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pattyfgd's review
Audition
By: Skye Warren, Amelia Wilde
Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, Mari
Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde have passed the Audition and gets the five star review! I was waiting for Josh and Bethany's story after listening to Liam and Samantha's trilogy. Josh intrigued me then and now I know why. First meeting Josh when she was 16 years old, Bethany knew there was chemistry. The attraction palpable, he broke her heart and now he finds her on the list in need of his protection. Will these two act on the obvious captivation? Will he be able to keep her safe? These two are made for each other. Both from horrific childhoods, their push-pull attraction is not a surprise. Warren and Wilde have a gift for these for giving us that reason to invest our heart and souls. The flashback perspectives let us get to know the reasons behind all the decisions and adds rising suspense. Warren and Wilde weave the characters into our lives as we look for their happy ending. It's a great listen!
Alexander Cendese and Mari team up to narrate this gem. Each finds the personality of the Josh and Bethany and lets us hear their story through their own perspectives. I enjoyed their story telling and look forward to more from each of their talents.
By: Skye Warren, Amelia Wilde
Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, Mari
Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde have passed the Audition and gets the five star review! I was waiting for Josh and Bethany's story after listening to Liam and Samantha's trilogy. Josh intrigued me then and now I know why. First meeting Josh when she was 16 years old, Bethany knew there was chemistry. The attraction palpable, he broke her heart and now he finds her on the list in need of his protection. Will these two act on the obvious captivation? Will he be able to keep her safe? These two are made for each other. Both from horrific childhoods, their push-pull attraction is not a surprise. Warren and Wilde have a gift for these for giving us that reason to invest our heart and souls. The flashback perspectives let us get to know the reasons behind all the decisions and adds rising suspense. Warren and Wilde weave the characters into our lives as we look for their happy ending. It's a great listen!
Alexander Cendese and Mari team up to narrate this gem. Each finds the personality of the Josh and Bethany and lets us hear their story through their own perspectives. I enjoyed their story telling and look forward to more from each of their talents.
kelly_reads_books's review
5.0
Josh and Bethany's story is full of grief and regret, hope and hopelessness, as well as love. It encompasses all the emotions and feelings, which is the creative craft of Skye Warren's books.
Josh, as well his brothers, had a terrible upbringing filled with abuse and torment. They all escaped and became men who have large walls around them, refusing to let anyone in.
Bethany has her own demons and abuse issues from her past but expresses herself in her dance.
They are drawn and pulled together over the span of 5 years, both trying to deny the attraction.
This story had me laughing, crying, and feeling the thoughts of these characters.
I highly recommended this book and series, it is phenomenal!
Josh, as well his brothers, had a terrible upbringing filled with abuse and torment. They all escaped and became men who have large walls around them, refusing to let anyone in.
Bethany has her own demons and abuse issues from her past but expresses herself in her dance.
They are drawn and pulled together over the span of 5 years, both trying to deny the attraction.
This story had me laughing, crying, and feeling the thoughts of these characters.
I highly recommended this book and series, it is phenomenal!
whisperedsigh's review
4.0
Ahhh would have been better, i know it is meant to be like that cryptic means to tell the story and have you wanting to read til the end to see what the fuss was about. Like an unreliable narrator cause u don't know if she's naive and he's burdened by the past, but it kinda fell short on the reveal. Love that the family dynamic and unconditional sibling love on both sides and that hot and spicy gym scene.
----
○ My eyes narrow. “Why are you here again?”
“To see you, my darling, my love, my northern star.”
○Like I’d fight the whole world to have her.
○What’s the point of holding back? What’s the purpose of denial?
○Not that it’s any of your business. Besides, there’s nothing here to steal.” Dark green eyes flicker. “There’s you. You’re the most valuable thing in the apartment. The most valuable thing in the whole fucking city
○I could not be more shocked if I had been punched. Or shot.
It feels a little bit like being dunked in lava, watching her dance
○Alone. We’re alone. If anyone had wanted to shoot me, they’d have had plenty of time. An eternity while I’d been staring.
