The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne White

The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne WhiteNarrated by Alexander Cendese and Tanya Eby

Previously published as Pieces of You, The Slow Burn of Silence is a thrilling mystery and a tender love story. Ms. White does a fabulous job balancing the plot elements so one does not overpower the other. She gives us a glimpse into small town life, showing us that things are not always as peaceful and serene as they might appear.

Rachel Salonen is Snowy Creek’s golden child. An olympic skier, Rachel brought fame and glory to this small Canadian town. Sadly, she suffered a leg injury, and can no longer ski competitively.

After the death of her sister, Rachel finds herself shoved unceremoniously into the role of mother to an eight-year-old girl. Rachel has always loved Quinn, but doesn’t really know her niece. She is determined to do her best though, especially when she learns that Quinn is the biological daughter of the man Rachel once loved and helped send to prison.

Jeb Cullin has just been released from prison when the story opens. For nine years, he’s been locked up for a crime he did not commit. He wants nothing more than to return to Snowy Creek to find out why he was blamed. He knows powerful people lied about him, but why? What or who are they protecting, and how far will they go to keep their secrets safe? Plus, Quinn is living in Snowy Creek. He wants to be the kind of father she deserves, but not until he’s cleared his name.

Jeb and Rachel were childhood sweethearts. Jeb had planned to propose to Rachel, but a nasty argument changed everything. Now, all he can do is hope it’s not too late for them.

I’m very familiar with the work of narrator Tanya Eby. As usual, she delivers a solid performance here. Her characters are extremely well differentiated. She lowers her pitch sufficiently to portray the male characters, and occasionally adds a note of gruffness to further distinguish them. It was sometimes a little difficult to tell characters of the same gender and similar age apart. Dialogue tags were very helpful in these scenes.

Female characters are Ms. Eby’s strong suit here. I could always pick Rachel out from other women. She also gave Quinn a childlike tone that fit the character perfectly. Her depictions meshed perfectly with what the author created.

This was my first time listening to Alexander Cendese. While his narration wasn’t bad, I’m not sure romance is the best genre for him. He does a wonderful job voicing various male characters, using variances in pitch and tone to make sure each was distinct. However, when he attempted to portray women, he slipped into a falsetto. This was even worse when he was portraying Quinn. His voice squeaked a few times during scenes with Quinn present. Overall, not a good effect.

I’m very pleased with the way both narrators handled the suspenseful scenes. Ms. Eby can sometimes go over the top during the heart-stopping moments, causing me to want to laugh, and totally distracting me from the story. Luckily, she moderated her pacing and tone very well here, and I didn’t find myself pulled out of the story at all. Mr. Cendese was equally good, causing this to be a very enjoyable listen.

The Slow Burn of Silence is listed as Book 1 in the Snowy Creek series. I can’t wait for the sequel. I came to admire some of the secondary characters Ms. White created, and I hope to learn more about them.

[section label=’Audiobook Information’ anchor=’Audiobook Information’]

Shannon


AUDIOBOOK INFORMATION

TITLE: The Slow Burn of Silence

AUTHOR: Loreth Anne White

NARRATED BY: Alexander Cendese and Tanya Eby

GENRE: Romantic Suspense

STEAM FACTOR: Glad I had my earbuds in

REVIEWER: Shannon [button type=’link’ link=’http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M4LVRE6/?tag=audiogalsnet-20′ size=’btn-lg’ variation=’btn-default’ target=’blank’]Buy The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne White on Amazon[/button] [section label=’Excerpt’ anchor=’Excerpt’]EXCERPT:

2 thoughts on “The Slow Burn of Silence by Loreth Anne White

  1. This sounds good and the price was only $5.45 at Audible tonight … though the sale ends tonight I think. Thanks for the review!

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