Rocky Mountain Haven by Vivian Arend

Narrated by Tatiana Sokolov

I enjoyed Rocky Mountain Haven even more than the previous (and first) book in the series, Rocky Mountain Heat. Daniel, I suppose, could be termed a beta hero but really, he’s just a normal guy. He’s sexy and gorgeous of course, but he’s neither a doormat nor an alpha-hole. I met Daniel in the first book where I found out that his previous girlfriend broke up with him when she found out that, as a result of adult onset mumps, he was rendered sterile. By the time this book starts, Daniel is coming out of the tunnel of that heartbreak and is starting to be interested in a new relationship.

Beth is the young, widowed, mother of three renting the house Blake and Daniel and Matt used to share on the property. Beth and Daniel meet in Calgary and they have chemistry but Beth doesn’t want a relationship, having been recently widowed. Also, she’s moving to Rocky Mountain Home soon so she gives Daniel a fake phone number.

When Beth realises just whose ranch she has ended up on, she is somewhat dismayed but pretty soon, she and Daniel have agreed to try to become friends and also explore a sexual relationship. Beth had been in an abusive marriage and her sexual experience was very limited. She wants to try “non-vanilla” things and Daniel delivers. Oh boy, does he. In my review of the first book, I stated that I thought it was steamy but not all that different than a racier contemporary novel. This one, was a bit dirtier (notwithstanding that the threesome is in the other book!). I did find myself blushing in parts but, like the earlier book, the sex sounded much better out loud than other erotic listens I’ve tried.

The story arc is fairly gentle – Beth and Daniel’s relationship slowly progresses, gradually including the boys and forming a family. Beth has to get over the fear which remains from her previous marriage and realise that she’s ready for a new love but it’s fairly straightforward – no kidnappings or stalkers or axe murderers. That’s not to say it’s at all boring. It’s not. I found it delightful and engaging and sexy and Daniel was a wonderful hero. He has absolutely no doormat tendencies but he was always careful that Beth was on board with what they did, he didn’t overstep when it came to the children, and he put her and her children first. Add that to a hot body and a pretty face, who wouldn’t fall in love?

Tatiana Sokolov did another great job with the narration – again the more erotic scenes, which had me blushing, were delivered straight and without added melodrama or false-sounding exclamations. Daniel was a noticeably different character than Blake and that came across in the listen – and not just as a result of the text.

Beth’s and Jaxi’s voices were clearly differentiated and, this time, I felt Tatiana’s portrayal of the twins was sufficiently differentiated from Daniel, Matt, Blake, and Travis’ voice. The twins still sounded the same and the other Coleman brothers (as well as cousin Gabe) also were very similar. There were times I could pick up the difference and other times I really couldn’t and had to rely on dialogue tags. That said, the voices of Beth’s three boys were clearly distinct and easily recognisable so I always knew which child was speaking.

Tatiana delivered the romance and the steam and the comforting, loving vibe of the story and it was an entertaining and engaging listen. It’s why she remains one of my favourite narrators.

The production quality was very high and I noticed no vocal or characterisation errors or glitches. I recommend.

Kaetrin

Narration:  B+

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  For your burning ears only

Violence:  Minimal (some references to domestic violence but nothing graphic)

Genre:  Erotic romance, contemporary

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Rocky Mountain Haven was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.