I feel the heat circulating between us, and I know we have to leave now or we’re going to be late because I’m going to destroy his sharply pressed suit.
Lainey Davis
Foundation
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Meet the Brady family. They’re brilliant, brooding and barreling into relationships whether they like it or not.
Zack Brady doesn’t do relationships. He does calculations.
When his family engineering firm sends him to investigate a sinkhole at a client’s house, Zack feels a tremor in the foundation of his carefully calculated world.
Her name is Nicole Kennedy. She’s loud and crass, and has no time for nonsense. She certainly doesn’t have time for a mysterious trench swallowing her yard. To make matters worse, the grouchy engineer who shows up to fix it is the same jerk she’s forced to run beside during the corporate relay race her boss insisted she run.
Somewhere between jogging and poring over geotechnical engineering plans, Nicole and Zack feel the earth move. Can they overcome their past to build something meaningful?
Foundation is book one of the Brady Family series. If you love messy family dynamics, unforgettable characters and sizzling chemistry, you’ll devour this new series by Lainey Davis, creator of the Stag Brothers series.
Point of view:
1st person. Alternating chapters between Nicole & Zack’s perspective.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
I listened to Beautiful Game (Stag Brothers #5) last month and jumped at the chance to enjoy more of Lainey Davis’ writing. This is book 1 in the Brady Family series which is a spin-off from the Stag Brothers series and some of those characters appear in this book. However it’s written in such a way that you can enjoy this without that foundation.
I loved this book – start to finish. Brought together both through an office/company competition and when Nicole’s yard needs an engineer, Nicole and Zack are both grumpy and somewhat combative. They’ve both been hurt by family, are floundering at work, and not interested. However they feel the immediate zing. Neither is looking for a relationship so they enter into a no-strings fling.
A central theme in the story is training for a marathon. Nicole has a history with her mother constantly commenting on her weight. I really appreciated the fact that Davis focused on how much Nicole progressed as a runner in terms of stamina and times and not on pounds lost or being thinner.
At times funny, sad, and super sexy – I really enjoyed how Davis balances all these elements. The chemistry that these two had in and out of the bedroom (or kitchen! ❤️🔥 ) was amazing. Lots of time to get to know them individually and as a couple. There’s a breakup but I liked that it didn’t drag on too long and it’s used for Nicole and Isaac to really resolve some other issues before coming back together.
Lovely HEA. Cute little epilogue. I’m ready for Liam & Maddie’s story, Suspension.
Narration:
I absolutely adored the narration. Admittedly I’m a fan of both Carly Robins and Tom Taylorson – so this was such a treat to listen to. They both do a great job giving all the characters Davis created unique voices and bringing through all the personalities. There’s also a lot of fun banter and a few emotional scenes that Taylorson & Robins are equally skilled with. Fantastic listen.
While I do own the ebook, I did receive an advanced copy of the audiobook from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
About the author:
Lainey Davis lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, her feral sons, and rescued rabbits. She writes steamy, contemporary love stories with grouchy heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of fiascos. She’s excited to find out how much coffee is too much.
You can connect with Lainey Davis here:
About the narrators:
You can connect with Carly Robins here:
Tom Taylorson is a veteran voice actor with decades of experience in commercials, video games, animation, and audiobooks. His clients range from Hyundai to McDonalds, from Blizzard to Warner Brothers Games, to Disney and LucasFilm Animation and beyond. He’s also an award winning audiobook narrator.
My Favorite Quotes
I’ll have to run five miles. In a row. I don’t know if I can do that. – Foundation by Lainey Davis #Audiobook narrated by @robins_carly & @taylorson #Romance #BradyFamily #Grumpy #Engineer
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I’ve worked hard for decades to silence the voices inside telling me what my body is supposed to look like, and what it means that it does not meet that standard. – Foundation by Lainey Davis #Audiobook narrated by @robins_carly & @taylorson #Romance #BradyFamily #Grumpy #Engineer
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Are you the fracking guy? – Foundation by Lainey Davis #Audiobook narrated by @robins_carly & @taylorson #Romance #BradyFamily #Grumpy #Engineer
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I rebuilt this fucking place myself, fueled by the power of my rage at society. Otherwise I wouldn’t give a shit about the yard falling off. So make yourself comfortable at the counter I polished and get to fixing my land. – Foundation by Lainey Davis #Audiobook narrated by @robins_carly & @taylorson #Romance #BradyFamily #Grumpy #Engineer
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I feel the heat circulating between us, and I know we have to leave now or we’re going to be late because I’m going to destroy his sharply pressed suit. – Foundation by Lainey Davis #Audiobook narrated by @robins_carly & @taylorson #Romance #BradyFamily #Grumpy #Engineer
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Rellim Reads 