The Ex Lottery

By: Kim Sanders

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky

Winner of three contemporary romance awards. The NEC-RWA Readers Choice Award, Contemporary Romance Chick Lit Writers Award, and the Chatelaine Award.

In this modern Irish fairytale, a young art teacher from Savannah, Georgia has given up on love. Three times Tory Adams has loved; three times her heart has been crushed. On a whim, Tory purchases a lottery ticket using the dates her ex-boyfriends dumped her. And she wins! Wins over $600 million dollars. All Tory has ever desired is love, a home, and a family. Now, with a pot of gold, she can at least have her own home, and she is not settling for just any home.

Tory flies to Ireland to buy the castle on Dragon's Isle, a magical place where her grandparents met and fell in love. But could money buy love? From the moment she arrives in Ireland, Tory faces complications. Wonderful complications. A handsome Irishman appears followed by a trio of men to chase her across the Emerald Isle. But she must decide - do the men love her or are they simply romancing the numbers?

©2014 Kim Sanders (P)2017 Kim Sanders

Romantic Irish Fairytale

After being fed up with getting her heart broken, on a whim Tori plays the lottery using the days she has been broken up with- and wins! She becomes a hermit to avoid all the attention, especially the marriage proposals, a result of the interview she unknowingly gave where she confessed how she picked her numbers. Due to a promise made with her beloved dying grandmother, she is now on her way to Ireland, the place where her grandmother found love. ​

This was so cute, while listening I felt like I was watching a romantic chick flick with all the ups and downs and feels. There was humor, heart, fate and love and it made me just want to buy a physical copy to hold to my chest. I loved the charm and magic that was interwoven in the story, making Ireland feel magical as if anything is possible, and signs and fate that were everywhere. It was a modern day Irish fairytale about finding yourself and true love and who doesn't want one of those?

​The story was dual narrated by Tori and Shane, the two love interests. Tori did have a habit of assuming the worst about a person or a casual comment and totally overreact- there were so many times she could have avoided painful situations if she thought less with her tender emotions.​ There were so many times that the biggest problem between the two characters were due to incorrect information or inadvertent misleading and it really made me want to scream! If I could have just shaken some sense into the characters, maybe I would have had a happy ending sooner...

The narrator was so good, I would gladly listen to her read me more books in the future- and remember, I am a super picky listener! She brought all the characters to life, not just the two main characters​ but all the side characters were bursting with personality. Her Irish accent was just perfect and charming. I do think that she is up there with one of my favorite narrators and I would love to listen to more stories read by her- I have now added all her narrated books to my wishlist!

I really enjoyed being swept up n the story, be it the swoony romantic moments, the heartfelt truths, or the ridiculous comedy provided by three unwelcome suitors. I did read somewhere that there will be another book focused on Carter and that will be on my wish-list as soon as is exists! I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for more from this author.

wow

I got a lot more from this book than I was expecting, the romance and adventure and memories of the characters are so real.

Loved this beautiful, funny story!

What else can I say, except that I LOVED this book! I mean, it has been a dream of mine for a while to run away to Ireland, to meet the man of my dreams. And that isn't exactly what the plot of this story is, but it definitely has some aspects that are along that same idea. At first it took me a bit to get into, just because the character was getting ready to go to Ireland, and hadn't left yet. I know that set-up was needed, but if I'd been reading instead of listening, I'd have skimmed through that bit much quicker than I did when I was listening. However, once Tori got to Ireland, the story really picked up. In fact, I was only a little over a third of the way through when I was at a point that I did not want to stop listening in my car when I'd arrived at work that morning. The coincidences that I predicted did come out, but in a good way, one that kept the story going, and definitely weren't the kind that made you think the story was too much of a usual one.

All of Tori's exes were hilarious, except Carter, and when I found out what he'd done, wow, I was so mad at him. And what happened between him and Tori was sad, definitely made me cry. And then the part at the end when he kind of set Tori and Shane back, I was ready to kill him. I also loved Molly and Mags, and I had hoped a little spark might be between those two, and then the twist at the end, something I wondered about at the very beginning, well that made me very happy!

This did have the usual part of the story where the two of them were keeping secrets that if just one of them had spilled to the other one, things could have been cleared up so much sooner. And I hate that Shane didn't just google Tori sooner, to know what all was going on and who she really was. I mean he had the ability, she did not. I was definitely still kept guessing about a few details in the plot, and I like that. I enjoy the way it wrapped up, and am glad it went that way.

The setting of Ireland totally called to me even more, making me more determined to one day get there to visit. Although I probably will not have a chance with an Irish man, since I'm not a fan of beer, at all. But I want to have a room above a pub, and hear all the Irish voices and accents as I wake up or throughout the day.

My only complaint is maybe the sex started out like I'd want it, but the fade into black bit was a little off for me. I would have liked the whole scene. But that's okay. I could deal with that, because in the end, I loved the story so much. The narrator did a great job for sure, and I could definitely listen to more books by her.

A witty and entertaining story!

The Ex Lottery was an enjoyable, fun and easy to read romantic adventure. An entertaining plot that will have you laughing aloud while cheering on the main characters. The characters are relatable and realistic. Kim Sanders has a creative style of writing that is easy to follow and enjoy. A fresh and unique plot that forms an enjoyable book!

Eva Kaminsky did a great job with the narration. She has a clear and crisp voice that was easy to follow.

