Before We Came

Lakes Hockey Series, Book 1

By: Sloane St. James

Narrated by: Edward Black, Chloe Ryan

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Birdie

Her funeral unraveled decades of secrets hidden from me—horrible secrets. This rabbit hole I've fallen down has revealed my past is much more sinister than I could have imagined. Everything I thought I knew has been a lie, and now there's only one place for me to turn: back to the people who have been searching for me all these years.

One of those people is my newfound brother's best friend: Lonan Burke, star defenseman for the Minnesota Lakes. His dirty talk and praise offer an easy escape as I shift into my new life. I'm ready to start anew with the ones who love me, but I'm not so sure I can settle down when I've just been set free.

Lonan

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've only got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she's been craving, but she's the intimacy I've waited for my whole life.

When her story hits the media, she needs a place to hide. I offer her sanctuary in my penthouse. For the first time, this frigid condo feels like a home, and she's made me believe the future I've always wanted is within reach. For now, I'm willing to hold her hands during the day and pin them down at night. But I want more.

This spicy hockey romance features dirty talk, praise, suspense, kidnapping, angst, a fatal car accident, second-chance love, forced proximity, and of course, a happily ever after. Intended for mature listeners.

©2023 Sloane St. James (P)2024 Podium Audio

Lonan & Birdie🥹

I thought I loved this book before, but the audio takes it to a whole new level of obsession for me! These narrators did a FANTASTIC job as Lonan & Birdie and bringing their story to life!

I went in to my original read blind on this one, so the background story took me by surprise & rocked my world! The audio was even better for giving me allll the emotions & I adore when a book/listen does that for me!

Lonan & Birdie were so so good together! Their chemistry & connection even after such a long time was electric & HOT! Plus Lonan doing whatever needed to be done (in his eyes) to keep Birdie was over the top but came from a place of love!

Birdie was fantastic too, her characters past trauma, new reality, coping, healing, & just her overall growth was super well done in my eyes!

PS: I low key loved the journal entries & getting a look into what Birdie was dealing with all those years.

Just as Steamy

I was not sure how this audio was going to go. However, I absolutely loved it! The narrators were a perfect choice for these characters. One thing I would like to see in the future is dual reading in a chapter. Overall this book did not disappoint and I can’t wait for the rest!

Strong Start with a Fizzle End

The narration for this book was great! Loved the female and male narrators. The reason for four stars overall has to do with the story overall. The beginning started off with a bang and I was really invested. The pacing was great and the mystery of our FMCs origins and kidnapping really pulled me in.

POTENTIAL SPOILER DETAILS AHEAD:



Once she was reunited with her family, things started to drag for me a little bit. I sort of wanted more details about her childhood and what she went through. The diary entries were great, but I wanted more. I also got really fed up with the 3rd act conflict between the FMC and the MMC. I understood her points and I understood his points; however, it felt like they weren’t articulating them in a cohesive manner to each other. At least not cohesive enough to actually be an issue for why they shouldn’t be together. I guess miscommunication was involved which usually bothers me. I so plan on reading the rest of the series though! Liked it enough to continue.

Lonan & Birdie

Finally!! I'm joining the being obsessed with Sloane St. James club! Everything about this book was so well done, the storyline, the characters, the romance, the spice, it was all perfect. Before We Came follows Birdie and Lonan. I don't like giving any spoilers, so I won't go into too much detail, but the plot was so gripping. Lonan & Birdie’s story had me hooked from chapter one. I listened to this audio & absolute perfection! I can't wait to listen to the rest in audio when it comes out!

Unique hockey Romance

So so good. Highly recommend. Such a different hockey Romance. And the spice is exquisite!

PLOT TWIST!

Woah I did not see that plot twist coming! This was a good book with great narration

Book Boyfriend 🏒

The MMC, Lonan, is why book boyfriends exist. His love was undeniable for the strong FMC, Birdie. His controlling behavior wouldn't work in the real world and this is why I love fiction! This book has a good plot that was overshadowed by the number of spicy chapters but still a good read!

Great casting!

Phew - Lonan.

This audiobook was a great dual narration! This was the first audiobook that I’ve listened to with Chloe Ryan & Edward Black. I really enjoyed both narrators and felt they fit the characters perfectly!

Great story.

Narration wasn’t my favorite but I managed. I did enjoy the story. Can’t wait to continue the series

Second Chance for Childhood Friends

Before We Came

When Birdie’s adopted mom passes, when she sees a picture of her when she was little with her mom, she gets a weird feeling. In the picture it looks like her but also it doesn’t. The girl in the picture has brown eyes but she has gray eyes. Also in the picture her birthmark on her leg isn’t there. She talks to her bestie about it and they brush it off. In hopes to find possible family, her friend recommends a DNA test. When the results come back 6 weeks later, she find out that she’s really a woman who was kidnapped when she was little and her family is still looking for her.

Lonan is a big time hockey player who is a total playboy. Ever since his friend and the girl he obsessed about got kidnapped, he turned to no emotion hookups.

Birdie flies to Minneapolis to find her family. With no set plan she decides to get a hotel room for a couple days. Meeting a bad boy tattoo’d man in the hotel bar, she has the best hookup of her life. The swap numbers and carryon. She decides to camp outside her childhood home and when a car leaves she follows. It ends up being her mom and she decides to talk to her in the middle of Target.

Finding her family was very positive and she gets flooded with memories and doesn’t feel to out of place. They is until the childhood boy her and her brother were best friends with ended up being Lonan, the guy she hooked up at the hotel.

I loved how Lonan instantly changed his ways and wanted to show his love and also support Birdie anyway or form. Due to her needing a visa to work, Lonan offered his guest room and paid cash to Birdie to be his personal chef.

Tropes:
Second Chance
Hidden Identity
Childhood friends to strangers to lovers
Hockey Romance
Reformed Playboy
Close Family