○She’s dangerous because she makes me feel things
○We belong to different worlds. His is sharp enough to cut me. Mine is already in pieces
○See? That lifeline is already longer, you pretty little fool. I’m keeping you alive
○The air is heavy with her presence. It makes no sense. She’s too light to weigh on me this much. She probably weighs a hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet. But every breath she takes shifts the air in the house. It’s like the tide.
○piece of her soul is tied to a piece of mine.
○It’s so fucking domestic I could die. This is what she’d be like as a wife. As a mother.
○But I’m struck again, like a two-by-four to the back of the head, by the deep knowledge that she could be on her knees at the foot of my bed, naked and panting and begging, and still be a queen.
○I’m under no illusion that I could belong here. I don’t entertain that ridiculous fantasy for a second. A man like me, part of something like this? Never.
○I’ll have a bruise there later. Good. Let there be evidence of his need.
○She thinks I’m going to pull her in for more. I know it from her hungry sigh. As if she hasn’t had enough to eat all her life. For once, we’re not prodding at the other’s open wounds. We’re pulling together.
○Her eyelids flutter shut at my touch. It’s fucking inconceivable, that anyone could get any semblance of comfort from me. So inconceivable that it breaks something loose in my chest. Something I almost never give.
○don’t want to know how much of the night he’s stealing from me
○Don’t fight your demons in the dark. I’m trying not to do it, but damn. They won’t leave me in peace tonight. He won’t leave me in peace. And he’s not even here
○Bethany is hope embodied.
----
○ My eyes narrow. “Why are you here again?”
“To see you, my darling, my love, my northern star.”
○Like I’d fight the whole world to have her.
○What’s the point of holding back? What’s the purpose of denial?
○Not that it’s any of your business. Besides, there’s nothing here to steal.” Dark green eyes flicker. “There’s you. You’re the most valuable thing in the apartment. The most valuable thing in the whole fucking city
○I could not be more shocked if I had been punched. Or shot.
It feels a little bit like being dunked in lava, watching her dance
○Alone. We’re alone. If anyone had wanted to shoot me, they’d have had plenty of time. An eternity while I’d been staring.
○She’s dangerous because she makes me feel things
○We belong to different worlds. His is sharp enough to cut me. Mine is already in pieces
○See? That lifeline is already longer, you pretty little fool. I’m keeping you alive
○The air is heavy with her presence. It makes no sense. She’s too light to weigh on me this much. She probably weighs a hundred and fifteen pounds soaking wet. But every breath she takes shifts the air in the house. It’s like the tide.
○piece of her soul is tied to a piece of mine.
○It’s so fucking domestic I could die. This is what she’d be like as a wife. As a mother.
○But I’m struck again, like a two-by-four to the back of the head, by the deep knowledge that she could be on her knees at the foot of my bed, naked and panting and begging, and still be a queen.
○I’m under no illusion that I could belong here. I don’t entertain that ridiculous fantasy for a second. A man like me, part of something like this? Never.
○I’ll have a bruise there later. Good. Let there be evidence of his need.
○She thinks I’m going to pull her in for more. I know it from her hungry sigh. As if she hasn’t had enough to eat all her life. For once, we’re not prodding at the other’s open wounds. We’re pulling together.
○Her eyelids flutter shut at my touch. It’s fucking inconceivable, that anyone could get any semblance of comfort from me. So inconceivable that it breaks something loose in my chest. Something I almost never give.
○don’t want to know how much of the night he’s stealing from me
○Don’t fight your demons in the dark. I’m trying not to do it, but damn. They won’t leave me in peace tonight. He won’t leave me in peace. And he’s not even here
○Bethany is hope embodied.
lauren_soderberg's review
3.0
Having never read these authors before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I think I was assuming that this would be more of a sports romance, since the heroine is a ballet dancer. But that's more on the periphery of the story. This is a fast read that brings all the angst and the chemistry. I think there were gaps for me that would have been filled had I read the North Security series first, so I would highly recommend doing that before reading this novel.
jennyluvlitbooks's review
4.0
Audition is the spin off the North Securities series but my first reading from these authors. But like the authors said, this is pretty much a stand alone and main characters of the said series were just mentioned/ played a small part in this one.
