grey’s writing and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from the author.… (altro)

I listened to the audio version of this book. Big props to the narrators, Vanessa Edwin and Eric Michael Summerer. They really brought this book to life with their voices. Very clear pronunciations and I could hear Jessica and Callihan chatting in my head.

This book is more than a "romance". Both Jessica and Callihan were dealing with personal demons of their own. Together, they were able to overcome them. Sometimes it takes someone seeing yourself from someone who loves you's point of view to realize that you are perfect just the way you are.

The nostalgia of the eighties was fun. I would say that the audio version of this book is the way to go.… (altro)