The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
joreadsromance's review
2.0
Slightly depressing romance
2 stars
This is the third in Mayberry's Secret Lives of Daytime Divas trilogy (after [b:Take on Me|35287|Take on Me (Secret Lives of Daytime Divas, #1)|Sarah Mayberry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1168584798l/35287._SY75_.jpg|35222] and [b:All Over You|35288|All Over You (Secret Lives of Daytime Divas, #2)|Sarah Mayberry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266455973l/35288._SY75_.jpg|35223]) but stands completely alone if you haven't read the first two books in the series.
Both Claudia and Leandro are nice enough characters but neither inspired much feeling in me - good or bad. While I completely understood the conflict in the story and even sympathised with the characters, on the whole, the subject of alcoholism was really quite depressing as I'm sure it was written with a great deal of authenticity. This probably wouldn't normally be a problem but when you're hoping for a light, sexy read then it's not really what you're looking for.
Plus, I'll admit that I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of Grace and Sadie's romances from the first two books in the trilogy. I always think it's nice to wrap up a series with a little reunion and 'where are they now'. An extended epilogue wrapped up in another's story, if you will.
Overall, the book is very readable and I like [a:Sarah Mayberry|19909|Sarah Mayberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299541333p2/19909.jpg]'s writing style. But this story was too focussed on the conflict and not enough on the romance for me to enjoy overly much. Only 2 stars.
poisonivy70's review
3.0
The third and final book in the Ocean Boulevard series, Claudia and Leandro are a good match and Claudia’s obstacles completely understandable once you delve into the story further. Leandro being the one who is hot for a commitment, love and family is a nice twist. Sarah Mayberry has become an auto-buy for me.
kayemnic's review
3.0
Audiobook version narrated by Elisabeth Livingston
Book 3.5*
Narration 3*
This was a very enjoyable audiobook and if I was rating it only against other category romances it would be a 4-5 star. Claudia Dostis is a producer for a daytime TV show and her competition in ratings and industry awards is Leandro Mandalor, producer for a rival show. When an extortionist throws the two of them together, the attraction between them explodes but growing up with an alcoholic mother has taught Claudia that marriage and children lead to unhappiness.
This could have been typical example of the genre except Sarah Mayberry excels at creating very human characters who rarely end up following the expected plot progression. Claudia and Mandalor certainly generate the expected sexual heat for a book in the Blaze line but as Claudia deals with her family and struggles with her mother's addiction, the reader gets one heck of an emotional wallop. The strong female friendships in the story are a nice addition to the overall plot and there is witty dialogue scattered throughout the book. In a nice change-up, it is the male lead who wants to settle down and the female lead who has to be convinced (or really, convince herself.) This book has strong, engaging, and adult characters who are navigating life and love with thoughtfulness and humor.
The narration was pretty good although I struggled with two aspects of it: the emotion in Leandro's voice often didn't sound genuine to me and I felt there was a certain level of detachment in the narrator's voice during the sex scenes which made me uncomfortable with them. All the character voices were unique and Ms. Livingston gave Leandro a rather delicious voice and overall I did enjoy the narration.
Book 3.5*
Narration 3*
This was a very enjoyable audiobook and if I was rating it only against other category romances it would be a 4-5 star. Claudia Dostis is a producer for a daytime TV show and her competition in ratings and industry awards is Leandro Mandalor, producer for a rival show. When an extortionist throws the two of them together, the attraction between them explodes but growing up with an alcoholic mother has taught Claudia that marriage and children lead to unhappiness.
This could have been typical example of the genre except Sarah Mayberry excels at creating very human characters who rarely end up following the expected plot progression. Claudia and Mandalor certainly generate the expected sexual heat for a book in the Blaze line but as Claudia deals with her family and struggles with her mother's addiction, the reader gets one heck of an emotional wallop. The strong female friendships in the story are a nice addition to the overall plot and there is witty dialogue scattered throughout the book. In a nice change-up, it is the male lead who wants to settle down and the female lead who has to be convinced (or really, convince herself.) This book has strong, engaging, and adult characters who are navigating life and love with thoughtfulness and humor.
The narration was pretty good although I struggled with two aspects of it: the emotion in Leandro's voice often didn't sound genuine to me and I felt there was a certain level of detachment in the narrator's voice during the sex scenes which made me uncomfortable with them. All the character voices were unique and Ms. Livingston gave Leandro a rather delicious voice and overall I did enjoy the narration.
More...