As the story goes, these two have met five years ago when, Josh fresh out of the army were offered to check out Bethany's brother's activities. Five years later, the attraction and chemistry is still there though both have been fighting it this time around. Though the going back and forth in story telling might have been a bit hard to follow sometimes, I guess the authors was just trying to build up more the sexual tension and suspense of the story. Overall, an entertaining, forbidden, second chance romance read to fans of this trope.
As the story goes, these two have met five years ago when, Josh fresh out of the army were offered to check out Bethany's brother's activities. Five years later, the attraction and chemistry is still there though both have been fighting it this time around. Though the going back and forth in story telling might have been a bit hard to follow sometimes, I guess the authors was just trying to build up more the sexual tension and suspense of the story. Overall, an entertaining, forbidden, second chance romance read to fans of this trope.
anzhelikali's review
3.0
It was my very first encounter with Skye Warren, which was quite pleasant, I must admit. Josh’s and Bethany’s story covered both the past and the present of their tumultuous relationship and was told from two POVs. The revisits to the past were helpful in terms of giving a perspective on their thoughts and feelings, which were the roots of everything else. But the disbalance between the time coverages was significant. The beginning was exciting and attention-grabbing, while the middle was annoyingly dragging, and the ending was simply rushed. I absolutely loved the nature of the romance, and the couple seemed unique and fresh. Unfortunately, their story felt not enough, not fully discovered…
Read more at: Anzhelika.online
Read more at: Anzhelika.online
fsmeurinne's review
5.0
Josh and Bethany story is one I was intrigued, now we got it, Josh met Bethany while protecting Samantha, he broke her heart now she is on the list and Josh needs to protect her. The dark twisted stories just Skye Warren can write will take you on a new journey you don't want to stop. Amazing and phenomenal new series. Make sure you read them all.
profromance's review
5.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
“We’re combined in the most elemental way. We’re forged in fire in front of that hearth, as bright as the stars. We move together, ocean waves pulled by the moon, salt licking at the sand. In that moment of blinding heat, we find forever.“
There is just something special about Skye Warren and her dark romances. She finds this way of taking heroes, well, actually anti-heroes, and cajoling us through her word and style to embrace them. She places them alongside incredibly capable, intriguing, empowered women who, at first glance seemingly under the spell of the hero, are actually the impetus for humanizing her anti-hero. Through this process, as one of her devoted readers, you find yourself torn between loving and hating her hero. It’s this struggle that engages you in her storytelling until she offers you respite in a happy ending of sorts. Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde’s newest tome, Audition, is no different, and it makes for a slow-burning, fraught, sexy, devil of a reading ride.
Warren intertwines her characters, Joshua and Bethany, in her books, Concerto and Sonata, the two books preceding Audition. Their chemistry is palpable in those books, yet Warren gives us little more than their devout attraction to each other. Going into Audition, we really have little more than their inability to stay away from each other and Josh’s propensity towards protecting Bethany. As you traverse Audition, you recognize quickly that Audition is a “second-chance” romance, as Bethany and Josh have a past. These two have history, and their history informs their present and potential future. In this story, Bethany has received letters from a possible stalker. Worried over her safety, Josh insinuates himself into her life as protection. However, given that he’s a Warren hero, he “can’t” be with her. Everything in his being is drawn to her, but his past and sense of self compel him to deny himself of his interest in her. This situation creates quite a story of unspoken dreams and love and tension. Is it possible for Joshua North to love Bethany? Will he ever allow himself to do so? Can they find their happy ending?
Additionally, beyond their romance, Warren and Amelia Wilde have crafted Bethany as a woman desired for her body and talent. She illustrates womanhood fraught with her purpose in life. She’s someone who has fought for her talent and art while struggling with the challenges of an impoverished daily living. There is an innate discussion in Audition about suffering for one’s art, about only being seen as a body, not a person, and about one’s worth. Through the characterization of Bethany, we must question whether our power comes from our appearance or our internal beauty. As a dancer, Bethany struggles to be seen as someone more, to be taken seriously for her talent and intelligence.
