Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Hot as Heller
SERIES: Aster Valley Book 3
AUTHOR: Lucy Lennox
NARRATOR: Michael Dean
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 8 hours and 53 minutes
RELEASE DATE: June 8, 2021
BLURB:
The man asked me to valet his damn car.
Look, I left LA for a reason. I’ve had my fill of big Hollywood stars and their even bigger egos. I want something genuine. Something real. And it doesn’t get any realer than being the new sheriff of Aster Valley, Colorado.
That is, until entitled Finn Heller appears on the scene, handing me the keys to his convertible like I’m his personal servant. The former child star and wannabe action hero is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s also a snarky party animal with legions of adoring fans and attitude for days.
Or so I thought. The longer the film crew stays in town, the more I begin to wonder if Finn is hiding his true self, one that’s as beautiful inside as out. He’s a star alright, but the kind that shines bright enough to light up the night sky…the kind I want to make a wish on. A wish Finn will find a way to make things work with me, even if it means his next role is my very own leading man.
REVIEW:
Hot as Heller, the third book in Lucy Lennox’s Aster Valley series, gives us a story with a bit of a different feel from Book 1, Right as Raine, and Book 2, Sweet as Honey. Ms. Lennox still takes us to the picturesque world of Aster Valley, Colorado, the small, snow-covered, down-on-its-luck, former ski resort, valley town. With Tiller and Mikey from Right as Raine now rehabilitating the ski resort, the town is turning around and starting to recover. Aster Valley is a gorgeous place with lots of Rocky Mountain peaks great for rock climbing. It’s a perfect place to film an action movie. Hollywood movie star Finn Heller arrives with the cast and crew to do just that and the celebrity presence is certainly a boon to the town.
Finn, a former child star, is trying to revamp his image. When we meet him, he is burnt out and disillusioned, wondering if this is really the life he wants. He’s not an action star. His passion is Shakespeare. He only agreed to do the movie because the acclaimed director promised him a role in a Shakespeare adaptation.
Sheriff Declan Stone, new Sheriff to Aster Valley, is still getting to know the town and find his place with the residents. He’s befriended Mikey, Tiller, Sam, and Truman (from Books 1 and 2) but doesn’t yet feel like he fits in. Meanwhile, he is less than pleased about the movie filming in town. The spoiled, rowdy, narcissistic actors engage in late-night partying. This interferes with the local businesses keeping to operating hours. It’s also interfering with Declan’s sleep because he’s called out at all hours to manage the disorderly conduct. Having just left Los Angeles, disgusted and disillusioned by corruption and scandals involving some close friends, he’s in Aster Valley hoping to start fresh. So the Hollywood invasion of his new sanctuary is not only annoying but highly unwelcome.
Declan and Finn start their relationship off on the wrong foot (Finn initially mistakes Declan for a valet), although the attraction is immediate and strong. Due to a confluence of events, these two end up in close proximity, and the relationship takes off from there.
Ms. Lennox, as always, tells a sweet, sexy story with some exciting moments, humor, and well-developed, multi-dimensional characters. It probably goes without saying, but the book is very well-written, with exceptional world-building. One of Ms. Lennox’s strengths is creating found family and showcasing those relationships in her stories. Oddly, there wasn’t much of that found family dynamic shown in Hot for Heller, which was disappointing. Towards the end, though, we finally get a taste of it and the accompanying dialogue and interactions that we have grown to know and love from Ms. Lennox.
Dialogue and communication are other areas of strength in Ms. Lennox’s writing. Seeing them used to full effectiveness in these “found family” scenes was refreshing. Surprisingly, though, the story unconvincingly relied on some implausible communication issues between Declan and Finn to drive the plot. Again, unusual for one of Ms. Lennox’s stories. However, both of these issues are minor and overall, have little impact on the overwhelmingly enjoyable Declan and Finn romance.
As is usually the case for the audiobook of a Lucy Lennox title, Michael Dean narrates. His thoughtful choice of voices for Declan and Finn allows his vocal performance to colorfully deliver the written words while also conveying a great deal about their characters. For example, there is a decent age gap between Declan and Finn, and the pairing of a deep, robust voice for Declan and a wispier, higher-pitched voice for Finn, makes that evident without having to say it.
Declan’s deep, burly voice perfectly matches his appearance and well as his profession, as the lawman in charge of Aster Valley. He wears a mantle of responsibility and we hear the weight of it in his voice. He is a man who will keep you safe and warm, and thanks to the round, enveloping tones Mr. Dean infuses into his voice, he sounds like that too.
Mr. Dean gives Finn a softer, almost feminine voice (think Blue in Borrowing Blue) that is slightly tremulous. Not only does it convey his youth and seeming lack of responsibility/experience, but it also reflects his anxiety about his career and life choices. You hear kindness and gentleness, someone who you’d want to be friends with. But you also hear vulnerability and self-doubt. Finn’s voice juxtaposed with Declan’s creates the impression of aural puzzle pieces clicking together. What I heard in one voice was balanced by the other.
One of the things Mr. Dean does best is pacing. Speeding up and slowing down the delivery of the words to reflect the emotion behind them. He displayed his intuitiveness and skill in this regard all throughout the story, but where it stood out the most was in scenes where Declan was rushing to a scene, or worried about something … or someone. The contrast of the deep, robust, usually calm Declan voice with that hurried, breathless delivery drives home his worry, sense of urgency, and even panic at certain points.
The Hot as Heller audiobook as a whole is pristine and faithfully recounts Ms. Lennox’s absorbing, highly entertaining story. Mr. Dean was able to impart content through his voice that I didn’t get from the book alone, and it really helped fill in some context. I don’t know exactly how he managed to do it. I’m chalking it up to the Michael Dean magic. But the result is a thoroughly immersive, fantastic audiobook that I highly recommend you have at the ready while you’re reading, or just listen to it on its own.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
[…] Read More » […]