The Pact

By: Karina Halle

Narrated by: Lidia Dornet, Shaun Grindell

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome - a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He's also one of Stephanie Robson's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she's known him.

Beautiful, funny, and an ambitious businesswoman, Stephanie Robson is one of Linden McGregor's best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he's known her. But some relationships can't be boxed, can't be classified, can't be tamed.

Back in their mid-20s and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them were in a serious relationship by the time they hit 30.

It sounded like fun and games at the time, but as the years to 30 tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.

Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line. The pact is about to change everything.

©2014 Karina Halle (P)2015 Tantor

A rating...

My Review:
Overall: 4.5
Performance: 4.5
Story: 4.5

This story was so enjoyable. I really, really liked it. The book is about three friends as they grow into adulthood. James and Steph dated once upon a time, but all three of them have them have been best friends forever. Steph, Linden, and James. But it was Steph and Linden who made the pact on one of their birthdays in their early 20's that if they were both single when they hit 30 then the two of them would get married.

Then the first half of the book is following each of them through the years of their birthdays, the ups and downs of their relationships and their never-ending friendship. I loved this long intro into where they are at and how they are growing into adulthood. It shows that they've had good times, with and without each other. And they've each had meaningful relationships with other people.

But their lives change when they hit 30 and the romance ramps up from there.

I adore friends to lovers books and this book is a great example as to why. Linden and Steph are bff's and that's a lot of the reason why they've never done the relationship route although they are both attracted. No one wants to screw up the perfect relationship they already have. They know each other and have such an amazing time together. What if adding sex to the mix screws all that up? Then there's their other friend, James, in the mix. The signs are there that he still has feelings for Steph. They wouldn't only be risking the friendship between the two of them.

The narrators on this one did a phenomenal job. Linden is Scottish, so there's an accent to contend with which both narrators did amazingly well. The story is written in switching points of view between Linden and Steph. I love that the author went with both a male and female narrator for that. The two voices worked really cohesively together.

The book was amazing and the narrators nailed it. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story. So much that I bought the second book in audio format also. I can't wait to get to know Linden's brother, Bram, better. He was awesome at the end of this story.

Hard Not to Like

It's not complicated. Not overly angst ridden. The narrators are great (and that is often hard to claim).

3 The Pact Stars

I liked the early friendship we see between James, Linden, and Stephanie.
I think that is what hooked me to the story.

James was kind of a side character that I thought we needed a little more of Stephanie and James’ time together to get. I don’t know I didn’t feel there connection like the story wanted me to.

I lovvvved Linden before during and after. Just loved his character completely.

A little-passed half I started to struggle with the story, the triangle part of it just didn’t jive for me. I felt like they were being very immature about something when they were to have “grown up” in the story.

Overall the story was fun and interesting and what saves it for me was the narrators they do an outstanding job.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

Heart pulling story

Love this story. It will keep your interest all the way to the end. A must buy

Loved that Scottish accent!!

Nothing is as hot as this thick Scottish accent. Both narrators gave a great performance

I loved this story!!

The narrator was really good... people complained about the accents but I was ok with it.

The story is sweet and I loved how they showed the 2 through the years building a history.

Linden is adorable and sexy.
Steph is a forward thinking woman not afraid of having fun.

Basic friends to lovers

Good banter plot was meh. I thought it had a twist but I was kinda disappointed

A simple love story, but a great listen.

Any additional comments?

Loved the characters. Stephanie is a heroine that you can support. She's not a doormat (like so many romance heroines' these days---what's up with that?) and Linden is the manly-man type you'd expect from a romance, but he's not the twisted, self-serving jerks that are so popular today in everything from erotica to new young adult fiction.
Overall, I'd highly recommend this book. There are some heart-melting scenes and its funny too.

Story was interesting

I liked the story-it was a good romance. In particular I loved the male Scottish accent and the way the story went back and forth allowing the main characters to tell it from their point of view. What I did not like is the filthy language. It's so surprising to me that literature, although this would not be considered good literature by many, but that it has become so base and crude. Why not use interesting and/or more complex language to make the story better, deeper. Why would the author not want to write something more intelligent and human.

A 3.5 I can't push to a 4

This was a well-intentioned story that went on far too long. Linden and Stephanie, long-time friends who secretly lust after each other, make a pact to marry if they reach 30 still unattached. Could be a fun, passionate, friends-to-lovers story, but the author drags along everything and everyone in a complicated tale of twisted friendships and non-stop bed-hopping. The narration was not-bad, but Linden was supposed to be from Aberdeen, Scotland, and the 'brogue' held except for every word that started with the letter 'r.' There was sweetness and tenderness and a satisfying conclusion, but the journey took far too long with too much ugly scenery that had to be overlooked.