Along with this discussion of the objectification of women is a deeper discussion about the influence of our past on our present. If you haven’t read the first three books of the North Security series, this is a bit of background. It’s not a spoiler necessarily, but it does inform Joshua and his brother, Liam’s, stories. The North boys encounter horrific abuse as children at the hands of their father. It changes their chemistry, and it impacts the decisions of their present and future. In the character of Joshua, we see the power of this abuse in his inability to acknowledge love. He seems broken. I’m always reticent to write that, though, as it isn’t that he’s broken; instead, he’s changed. He’s complicated. And he’s a lock. He’s closed up and locked up that he moves through life emotionally repressed. It’s these traits that exemplify him as a Warren hero. There is only one key that can unlock the deadbolt of Joshua North, much as we see with Warren’s other heroes, and the key to the lock resides in Bethany. Their chemistry, their reticence around each other, and the denial of their passion for each other is the compelling force of Audition’s romance.
As Warren and Wilde move us through Bethany and Joshua’s romance, they use the tension of their denial to drive each chapter forward. On the one hand, you hate turning the page because the abuse meted out on Bethany through Joshua’s dismissal of her feels painful. Yet, the reader intuits his love and interest in Bethany even when he refuses to declare it. It’s the promise of his revelation of his feelings for her along with his acceptance of those feelings that keep you turning the page. Even in the midst of the darkest places of the romance, it’s the kiss of that promise that keeps you engaged. Once I picked up Audition, I couldn’t put it down even though Josh made it difficult to read for its emotional turmoil. Yet, this is the genius of Warren and Wilde. When you think you can’t take any more of their story, they craft nuggets of hope in order to endure it. And that’s the pay-off. For me, the emotional roller-coaster of the storytelling makes a romance “good.” Audition exemplifies what makes dark romance a profound sub-genre of romance.
There were a couple of moments in the chronology of the storytelling where I found myself confused. Given that the storytelling utilizes flashback chapters to offer us the depth of Bethany and Josh’s story, it’s not uncommon for this to happen. Overall, however, I found myself engaged and invested in their story. To be honest, it was refreshing to read a North Security story that began and ended in the same book. And Bethany and Joshua’s stories are important ones. They are reminders to find our worth from within, dependent on character traits such as perseverance, intelligence, and compassion, not the traits of our outer beauty. The emotional characterization of Joshua’s background is also an admonition about child abuse and the toll it takes on the development of a child. People aren’t broken; instead, they are forever changed in ways that can be devastating. Together, though, Bethany and Joshua find wholeness, a completed soul. It’s the beauty of their coupling that makes Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde’s Audition a must-read to end 2019.
“We’re combined in the most elemental way. We’re forged in fire in front of that hearth, as bright as the stars. We move together, ocean waves pulled by the moon, salt licking at the sand. In that moment of blinding heat, we find forever.“
There is just something special about Skye Warren and her dark romances. She finds this way of taking heroes, well, actually anti-heroes, and cajoling us through her word and style to embrace them. She places them alongside incredibly capable, intriguing, empowered women who, at first glance seemingly under the spell of the hero, are actually the impetus for humanizing her anti-hero. Through this process, as one of her devoted readers, you find yourself torn between loving and hating her hero. It’s this struggle that engages you in her storytelling until she offers you respite in a happy ending of sorts. Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde’s newest tome, Audition, is no different, and it makes for a slow-burning, fraught, sexy, devil of a reading ride.
Warren intertwines her characters, Joshua and Bethany, in her books, Concerto and Sonata, the two books preceding Audition. Their chemistry is palpable in those books, yet Warren gives us little more than their devout attraction to each other. Going into Audition, we really have little more than their inability to stay away from each other and Josh’s propensity towards protecting Bethany. As you traverse Audition, you recognize quickly that Audition is a “second-chance” romance, as Bethany and Josh have a past. These two have history, and their history informs their present and potential future. In this story, Bethany has received letters from a possible stalker. Worried over her safety, Josh insinuates himself into her life as protection. However, given that he’s a Warren hero, he “can’t” be with her. Everything in his being is drawn to her, but his past and sense of self compel him to deny himself of his interest in her. This situation creates quite a story of unspoken dreams and love and tension. Is it possible for Joshua North to love Bethany? Will he ever allow himself to do so? Can they find their happy ending?
