He's So Fine

AudioBook Review: Stars: 3 Narration 3 Story 3 Former child star Olivia just wanted a place to be, where the people who relied on her, then dropped her when she stopped acting, don’t have any expectations, or control, over her life. She’s got a good friend and a successful little vintage shop, her life in Lucky Harbor is happy and she’s able to remove herself from the difficult relationship with her mother and sister. Secrets, of which Olivia has many, are closely held, and while Olivia has no real reason to keep them, her difficulty in sharing her history is understandable. Chase is a charter boat captain, not overburdened with secrets: he’s just not interested in another relationship or the work it will entail. But, Olivia is both cute and seemingly omnipresent, as her best friend is engaged to one of his business partners and best friends, Sam. Sure there’s no harm in something casual, but can it stay that way. I had more problem with this one than most – for Olivia’s steely grasp on her secrets about her past – she didn’t murder anyone, she wasn’t a failure or a thief – so her unwillingness to share that she was a child actor was just a step too far for me. It’s not earth-shattering news, it was years ago, and people know her to have a great heart, be a good friend, and she’s well-liked in the community. Unfortunately, her lack of sharing made me less willing to buy into their relationship – even as it had plenty of moments that are classic Shalvis, with humor, change and growth happening. It was lots of tempest in a teapot moments for something that was arguably not that important to hide, but the hiding became the issue. Of course Chase didn’t care, and it didn’t (although I think it would have) give him much pause, he actually was the standout in this story. Narration for this book was provided by Angèle Masters, and she gives a solid presentation of the story, the friends and the moments of humor, questions and even the relationship that Olivia had with her mother and sister. It’s been a series of different narrative voices for this series, so the change here took me some time to adjust – it was a solid performance all the way around. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.