Engaging characters; fantastic narration!

“Confessions From the Heart” is presented as a prequel to “The Confessions Series”. I’m not sure why the series is numbered 0,1,2 instead of 1,2,3…but as long as we read/listen in the correct order it probably doesn’t matter…though I am almost curious enough to ask the author. But, I digress. More on point - this is a very enjoyable book, with absolutely wonderful narration by Lori Prince.

I know, I know, I always applaud Lori’s narration…but she deserves it, and I want to do my part to let author T.B. Markinson know that the choice of narrator can absolutely make or break an audiobook. In “Confessions”, Lori’s range is showcased particularly well: MC Kat the artist purrs with a sultry sex-kitten voice, former jock MC Cori has a perfectly wry voice, sort of MC Annie has the perfect “no R Boston accent”, and other characters, both male and female, are given voices individually and terrifically as well.

Well, as my Goodreads friend know, I LOVE audiobooks, and it pains me when a bad narrator ruins a great story, so I enjoy a great story all the more when a narrator absolutely enhances the story. But even a great narrator can’t save a poor story, so I’m glad to let you know that Markinson provided a wonderful story; they make a great combination!

The book is filled with wonderful banter between characters, much of it will cause people around you to look at you oddly as you laugh while walking around with headphones. Oh…and do be sure to wear headphones in public…the sex scenes are erotic and wonderful, and you just may rewind and replay a few parts once or twice….you may.

The showcase romance is between Cori and Kat, but as in real life, there are complications. Cori has a Friends With Benefits relationship with BFF Annie, and as mutual friend Sheila observes, sometimes mixing sex with friendship can become messy. And, sometimes, one friend/lover falls in love while the other doesn’t even notice. Uh oh. I liked that tension between characters felt completely realistic and natural. So often lately, even lesfic books with HEA endings introduce some completely unnatural character behavior, or unnecessary new character, just to create turmoil that we are expected to accept and then be glad for the make up after the break up.

I really liked Sheila, by the way; she’s very caring as well as smart. Cori’s family members are included in the book, and her attitude toward relationships is influenced by them, of course. Kat’s parents are included only through Kat’s POV, and we learn how they have influenced who she is, and how she views self and relationships. The family members are realistically nuanced.

Cori’s path to participating fully in a relationship….a relationship she wants….is sometimes frustrating, and I felt she was sending mixed messages to Kat for too long. Kat is described in the blurb as “mysterious”, and I found her very interesting. She’s sexy and sensual, playful and serious. She teases, and she participates. There is major chemistry between Kat and Cori, and as dominant as Cori appears…Kat clearly is in control!

“Confessions” could have been made into a standalone book, with a typical HEA or HFN ending, and with some of the family issues that were raised left as unresolved, having been important only to the behaviors of Cori and Kat. But….it’s not a standalone, it’s the “prequel” to two more books, neither of which are currently available on Audible. (I do hope that Lori Prince is chosen once again as narrator!) I applaud T.B. Markinson for continuing with these characters, and I look forward to the sequels….but….reading the blurbs does make the next two sound much darker than did this first….sorry, prequel….book.

But, as much as I’m not a fan of angst in my lesfic, even for me it would become boring if all stories featured rainbows and unicorns. If any fictional couple can weather some real life drama…I’d bet on Cori and Kat. Markinson has created characters to care about, and I look forward to continuing their story. 5* for the prequel, “Confessions From the Heart”!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

My rating and my review was not in anyway affected by my having been provided a review copy.

3 people found this helpful

Nope, not for me

I voluntarily received a review copy of this because I am a fan of the narrator. I still am. She's quite good and has a voice that fits really well with women in their 20s. Plus she's "wicked smart" when it comes to accents.

Had this been a different narrator, though, I would have put this on DNF. I just didn't like it. Cori was an unsympathetic lead character to me. She slept around, even if she didn't think of it as such. Her love interest Kat had her own oddities. They met in a store where she was short on money. I get that it would happen, but later she's seen as having a shopping habit.