Additionally, beyond their romance, Warren and Amelia Wilde have crafted Bethany as a woman desired for her body and talent. She illustrates womanhood fraught with her purpose in life. She’s someone who has fought for her talent and art while struggling with the challenges of an impoverished daily living. There is an innate discussion in Audition about suffering for one’s art, about only being seen as a body, not a person, and about one’s worth. Through the characterization of Bethany, we must question whether our power comes from our appearance or our internal beauty. As a dancer, Bethany struggles to be seen as someone more, to be taken seriously for her talent and intelligence.
Along with this discussion of the objectification of women is a deeper discussion about the influence of our past on our present. If you haven’t read the first three books of the North Security series, this is a bit of background. It’s not a spoiler necessarily, but it does inform Joshua and his brother, Liam’s, stories. The North boys encounter horrific abuse as children at the hands of their father. It changes their chemistry, and it impacts the decisions of their present and future. In the character of Joshua, we see the power of this abuse in his inability to acknowledge love. He seems broken. I’m always reticent to write that, though, as it isn’t that he’s broken; instead, he’s changed. He’s complicated. And he’s a lock. He’s closed up and locked up that he moves through life emotionally repressed. It’s these traits that exemplify him as a Warren hero. There is only one key that can unlock the deadbolt of Joshua North, much as we see with Warren’s other heroes, and the key to the lock resides in Bethany. Their chemistry, their reticence around each other, and the denial of their passion for each other is the compelling force of Audition’s romance.
As Warren and Wilde move us through Bethany and Joshua’s romance, they use the tension of their denial to drive each chapter forward. On the one hand, you hate turning the page because the abuse meted out on Bethany through Joshua’s dismissal of her feels painful. Yet, the reader intuits his love and interest in Bethany even when he refuses to declare it. It’s the promise of his revelation of his feelings for her along with his acceptance of those feelings that keep you turning the page. Even in the midst of the darkest places of the romance, it’s the kiss of that promise that keeps you engaged. Once I picked up Audition, I couldn’t put it down even though Josh made it difficult to read for its emotional turmoil. Yet, this is the genius of Warren and Wilde. When you think you can’t take any more of their story, they craft nuggets of hope in order to endure it. And that’s the pay-off. For me, the emotional roller-coaster of the storytelling makes a romance “good.” Audition exemplifies what makes dark romance a profound sub-genre of romance.
There were a couple of moments in the chronology of the storytelling where I found myself confused. Given that the storytelling utilizes flashback chapters to offer us the depth of Bethany and Josh’s story, it’s not uncommon for this to happen. Overall, however, I found myself engaged and invested in their story. To be honest, it was refreshing to read a North Security story that began and ended in the same book. And Bethany and Joshua’s stories are important ones. They are reminders to find our worth from within, dependent on character traits such as perseverance, intelligence, and compassion, not the traits of our outer beauty. The emotional characterization of Joshua’s background is also an admonition about child abuse and the toll it takes on the development of a child. People aren’t broken; instead, they are forever changed in ways that can be devastating. Together, though, Bethany and Joshua find wholeness, a completed soul. It’s the beauty of their coupling that makes Skye Warren and Amelia Wilde’s Audition a must-read to end 2019.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
4.0
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review and release blitz can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
The anticipating spin-off series to the North Security series is here! I knew that Josh and Bethany would get their own story and I'm glad they did! I didn't know that they shared a common past and that this past would haunt them both. The story moved steadily through past and present and the chemistry between them was amazing!
The anticipating spin-off series to the North Security series is here! I knew that Josh and Bethany would get their own story and I'm glad they did! I didn't know that they shared a common past and that this past would haunt them both. The story moved steadily through past and present and the chemistry between them was amazing!