Dare to Stay

Starred review from July 4, 2016
The mean, gritty streets of Boston’s Steel Row provide the setting for McLaughlin’s tumultuous, compelling tale of love between an unyielding gang member and a tenacious kindergarten teacher. Chris O’Brien is a member of the same gang that his abusive father belonged to, and he fights for his life on a daily basis. It’s all he’s ever known. When his old friend Molly Lachlan finds him half-dead in an alley, she brings him to her home, understanding that going to a hospital will raise questions better left unanswered. While he’s recuperating, Molly uncovers his softer side, and her nonjudgmental attitude encourages his romantic feelings for her. However, his presence is a threat to her safety, so he tries to stay away. When she refuses to give up on him, she becomes the perfect pawn for rival gang members and is thrust into his dark, dangerous world. As love blurs the line between privilege and misfortune, readers will root for this unlikely duo. The action is heart-stopping, and reformation occurs at a believable pace without diminishing the unpleasant truths of gang life. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency.

Narrators Erin Mallon and Joe Arden join forces to depict the romance between Willow James and Dr. Braden Prescott. Willow, an athletic trainer, and Braden had a past relationship, but he broke it off to work for Doctors Without Borders. Now that he's returned and works for the same football team that Willow does, both narrators voice her hesitation to become involved with him again. At a local clinic Braden encounters a pregnant young woman. Mallon and Arden give her a youthful tone that is filled with stress, easily allowing one to empathize with her situation. The easy flow between Mallon and Arden provides a smooth listening experience. S.B. � AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine