Narrated by Karen White & Joe Arden
What I’m Looking For is the début romance novel of author Karen Grey, also known to romance audiobook fans as narrator Karen White (there’s also a different Karen White who writes romance – hence the pen name!). Investment analyst Kate Bishop is trying to make it in a man’s world – and believe me, in 1988, this was a lot harder than it is now. In spite of a healthy women’s liberation movement two decades earlier, there was still a lot of sexism in the workplace then (ok, and also now, but really, it was worse back then!). Men commenting on their female colleagues looks. “Boys’ Club” mentality shutting women out of opportunities for networking. And Kate suffered from all of it as well as being a little bit hesitant to rock the boat too much, even though she’s extremely data-savvy and confident of her analytical abilities. When she determines to find a (male) colleague she can trust, she heads to a bar to network where instead she meets bartender-by-night/actor-by-day, Will Talbot.
Will is really a classic “beta” hero, mild-mannered, considerate, supportive, sweet – he’s also thrown for a loop at their instant connection, since on paper, they couldn’t be more different. His ambition is to make a living at what he loves, classic and particularly Shakespearean acting – he doesn’t care about money or investments, the very things that drive Kate’s own ambitions in the investment world. She is motivated by logic and spreadsheets and data-driven decision making; he by drama and emotion. For him, changing his life to make more money is selling out – for her, how money is made is her passion.
They do share a few characteristics – both have been hurt by previous relationships; both are convinced that their careers will always take precedence over everything else in their lives; and they each fight the growing attraction and need they feel for each other, tooth and nail. Oh, and they each manage to jump to conclusions…
The story was fun – and interesting to process through the lens of 30+ years ago. Each chapter starts with an answering machine (does anyone still use those?) mechanically announcing the time and date of the message to follow. Characters SMOKE CIGARETTES! (do people still do that? Ok, yes, I know they do, but not nearly as publicly!) No personal computers. No cell phones. What in the world did we all do back then for communication!?!? Oh, right, cordless phones! After their initial meet-cute and a progressing relationship, Kate is pressured into bringing a date to her cousin’s wedding and invites Will, which starts the long slide to the reckoning of their feelings. It turns out that neither one really could see what they were looking for after all.
I’ve enjoyed listening to Karen White read a number of audiobooks from different romance authors – she also has a long list of non-romance fiction and non-fiction titles in her body of work – and it’s always been enjoyable. Her narrator voice has a storyteller feel to it – she’s right there with you, telling you about the events in the book, not just reading it or even just acting it out. Her pacing is excellent and her use of regional accents convincing – it takes place in Boston but Kate’s family is a bit more southern. Joe Arden is another narrator with just the right delivery for romance and he was especially convincing as Will, the passionate actor.
As well as having a central romantic relationship, there’s a strong current of Kate’s own journey to finding out what she really wants out of life, so in addition to a regular romance ending, Kate has her own personal happy ending I found very uplifting. Check it out!
Melinda
Buy What I'm Looking For by Karen Grey on Amazon
