Safe at Home

Warm Springs Trilogy, Book 1

By: Christina Kirby

Narrated by: Maryann Carlson

Driven by fear and desperate to protect her family, Samantha is forced to leave Chicago and everything she's worked to achieve, only to start over by tossing a dart at the map. The Georgia town's folk true Southern charm is the unexpected prescription needed to heal her soul, and the sexy carpenter who touches her heart is a distraction she didn't plan on, but they might offer her a chance at a new life, if she can let go of her past.

Town heartbreaker Spencer Malloy isn't looking for anything serious. His days are perfect working as a contractor, attending his nephew's baseball games, or taking him fishing. He never expects to fall for the big city girl, Samantha. She's not his type, timid and closed off, but in her unguarded moments, he's intrigued by the woman he can't get out of his mind. The urge to get closer to her grows stronger each day, and when the shadow of evil resurfaces, he vows to protect Samantha, even if it means abandoning his home and joining her on the run.

When confronted by the man who's bent on revenge, Samantha must choose between running again to save the people she loves, or, if she has the strength, to stay and fight for her new life.

©2015 Christina Kirby (P)2017 Christina Kirby

Sweet and Suspenseful

Loved the suspense aspect, and loved the overall plot of Safe at Home! I love stalker books, and this one was an interesting one. Entertaining story that kept me interested till the very end! Sam has left her old life behind, and is restarting in a small town. An incident happened where she used to live, and because of it, she's in danger. Sam doesn't want to drag anyone else into the mess her life has become, so she's sort of closed off, but when the contractor comes over to help fix up her house, she can't deny the attraction she feels. Spencer and Sam's relationship is a bit of a slow burn, and it's also a sweet one. I liked seeing them grow more intimate with each other. I liked Sam, but I do think with how affected she is by the past, that she would've taken more precautions and figured out certain things quicker. I don't really get why she doesn't call the police when a certain major thing happens, and also why she feels such guilt over the past, since it seems that the events were already in progress, but I suppose it's tough to see straight sometimes. The author actually went pretty intense with some of the scenes, which I was a bit surprised by since the story felt more on the wholesome side at times, but I think the intensity of the scenes helped the suspense element. I listened to the audio book for this story, and the narration was good, but a little robotic and lack a bit of emotion. It's clear though, and the quality is good, so I'd still recommend getting the audio if you could. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to more from Christina Kirby!

Southern

It is a mistake to have a northerner read a book that’s supposed to be taken place in Georgia because they cannot pronounce the cities correctly

Story Possibilities Hidden Behind Narration

Unfortunately, I can’t really comment on Ms Kirby’s writing because it’s hidden behind and under the narration; it’s completely overwhelmed. I tried skipping around different sections and chapters with no respite. To give Ms Kirby her due, I’ll be checking out the book through Kindle Unltd.

While Carlson has a very pleasant voice, which lends itself well to audio; she reads, not narrates. Too many sentences and scenes all run together; then when you think she’s giving you emotions, it ends up being sing song-ey and then there are miscues, where the emotion is missing altogether...? You’re in a different scene, different character; dialogue, then exposition- it’s like trying to watch a scene unfold under a strobe light....
LikeIsaid,runstogether...
Whether the cause was poor reading, editing, or production, it completely distracted me from the story.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Awesome Story

I really enjoyed this romance/mystery! Narration was great. Great story and highly recommend it. I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it.

Really good!

Wow! I was not expecting the suspense/thriller aspect of this romance! Very well written and I didn't want to stop listening to this one. Great story!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it.

Great Romance and Suspense

I loved this book! Romance and Suspense are two of my favorite genres and the author wove both together so well. I found the story to be original and fast paced and the imagery was so good. I would compare this book to a gem with many facets. The chemistry was wonderful and the depiction of small town America was perfect. The narrator did an excellent performance with distinguishable voices for the various characters. I will definitely listen to more books by both the author and narrator. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review.

Running from the past

Sam has been through a horrific situation in the past and has moved to Georgia to put the past behind her. While in GA she meets Spencer and his family and slowly learns to trust them and enjoy their friendship. When the past does catch up with her, Sam has friends there to rely on when it looks like the worst is going to happen.
Parts of the book were a bit graphic and made me not want to listen to the rest of the book at night, but the conclusion was not as graphic as the scene in the middle of the book.
I really struggled with the narration. There are no pauses between sentences or scenes. I tried listening at a slower speed, which helped somewhat.
I would be interested in reading more from the author to see what happens next in Warm Springs but hope that a different narrator will be chosen.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Safe At Home

I enjoyed this story. The romance was a nice steady burn and very believable. I like the fact that the heroine is no simpering pushover and while traumatized by her mistakes, learned from them. I liked our hero, and Mr. Evil was truly evil. Great story. The only drawback I found was with the narration. While I thought the narrator did a good job when characters were conversing, I found the parts where she just had to actually narrate to be very off putting. There was something off about the cadence that just really bugged me. Could just be me though, and like I said when the characters were talking to each other she was fantastic.

Narrator is terrible

I can’t even listen to the rest of the book that I paid for. The narrator has a monotone and is absolutely horrible. I am very disappointed.

safe at home

great book, definitely worth reading/listening to til the end. Its more than a romance book, half way through it becomes a thriller. Samantha and her brother are running and hiding from a psychopath ex boyfriend of hers. Hes absolutely crazy and deserved to be in jail the first time. Sam and her brother meet spencer whos swoon worthy and brave! together you can feel the chemistry , sparks start to fly. Can they learn to let go of their fears , can he save sam and her brother from the monster? all those questions and more you keep asking yourself the further you get into the book. Definitely recommend book 1 ! I was given a copy of this audiobook for free by my request and voluntarily left this review!