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pattyfgd's review against another edition
5.0
Irish Rogue
McCullough Mountain, Book 3
By: Lydia Michaels
Narrated by: David Allen Vargo
Kelly McCullough is the bachelor of the family. He has no intentions of getting married, he is not good enough for anyone. A playboy by reputation, he enjoys his single life. When a friend of his begins to date Ashlynn, the town virgin, Kelly begins to show an interest in her. Ashlynn has had a crush on Kelly for years. He is the one that showed her compassion in high school, but she never thought he really noticed her. Now the two are pulled together by an impossible thread, and Kelly is in for the pursuit of his life. Will be be able to win over Ashlynn? We he be able to give up his promiscuous ways? Ashlynn is strong in her beliefs, and I love her conviction to remain true to herself. She loves with her whole heart and faces her insecurities head on. Kelly may seem secure in who he is, but it's Ashlynn who is able to see his lack of confidence and build him up to the man he truly is. Plus we get to see all of the McCullough family, which in itself is a treat. Their craziness, witty banter and true family feel make this series very special and a pleasure to listen to.
There is nothing better than a perfectly cast narrator telling us a story, and David Allen Vargo is just that. He is fantastic, bringing each character, male and female to life. I love how he tunes into each personality, uses his Irish accent and breathes life into story. And the use of sound effects at the most appropriate times gives us a very visual picture what is happening. He does not overuse the effects, so they are not distracting, but an enhancement, creating a movie in our minds. He is fantastic!
McCullough Mountain, Book 3
By: Lydia Michaels
Narrated by: David Allen Vargo
Kelly McCullough is the bachelor of the family. He has no intentions of getting married, he is not good enough for anyone. A playboy by reputation, he enjoys his single life. When a friend of his begins to date Ashlynn, the town virgin, Kelly begins to show an interest in her. Ashlynn has had a crush on Kelly for years. He is the one that showed her compassion in high school, but she never thought he really noticed her. Now the two are pulled together by an impossible thread, and Kelly is in for the pursuit of his life. Will be be able to win over Ashlynn? We he be able to give up his promiscuous ways? Ashlynn is strong in her beliefs, and I love her conviction to remain true to herself. She loves with her whole heart and faces her insecurities head on. Kelly may seem secure in who he is, but it's Ashlynn who is able to see his lack of confidence and build him up to the man he truly is. Plus we get to see all of the McCullough family, which in itself is a treat. Their craziness, witty banter and true family feel make this series very special and a pleasure to listen to.
There is nothing better than a perfectly cast narrator telling us a story, and David Allen Vargo is just that. He is fantastic, bringing each character, male and female to life. I love how he tunes into each personality, uses his Irish accent and breathes life into story. And the use of sound effects at the most appropriate times gives us a very visual picture what is happening. He does not overuse the effects, so they are not distracting, but an enhancement, creating a movie in our minds. He is fantastic!
beyondevak's review against another edition
4.0
Quick Summary: Book 3 in the McCullough series was an emotional rollercoaster.
My Review: Irish Rogue by Lydia Michaels was a story that was both heavy and light. It was so textured. It was peppered with real, in your face issues that couples face.
I found K and A's romance to be very dramatic, to say the least. Their struggle to meet on common ground, their passionate convictions to maintain their true identities even within their own unique challenges, their willingness to compromise and to put in the work that goes along with marriage, their strong desire to fight for what they wanted, and their united effort to appreciate what home and family are all about - this is what made book 3 in the McCullough series remarkable. This couple's story was quite the ride.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes
Warning: This could be triggering for some.
My Review: Irish Rogue by Lydia Michaels was a story that was both heavy and light. It was so textured. It was peppered with real, in your face issues that couples face.
