Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins

Too Good to Be TrueNarrated by Xe Sands

It’s a treat to revisit Kristan Higgins’ earlier books, and it’s a double treat to have them narrated by Xe Sands! In Too Good to Be True, we’re treated indeed to a story that has the trademark wackiness but also an underlying sadness, as Grace Emerson learns the lesson that when something is too good to be true, maybe it isn’t true at all. Her ex-fiance is dating her younger sister, and everyone in the family is treating her with kid gloves and reassuring her that she will find her true love. In an attempt to ward off the well-intentioned, she invents a boyfriend – Dr Wyatt Dunn, pediatric surgeon and animal rescuer, whose only fault is that he is too devoted to his work to meet her family.

Grace is all that is good and deserves her HEA – she’s the middle child, and feels less than her beautiful sisters in so many ways, but she’s the one who visits the elderly and reads to them; who helps her friends when they are down; who “dances to the oldies” with the lonely older folks; who is her younger sister’s biggest fan, even though she is the reason for the breakup. When she starts feeling attraction to the new neighbor, Callahan O’Shea, however, she knows he can’t possibly be The One – he’s a convicted felon, a lowly manual laborer, and her dog doesn’t like him.

And he’s grumpy – well, who wouldn’t be grumpy with the cute neighbor when she whacks you with a hockey stick, thinking you are a burglar when you are trying to go into your new house? And then she whacks you again with a yard tool, albeit accidentally? And her little yappy dog is constantly biting you?

The underlying sadness of Grace’s life begins to ebb very slowly as she and Callahan develop a tentative truce, after her dad hires him to do some carpentry work on her house. But she keeps her shield up, and continues to evoke the imaginary pediatric surgeon as an excuse, even to Cal, because when things start to get good, she’s afraid maybe they are too good to be true, and she needs to shield her heart.

Once again, Xe Sands is a great choice of narrator for Kristan Higgins. Her spot-on delivery is natural, and she creates each character as a separate identity, differentiating them by pitch, range, tone, accent – using her arsenal of narrator tools well, acting the parts, delivering the narrative with emotion.

This story isn’t really as light-hearted as some of Higgins’ other books – the trials and tribulations of dealing with a well-meaning family are there, but with a slightly darker undertone of a woman who wants everyone else to be happy, and almost loses her own happiness because of it.  Still, it’s a recommended read for contemporary romance fans.

Melinda


Narration: A-

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: None

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Recorded Books

 

 

 

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