Narrated by Xe Sands
I was excited to discover that Kristan Higgins’ earlier books were being recorded, and with narrator Xe Sands! Just One of the Guys is one of my favorites, with Higgins’ trademark quirky family story, the humor, the emotions. Chastity O’Neill is the youngest of 5 siblings, and the only girl in a sea of alpha male brothers. That, and being almost 6 feet tall, makes Chastity pretty much one of the guys – to her heartbreak, the “extra” brother, family friend Trevor, never seems to see her any other way. She goes out with other men, starting with the book’s opener Jason, who just doesn’t find her attractive.
Chastity’s angst over her inability to attract dates is increased because so many of the eligible men in her small hometown are friends of her brothers, and they won’t break the No Dating My Friend’s Sister rule. In addition, Chastity suffers from a fear of blood and gore, while her brothers are out there saving lives every day. She decides to take the EMS training to overcome her fear and become more like the rest of her family, and meets surgeon Ryan, who is looking for a committed relationship. He doesn’t know her brothers and doesn’t consider her “one of the guys”. Pretty soon they’re dating, meeting each other’s families and it seems like Ryan is prepared to pop the Big Question. The only other question is, can he trump her lifelong crush over Trevor?
It’s a fun read, with a large family also including sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces, and all the noise and confusion and chaos you would expect. Xe Sands delivers it perfectly – she has such natural pacing, showcasing Chastity’s insecurities, the brothers’ bravado, her parents’ bickering, the children’s antics. Sands has a believable lower range for the men’s voices, and she creates all the characters with other nuances so that it’s obvious who is speaking at all times. She also gets to voice 2 different dogs – Chastity’s lovable bloodhound Buttercup’s baying, and the obnoxious chihuahua Bubbles – and does it with aplomb. This is a thumbs-up recommendation!
Melinda
Narration: A
Book Content: A
Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in
Violence Rating: None
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Recorded Books
Thank you, Audio Gals! I was so happy Xe was chosen for this book (at my request!). She does a perfect job.
[squeeeeeeee fangrrrrrling here] You are welcome – just keep doing what you do!
Aw! Thanks to you both!
more fangirrling! you guys… how many more of these are coming out?
LOL! Not sure yet. MY ONE AND ONLY is in post-production and should be coming out sometime soon. After that, not sure if they will continue producing the previously unrecorded backlist.
Hi Melinda! Realized I hadn’t updated this with the newest news. Just finishing up UNTIL THERE WAS YOU now. No news on any others, but I suspect they will eventually get through them all :)