What Hurts Us

Falls Creek, Book 1

De: Maggie Gates

Narrado por: Samantha Brentmoor, Bryant Walker

Asking Layla Mousavi to be my fake fiancé wasn’t the weirdest thing I had done this week. It didn’t even crack the top ten. Not when my days were filled with escaped pigs, radioactive casseroles, and cow-induced car crashes.

The population of Falls Creek, North Carolina, is a collective menace to society. Layla thought the first line of her orientation packet was a joke, but she soon realized it was all facts. After only a few hours on the job, the whip-smart flight nurse found herself flying headfirst into small-town drama.

Police Officer Callum Fletcher needs a fiancé, and he needs one fast.

His best option? The alluring nurse who had put him back together after one of his worst days on the force. She was the new girl in town and needed a place to stay.

The elusive bachelor could handle a temporary roommate if she could handle a town full of gossiping busybodies, his meddling grandma, and a former date who still had her sights set on being the future Mrs. Fletcher.

The only problem?

Layla Mousavi doesn’t date cops anymore. Especially ones with commitment issues the size of a Ferris wheel.

©2022 Maggie Gates (P)2024 Blue Nose Publishing

Great Story & Narration🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!

This is a fabulous small town romance novel, a fake engagement romance where neither were looking for a relationship or for love, but it finds them, regardless of their resistance or how hard they fight it. This is my first book written by Maggie Gates and I enjoyed her writing style and how easy it was to relate to her characters and storylines. The story drew me right in and not only captivating my attention the entire time, but it tugged at my heartstrings, too. Layla Mousavi worked her butt off specializing in trauma and emergency care to become a flight nurse, and she landed her first job in Falls Creek, North Carolina. Her first call out was aiding Police Officer Callum Fletcher, injured while on a call, and after they sedated him, he thought he was being abducted by aliens. Callum recovers and returns to work weeks later. When reminded of the annual bachelor auction and who plans on bidding on him again, he looked for ways to get out of it and came up with the fake engagement idea. Now he just needs to find a fiancé and he knows exactly who to ask, the new girl in town, but she already turned him down when he asked her to go out with him, then the perfect opportunity comes up to ask her. Layla does not want to date another police officer, the last one she dated broke her heart, but when the apartment she rented has an issue and there are no vacancies elsewhere Callum’s plan, a pretend engagement for a place to live while her apartment is being worked on. Layla agrees and goes all in, so it is believable to his family and the nosy townsfolk. I  thought those two were great together and for each other, and it was great to watch them get to know each other and see their relationship morph into something more. Callum had some issues and inner demons to deal with, self-worth issues, but Layla sees him, and really gets him. I loved how everything played out in this book, the story is entertaining and has the perfect balance of drama, angst, witty dialogue and humor, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Maggie Gates, thank you for this fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Samantha Brentmoor and Bryant Walker were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life and do so with a complete understanding of who they are, giving each a voice that is fitting and believable. Both nailed it in their roles as the two leads, and all the secondary characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, handled the banter and witty dialogue with ease, landing the humor effortlessly. You could hear how much heart they put into their performance as they capture all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling each one. These two made a great team, their voices complemented each other and their performance elevates this already wonderful story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.  

They brought this book to life!

Oh my sweet goodness! I cannot even explain in words how well this audiobook was done. I am speechless. The voice actors did a phenomenal job of portraying the characters, and went above and beyond to bring this book to life.
New girl in town, Layla, was hoping to lay low. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. No drama, no stress, and absolutely no romantic relationships- especially with cops.
Enter grumpy, city police, Officer Callum Fletcher... Well, more like Layla saved Callum- in more ways than one. Callum will do anything to get out of the Falls Creek Date Auction, however it's mandatory, UNLESS you are engaged or married. Luck seems to be on his side, because new girl in town, might just be his way out of the auction this year. IF she agrees to be his fake fiancé...
Maybe saying no to Callum would have been a lot easier if he wasn't so easy on the eyes and broody, and Callum might not have fallen for Layla if she wasn't so breathtakingly brilliant. But without a doubt, or hesitation, these two are perfect for each other. Two broken pasts get a chance at a whole future in this small town romance, and we have no one else to blame/thank but Brandie Jean.

Action Packed Romance!

What Hurts Us had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. This entire book was packed full of action, romance, swoony family moments, cultural learning, and a ton of sass. Having worked EMS before, I felt everything these two were going through down to my core. Their challenges, their fear, the grief over trauma calls. It all hit me hard and took me right back to those days, but what I loved most was the way that Callum and Layla supported each other through it all.

There were cultural bits throughout that played homage to Layla's family's origins in Iran and I loved how Callum did everything he could to learn and embrace as much of that culture as he could. It made my heart smile every time he would do something for her, despite his own self-doubt regarding relationships. Of course, their meddling families helped too and I loved his grandma so much. She was absolutely perfect and I smiled every time the story came back to her. This book is truly special and I loved it!

On audio, Samantha Brentmoor and Bryant Walker put out stellar performances that captured the heart of this story and perfectly portrayed the emotional toll that their respective jobs take and how they found exactly where they were meant to be in each other.

