Unafraid

A Small Town, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense (Amber Ridge, Book 1)

By: Nyssa Kathryn

Narrated by: Lucy Rivers, Connor Crais

A new town. A fresh start. An old enemy.

Aspen Davies had three reasons to move to the small town of Amber Ridge: to get away from her overbearing mother; to escape the clutches of her psychotic ex; and Jesse Hayes. Okay, maybe Jesse isn’t a reason to relocate her entire life. After all, he’s just a friend. A housemate. And someone she absolutely is not going to date. At least…that’s what she keeps telling herself.

Discharged from the military, Jesse Hayes is back in his hometown of Amber Ridge. Only, he’s not alone, as he expected. His new housemate is right down the hall, and every day with Aspen is a new form of torture. She just got out of a relationship, and she’s not looking to get into a new one. He knows that. Doesn’t make wanting her any easier. He needs to keep his distance, for both their sakes.

But when Aspen’s past follows her to her new home, keeping his distance is no longer an option. Jesse needs to keep Aspen safe and in his sights. Because the enemy is proving formidable—and clearly playing for keeps.

A Small Town, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense from Bestselling author Nyssa Kathryn.

©2025 NW Partners PTY LTD (P)2025 NW Partners PTY LTD, Blue Nose Publishing

WOW!!! A captivating suspense with an INCREDIBLE duet narration!!

WOW!!! My first book by Nyssa and I was completely captivated by this action packed romantic suspense! It starts with an intriguing plot line between Aspen, a woman on the run from an abusive ex and Jesse, a new sheriff who are now roommates. The sexual tension between them increases throughout the story as the attraction and feelings develop but at the same time you’ll be on the edge of you seat as the suspense keeps you guessing!

This is the first book of the Amber Ridge series and I’m already invested into the people of this small town and cannot wait for more stories from Jesse’s family and friends!!!!

AUDIO REVIEW:
This book is an incredible DUET narration by Connor Crais and Lucy Rivers. The story is told in third person BUT the duet narration with this POV is game changer!! At first the third person threw me off as I went into this book blind but the DUET quickly made it easy to follow along! Plus Connor and Lucy delivered a performance that was packed with so much feeling and emotion that you can't help but get hooked right into this audio!

Connor Crais had me falling for Jesse from the first “Hey,” right along with Aspen as he captured Jesse's swoony, protective and caring personality perfectly! His deep, rich tone matched Jesse's character as this former military man turned sheriff while the gruffness to Connor's tone captured the “Mr. Overprotective” side and he even brought out some of his signature growl at times!

I absolutely love Lucy's voice in a romantic suspense story! She’s got this element to her voice that captures you in and also makes you feel every ounce of the unexpected with her tone! Her soft voice showcased the fear and sadness Aspen had over the relationships in her life while also bringing out a strength and determination as she grew throughout the story. Lucy also used a little accent to her voice for Mrs. Gerald who owns The Tea House in this small town and it was so precious!

JESSE and AMBER

Nyssa Kathryn has done it again! With the release of her first Amber Ridge series book, Unafraid, she's built a small town I want to move to. Amber Ridge is home to bad coffee, bad pizza, and outstanding, if slightly quirky, citizens! Hey, towns can't be all perfect.

Amber Davies needs a fresh start. She has a literally crazy mother, an obsessive, psycho ex, and a crippling case of writer's block. Jesse Hayes has the perfect solution: move across the country to his hometown of Amber Ridge and into his extra bedroom as a roommate. After all, they're just friends. At least that's what he keeps telling himself. These two are perfect for each other. If only her mother and ex can stay out of Amber Ridge.....

But, of course, they can't and Nyssa creates a world of hurt and fear that no one should have to endure and where the bad guys aren't always so obvious. Don't miss this new venture into the fabulous world of Nyssa Kathryn stories. I'm already looking forward to book two!

Lucy Rivers and Connor Crais do a good job with the narration.

