Almost Just Friends

September 16, 2019
Shalvis (The Lemon Sisters) unites two people healing from emotional trauma in this tender contemporary. EMT Piper Manning is reluctantly celebrating her 30th birthday at a bar in her hometown of Wildstone, Calif., when she meets her neighbor’s 32-year-old son, Cam Hayes, a DEA agent. The attraction between them ignites during a particularly stormy night, but Piper is reluctant to let anyone get too close to her. After her parents died, she raised her younger siblings, Winnie and Gavin; they’ve recently moved out and she’s ready to live life on her own terms. Cam is also reeling from his younger brother’s recent death and not sure how to connect with civilians. Then Piper’s siblings come back home, seeking comfort from their sister but reluctant to admit the ways their lives have fallen apart. Piper’s relationship with Cam heats up, but she’s afraid that coming to rely on him will further hamper her quest for independence. Believable, realistic characters are at the heart of this novel. Shalvis will immediately grab the reader’s attention with a strong heroine and caring connection between two wounded souls. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

In this contemporary audiobook, narrator Erin Mallon portrays a 30-year-old who is ready to start living. Mallon projects Piper Manning's realistic outlook and lingering unspoken emotions. While caring for her siblings through significant and difficult situations over the past 15 years, she put her life on hold. Now Piper is about to move forward, but her sibs reappear, looking for both support and the chance to reinvent themselves. Mallon's portrayals of the female characters are strong and clear, while some of the male voices are harder to distinguish. Nonetheless, listening is an ideal way to imagine how they all fit together and find their way. B.E.S. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine