The Sound of Silence (Leave Me Breathless World)

By: Dakota Willink

Narrated by: Sean Crisden, Sarah Puckett, Connor Crais

USA Today best-selling author Dakota Willink delivers an emotionally gripping, dark romantic suspense that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Gianna: There’s a common expression I remind myself of every day: that which does not kill us, makes us stronger. People think I live an idyllic life with my perfect husband, but they don’t know what lies beneath the façade. Like the delicate petals of the daisies he loved to give, I was easily crushed—broken, just as he wanted me to be. I’ve learned to accept what is, but I won’t let it destroy me. Instead, I do the only thing I can to survive—I run.

Derek: I knew she had a story. I knew it most likely contained violence. But never did I imagine the horrors she’d been through. I’d waited so long and she’d experienced so much. She was perfectly imperfect, her scars more than skin deep. It was near impossible to separate truths from lies, but I knew her secret. And yet, I couldn’t help wanting to get closer. She was strong, and there was beauty in strength. I was drawn to it—drawn to her. I wanted to erase her horrors and give her something new to dream about.

*Trigger warning: This story contains situations of domestic violence and abuse. Some aspects may be sensitive for some listeners.*

©2020 Dakota Willink (P)2020 Dakota Willink

A story of bravery and finding hope again

The Sound of Silence AUDIO BOOK by Dakota Willink

4 out of 5 Stars

Gianna Valentini thinks she found the perfect man in Ethan Walker. Ethan is loving, kind, a police officer, and seemingly everything she wants. Once the wedding vows are exchanged, Ethan starts to change. Ethan is more of a nightmare than a dream. Once Gianna makes up her mind to leave, she stays to plan carefully and accumulate everything she needs to get away from Ethan. But nothing ever goes as planned.

Derek Mills is a budding entrepreneur. He just happens to be at the same hotel as a wedding reception for Gianna and Ethan. When a chance encounter between the bride needing a moment and this stranger, the sparks fly. Several years later, when Derek assists a stranger in the hallway to his fitness center, he discovers the bride from the chance encounter. She is not the same. She is going by a different name, her hair is shorter and darker, and always looking over her shoulder. Could this beautiful woman be on the run from someone?

Dakota Willink delivers on the suspense, the drama, the heat and the heart. You can’t help but root for Gianna as she fights for her independence. The heart-wrenching scenes are balanced by hope and healing. Ethan got off way too easy. Gianna is brave and resilient. Dakota put in the time to make Gianna real and believable. Amazing story and characters!

Trigger Warning: This book contains scenes of domestic and sexual violence. May not be appropriate for all audiences.

Heartbreaking - Abused wife

This is an intense read/listen. Normally, I do not want interruptions when listening to a good book. This time I had to work them in just to give myself time to regroup. Ethan was a religious, abusive, psychopath who was able to deceive Gianna in the beginning. After marriage, part of the truth was revealed. This part made me sick, scared, and angry. My heart rate increased and tears ran down my face as I listened. Gianna transformed through the book. I didn't ever see her as weak, although she thought others saw her that way. I saw her as an innocent, loving character. She was smart and strong to climb out of her situation. Derek provided a place for healing, allowing her the time she needed as well as teaching skills for her to feel safer/stronger. The hope of healing was soothing. We learn even more about Ethan at the end. There is a HFN ending. Abuse is definitely a hard issue to tackle with sensitivity and care. My heart is still heavy. All three narrators were excellent. They brought this audio alive as it rolled through my head like a movie. Sarah Puckett is a favorite narrator. I'm unsure who was who of the guys, but both parts were absolutely done! #AudiobookObsessionReviewer #PinkFlamingoProductions

A Must Read/Listen

The Sound of Silence by Dakota Willink is a dark romantic suspense that I listened to on audio narrated by Sean Crisden, Sarah Puckett, and Connor Crais.

This book does come with a Trigger Warning: This story contains situations of domestic violence and abuse. Some aspects may be sensitive for some listeners.

This is the first book of Dakota’s that I have read and it definitely won’t be my last. This is a story that really needed to be told and Dakota did it in an amazing way. The book will take you on an emotional roller coaster. I loved that we got Gianna, Ethan, and Derek’s points of view throughout the book. It really brought the story to life.

Sarah, Sean, and Connor did an amazing job on the narration! They really brought the story to life and made me feel all the emotions of the characters.

I would highly recommend this book if you love romantic suspense. This is a MUST READ!

Audiobook Obsession VIP Reviewer

Emotional, Intense, and Suspenseful!