I found K and A's romance to be very dramatic, to say the least. Their struggle to meet on common ground, their passionate convictions to maintain their true identities even within their own unique challenges, their willingness to compromise and to put in the work that goes along with marriage, their strong desire to fight for what they wanted, and their united effort to appreciate what home and family are all about - this is what made book 3 in the McCullough series remarkable. This couple's story was quite the ride.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Series: Yes
Warning: This could be triggering for some.
nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review against another edition
5.0
I would give this book 500 stars if I could - yes - it was that good. The last two people that would ever be forever connected would be the virginal god-fearing woman and the Irish rogue who had spent more time in the arms of various women than he ever spent alone, but from the moment Ashlynn and Kelly become more than just passing strangers the spark is lit and cannot be extinguished. This book had everything a reader can ask for: beautifully written characters, a storyline that will make you laugh out loud, wipe tears from your eyes and sigh with happiness, as well as a tangled web of emotions and heartfelt interactions. As a reader I fell in love with Kelly in the earlier books but when he became the primary character in his own journey the layers of his thoughts and desires only made me love him more. Best book of the series thus far!!
filthylittlereader's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn’t wait to meet the woman who’d bring Kelly McCoullough to his knees. The bigger the playboy, the harder they fall and boy did Kelly fall hard for sweet and shy Ashlynn Fisher. Kelly and Ashlynn were small town, opposites attract smoking hotness! That sexual tension was palpable and what a great build up by Lydia Michaels. I loved the growth both Kelly and Ashlynn experienced. These two were tested but through grit and fight, they persevered over every obstacle. I loved catching up with the whole rambunctious McCollough clan. There were laughs, fights, and plenty of feels. David Allen Vargo did fan freaking tastic!! The way he was able to seamlessly transition to the different characters was done flawlessly.
jeannethinks's review against another edition
3.0
Irish Rouge is the third book in the McCullough Mountain series which tells the story of each of the siblings.
What do you get when you take the towns bad boy whose never met a woman he didn't get and mix it with the sheltered chaste and looking to finally date woman? Sparks... you get sparks.
Ashlynn Fisher is saving herself for marriage. She's been running her own organic farm on her own and is looking at her life and realizing she's lonely. It's time to step out of her comfort zone and see what all the fuss of being girls is. Only problem, she's been mooning over the same man for ten years and he's never given her a second glance. No time like the present to try to find someone to settle down with.
Kelly McCullough shows the world what they want to see. The sexy bartender taking home a didn't girl most nights, the carefree one whose never in it for the relationship. But that's the surface that everyone sees, he's inexplicably drawn to Ashlynn, even though he knows she's not for him, she's marriage and family, not sexy times batten the sheets. Yet when faced with her putting her sights on someone else he can't get her out of his head. What is wrong with him? Its like she's bewitched him and he's considering taking on the challenge of forever. Can the bad boy and the good girl find happily ever after?
What do you get when you take the towns bad boy whose never met a woman he didn't get and mix it with the sheltered chaste and looking to finally date woman? Sparks... you get sparks.
Ashlynn Fisher is saving herself for marriage. She's been running her own organic farm on her own and is looking at her life and realizing she's lonely. It's time to step out of her comfort zone and see what all the fuss of being girls is. Only problem, she's been mooning over the same man for ten years and he's never given her a second glance. No time like the present to try to find someone to settle down with.
Kelly McCullough shows the world what they want to see. The sexy bartender taking home a didn't girl most nights, the carefree one whose never in it for the relationship. But that's the surface that everyone sees, he's inexplicably drawn to Ashlynn, even though he knows she's not for him, she's marriage and family, not sexy times batten the sheets. Yet when faced with her putting her sights on someone else he can't get her out of his head. What is wrong with him? Its like she's bewitched him and he's considering taking on the challenge of forever. Can the bad boy and the good girl find happily ever after?
readingwithjanelle's review against another edition
4.0
Where to start, because I have so many thoughts? I was really intrigued, invested and entertained. There were certain moments in this book that had going “wtf” and actually googling things I did not see myself googling. Am I mad about? No, cause it only opened me up to something new and I’m always here for continual learning, but it had really questioning if people actually do the things mentioned in the, believe me when I say you'll know what I'm talking about when you read that interaction. Idk what I was expecting when I got the audiobook, but it was not this and I'm not mad about it cause I enjoyed it.
