Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read: ✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Under the Stars by Laura Pavlov

Sunday, May 21, 2023

✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Under the Stars by Laura Pavlov

Under the Stars

Cottonwood Cove Series, Book 2

By: Laura Pavlov

Narrated by: Andi Arndt & Tor Thom

My new assistant is all smiles and sunshine—and she’s about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart.

I've moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business. I need to hire a new PA, and the pickings are slim. Some say my irrational expectations are the reason I've gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee. Incompetence is my pet peeve. If that makes me irrational, so be it.

Then, Georgia Reynolds walks into my office. Blonde hair. Sapphire eyes. And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on.

On top of being a rock star at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids. I have no patience for it. Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell.

She has ridiculous taste in music. Drives an unreasonable form of transportation. And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand?

My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite. But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic cliché. It doesn’t matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again. In my world, a beating heart makes you weak. And I do not tolerate weaknesses.

Momma Says: 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Under the Stars is such a fun listen. Grumpy/Sunshine usually is a fun trope, and this one steps it up a notch from the norm, in my opinion. Georgia is so upbeat and full of sarcastic wit that Maddox would have to be the meanest boss alive to not react. But this one isn't just a romance, and it's not just funny, although that would've been enough given how entertaining these characters are. It's also a story of family and friendship and learning to trust someone with your heart. Andi Arndt and Tor Thom give voice to the characters, and they really knocked it out of the park. From Maddox's swoon to Georgia's snark, these narrators keep things moving along, and the story is everything I could ask for. This is the first time I've read or listened to Laura Pavlov's work, but it won't be the last. I was pulled in and invested in these characters and this town from the beginning. The combination of Laura Pavlov's writing with what I would say were excellent choices for the narration made this one a great way to while away a Saturday.