Couldn't Stop Listening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Once I started listening, it was so challenging to quit. I just HAD to find out what happened next with all the ex's and who would finally end up with Tori.

What did you like best about this story?

My favorite was near the end, when we find out more about the Blue Dragon....it actually brought tears to my eyes.

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

I loved Eva's voice and her Irish accents were AWESOME!!!

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Different love story

Loved the book and so enjoyed Eva Kaminsky's narration. Quite a fairytale but worth the listen. I wish there were more of Kim Sanders books on Audible.

Love or Money or both someway . . .

One unlucky in love art school teacher, $600 millions dollars, Ireland, a castle, a dragon, and a story that gave her hope there was something more for her and her dreams. Tory never dreamed that her bad luck with men would be the key to her future and her fortune. She never dreamed that her grandmother would sell the only home she had ever known and loved. She never expected to be truly going across the world, to a castle that had been a part of her life since she could remember. She never expected that her journey home would start with meeting a man that makes her feel more than every. Tory never dreamed that all her exs would follow her across the world.

I was very much invested in this story from the start all the way to the end. There were few parts that felt like something was missing, but I could piece things together. I loved Tory's best friends. I would have loved to have seen more of her. I really liked Tory. I could relate to her. She felt real.

Narration gave this read a little something extra. Eva Kaminsky did a good job giving each character there own identity and uniqueness. The audio was smooth, hiccup free and kept pacing with the speed changes.

Great Narration

Interesting and romantic story with a few twists. I swear that Eva Kaminsky’s narration would make any book a great audible!

Delightfully Surprising!

4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮Three things drew me to The Ex Lottery: 1) The cover. This looks like the cover of a NYT Bestseller. 2) The narrator. Eva Kaminsky is ahh-mazing, but I’ll tell you more about that later. 3) The premise. This was the biggest draw. Kim Sanders has thought up an entirely original basis for a story. It was one that I couldn’t resist, even though I’m not typically that fond of the romance genre.

The Ex Lottery wound up being just the lighthearted adventure that I needed after all of the spook-tacular audios I heard in October. The story was definitely fun, but it wasn’t shallow. It had real substance. I was surprised to find such a well-woven plot underneath all of the fun.

One of my biggest complaints with Romance, and with all genres, is predictability. Sanders’ cleverness extended beyond the basic premise of the story. As someone who listens to a lots of stories, I love being surprised. Alas, it is becoming harder and harder to surprise me. However, Sanders was able to catch me offguard several times with unexpected, but welcomed, plot twists. With true skill, she was able to tie each of these seemingly random twists into the larger story, leaving no loose ends.

Many authors are capable of developing ideas clever enough to serve as the foundation of a good story, but far fewer are able to execute those ideas and follow them up with a story of worth. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a promising synopsis, only to be let down by the plot execution, character development, quality of writing, or all of the above. The Ex Lottery was well written, narrated, and produced.

The Ex Lottery did not disappoint me in any respect. It made me laugh, made me swoon, and kept me guessing. If only all Contemporary Romance novels were written with as much ingenuity and heart as The Ex Lottery, I might become a regular romance listener. At the very least, I’m interested in hearing more from Kim Sanders.

Narration review: Eva Kaminsky was a huge part of why I decided to listen to The Ex Lottery. I hadn’t heard her before, but I’d heard of her enough to know that this would be worth a listen. And it sure was! Kaminsky added so much to the telling of this story. She was perfectly tuned into the characters’ personalities and the overall tone of the tale. The characterization she provided, particularly to the exes and other background characters, went a long way toward helping me navigate the story and connect with its characters. Less than an hour into the audiobook, I had already begun searching through her other titles. I plan on hearing The Gilded Age Mysteries very soon. ♣︎

➜ This audiobook was graciously gifted to me by its author, Kim Sanders, in exchange for a review containing my honest thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Kim!

Cute, Sweet, Romantic

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ex Lottery?

It's a funny one: When Carter swims over to the island.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene with Shane and Tori

Any additional comments?

Narration: For the most part the narration was well-done for this audiobook. Eva Kaminsky speaks clearly and at a good pace. Tori’s voice was distinct from other females. I found there was excellent distinction of Jack’s voice and Shane’s voice in particular. Kaminsky’s attempt at the Irish accent was commendable. While it started off a bit rough, I found she steadily improved her attempted Irish brogue as the narration progressed. (4/5)

Production: Sound quality was good. The audio was clear and sound levels were consistent. Spacing between chapters was very good. However, the spacing between POV shifts was too short and I often had to rewind a tiny bit to get my bearings, especially when the changed POV started with dialogue as opposed to setting. I think I detected a little ‘blip’ in the audio just about two times. (4/5)

Overall Experience: Overall this story translated to audio quite well. I enjoyed listening. The Irish accents were cite and added a nice flair to the storytelling. (4/5)


I liked this story. The plot is well-laid out. The complications are clear. The resolutions are satisfying. There are also a couple of secondary plots to keep the reader’s interest and tickle their heart. The main characters are well-developed and their growth is shown as the story progresses. Although the story opens well after the passing of Tori’s grandmother, she is still very much a part of the book and her story is just as captivating.

This tale is billed as a fairy tale and you should understand that up front. It’s very romantic and at times whimsical. Everything is romanticized through Tori’s eyes from infants, to the dramatically beautiful setting and even to an old sea captain’s gnarled hands.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.