Significance by Shelly Crane

Narrated by Cris Dukehart

I think it’s pretty safe to assume we’ve all heard the saying “there’s someone for everyone”. In Significance, Book 1 in the Significance series, Shelly Crane takes the concept of soul mates and runs with it.

Up until her senior year of high school, Maggie Masters had lived a normal life. She ran track, was on the cheerleading squad, and had a steady boyfriend. Then, her mother left home, and Maggie’s world isn’t quite the same.

We first meet Maggie on graduation day. She’s ready to be done with high school, but she doesn’t know what she’s going to do next. Her father lost his job and Maggie is working at a diner just to help make ends meet. She doesn’t think she can leave home, even though she wants to.

After graduation, Maggie reluctantly agrees to see a movie with a friend. He considers it a date, but Maggie just wants to be friends. She and Kyle have known each other all their lives, and she just isn’t attracted to him. Still, she weighs going out with him against another night spent alone with her father, and decides to go.

On her way to meet Kyle, Maggie watches as a young man is almost struck by a car. Luckily, she’s close by, and her reflexes are good. She reaches out, yanking him out of the way of the speeding car.

From the moment they touch, something happens between them. Maggie doesn’t understand it, but Caleb does. He is part of a race of humans called the Aces. Each ace imprints with his or her soulmate. This means they must be together constantly. It’s rare for an ace to imprint with a human, but there hasn’t been an imprinting in twenty years so Caleb and the rest of the aces are glad to see that it can still happen.

Significance was my introduction to narrator Cris Dukehart. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more of her narrations. She has a smooth way of reading – not flat, but not overly dramatic. She sounds young, which suited Maggie’s character perfectly. This is especially fortunate, since the story is told exclusively from Maggie’s point of view. I don’t know if Dukehart is southern, but, if she isn’t, I applaud her ability to keep up a slight southern accent throughout the novel. She never falters.

Although Dukehart has a very feminine voice, she is able to deepen it just enough to suggest her male characters. She can deepen it even more when voicing an older man such as Maggie’s father, or one of Caleb’s numerous uncles.

Characters of the same sex can be difficult to tell apart, especially if they are close in age. When Maggie is talking to Caleb’s grandmother, for example, I didn’t have a problem differentiating the two. However, when Maggie spoke to Caleb’s sister, it was a lot harder. Caleb and his cousin Kyle sound a lot alike. Dialogue tags were definitely helpful in these instances.

Dukehart did a marvelous job narrating the interactions between Maggie and Caleb. Her pacing is spot-on. She allows us to see Maggie’s vulnerability, and Caleb’s need to comfort her. She also allows the listener to experience Maggie’s realization that Caleb is indeed her soul mate. A certain warmth enters her voice when these two are interacting. It lets us know that Maggie and Caleb are, without a doubt, meant to be together.

I must admit to being a little worried about Caleb’s protective instincts. I’m not a huge fan of the alpha male thing, but Crane portrayed Caleb in a totally different light. He loves Maggie, cherishes her, wants to keep her safe, but none of this means he wants to dominate her. Instead, the two of them talk, both out loud and mind-to-mind, until some kind of agreement is reached.

I fell in love with Caleb and his family. It’s obvious Maggie is exactly what they’ve all been waiting for. They welcome her with open arms. At first, she’s a little overwhelmed, but she soon feels at home among the aces. She’s not sure she understands exactly what it means to be one of them, but she’s determined to stick around to find out. Caleb is the one for her, and she isn’t going to let him go.

Paranormal romance is one of my favorite genres. Crane took it in a new direction, and I found myself really enjoying it. I’m eager to see Maggie, Caleb, and the rest of the aces again. Luckily, Accordance, Book 2 in the series, is already out in audio format, and Cris Dukehart continues to narrate the series. Who could ask for anything better?

Shannon

Narration:  A-

Book Content:  A

Steam Factor:  You can play it out loud

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Paranormal Romance

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Significance was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.