Clay

By: Jennifer Blake

Narrated by: Jennifer Blake

Janna Kerr's 8-year-old daughter is dangerously ill and she knows her last hope is an unscrupulous doctor who, for the right price, will help her child. Secluded in a small cabin in the Louisiana bayou, Janna and Lainey wait for the summons. But when Clay Benedict shows up, an already desperate woman is pushed to the edge.

Clay, whose powerful Louisiana family owns this land, was just checking on the place. He didn't expect to be drugged and held captive by a beautiful woman whose secret is revealed the moment he looks into her young daughter's eyes, Benedict eyes.

The last thing Janna needs is this powerful man affecting her in ways her heart cannot allow. Because nothing is more important than saving her daughter, and Clay is getting too close to understanding the terrible risk she's willing to take. But in Louisiana, a man fights for what he wants.

©2004 Jennifer Blake
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Abridged story cut some of my favorite parts

I don’t like abridged books and didn’t realize it was when I purchased it. I missed the account of Clay and Lanie’s surgery and recovery ( which seems pretty crucial) and the discovery of the special plant Janna’s been looking for was planted at the family house by Matt before he died as a surprise for Janna.

Sweet and tender with an edge.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The edgy part. I don't like characters with a smarty pants attitude.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Clay because he turned out to be a good guy.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Added more characters with tie in story lines.

Did Clay inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

No.

Bayou romance before cell phones

When I was in college, I loved this series of Bayou males from the large “Bad Benedicts of Turn Coupe” clan. Listening to them now, some of the leads‘ manners come off a little non-PC. But, maybe that’s why, to this day, I love a good alpha male cop/soldier/hero romance, where the main guy is tall, dark, and dangerous, but where the dangerousness ultimately turns out to be fierce protectiveness and love. Enemies to lovers romance makes for sexy fireworks. I’m glad the book was abridged, because books from back in the day tend to take longer to get to the good stuff.

This novella focuses on Clay in a fun, if contrived, scenario of Janna capturing Clay to harvest his organ (no, not the one you’d think for a romance😜). There’s ropes, cuffs, overpowering, pinning, and turning of tables. There’s a kid, but the insta family romance thing isn’t too bad. There’s also caricature criminals. The narration was a bit tame and slow. I enjoyed it more sped up to 1.4x, but I think I’d have preferred a younger narrator with more verve.

The sex was also relatively tame, written with more emotion than explicit physical descriptions... lots of smoldering looks, growls, him “loving the taste and feel of her” and her “feeling him to her core” and words like “ effervescence” and “quiescence.” Yep, the good ole days, when romance only refers to “members” and “petals” and never uses actual physical body parts (well, except for breasts and nipples... so I guess it’s just the naughty bits below the waist that get the airbrush treatment).

For quick, free borrowed listens from Audible Escape, this book and companion books Kane and Roan are decent. Nothing Earth shattering, but good for a light nightcap.