Reviewed by PizzyGirl
TITLE: The Shipwreck
SERIES: Lavender Shores #4
AUTHOR: Rosalind Abel
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves
PUBLISHER: Wings of Ink Publications
LENGTH: 9 hours, 51 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2018
BLURB:
Lamont Price’s romance novels have been a hit for the past few years. With his gorgeous looks, kind heart, and tender disposition, Lamont is the darling of Lavender Shores. He’s the guy everyone wants to be his or her best friend, the guy everyone wants to protect. But even with his success and the love of his family, Lamont feels hidden from those around him. Maybe the first step is attending a writing conference and revealing the man behind his pen name….
Tyler Dixon survives off his beauty and charm. From cover model to runway fashion to weekend arm candy, Tyler’s prices aren’t cheap. While his appearance is taking him places, his life as an artist has little more than flatlined. When an author hires him to appear as the face of her brand, Tyler thinks it’s just one more job. Little does he know another writer is going to steal all of his attention.
Escaping the conference to find some breathing room, Lamont runs into Tyler at a bar. Casual conversation leads to Lamont revealing his family’s obsession with helping him find love. It’s not a big deal to Tyler, who has played the role of boyfriend for other people in the past. Before either of them can rethink the situation, Tyler is in Lavender Shores meeting Lamont’s family. Though they’re only pretending to be in a relationship, the chemistry that ignites between them is anything but imaginary….
STORY REVIEW:
I had to sit on this one for a few days and think about what I wanted to say. Because while this book was good, it just didn’t hit the spot for me. I had to take some time to determine if it was the story or if it was just me. In the end, I determined that it was more me and my expectations for this book than the book itself.
It was not what I would have wanted for Lamont. I wanted something syruppy and sappy and OOT romantic. Something that was so sweet it brought candy flavored tears to my eyes. But that is NOT what we got. And honestly, I was disappointed and it colored my view of the story as a whole. And this is all on me.
So I am going to give this a higher rating than I feel because this has nothing to do with the story or the author. And I am not going to dwell on the story or why I didn’t like it. Instead I am going to strongly recommend that you buy this one and read and or listen to for yourself. You need to make the decision on your own as to how you react to this story. The series so far has been fantastic and I highly recommend it. This one just didn’t work for me personally.
However, there were some aspects of this story I really loved. And I want to share those with you.
I absolutely loved the no shame message. Being open sexually and free to live your life as you are and as you please is actually a really new concept. So many people are intent on imposing rules and preconceived notions on other that even I find myself unnecessarily judging others choices. I have to stop and really force myself to remember that my ideas and ideals are not the ONLY way to do things and I have no right to be so judgemental of others who are different or make different choices. This story really highlighted what it could be like if we all stopped making assumptions and imposing our requirements on those around us and I LOVED IT!
I also loved how I can always spot pieces of the author in his works. From phrases repeatedly used on social media to the use of real situations happening in the world around us. I could see pieces of the author in the character’s and their reactions and circumstances and that makes me love this series so much more. I connect more to stories that are wildly over the top but yet hold grains of reality. You may not like that, but I love it!
I can’t wait for the next story. Connor and Micah are so obvious I can’t believe everyone around them isn’t seeing it already! And I am always so eager to revisit the people of Lavender shores because they are all such a loving and eclectic group! Robert makes me laugh nonstop!
Please pick this one up for yourself and give it a try. Don’t let my reaction deter you because this series really is wonderful.
NARRATION REVIEW:
As always, Kirt Graves did a great job on this story. The emotions were on point and OMG does he bring Robert to life perfectly! I love him as the narrator for this series and hope he continues to narrate in the future.
RATING: 
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