Her laughter was like fresh rain to the dry crust of his soul.
Jill Brashear
Try Me
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Champion surfer Declan Bishop is living a lie. His friends hate him. His girlfriends are fake. One wrong step could send him spiraling out of control. Then Pearl walks into his life, and he has a chance to make all her dreams come true, even if he has to sacrifice his heart in the process.
Destined to fulfill her mother’s legacy, Pearl is determined to become the first famous female surfer. But it’s easier to wipe out on a dangerous wave than catch a break in the male-dominated world of surfing. She’s desperate to get noticed. Desperate enough to fake-date surfing’s bad-boy Declan Bishop.
Tall, blond, and brooding isn’t her type, so it should be easy to dump Declan after a week of pretending.
There’s only one problem—nothing this fake has ever felt so real.
Declan’s reputation is on the line. Pearl’s career hangs by a thread. And if they don’t bail out of their affair on schedule, their dreams will be swept away like yesterday’s tide.
Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating between Declan & Pearl’s perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
Note: While part of a series, the way Brashear has written these this absolutely stands on its own and could be listened to out of order. While Declan makes a small appearance in Try Easy (book 1) and Keoni appears briefly in this one – there are no spoilers in either direction and events occur somewhat concurrently.
Oh my gosh – I loved this. From their meeting Declan & Pearl were perfect for each other. They’re both really interesting characters. Declan is the “bad boy” of surfing who isn’t as bad as the media and his manager make him out to be. A recovering alcoholic struggling with his success in a sport that took the life of a good friend. Pearl is trying to succeed in a male-dominated sport as well as live up to the legend of her mother.
While their love of surfing brings them together and they have amazing chemistry – the fact that they each get to really know the other is what made this so enjoyable to me. There’s a little forced proximity (one of my favorite tropes) when they’re stranded together for a few days. It’s more than the weather that steams up! When they return, they struggle to find how they fit together in “the real world”. This had all the emotions.
I again enjoyed Brashear’s descriptions of Hawaii and surfing. I felt fully immersed in the sport that I’m not that familiar with.
Narration:
I thought Kai Rubio and Emily Woo Zeller were the perfect fit for Declan and Pearl. Both did a wonderful job bringing all the characters to life. Flawless narration that made this so easy to listen to.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from Home Cooked Books and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
About the author:
I love history, and I love romance.
I’ve always written sexy stories. When I was in middle school, I got a week of detention for writing a serial soap opera about the relationships of my classmates (names changed of course). Let’s just say the saga wasn’t exactly PG! I didn’t let detention stop me, and now here I am an author of romance!
Why do I love romance? Because it gives characters the opportunity to grow. Love makes us better people. I believe the journey to finding love is the most important one we’ll ever take.
A common theme in my work is women coming to understand their power. In my books, you’ll find strong heroines blazing a path through history and stumbling over love along the way. You’ll also find intriguing men and sexy settings. I’m a sucker for happy endings, so you’ll find plenty of those, too.
I’m currently working on three different series set in different time periods and different locales. I plan to add one book a year in each series. Although I write in several different subgenres, all of my books will take you on an emotional, whole-hearted ride.
You can connect with Jill Brashear here:
About the narrator:
You can connect with Emily Woo Zeller here:
My Favorite Quotes
She was small and slim, but he would never mistake her for powerless. – Try Me by @jill_author #Audiobook narrated by @zwooman & Kai Rubio #HistoricalRomance #Surfer #FakeRelationship
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He could smell the ocean in her hair and even that made him want her. – Try Me by @jill_author #Audiobook narrated by @zwooman & Kai Rubio #HistoricalRomance #Surfer #FakeRelationship
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The heat between them vibrated like the gathering storm. – Try Me by @jill_author #Audiobook narrated by @zwooman & Kai Rubio #HistoricalRomance #Surfer #FakeRelationship
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Her laughter was like fresh rain to the dry crust of his soul. – Try Me by @jill_author #Audiobook narrated by @zwooman & Kai Rubio #HistoricalRomance #Surfer #FakeRelationship
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Heart to heart, soul to soul. They were united. – Try Me by @jill_author #Audiobook narrated by @zwooman & Kai Rubio #HistoricalRomance #Surfer #FakeRelationship
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Rellim Reads 