The Sound of Silence is a captivating Romantic Suspense. The story is beautifully written. Gianna's story is heartbreaking, emotional, intense, and suspenseful, filled with twists and turns. She is a beautiful survivor, strong, and determined. Derek is handsome, caring, and protective. Ethan is dark and devilish. The characters are well developed, and intriguing. The story is told with three POV, which is great. The supporting characters are great. I love the ending. Sean Crisden, Sarah Puckett, and Connor Crais did an outstanding job with the narration. They are perfect as Gianna, Derek and Ethan. This is a wonderful team authors/narrators. I highly recommend it. #TheFlock #PinkFlamingoProductions

The Sound of Silence

So Good!! This book reminds me of one of my favorite movies which made me love it even more. The suspense of a woman running from an abusive spouse is always an interesting read to see the heroin find her inner strength and be able to rise above the past (as long as it’s fictional... if it is real, please find help). Such an intense listen that had me listening all in one go. Narration was perfect.

Very Emotional

This was a emotional experience. I love Dakota Willink's writing and this book was no exception. This drama is well written and read like I was watching a move, with great narration to match.
🎧Audiobook Obsession 🎧

Finding Courage!

Dakota Willink never ceases to amaze me with her storytelling. The Sound of Silence is a suspenseful, dark romance about a woman named Gia. Gia finally finds love to find out it is never the kind you want. She finds herself in a controlling, abusive relationship but in the end finds happiness. Reading of her struggles, courage, and perseverance really pulled at my heartstrings. While nothing to this severity, this reminded me of my own story. As a teenager, I found myself for 4 years, in an abusive, controlling relationship. I allowed this behavior because I thought I loved him and that he loved me. He would be a different person behind closed doors, but then find ways to weasel himself back into my heart every time. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I had had enough of feeling like I wasn’t worth anything. About a year later, I met an amazing man who I now call my husband. Like Derek (Gia’s saving grace), my husband was very patient with a girl who was broken. However, he saw something in me that I thought I had lost - a woman who deserved to be loved and cared for with respect. So, thank you Dakota Willink for writing this amazing story of survival - I truly believe that it gives hope to those individuals out there that are struggling with similar experiences, and hopeful it will also give them enough courage to find a different path because they are all worth it.

Great Book

5 Stars
The Sound of Silence AUDIO BOOK by Dakota Willink


Holy Cow! What an intense yet gut wrenching romantic suspense that will have you turning the pages while on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going to happen next. This author never ceases to amaze me, this is my favorite yet. The narrators done a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life and making you feel like you are right there with them. This is an emotional rollercoaster ride that in some parts I had to push stop and take a minute to gather myself then I was right back to listening. This is about Gia she’s a woman who thought she found love with Ethan but she soon found out what you see is definitely not what you get! Ethan is a abusive man . Gia finds the strength and courage to get away. Will she be safe? Can she trust another man? Find out what happens next in this must listen/read. I can’t wait to read/listen to more books by this author.

Outstanding Story & Narration🎧 Gripping & Intense!

This book is awesome, the story wowed me completely and it is definitely left me breathless. Dakota Willink created one dark and intense story, one that captivated my attention from start to end. This is the type of book you do not want to put down because you need to know what happens next. The storylines and characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. I adored and admired the lead female character, Gianna, her tenacity and determination to not only survive but to free herself and get away from her abuser. The person she married hid his true self from her, his evil deranged mind, the mind of a narcissistic madman. She had to bide her time with him because of who he was but even if she gets away she is never truly free of him. Derek had a brief encounter with Gianna the night of her wedding, there was an instant connection between them and he never forgot about her, so he was surprised to see her again years later posing as a completely different person. He knew she had a story and he was waiting her for to share it and when she finally did it blew his mind what she endured. But he had faith in her and her strength. This book is brilliantly plotted, there plenty of drama, angst, action, twists and turns, thrilling suspense, mystery, and yes romance, but what makes this book shine the most is not just the complexity of the story and it’s characters but how much the characters and where they wind up in the end. Dakota Willink, thank you for this outstanding story and for the emotional and thrilling rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for the wonderful narration, Sean Crisden, Sarah Puckett and Connor Crais are the perfect cast to bring these characters and their story to life. They did an awesome job portraying the characters, humanizing them, giving each their own voice and personality. Sarah Puckett took Gianna’s role and ran with it and made it her own. She allowed you to hear her strength, determination as well as her vulnerabilities. Sean Crisden played the perfect Derek, a gentleman with a whole lot of heart, he brought out is fierceness at the right moments too. Connor Crais grasped Ethan’s persona to a tee, he played the part going from sweetheart to a madman with ease. These are mega talented narrators, they are entertaining storytellers and their performance enhanced the story another level. Thank you for this outstanding listen🎧

Thank you @PinkFlamingoProductions @AudiobookObsession #AudiobookObsessionReviewer🎧

This story was INCREDIBLE

I am so happy I listened to this!
I am now going to listen to as many of Dakota Willink's books as I possibly can. Because that book I just read was pure gold. It had me on the edge of my seat! I caught myself many times stopping the task I started doing to just close my eyes and listen to this book. I loved Derek and his patience with Gia. And I loved Gia's strength. This book had everything I love in a dark romance. 5 stars and MORE!!!!!
*Pink Flamingo Productions*