Stranded

By: HelenKay Dimon

Narrated by: Dorian Bane

Cabe got out of the gun-for-hire business the hard way - by nearly dying. Except then his former boss calls in one last favor for one final job. The mission should be simple: get a message to a retired operative in Alaska. But it puts Cabe face-to-face with the one man he doesn't want to see and can never forget. Not after all the secrets and lies. Not after Brax almost killed him.

Brax Hughes lived hard and retired young to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Well, that was the plan, but before he can hang up his sniper rifle, he has one last mission: win back Kyle Cabe. Brax wants another chance, wants to come clean, but after months of lying to Cabe, he knows he could face a bullet - or worse - when they meet again. And they will meet. Brax made sure of that.

With a storm moving in and someone lurking outside the cabin, time is running out. Brax needs to talk fast and keep his weapons ready. And his best weapon is the truth.

©2015 HelenKay Dimon (P)2016 Riptide Publishing

Into the story

It was a wonderful story but am not a big fan of stories that start in the middle... had to picture one thing then another. But great performance by Mr Bane

Left without the means to move from somewhere

Would you listen to Stranded again? Why?

I would, and will. I loved the marriage of the written word and the narration.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Oh that's hard. I liked them both so much. Cabe was wounded and betrayed, his heart buried under a steel exterior he projects so it won't get broken again. Brax, the man that fell hard for Cabe and made the ultimate sacrifice to protect Cabe.

What does Dorian Bane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He gives both men dimension. There's only so much that can be conveyed through words on paper, Bane brings their personalities and pain to life perfectly.

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

The book was pretty much non stop start to finish, but I particularly liked the end, when Cabe went to claim what was his. It was very mellow, for lack of a better word, the way he went about it when he came face to face with Brax and it fit the story beautifully.

Any additional comments?

Well written story about to men that have sacrificed life and love for a cause they no longer believe in. Now they just have to learn to trust each other again.
I love Dorian Bane's deep, raspy baritone. It fit Brax flawlessly and he managed to reel it in and soften his tone for Cabe. Definitely a must listen, highly recommend.

Story was meh, but narration kept me listening

Would you try another book from HelenKay Dimon and/or Dorian Bane?

Perhaps, if reviews are really good, story appeals to me, or it's one of my favorite narrators (like Dorian Bane).

Any additional comments?

I get the backstory and distrust, but ultimately I just didn't feel the love between the main characters. However, due to the great narration, I did keep listening and pulled in enough to finish, even if the plot had a lot of holes.

Stranded

omg this audio book was absolutely positively amazing. I would highly recommend this audio book.

Fast Paced and Exciting Holiday Rom Suspense

Where does Stranded rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably middle of the group. I enjoyed this story- characters, setting, situation and much of the plot, but I also felt that it need a few more pages about the secondary character who was introduced and his actions never explained.

What other book might you compare Stranded to and why?

Lisa Henry and JA Rock's Playing the Fool trilogy for the antagonistic lovers who have some secrets and issues to work out. Same reason for why I'd compare it to Abigail Roux's Cut & Run series or SE Jakes' Hell or High Water series.

What does Dorian Bane bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Well I have read the book and I just experienced it with Dorian Bane's narration so I can say without a doubt that it really came to life in my imagination having him narrate. Many times when I do both and read it first, the narrator clashes with what I established in my own head about the characters and their voices. But not this time. I thought he did the characters and the story with intuition and skill.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Trapped By a Storm With the Man Who Shot Him and Killed Their Love

Any additional comments?

This is novella-length so it goes quickly.

I voluntarily accepted this book free.

Sometimes details make the story...

I liked the narrator, but I couldn't finish listening. If you are planning to write a book about assassins, doing a little research on weapons and covert military ops would be advisable. l could ignore one or two mistakes, but the lack of important details and the mistakes irritated me.

Wearing gloves doesn't affect your aim unless your eyes are in your hand, or you are wearing lead gloves. Sigh....