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A review by koistyfishy
So Real by Abby Millsaps

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

3 Greedy Stars โญ๏ธ
Spicy Level: ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ.5/5

So this is basically like book 1 but throwing another dick into the story who likes to be called sirโ€ฆ

๐™Ž๐™ฎ๐™ฃ๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™จ๐™ž๐™จ:
This starts directly after the epic cliffhanger of book 1 and, as I eluded to, we meet another one of Hunter's loverboys, Kabir Spencer, who is just as hypnotised by her vagina as Greedy and Levi. We also meet Hunter's infamous mother, who gives us a magnificent view of why Hunter is as fucked up as she is. This, like book 1, is told in MultiPOV and Dual Timeline, but this timeline has moved to post-Hunter leaving the US and dealing with the miscarriage in London, and how that trauma brings her closer to Spence. Now in the present, the three need to navigate their interesting sexual dynamic and relationship, and how they all fit together (literally and figuratively) with Hunter.

๐™๐™๐™ค๐™ช๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ๐™จ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™๐™š๐™š๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™จ:
Abby Millsaps has this amazing ability that has made me love and hate Hunter AT THE SAME TIME. Past Hunter is infuriating, annoying, and stupid. She makes the worst decisions and is impulsive, and basically, all I wanted was for her old self to grow up and for the new her to just open up and talk. She keeps going on about how she got so much better and learnt how to communicate with the therapist she went to, but I SAW NONE OF THIS PUT INTO PRACTICE.

Kabir was something else; I did not expect the PERFECTION of this man. He was sex on two legs, and the dominant personality he added to the Harem had me kicking my feet, and squealing. He also has a deliciously dirty mouth and a sexual appetite that is just as perfect! At one point, while listening to this, my husband walked in and heard a โ€œscene,โ€ and the blush HE FORMED!!!!

Greedy is still my favourite of the boys, but I still think itโ€™s because he is such a broken sweetheart who just wants Hunter to love him, and I think itโ€™s because at times he is too good for Hunter. I still donโ€™t know why he is such a love-sick fool for the girl that keeps breaking his heart... BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS...

Levi was fantastic as we got to see more of him embracing who he is and his sexuality. While it was alluded to previously, it was all โ€œpastโ€ mentions, whereas in this, we see Levi on-page being open to exploring his feelings and what that means for his relationship with Greedy (and Kabir)... (and Hunter).

The plot is generally up and down and highly emotional, so prepare for a rollercoaster where you just hold on tight and try not to yell GREEDY!

From an Audio perspective, this was both spectacular and annoying (BUT NOT FROM THE NARRATION POV), more from the production POV. The narrators did an epic job at their characters, and I know my panties melted every time one of the boys spoke because their voices, accents, and portrayal were AMAZING. June Deborahae also did a really great job of portraying Hunter and her emotional journey. She goes through some rough times in this, and itโ€™s heartbreaking, and even harder listening to that struggle in voice, and quite frankly, it was nailed in this!

Now, why the production annoyed me is because normally, when you have dual narration, you have four voices to get used to. Thereโ€™s the FMC narrator and the voice she uses when speaking for the MMC, and then the male narrator who has his voice and his interpretation of the FMCโ€™s voice. Essentially, two distinct voices for each character.

I believe this book would have benefited more from a duet narration (or the equivalent of a duet involving four narrators) rather than the standard dual type. Keeping each narrator confined to their own chapter meant that not only did Hunterโ€™s character have to voice Levi, Kabir, and Greedy, but the other boys had to do the same. So, each character ended up having four different voices, leading to 16 voices in total. The only reason I could tell them apart was that the boys had different accents, so when characters switched accents, I could pick it up.

Without the various accents corresponding to different locations, it probably would have been harder to figure out who was speaking when. I feel like I wouldnโ€™t have been taken out of the story so often if the production had gone in the direction of letting each person voice their own lines, and having the character whose chapter it is narrate the rest. That way, if Hunter was speaking in one of the boysโ€™ chapters, the narrator who voiced Hunter would deliver her lines. I would have enjoyed it more if I hadnโ€™t needed to keep up with 16 different voices in my mind, especially since four was already enough to handle in terms of the plot. There are just so many people.

๐™๐™ง๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™š๐™จ:
โ–ถ University Romance
โ–ถ Brother's Best Friend
โ–ถ British Billionaire
โ–ถ Step Brother
โ–ถ Reverse Harem
โ–ถ Second Chance Romance

๐™Ž๐™ค๐™ข๐™š ๐™†๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™ ๐™จ:
โžข BDSM
โžข Edging
โžข Bondage
โžข Degradation and Praise

and ๐™ˆ๐™ž๐™˜๐™ง๐™ค ๐™๐™ง๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™š๐™จ:
โ–ท Look at Me
โ–ท Forehead Kisses
โ–ท Takes Care of Her
โ–ท Rolled Sleeves/Forearms
โ–ท Chin Lift
โ–ท Dirty Talk

Overall I enjoyed this, the audio was fun, sexy and entertaining and THE DAMN CLIFFHANGER... means I want to know what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Abby Millsaps for the gifted audio copy!
All thoughts and opinions are my own!
 

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