Guilty Pleasures

April 18, 2016
Sexy sports stars, family bonds, and luxurious settings star in this cross-cultural romance. Former pro basketball star Alexander Barrett is celebrating the grand opening of his posh new Boulder, Colo., sports club. The last thing he needs is to have his famous fraternal twin brother, Zachary, using it to train for his next mixed martial arts bout. The two haven't spoken since Zachary stole away Alexander's college sweetheart years ago. Tensions worsen when Alexander meets lovely Sarai Montri, a former Miss Thailand and expert in exercise physiology who's helping Zachary train. With help from Sarai, Alexander and Zachary make peace and renew their brotherly bond, and Alexander successfully romances the beauty. But when Alexander and Sarai decide to follow Zachary back to Thailand for his title bout, the lovers must decide whether their relationship is serious enough to lead to marriage, especially given the harsh scrutiny of Sarai's very traditional father and the demands of Thai custom. Mello's highly emotional characters are a perfect match for the gorgeous settings and lavish lifestyles, and will please fans who like their love stories on a cinematic scale.

Narrator Dylan Ford brings listeners into the competitive world of professional sports training. Gym owner Alexander Barrett has an eye for his new employee, Sarai Montri, but reconsiders when he learns she has arrived from Thailand with his estranged twin brother, Zachary. Zachary has returned to Colorado to defend his mixed martial arts title. Ford's muscular voice is a good match for Alexander's combination of physicality and business acumen as well as his eventual pursuit of Sarai. In creating a voice for Sarai--a Thai woman who was educated in France--Ford adds a lilting intonation to suggest her French experience. Overall, Ford's characterizations give Mello's romance some realistic grounding. C.A. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine