The Warm Up

By: Xio Axelrod

Narrated by: Megan Tusing, Greg Tremblay

Subzero. That's what folks around the league call Constantine Zimin, hockey's best defenseman. He's unflappable. Stoic, even. No cracks in all that ice, not until he meets Suji Meriwether. The pediatric nurse has no time for bad-boy jocks who want to use her patients as props. But as soon as they meet, temperatures rise and their defenses fall.

©2017 Xio Axelrod LLC (P)2017 Xio Axelrod LLC

It's even better hearing it!

Would you listen to The Warm Up again? Why?

Because it's one of my favorites.

What did you like best about this story?

The contrast of the voices.

Have you listened to any of Megan Tusing and Greg Tremblay ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time listening to them, and it won't be my last.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

The Most Believable Fast Romance Connection Ever!

This is my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the smile-worthy moments, the one sex scene that was detailed enough but not explicit, without earthy terms for sexual parts (though I have no problem with it when used) and just the right length, the ancestral diversity of Suji & Zimin, the focus on more than the physical when talking about appeal and desire, the strong female character, the chemistry between Suji & Zimin, the bit of humor, the great group of supporting characters, and the two narrators who performed all of the characters well when alternating parts and each playing the same characters. I probably could go on, but that's it in a nutshell. There was really nothing I didn't like about it. It didn't have any complexity beyond navigating a long-distance relationship and only a small, brief bit of angst. But it's a novella so…. Glad I bought it over the weekend, since I didn't go to sleep until the next day when the story finished.

Love!

Any additional comments?

For this being my first time with this author and narrators, I wasn't expecting the amazing storyline and fantastic narration. It may be a short audio but it wasn't lacking at all. It was sexy, funny and emotional. A+

I absolutely LOVED this!

Any additional comments?

I am a HUGE audio book fan. Like so huge. And my normal MO when listening is that I read the book first. I'm not sure why, but I do. Not so in this case, and I have to say, I might just change the way I do things from now on. Greg Tremblay is one of my all time, most favorite narrators (and he's just lovely in person, too!) so I knew that I was going to already enjoy The Warm Up. And the fact that it's about a hockey player (which is my favorite sport!) just made it all the better. I've never listened to anything narrated by Megan Tusing, but that will change after finishing this ... especially if these two work together again. They were absolute perfection and I could really feel how much they each enjoyed the story of Suji and Zimin.

The accents were spot on, the cadence and tone was so enjoyable to listen to, and gah, I loved everything about this narration. No wonder Greg Tremblay is a favorite! There was so much humor, so much HEART in this story and I smiled the whole way through. I loved how strong Suji was, how fierce and protective she is, but she's got such a soft heart. And Zimin? Gah, so swoony and sweet and he sure knows what he wants ... and he wants Suji.

I listened to this from start to finish in one sitting and it is definitely one I'll listen to many times. Be sure to check it out!

Zim and Suji

I enjoyed the narrators - Megan Tusing & Greg Tremblay

This is a quick read about a really good guy professional hockey player - not your usual "after the puck bunnies every game" kind of guy. And the newly single Head Nurse who isn't a one night stand kind of girl anyway.

The chemistry between the two is immediate. Zim's back story is poignant, and his personality is kind and caring. He wants to change the lives of those he can, in whatever way he can, to honor the memory of his sister. Suji initially wants him, then distrusts him, then realizes that he's "the" guy.

It took me about 4 chapters to become enamoured of the story - but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this relatively unique take on a Hockey Player romance.

Sweet Scale: 4/5
Spicy Scale: 3.5/5