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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beyond the Stroke- Erin Hawkins
Narrated by Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️.5
Narration 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
This was so cute. The spice was a bit of a slow burn but the romance and the chemistry and the tension and the build up was just so good that I didn’t even mind. And once it hit it was so hot! The banter between Rory and Summer was hilarious. I loved their back and forth. I also really loved that this was not the typical sports romance you see. There are a million hockey and football and baseball romances out there, but very few swimming and this was a fresh take on sports romance!
This narration duo was absolutely perfect. Lucy and Alex were incredible as Summer and Rory!
𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
🎧𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐱
➡️Produced by Lyric Audiobooks
💍 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
🩵 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐌𝐂
💍 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐅𝐌𝐂
🩵 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
💍 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
✨𝒯𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈✨
𝐈 never expected this story to be so sweet! It follows Summer and star swimmer Rory Shields, who meet by chance and enter into a marriage arrangement for mutual benefit. Their relationship was simply adorable!
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 was not the type to easily warm up to others, but Rory's patience and kindness eventually brought out her true self. It was incredibly heartwarming to see their bond grow.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 cherry on top was the fantastic narration by 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 and 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐱, who truly brought these characters to life.
𝐈𝐟 you're a fan of charming marriage of convenience romances, this story is perfect for you. Huge thanks to the author and 𝐌𝐋𝐀 for the audio copy. All opinions expressed here are my own.
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒⭐️ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝟑🔥 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝟒🎧
This is everything I want in a summer romance, it’s sunny, swoony, and full of heart. Narrated by Lucy Rivers & Alex Knox, the audiobook brings Summer and Rory’s love story to life with warmth, charm, and just the right emotional pull. The marriage of convenience setup unfolds in a breezy beach town, with an artist heroine and a golden retriever energy swimmer hero who completely stole my heart. Rory and Summer are the classic black cat/golden retriever pairing, and their meet cute is as unique as it is adorable. If you’re looking for a feel good listen with chemistry, character, and coastal vibes—this one delivers.
4.5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧
This story was so sweet and so much fun. I absolutely loved Summer and Rory (and Edgar) and the way these two fell in love. It's not really a hurt/comfort trope, but it's got those vibes as Summer has never had anyone truly care for her and Rory shows her what it's like to actually be loved. He was such a golden retriever and I was here for it.
The spice included two of my favorite micro-tropes: he finishes in his pants while finishing her and he uses a household object as a spicy toy, and they were both perfect. Summer has a lot of insecurities from her family/ex and watching Rory put every last one of them to shame as he takes care of her and "takes care of her" was amazing. He's best book boyfriend material for sure.
The audio was great. Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox both did a wonderful job with the narration and bringing these characters to life. I loved this listen. Thank you so much to Must Love Audio for the advanced copy!
This story was so sweet and so much fun. I absolutely loved Summer and Rory (and Edgar) and the way these two fell in love. It's not really a hurt/comfort trope, but it's got those vibes as Summer has never had anyone truly care for her and Rory shows her what it's like to actually be loved. He was such a golden retriever and I was here for it.
The spice included two of my favorite micro-tropes: he finishes in his pants while finishing her and he uses a household object as a spicy toy, and they were both perfect. Summer has a lot of insecurities from her family/ex and watching Rory put every last one of them to shame as he takes care of her and "takes care of her" was amazing. He's best book boyfriend material for sure.
The audio was great. Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox both did a wonderful job with the narration and bringing these characters to life. I loved this listen. Thank you so much to Must Love Audio for the advanced copy!
This book was adorable!! From the small town coastal vibes, to the little dog, and the most memorable meet cute!! Such a fun read!
Rory was a walking green flag and I loved him for it!! Summer has been a drifter since she cut ties with her family and is finally feeling like this coastal Carolina town is home. The marriage of convenience was quick but the burn was slow! I enjoyed the progress of Rory and Summer's relationship. They started off as strangers, then friends, and finally lovers. Summer didn't know how to handle Rory at the beginning. Rory patiently waited for her feelings to catch up to his. And the way he looked after her and supported her art. I freaking loved him for it! The chemistry was good and the banter was fun! I am a sucker for the "my wife" moments and Rory gave me plenty of them! This was a cute story and a perfect summer beach read!
AUDIO: This was narrated by Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox. This was a fun listen!! The humor was on point and really enjoyed this one! This was my first audiobook with Alex and thought he nailed the golden retriever vibes we needed for Rory!
-Small Town Beach vibes
-Black Cat FMC x Golden Retriever MMC
-Marriage of Convenience
-"My Wife"
-Age Gap
-Olympic Swimmer MMC
-Forced Proximity
-Asthma Rep
Thank you Erin and Must Love Audio for this ALC!
- marriage of convenience
- black cat x golden retriever
- sports romance (he's a swimmer)
- forced proximity
- he falls first
- no breakup
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
- dual pov
- dual narration by Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox
Rory and Summer have an awkward and adorable meet-cute involving her dressed as a mermaid and him rescuing her. Rory is instantly enamoured and quickly finds every excuse to spend time with Summer. She is more of a guarded black cat, but golden retrievers are hard to resist, especially when they're as kind and observant as Rory, soaking up every small detail about her.
The marriage of convenience does not kick in until about a third of the way through, when Summer spontaneously introduces Rory as her husband during dinner with his parents. He rolls with it, seeing it as a win for them both. His parents ease up on the pressure, and Summer can use his health insurance to help with her asthma medication.
It's a slow burn from there, with forced proximity turning up the tension. Summer hesitates to give in to her feelings after being burned by her ex, but Rory patiently waits for her to open up. He shows her that she is perfect exactly as she is. She does not need to change. She is enough.
And because this is an Erin book, yes, there's spice. Several steamy scenes turn up the heat, including one unforgettable use of a paintbrush that lives rent-free in my mind.
I also love that Rory is a swimmer. Since this is the first book in a series following the team, we meet his teammates and see some interesting interactions.
One minor critique is that the reason behind their fake marriage felt a little underdeveloped. While it made sense in theory, there was only one interaction with Rory’s parents after the wedding. A bit more follow-through could have added to the stakes.
Still, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and low-angst romance. As for the audiobook, Lucy’s soft, melodic tone ideally suited Summer and her quieter vulnerabilities. Alex Knox is a newer narrator for me, but I really like his range and how well he handles both male and female voices. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from him.
Thanks to Must Love Audio for the early copy.
- black cat x golden retriever
- sports romance (he's a swimmer)
- forced proximity
- he falls first
- no breakup
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
- dual pov
- dual narration by Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox
Rory and Summer have an awkward and adorable meet-cute involving her dressed as a mermaid and him rescuing her. Rory is instantly enamoured and quickly finds every excuse to spend time with Summer. She is more of a guarded black cat, but golden retrievers are hard to resist, especially when they're as kind and observant as Rory, soaking up every small detail about her.
The marriage of convenience does not kick in until about a third of the way through, when Summer spontaneously introduces Rory as her husband during dinner with his parents. He rolls with it, seeing it as a win for them both. His parents ease up on the pressure, and Summer can use his health insurance to help with her asthma medication.
It's a slow burn from there, with forced proximity turning up the tension. Summer hesitates to give in to her feelings after being burned by her ex, but Rory patiently waits for her to open up. He shows her that she is perfect exactly as she is. She does not need to change. She is enough.
And because this is an Erin book, yes, there's spice. Several steamy scenes turn up the heat, including one unforgettable use of a paintbrush that lives rent-free in my mind.
I also love that Rory is a swimmer. Since this is the first book in a series following the team, we meet his teammates and see some interesting interactions.
One minor critique is that the reason behind their fake marriage felt a little underdeveloped. While it made sense in theory, there was only one interaction with Rory’s parents after the wedding. A bit more follow-through could have added to the stakes.
Still, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and low-angst romance. As for the audiobook, Lucy’s soft, melodic tone ideally suited Summer and her quieter vulnerabilities. Alex Knox is a newer narrator for me, but I really like his range and how well he handles both male and female voices. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more from him.
Thanks to Must Love Audio for the early copy.
emotional
funny
inspiring
This was such a cute audiobook. Lucy Rivers and Alex Knox were both fantastic as Rory and Summer. I loved the relationships with Edgar the pug. These two were so sweet and have me all the feels. Cory was a little bit pushy to start but the author had a way of writing it that made it clear it came from a place of protectiveness and helpfulness. Anna Summer goes on such a personal journey that is wonderful to watch. I really enjoyed this one.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I absolutely loved every single second of this audiobook. It’s funny and heartfelt and everything I needed. The perfect summer romcom.
Lucy & Alex were perfect as Wildflower & Flipper. The comedy was on point- you could feel the emotion. Could not have asked for better casting!
Lucy & Alex were perfect as Wildflower & Flipper. The comedy was on point- you could feel the emotion. Could not have asked for better casting!
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced