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My Review:Title: My Bare Lady
Author: Piper Sheldon
Series: Scorned Women's Society #1
Published by: Smartypants Romance
Release Date: April 21, 2020
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Chris Brinkley, Lily Maxwell
Length: 9 hours and 33 minutes
Genres: Romance, Retelling, Contemporary
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »
Source: Hoopla
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Audiobook Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iTunes ✩ Authors Direct ✩ Libro.FM
My rating:
Blurb:Suzie Samuels is the only thing standing between Clifford and his life’s work. All he has to do is change everything about her. Perception creates reality and Clifford Rutledge needs the irascible stripper to prove it.
Suzie Samuels is set to prove once and for all she’s more than Short Fuse Suze, stripper for the Black Demons and renowned motorcycle arsonist. If all it takes is hard work, then Suzie knows how to work it hard.
But Suzie’s scandalous spirit tests Clifford's resolve. And Clifford’s buttoned-up bullying is driving Suzie bonkers.
Can Clifford move past their differences long enough to pull off the impossible task of changing the bare lady into a fair lady?
More importantly, as perceptions shift and priorities change, will he want to?
'My Bare Lady' is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the Scorned Women's Society series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
4 stars — When I first read this blurb, I wasn’t at all interested…I don’t know why, I think because Suzie is always shown as so unstable…or at least that’s the impression I get from Winston Brothers books. But then I read the second book in this series, and I totally figured out what they were all about, and I *knew* I needed Ford and Suzie’s story. And in general, they didn’t disappoint.
Let’s touch on narrators first. I do enjoy Mr. Brinkley’s narration in general, though occasionally I had a hard time distinguishing different voices. This was my first listen to Lily Maxwell I think, and there were times I LOVED her, but other times I was less in love. It’s totally a personal thing — I thought her internal Suzie voice was divine, but I wasn’t always impressed with how meek she sounded when speaking. That might just be totally a me thing though. Her emotions and pacing were great. The distinct voices were pretty good, but kind of on par with Mr. Brinkley.
Suzie was not what I was expecting AT ALL. I really loved her actually. I don’t think I always get how her temper fits in with who she is, because she can be so sunshiney bright and super caring about others and just…almost sweet. Like, she was more goofy and fun and sassy in a less snarky way than I was expecting. I loved the way we got to see her dancing through Ford’s eyes, and how much she connected with the music. I ached for how completely the people surrounding her had basically gaslit her on her own worth…and how long it worked. I got it, but it was hard to see her not understanding the underlying lessons other people were trying to teach her. But she got there.
Ford was much harder for me to wrap my brain around. There are parts of him that, even now the book has ended, I don’t understand. I feel like there were things alluded to in his past that either were never explained or I was just not absorbing and thought I heard something different than reality? I kept waiting for something to more fully explain why he was the way he was…why he was so closed off and obsessed with control. And I got a bit of that, for sure…but I feel like my stupid brain needed more. But even though I don’t understand all of him, the parts that I do get I felt for. He was so incapable of expressing himself, and I loved seeing him grow more comfortable with who he was through Suzie’s influence. He had so many good intentions, they just sometimes got lost. His moments of sweetness totally won me over.
In general I loved the two of them together as well. I was surprised that the book wasn’t actually that steamy…surprised and maybe a teensy bit bummed, but I’ll survive. 😉 I loved the way they could bring out the best things in one another, how they challenged each other, how they listened and cared.
I LOVED meeting the SWS in this book — I almost want a prequel that tells of how the other girls all met beforehand. I loved seeing Suzie develop these necessary female friendships. And I ADORED Jack. He was basically awesomeness personified.
One strange thing that I have enjoyed about all 3 books in this series that I have read are the teensy scenes with Jethro. They’re really small, but they provide closure. I love that.
So yeah. I loved a lot about this book (and series), I feel like this reader just has a bit of a disconnect with certain parts that prevent me from loving it even more.
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