Off the Edge

The Associates, Book 2

By: Carolyn Crane

Narrated by: Romy Nordlinger

For deadly secret agent Peter Macmillan, language is a weapon - one he uses to hunt criminals, destroy plots, and charm enemies. Seducing information out of a beautiful singer in a Bangkok hotel should be easy… except this particular singer has the power to destroy his cool façade, and with it, his last defense against a dark past. He tricked her. He helped himself to her body and her secrets. He has enemies everywhere. Laney Lancaster should hate Peter, but when she discovers him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel's dungeon, all she can think about is freeing him. Because she knows what it's like to be trapped and alone. And she could use a dangerous friend. They might be wrong for each other, but to survive they must trust each other with their lives-and their hearts.

Contains mature themes.

©2013 Carolyn Crane (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Sexy and suspenseful!" (Katie Reus, New York Times best-selling author)

I was on the edge the entire book

What did you love best about Off the Edge?

This is one of those books that keeps you from putting it down. In the case, stop listening to it. I couldn't wait to get back in the car to listen. I liked the way Laney and Peter connected.

What other book might you compare Off the Edge to and why?

I'm not really sure what book I would compare it to.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite was when they were arguing in the dungeon when she tried to help him escape.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maybe when they sat in the alley hiding from the goons.

off the edge

this was an exciting book. i really want to read more from this author. romantic situations were good.

I had high expectations for this book,

But was disappointed. The story was improbable, and the hero and heroine fell in love and expressed thoughts to themselves that made them sound like teens with their first crush rather than the adults they were supposed to be. The narrator had noticeably different accents for the main characters almost every time they had speaking parts which was often. I won't be reading this again.

Narrator thinks she is reading to children...

The narration, for me, can make or break a book. In the case of this book, the narrator has some skill. Her attempts at accents are okay. I'm from the South, and I'm used to hackneyed attempts at our various regional accents. I'm usually pretty forgiving if they at least don't try to make us sound stupid. Her male voices are okay. The men sound a bit wimpy, but it's passable.

But it's this narrator's intonation that drives me nuts. Her voice conjures the idea of a grandma or librarian reading a tale of adventure to young children. All wonderment and bright-eyed enthusiasm, this voice, and such a poor match for the subject matter.

The narration was a hindrance to my enjoyment of this book. I actually requested a refund, but then I repurchased it because I didn't have time to sit still with the ebook version. I guess that's a point in favor of the plot - I wanted to see how it turned out. As far as the book itself, I give it 3 stars because it's an enjoyable story. I'm stingy with 5-stars (those only go to GREAT LITERATURE, surely), and 4-stars are for stories that really move and/or impress me, but aren't necessarily the pinnacle of literary accomplishment. So 3 stars from me is a solid good story and worth reading. But the narration, though! Gosh, it was a trial, this one. Nearly ruins it.