Excellence, as usual for Lee Winter/Angela Dawe

This one was cute. I’m sure it was difficult writing a sequel to such an amazing book, The Brutal Truth. It definitely doesn’t reach the same altitude as TBT did for me but still excellent. If you liked TBT, you’ll like this one.

I honestly think this was one of the best narration jobs I’ve heard from Dawe. She is so good, it’s always difficult to listen to another narrator after one of her books.



Lee Winter is my favorite author in the game. Her stories are addicting and extremely precise. The attention to detail is what I love. Not a majority of the text dedicated to MCs thoughts. I hate when an MC in a book spends too much time on their thoughts… going on and on about what they’re thinking and not enough dialogue between characters. Lee Winter is masterful with her words that I am always super engaged.

3 people found this helpful

Funny, awkward, and sweet

I truly enjoyed this story and the narrator. It had me laughing, cringing (appropriately), steaming, and swooning.

2 people found this helpful

Time well spent

Loved the story, archetypal personalities without falling into cliché, steaming moments. A resounding yes from me.

2 people found this helpful

Going directly to my favorite list.

Another home run from Lee Winter. Not many write about the homeless and give them dignity, but Lee really took great care to remind us all everyone deserves respect & nothing is guaranteed. And viewing this from only the vantage point of Felicity, a highly out and proud woman of privilege, without turning it into a giant messaging piece shows why Lee is one of the all time greats of the wlw genre. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2 people found this helpful

Another great Lee Winter/Angela Dawe combination!

Lee Winter is by far my favorite lesfic romance writer, and this book was as good as her others. And of course if you add Angela Dawe to the mix it's even better. Highly recommend (though make sure to read The Brutal Truth first).

2 people found this helpful

Another brilliant Winter/Dawe collaboration!

I was excited to learn that Felicity Simmons from The Brutal Truth was going to get her own book, though I had no idea where Lee Winter was going to go with it. Sure - we knew that Felicity was career-driven, tightly wound, socially awkward, blunt, icy and unintentionally hilarious at times, but what story did the author want to tell through her that was important enough to bring her back around?
Without beating us over the head with it, Winter yet again brings light to an issue that most of us see every day - homelessness. And not just those who live out on the streets, but those who have furry family members to keep them company and often, safe as well. No - this book isn't about homelessness per se, it's more about Felicity's growing awareness of the world around her and herself.
Media mogul Elena Bartell gives Felicity a job to complete before handing the reins of Bartell Corp over to her. After donating a considerable sum to a non-profit who assists those living on the streets with their pets the year prior, a news story is released that Living Ruff is in dire financial straits. Elena tasks Felicity to find out where her money went and why the organization is in trouble.
Felicity isn't worried she won't be able to get to the bottom of it. It's what she does, after all. But she gets much more than she bargained for when she visits the organization and meets their lead veterinarian Dr. Sandy Cooper. Described as a Brienne of Tarth type (Game of Thrones reference) this impressive, tall, strong, Amazon of a woman is passionate about what she does and the people she helps. While waiting to speak to Living Ruff's director about the financials, she rides along with Cooper for the day and gets a real view of what these people's lives are like. And not all are who she expected them to be. Felicity is also drawn to Cooper in a way that baffles her because she's SO not her type. Her type is other ambitious corporate lawyers who have a certain image. As Felicity's awakening unfolds, so does the mystery of what happened with Elena's donation to the non-profit.
It was great seeing Felicity's transformation in this story. She's been completely focused on her career and is about to reach the pinnacle of what she's always wanted at Bartell Corp, but because of this experience, she begins to realize that maybe there's more to life than corporate success.
This book is a worthy addition to the Brutal Truth universe. It's socially conscious and a bit heartbreaking, but also interesting, fun, and sexy as hell. I mean, REALLY sexy. Go, Felicity! And there's a wonderful new character in Sandy Cooper who, along with Elena Bartell herself, forces Felicity to examine who she is and what she wants.
Narrator Angela Dawe brings this to life brilliantly, as usual. And she continues to surprise. There's a scene where the homeless are being offered services at a big park event and there are a good number of people in attendance. One is a much older woman and Dawe absolutely nails it, convincingly sounding like a 70+ year old woman. I also loved her interpretation of Cooper. Dawe really did her justice and illustrated all her wonderful appeal.
Kristie's story stayed with me. As Cooper says, most people are just two paychecks away from homelessness and Dawe did a terrific job illustrating Felicity's struggle to come to terms with that.
Winter not only entertains, but always has something significant to say in her books. She says something about kindness that's spot on but folks will have to read or listen to this book to know what that is. This was certainly worth the three month wait since the book was initially released! I ALWAYS recommend the Dawe/Winter combo. You can never go wrong!

2 people found this helpful

Awesome combination as always

For us Lee Winter/ Angela Dawe fans this is a no brainer, this has all the things we love, cute animals, great main characters, a good plot to take us on their journey to find love and a great cameo of our beloved Elena Bartell and the always charming Maddie.

I loved this books exploration of homeless people and their pets, and for once I love how this book made me yearn to give a hug and sympathize with a male character, coming from a very macho culture this is a great feat, hahahaha.

Anyway if you love cute animals, high functioning and emotionally/socially distant badass working women with a bit of sass on a journey of self discovery then this is a book for you. As a working woman in a male dominate area I love characters like this that apologize for little and just do so for those close to their hearts. This book only left me wanting to know more about this character I feel for her and understand her motivations and wish many times for the people around her to see beyond her prickly exterior and give her a hug.

1 person found this helpful

Excellent

I loved this narrated book. Lee Winter knows exactly how to string words together in her stories. The narration was pretty good too. The apprentice of the renowned ice queen herself finds her compassion and kindness in unlikely circumstances. Bravo Miss Winter.

Couldn’t finish

I tried but had to bail on this book after about two hours. I had a hard time believing two strangers would talk to each other the way the MCs did on the first day they met. I felt lectured to about the issue of homelessness and thought it was over the top.

Outstanding!

A must read, especially if you read The Brutal Truth. Could be a standalone and still throughly enjoyable though.