Aspen and Jesse

What an incredible story! This was my first read by Nyssa Kathryn and definitely won't be my last. I was completely invested in Aspen and Jesse's journey. Aspen wants to start fresh and get away from her terrible ex and unstable mother. Her friend, Jesse Hayes, ex-special forces, has moved back to his hometown of Amber Ridge, and is now serving as the town sheriff. Aspen moves to Amber Ridge where she and Jesse become housemates. Despite their growing friendship and clear attraction to each other, Jesse tries to keep things platonic. Aspen starts to feel settled in Amber Ridge until an unexpected visitor from her past threatens to ruin everything, including the life she wants to build with Jesse. When things turn bad, Jesse is there to protect Aspen and keep her safe.

I loved Aspen and Jesse together! They were so sweet and the perfect match. Aspen is strong and a fighter. I truly felt for her and everything she was going through with her mother and ex. She did not give up though and she was determined to somehow find happiness. I fell hard for Jesse. He was patient, thoughtful, and always put Aspen's safety first. Aspen and Jesse truly helped each other heal. I could not wait for the moment they both finally gave into their feelings for each other. The development of their friends-to-lovers relationship was beautiful, and I loved their special connection. This story has twists and turns that kept me locked in and unable to stop listening. The action, yearning, tension, and steam were perfect. I definitely need more of this series and can't wait to see what comes next.

Narration:
Lucy Rivers and Connor Crais performed this audiobook in duet and it was phenomenal. I am a huge fan of both of these amazing voice actors, and was blown away by their performances. They fully embodied the characters and kept me engaged from start to finish. Although this was told in third person POV, I felt fully connected to the characters and immersed in the story. Lucy and Connor elevated the story, and created a memorable listening experience.

Good story and narration

I really enjoyed listening to this romantic suspense story which captured my attention and great start to this new series. Connor Crais and Lucy Rivers were fantastic as always.

Good book despite the point of view.

I really enjoyed this book even though I am not a fan of second or third person point of view. The characters were likable, and the narration was fantastic. I also liked the suspense in the story.

Amber Ridge Series, book 1!

I knew Jesse and Aspen’s book would be epic but wow!

The narrators were great in this one but I haven’t listened to a book yet that Connor Crais can’t pull off the male character! And Lucy Rivers, she was fantastic for Aspen. She is new to me so that worked out perfect for a new series.

Jesse didn’t know the full story but he knew enough that when he left Misty Peak, he asked Aspen if she wanted to go and surprisingly, she said yes. Of course, Jesse had his own reasons for asking her but he knew she needed to get away.
Aspen had to get away from her mom that could turn into a crazy mom in a blink of an eye and he crazy, abusive ex. She didn’t tell anyone about why she broke things off with her ex but she had to get away from him.

Jesse had feelings for Aspen before they left but now that she is staying with him, he can’t keep fighting them but he also won’t push her for anything she isn’t ready for, but now she is.
Being hours away, Aspen thought she was safe. She started to live her life and began opening her heart up to the possibility of love again, with Jesse.

A knock on the door changes everything! He found her and now she is depending on Jesse and the police department to keep her safe.

Solid start to the series

This author has mastered the art of dual threat story lines. I enjoyed the characters and town. The representation of mental health and domestic violence was accurate/realistic. I loved how much the narrators brought this story to life.

The voice actors were emotionally charged

You can tell the difference between a narrator and a voice actor, these are voice actors! I normally don’t enjoy third person dialogue but this one was good.

What's not to love???

When Nyssa Kathryn decides to give you small town romance get ready for those cozy window seat moment feels. Hopeless romantic grins and a great emotional romance that pulls you in and keeps you rooting for your hero to get his well loved woman.
Her stories run flawlessly and her characters never lack chemistry. I was captivated by her Misty Peak Reckless series and I am now certain Amber Ridge series will be just as amazing!!!

Suspense & Mystery + DUET narration

This is the begining of a new series by author Nyssa Kathryn. Smalltown, friends to lovers, ex-military and law enforcement MMCs are some of my very favorite tropes. All of that plus the suspense, mystery, and action kept me interested until the end. Lucy Rivers & Connor Crais performed the DUET narration, and they were terrific. The only thing I didn't like was that much of the dialog for Aspen (didn't notice it as much for other FCs) was whispery & breathy, which was distracting to me. I had to use a very low volume and higher speed (1.25-1.4) to make it easier to listen to. Otherwise, I loved the narration & thought the acting was great.