Narrated by Emily Durante
Hard and Fast is the second book in Erin McCarthy’s Fast Track series. We first met Ty McCordle (NASCAR driver) and Imogen Wilson (teaching assistant and sociology student – don’t worry, she’s 28 so it’s not icky) in the first book, Flat-Out Sexy. There was mutual (but unacknowledged) attraction.
Ty is dyslexic and cannot read. He manages very well, has a great memory, an excellent assistant, and gets along just fine although he is intimidated by Imogen’s intelligence. But he is fascinated and so turned on by her that in the end, he just goes for it.
Imogen and Ty’s path to true love is fairly easy and there’s not a lot of tension or conflict until they have a fight near the end. So if you’re looking for torturous angst, this is not the listen for you. However, if you’re after funny and sexy, dive right in. Because this book is both.
I listened to Flat-Out Sexy a few weeks ago and was unsure about the voice Emily Durante used for Imogen. But after listening to this story, I have to say that it really did suit her. Imogen is kind of uptight and she hides behind her intelligence. She is also honest to a fault and very blunt but in a kind of clueless way which made for some great humor. Ty is a sexy beast and their first sex scene – oh man! If all men were like that, women wouldn’t get anything done!
If the narrative states that a character laughs or coughs, etc., Emily Durante laughs or coughs, etc. and then speaks in the character’s voice. That is one of my all time pet peeves in audiobooks and it grated on me here. I like it when a narrator incorporates a laugh (for example) into the dialogue if the text calls for it but when added separately, just – no.
There were also a couple of times when Hunter (the daughter of Tamara, the heroine in Flat-Out Sexy) says something like “woo hoo” and Ms. Durante does this really loud siren sound which is NOT how I heard it in my head when I read the book and, frankly, it hurt my ears. Other than that, I really enjoyed the way she delivered her performance. She captured the fun and sexy very well.
I did think the voices of the men were a little less well differentiated than in Flat-Out Sexy but the women’s voices were very clearly defined and I didn’t have trouble identifying who was talking, male or female.
Hard and Fast is funny, sexy listen with not a lot of conflict and, at the time, just what I was in the mood for.
Kaetrin
Narration: B
Book Content: B
Steam Factor: Glad I had my ear buds in
Violence: Minimal
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
I was wondering about this one, I read it a long time ago, and all I can remember is that it was very hot…lol, I might give the audio a shot one these days. I like Emily Durante, not sure about the laughing parts tho….lol; however a B rating is encouraging.
Thanks for reviewing :)