ORDER A COPY: Dating A Cougar: Book One of the Never Too Late Series
Publisher: Self-Published
Publishing Date: March 10, 2011
Audiobook: 8 hrs 40 min.
Narrator: Anne Johnstonbrown
Rating: DNF
After several decades of looking for true love and never finding it, aging model and lingerie designer, Alexa Ranger, has finally given up the search. A couple years ago, she got tired of the game completely and just stopped dating. Now friends and family keep her mostly content, so it is shocking at 50 yrs old to find herself suddenly wanting a sex life again. It is even more shocking to be attracted to a much younger man this time. She definitely thinks medically retired Marine, Casey Carter is sexy, but cannot get passed their twelve year age difference to even consider a fling. Not that it matters anyway, anything resembling a normal dating relationship is totally out of the question because Casey is related to and living with her daughters boyfriend. The very last thing Alexa needs is yet another talk-show worthy drama in her already complicated life, no matter how amazing Casey kisses make her feel.
Dating a Cougar is one of those free books that I downloaded from Amazon awhile ago and it sounded interesting enough to give it a try. I recently noticed that if you had already “purchased” the book, you could download the audiobook for only $1.99. Knowing I will never have the time to actually read this story, I spent my $2.00.
Although I am not certain how I feel about the story itself, I simply couldn’t listen to this narrator anymore. Her diction was perfect…too perfect. Anne Johnstonbrown would probably be a perfect narrator for a copy of Jane Eyre or some other regency drama. I could listen to her perfect diction if I was listen to an old Duchess speak. But her narration is so proper and every word sounded out perfectly, it sounded very unnatural. It wasn’t just the narration, even her characters all spoke properly. I was recently speaking with someone who said they sometimes listen to their Kindle narrate the story, but she never listened to an actual audiobook. I can’t do that with my Kindle app, but I can imagine how robotic that must sound. This narrator was only slightly better.
I am currently listening to a narrator whose narration is like listening to a TV news reporter, but when she speaks dialogue, it is with a more natural flow.
Ms. Johnstonbrown didn’t have much of a distinction between voices either and her male character sounded more like a teenage boy than a hot ex-marine.
I have a digital copy of this book but I was not so enthralled with the characters that I feel the need to continue it right away. The premise of the story is a 50 year old dating a man who is 38. But she’s an ex-supermodel who looks better than most 35 year olds.
This was not the first narrator who effected my feelings for a story, but it was the first time that I just couldn’t continue to listen anymore.