What a swoon worthy love story!

4.5 Stars

MY FIRST MAGGIE GATES BOOK AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

What Hurts Us is the first book in the Falls Creek Series and follows Layla and Callum. I usually don't like reading fake dating/engagement or marriage of convenience but this was so enjoyable.

From the moment Callum saw Layla he knew she was special. Layla is a flight nurse and Callum is an officer who was injured and Layla answered the call. Layla swore off dating all cops and said no the first couple times Callum asked her out.

Maggie has a beautiful writing style! There was incredible banter, the found family of a small town and a swoon worthy love story.

This was a great audio. Samantha Brentmoor does small town so well :)

lovee the fake fiance trope

I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. It made me laugh, frustrated and also gave me all the feels. I love that the fmc is career driven and genuinely loves her job. As a nurse myself, I could relate to the struggles of being a health care worker. The long hours and the disassociation that we had to learn on our own bc of the trauma we witness. I really like the way the two main characters met even though it was through an accident. Its not your usual meet cute. the author did a good job building up the side characters and the setting. it might be overwhelming at first bc theres quite a bit of them but you learn to get attached to them and the town. Theres just something about this town that feels so homey and sentimental. I love that the author incorporated a lot of the fmc’s persian culture and also some farsi phrases here and there. I get butterflies everytime callum called layla a term of endearment in farsi. His love language is DEFINITELY ACTS OF SERVICE and that made me so giddy and more obsessed with him. Its the little things that he does for her. The way he has made carrying her to her room after a long shift a tradition even tho his leg was still healing was just top tier book husband act.

The interactions between the town people and how everyone treats everyone like family was so endearing. I love seeing how they show their unconditional love for their neighbours. Its so beautiful to see them show acts of kindness with no expectations.

Callum’s slow character development and overcoming the feeling of being a burden to the community was so beautiful to read about. I appreciated that the author explained in detail why he feels that way and why he acts the way he does. Layla’s straight forwardness was so refreshing to read about. No minced words or 20 questions. I like that she nips the problem right in the bud. She wasnt afraid to voice out her feelings even though rejection was a possibility.

the narrators’ performances in this book was astounding. Samantha’s male voice gave me whiplash at first and i was so impressed everytime i heard it. Its usually hard to differentiate different character voices if there are a few in one chapter especially if its a dual narration but samantha does an amazing job giving each character their own voice and personality. I love Bryant’s performance in this. His southern accent was just absolutely addicting to listen to and i wish he kept it all throughout including his inner monologue’s and not just his dialogues. He really embodied the character of a broody tattooed cop but a real softie at heart. His dirty talk made me dizzy everytime and i just couldn’t get enough of him. I kept hoping that the spicy scenes would be longer and dragged out. They both made the story so immersive and I definitely recommend this story. I can see myself doing a reread or relisten on this.

Great Story

This was my first book by Maggie Gates, and I absolutely loved it! The story was beautifully written and pulled me in from the very beginning. Layla’s family brought a lot of humor to the story, and Callem’s gran was especially endearing in her no-nonsense, loving way. Her fierce devotion to Callem was both touching and heartwarming.

The fake relationship between Layla and Callem felt authentic as it gradually evolved into something deeper. My heart ached for Callem and his guarded nature—shaped by a difficult upbringing. Maggie Gates handled this sensitive topic with nuance, avoiding exaggeration or oversimplification. Layla, with her patience, compassion, and calm temperament, was exactly what Callem needed.

As first responders, both characters felt real and grounded, which I truly appreciated. Their professions were portrayed with respect and authenticity, not as over-the-top heroes but as people with depth and vulnerability. It resonated with me on a personal level.

The narration by Samantha Brentmoor and Bryant Walker was outstanding. Their voices complemented each other perfectly, and both brought the strength, emotion, and resilience of Layla and Callem to life. Each narrator added something special that elevated the entire listening experience.

This is a series I will definitely continue, and I highly recommend it. A beautiful, emotional, and heartfelt listen.
5/5 stars

An absolute YES

Everything was perfection, the story line was engaging, the narrators did an awesome job! I think I just found a new favorite author and narrators! Hope the story continues, I would love to know what happened with the "Creekers"!

Loved

There was so much emotion in this book. Heartbreak, trauma, depression but also family, love and understanding! great listen. highly recommend

Usual sweet story line.

The unusual part of this book is the MFC is a flight nurse - very cool medical professional. The main story is the one of fake fiancé. This trope has been done so many times. Fake fiancé's fall in love and get a HEA. Well written. Good performance.

Callum and Layla

What Hurts Us is the first book in the Falls Creek series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Callum was a little grumpy, but he had a huge heart. He was always looking out for everyone in town. And even though Layla was his fake fiancé, he still wanted to know about her heritage and learned another language for her. I mean, if he wanted to, he would.

The two of them were opposites, but they were perfect for each other. They’d both been through things, but they helped each other heal.

Narration Style: Dual

The narrators did a great job bringing the story and characters to life.