All I Want by Jill Shalvis

all I wantNarrated by Karen White

All I Want is Book 7 in the popular Animal Magnetism series, based in Sunshine, Idaho, where Zoe Stone is a pilot-for-hire. Zoe has been the de facto parent to her two younger siblings, as they grew up around the world wherever their workaholic foreign diplomat parents were stationed. Now that both Wyatt and Darcy have moved out of their grandparents’ home that the 3 of them have shared for the past decade or so, Zoe is trying hard to get out and enjoy her own life. She’s finding dating a chore, however, so when her blind date shows up at the door looking hunky and hot, she follows her sister Darcy’s advice to go out on a limb and kiss him before he even has chance to introduce himself. Too late, she finds out he’s NOT the dentist she was waiting for, but brother Wyatt’s good pal, Parker James, an agent with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Parker has been ordered to take some time off after a particularly bad bust kills one of his coworkers and almost kills him. But he’s convinced the perp has relocated to Idaho, so he contacts his buddy Wyatt to find a place to stay, and Wyatt offers to let him rent a room from his older sister Zoe. He’s more than a little surprised when the woman he had pictured – Wyatt’s “older” sister – is none other than this young, hot chick who just welcomed him with a hot kiss! Now he has to forget that, and focus on his mission: covertly find the bad guy hiding somewhere in the Idaho wilderness, and bring him to justice, without jeopardizing his job.

Zoe has a hard time living alone – the house is in desperate need of many repairs, and she was conned some years earlier out of her savings by a man claiming to be in love with her, so she also has a lot of debt. But she is determined to take care of herself as well as she took care of her siblings, and insists she doesn’t need any help. Parker finds himself wanting to help out, so – in his Game Warden Agent covertness – he waits until Zoe is asleep or out of the house to fix the plumbing, the electricity – and oh yeah, rescue some kittens. Although Zoe keeps saying “I’ve got it” and that he doesn’t fit her idea of Mr Right, she finds herself falling more and more…

I admit when I read the premise, I thought – Game Warden? Seriously? He’s not just a run-of-the-mill Game Warden, though (and I have nothing at all against Game Wardens, I just had a hard time getting how that was covert and all) – he’s a part of a team that tracks down bad guys, going undercover to crack the international rings of poachers with ivory, skins, rhino horns, and the like.

Once again, Karen White’s narration was really, truly wonderful. Her delivery is natural, pacing perfect, as if she’s just telling you a story. She creates all the characters with enough differentiation to keep them all straight, using a lower, huskier range for Parker and a voice pitched slightly higher than the narrative for Zoe. And yes, she got to voice Peanut the Parrot again – “Boner!” – as well as the kittens and some great sounds from Notable Rescue Pet Oreo, Zoe’s Bernese Mountain dog. She takes even the animals on with great gusto! It was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed the whole experience – Game Wardens and stubborn heroine and great pets and all. Zoe wasn’t nearly as obnoxious as Darcy (Still the One), so I didn’t have as much trouble identifying with and liking her with all her stubborn I Can Do It Myself vibes. Parker was such a marshmallow – his soft insides falling for the little girl next door with her kitten dilemma, his touching relationship with his coming-of-age sister with Down Syndrome, and his empathy towards Zoe, letting her save face about her inability to repair things (and bake). Yup – it made a nice rainy weekend read, with a touch of suspense and a full dose of Happy Ever After.

Melinda


Narration: A

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Fighting

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Tantor Audio

 

 

 

All I Want was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for a review.

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1 thought on “All I Want by Jill Shalvis

  1. I’m listening to it now and loving it! You’re spot on! Karen’s narration is awesome!

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