readwithrach's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot. Kelley is one of my favorite McCulloughs and I loved Ashlyn. The book was a little long but it was still enjoyable! Fans of family sagas will enjoy this book.
yesididbringabook's review against another edition
4.0
This was my favorite book out of the series, probably because Kelly is my kind of guy.
mimireadsromance's review
4.0
I decided that this is the year I'm going to finish series that I started years ago. I first read Lydia Michaels back in 2015 and have been buying up the other books in the series ever since. I'm happy to say that Chaste, which is book three in the series, lived up to my memories of the first two books, Sacred Waters & Skin. Chaste was the perfect mix of sexy angst and romantic sweet. I laughed, and cried, and fell in love with the McCullough family all over again. They're a sometimes foul-mouthed, often boisterous bunch and I cannot get enough of them on the page. I want to live in the same town as these people! I want to hang out with them at Kelly's bar and be besties with all the gals! I don't know why I waited so long to pick up where I left off with this family, but I'm not quitting now until I hit the end of the series!
torilovesheas's review
1.0
I certainly liked a lot of aspects of this one, but I’m thinking this series just isn’t for me.
I really a thought this one would be right up my alley, because it’s a wallflower/playboy romance, but then it turned…weird. Let me explain.
I won’t give you all the nitty gritty, cause honestly the start of the book is really straight forward and pretty standard for the genre. The MCs went to school together, have known each other forever, and live in the same town. He’s a playboy and he didn’t notice her in school because she was quiet, mousy, and “not that type of girl” (whatever that means). Except now, they’re all grown up and she’s hot. You get where this is going. I actually really liked the first half of the book. But then it went off the rails.
They get married about 50% in. Alright. That’s fine. Cool. But then it got weirdly religious? And preachy? And they’re trying really hard for a baby after maybe a month or so of marriage? And when that doesn’t pan out, they’re seeing fertility docs?
I have no clue what I was expecting. But the last 50% of this book was so odd and felt so out of place.
There’s also some real weird religious stuff thrown in that I didn’t get? Like saving yourself for marriage is fine if that’s your thing, but there’s a whole part where the heroine is going to confession after researching BJs and it’s…strange. Here’s a direct quote from the heroine that neither MC seems to think is weird.
“No, Father Mark was very understanding. He said the Internet wasn’t the place to find the answers to my questions. My husband would someday explain everything I needed to know.” “You actually told him you researched blowjobs?” “Of course! That’s what he’s there for.”
What on earth.
I think this author just isn’t my cuppa.
Thanks to Valentine PR for an E-ARC for review! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
I really a thought this one would be right up my alley, because it’s a wallflower/playboy romance, but then it turned…weird. Let me explain.
I won’t give you all the nitty gritty, cause honestly the start of the book is really straight forward and pretty standard for the genre. The MCs went to school together, have known each other forever, and live in the same town. He’s a playboy and he didn’t notice her in school because she was quiet, mousy, and “not that type of girl” (whatever that means). Except now, they’re all grown up and she’s hot. You get where this is going. I actually really liked the first half of the book. But then it went off the rails.
They get married about 50% in. Alright. That’s fine. Cool. But then it got weirdly religious? And preachy? And they’re trying really hard for a baby after maybe a month or so of marriage? And when that doesn’t pan out, they’re seeing fertility docs?
I have no clue what I was expecting. But the last 50% of this book was so odd and felt so out of place.
There’s also some real weird religious stuff thrown in that I didn’t get? Like saving yourself for marriage is fine if that’s your thing, but there’s a whole part where the heroine is going to confession after researching BJs and it’s…strange. Here’s a direct quote from the heroine that neither MC seems to think is weird.
“No, Father Mark was very understanding. He said the Internet wasn’t the place to find the answers to my questions. My husband would someday explain everything I needed to know.” “You actually told him you researched blowjobs?” “Of course! That’s what he’s there for.”
What on earth.
I think this author just isn’t my cuppa.
Thanks to Valentine PR for an E-ARC for review! All thoughts and opinions are my own!