Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella

By: Becky Wade

Narrated by: Ryan Hudson, Heather Masters

A leather-bound journal. A single father. A woman in pursuit of freedom.

Garner Bradford, heir to the troubled Bradford Shipping empire, doesn't know much about babies. But he's going to have to learn fast, because he's just become a single father to his newborn daughter. As he confesses through his journal entries, he's not entirely sure how to keep a newborn alive, whether or not he'll ever patch together his shattered heart, or how to forgive himself for his mistakes.

Career girl Kathleen Burke is wholly uninterested in settling down. She has big dreams, and none of them include Garner and his small hometown in Washington State. Yet she can't seem to get her handsome boss out of her head or her heart. There's something extraordinarily tempting about his beautifully sad green eyes....

Told through journal entries, phone conversations, and letters, Then Came You is a unique, heart-stirring romance novella by acclaimed author Becky Wade.

©2016 Rebecca Wade (P)2018 Rebecca Wade

Excellent Audio!

I first read the Kindle version of Then Came You and loved it, so I was so excited to listen this the audio this time around. Wonderful characters, stellar narration - they truly sounded like the characters. I love the realism of this story. Wade manages to walk the line between sweet yet serious, giving readers a happy ending without sacrificing realism. Definitely check out book one of this series as well!

Wonderful story read by fantastic talent

Ryan and Heather do an amazing job with this story. I had previously read the book and chose to listen after hearing raving reviews of their performance. I'm so glad I did.

Then Came You is the prequel novella to The Bradford Sisters Series. It's written in an epistolary style, meaning the story is told via letters, emails, phone calls, etc. It is the first book in this style that I've read and I found the unique approach to be very enjoyable. This story touches your heart and causes you to care for the characters. It perfectly sets up the series and leaves you anticipating more. Hearing the male perspective read by a male and the female perspective by a female really enhanced the enjoyment of the story!

Nice Beginning to a Wonderful series.

I liked the journal entries by Garner Bradford. They really showed his inner thoughts.
This story is a great beginning to a wonderful series.

Great Voices

If you could sum up Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella in three words, what would they be?

Story come alive.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Garner's voice and character. And I love Kathleen's determination.

Which character – as performed by Ryan Hudson and Heather Masters – was your favorite?

Ryan Hudson and Heather Masters both did a fabulous job. I love the strength in Ryan's voice snd the softness and joy to Heather's.

Any additional comments?

Ryan and Heather brought life to the novel, which I had already read. My husband and I enjoyed listening to the story together.

A Great Novella!!!

Where does Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Then Came You is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella?

Garner and Kathleen's phone conversations.

Which scene was your favorite?

Um, all of them! LOL!

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

Several of Garner's journal entries were very moving.

Any additional comments?

This was such a great novella! I really enjoyed this introduction to the Bradford Sisters Romance, and I can't wait to start True To You! I really enjoy an epistolary story when I find one, it's not the most popular manner in which to write a story, but it's a method that I really enjoy, and I think it was the perfect choice for this novella!
I felt very invested in the story and couldn't wait to see what would happen next. This is a novella so it made for a fast read, but the story packed every bit as much of a punch as all of Becky's full length novels!
Highly recommended!

February 2018: UPDATE
I have just listened to the audiobook edition and it was amazing! The narrators both did a fantastic job of bringing Garner and Kathleen's story to life, I especially loved the way they narrated Garner and Kathleen's phone conversations! This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to and I will most definitely be listening to it again in the future.

Story is Too Short!!

incredible story... masterfully done! Really felt Garner's pain... and Ksthleen's "Temptress" personality... her flirtatioaus unsent notes to Garner were enduring. Both characters were wonderfully performed!

One of the Best Narrations that I have Heard!

Would you listen to Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella again? Why?

I will definitely be listening to this novella again. Why? Because the story was wonderful and told through the reading of notes, letters, journals, & postcards. There were also some wonderful phone conversations between the two characters. There were two narrators and they did such an excellent job. It is definitely one of the best and most enjoyable audio books that I have listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the way I could see into the heart of both main characters. Since I was "reading/listening" to their private journal entries or thoughts that had been written down by each one, it was as if I could really feel what they were feeling.

What does Heather Masters and Ryan Hudson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Well, I read the book on kindle first and loved it. Then I decided to listen to it and I am very glad I did. The voices are absolutely perfect. Garner sounded exactly as I had imagined him to sound. And Kathleen did, too. Heather Masters had to do several voices to represent multiple women characters and she did a great job. I wasn't fond of Sylvie's voice, but she didn't speak often throughout the novella, so it was a minor thing.

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

Garner's Journey to Love via Heartache

Any additional comments?

I was extremely impressed with this audiobook and I really liked hearing the combo of male and female narrators.

Amazing

Excellent, well-written, realistic, clean. This book has the right amount of emotion and adventure to satisfy my pickiness. Honoring God and seeing his Word and grace applied to every day life is the best part. Every book so far written by this author is this way. I am going to be EXTREMELY sad when I run out of her books to binge-listen to!

EXCELLENT Back Story!

Becky Wade’s ability to provide such great details to her storylines allows for a trustworthy listen!

Emotionally Absorbing Listen!

Where does Then Came You: A Bradford Sisters Novella rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high up there.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Garner for some reason. He seems so real - flaws and all. Though Kathleen has that naiveté that we may all have (even if we don't like to admit it)

Which character – as performed by Ryan Hudson and Heather Masters – was your favorite?

Garner by Ryan Hudson

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A bit emotional there for a bit!

Any additional comments?

Then Came You by Becky Wade hit my radar very early on, especially with that yummy cover! It was also the start of a new series, the Bradford Sisters Romance series. A little back story first; Then Came You is the introduction the Bradford family headed by the patriot, Garner Bradford in the full novel series, beginning with True to You, released last year.

I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it would be good. I've read True to You and the authors' previous novels. Expectations aside, I was amazed by how attentive I became with the audio version of this story. Not having read the print copy yet, I'm listening to it all new. Both narrators (yes, both!) did such a marvelous job in expressing the different emotions, and even the nuances you can just image, like the annoyance Kathleen felt at times with her mother. Granted, I'm familiar with and enjoyed Heather Masters' narrations, so I'm thrilled to hear her voice our main character. However, I must give the love to Ryan Hudson and his narration of Garner Bradford. There's an air of confidence about his voice that had me imagining his role as the patriarch of the family a generation later in the full novels. Even during the emotional moments, I felt it embody the character's disappointments, frustrations, and even love. Well done.

The story itself was very well executed. At first, I was wondering why the announcement of where in the story we were at, be it a conversation or a journal entry. Then, once we're into it, you realize the story's emotional and personal thoughts were all written. How sweet is that?! I thought it was clever in telling the story. As I finished listening to the story, I loved and pondered on the message of God's grace to us. In all, Then Came You is a fabulous introduction to a series and the audiobook is one emotionally, absorbing listen.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.