Audiobook Review: Mine to Five by Tara September

Author: Tara September

Narrator: Verla Bond

Length: 4 hours and 15 minutes

Publisher: Plus it Up

Released: Dec. 11, 2019

Genre: Contemporary Romance

2018 Contemporary Romance Writers’ Stiletto Finalist

2018 Tampa Area Romance Writers’ TARA Finalist

2018 Maine Romance Writers’ Strut Your Stuff Finalist – Second Place Contemporary Winner

2017 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest – Second Place Winner

’Tis the season for an office romance!

Working beyond nine to five and barely getting by, Melanie Thomas is eager to celebrate the impending holiday season and to toast the start of her dream marketing job over drinks with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he has different plans – like seeing other women.

Indulging in a pity party with tequila, Melanie confides in a sexy stranger at the bar. It’s almost Christmas. One night of letting go won’t hurt anything, right? Turns out, it just might, when the stranger is her new boss. Determined to succeed at her job, Melanie won’t be scared away. This is her chance, even if her hot boss has her feeling all merry and bright and wishing for a less-than-professional relationship.

Matthew Ryans is burned out and on thin ice at the company he helped build, unless he gets his head back in the game. Yet, his head, both upper and lower, are quickly becoming obsessed with his new assistant. Still, he can’t seem to fully begrudge Melanie’s distracting presence and the Christmas joy she brings with it. Especially considering that her enthusiasm has him reenergized.

For once, he is longing for Mondays, but with his heart and job on the line, he can’t risk blurring the lines no matter how strong the lure of holiday mistletoe is.

Will their holiday passion be able to fuel mutual career success, or will it only get in their way in the New Year?

Tara September is an award-winning… and losing contemporary romance writer living in Southwest Florida.

Tara is proud to be the world’s most okayest mom to clones (identical twin boys). When not writing out her daydreams, she blogs over at When Tara Met Blog @tarametblog, a lifestyle and parenting blog of 14 years.

Holding a master’s degree in journalism from NYU, she previously was the Corporate Communications Manager at WWE and PR Manager for The Walt Disney Company, Consumer Products.

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Narrator Bio

Verla Bond is an American actor, improvisor, and storyteller, who makes her home in Los Angeles, California. She enjoys performing on the stage and screen, but especially loves recording audiobooks, where she gets the privilege of playing all kinds of diverse characters, such as British vampires, Irish leprechauns, and Southern gentlemen.

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This was such an enjoyable read! Two people, one looking to move forward in his career and the other looking to begin working with the pros, meet and form an incredible team, not only during working hours.

When Melanie finds out her boyfriend (much older boyfriend) does not view their relationship as exclusive, she happens to be in the right place at the right time to meet an handsome stranger. Their connection is instant, and the attraction is mutual. The next morning, she wakes up at his place, no recollection of what happened and close to being late to her new job. I think you already know who her boss is, so I won’t mention it.

I am a romance reader. I read mostly Romance and I read a lot of Romance. Having a one-night stand with a stranger and realizing the next day that said stranger is actually your boss is not something new. It was explored in many other novels. But the way the author created these two is so heartwarming. Both are mature enough to see past their first encounter and have the good sense to start a healthy working relationship. I love how they evolve, and I love how comfortable they feel together.

But when work gets in the way, it’s difficult to keep the personal items at bay. An interesting plot, a little predictable, but with a good execution.

The narration was good. Verla Bond added a great voice to our main characters’ personalities and I did enjoy listening to her. However, I would have wanted a better interpretation of the male characters. With Melanie, she did a great job pointing out her moments of despair, but with Matthew I wanted a more decisive pronunciation or something that could give me a more “male vibe”, somehow.

All in all, I loved the book and I cannot wait to discover her other titles. I am giving 4 stars to the story mostly because of the predictability of the plot. But I had a lot of fun listening to the story and I would love to reread it. It was perfect for an evening of relaxation.

Cover Review: the color combinations are great, the two at the office are great and it’s in line with the season. But I don’t quite get the title. Mostly they stay overtime, and they try to have a professional attitude. There is no challenge to have her by 5 or until 5. I don’t see it that fit for the book. But I do like the cover a lot.

4 stars

Ok, until next time, Happy Reading 😊

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Tara September. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.