I didn't like these people. I didn't like this story. It felt a little like "rich white lesbian problems." Really, the best part of it was that in this world LGBT characters just ARE. There isn't bit of surprise or censure about lesbians. Other than that, no thanks. I don't plan on picking up other books in this series.

6 people found this helpful

Left me wanting more

I was hooked from the start...maybe because it's set in Boston and the Red Sox are mentioned quite a bit. Cori, the self-assured, and witty but intimacy-phobic main character evolves before our eyes through her relationships with her friends, family and ultimately with Kat, her smart, intuitive, creative and beautiful love interest. The characters are fun, from the fiery Annie, who is Cori's best friend..with benefits to Cori's famous mother who doesn't let her get away with much. It has everything you want in a romance novel: fate bumps these two together, sparks fly, intimacy begins, not with sex but with quite an erotic scene and inevitably love blossoms. Lori Prince's performance is exquisite.

2 people found this helpful

Love love love

A few reviews kinda lowered my expectations of this book & I almost let it steer me away but I’m very glad I waited to make my own assessment. Sharing lengthier review than usual for those out there with like minds.

First, I’ve always thought Lori Prince had an attractive voice & mostly enjoyed her as a narrator. There’s several books where she’s actually made me cringe repeatedly, esp during sex scenes, bc of the...I guess over-acting? Maybe trying too hard? idk but it totally turned me off from certain titles with her as the narrator. But in this one...whew she knocks it out the park. Note only do I now find her voice downright sexy (esp the more feminine voices), but I can also hear how much she’s grown as an actress & really honed her craft. Major kudos to Lori, for real.

Second, my fave romance books have a good balance of slow burn & development of MC’s connection without waiting until literally the very end before throwing a sex scene in the mix. It becomes predictable instead of increasing the MC’s intimacy with each other in natural ways. I hate it worse if the author just breezes over that moment when it DOES finally happen. It makes the physical aspect of this relationship that readers have spent the whole book investing in to feel as if it’s just...obligatory. Like oh yeah they’re finally taking it to the next step bc obviously that’s where this has been leading the entire time...but we’re not letting the audience in on this massive shift in their relationship, just gonna skip right on past it like it’s totally insignificant. If an author does it PLEASE give us a sequel for Heaven’s sake smh.

This book does NOT do that at all though. There’s enough steaminess sprinkled throughout the development of the MC’s deepening connection to keep readers engaged AND excited without crossing the line into outright smut-only. My fave stories allow genuine love to go hand in hand with the physical aspects of a relationship. It feels more authentic.

Lastly, I loved all the characters in this story for all kinds of reasons. The author does fantastic job laying out the depth of their personalities without too much or too little inner monologue & history/background. Personally, as a reader & a writer I greatly appreciate when authors make it seamless to gain meaningful insight into each character. It makes me invest in them whether I like/hate them or able to relate to each character in some way. Makes me appreciate their role within the story no matter how big or small that role may be.

Clearly, it’s worth listening to this one folks. And for me it’s a keeper, already bought the sequel :)

How much is enough

In a beautiful reading by Lori Prince in a good family there is a heart of sorrow of sorts. To find love for even the hardened of hearts, there a scared little child who doesn't want to hurt others. In this fun wotty and banter of family life and friendships bonding.

I loved this book!

I love this book! The development felt very realistic and the characters’ journey was well fleshed out. The narration was fantastic. Lori Prince really brought this book to life.

Great narrator good story

I want to start with the narrator, Lori Prince. I’m a huge fan and I really enjoy her narration of books. She has a perfect voice for female-centric stories and I am always glad to snap up books she narrates.

TB Markinson is prolific having written many lesbian romance books – this is the first of hers that I picked up. I liked the premise – of a woman wanting more than hook-ups but fearing she’ll never find someone to love her for herself. I took a bit of issue with how she chose her ‘hook-ups’. She had little regard for those around her and I sort of felt like she wanted to be a playa and so acted as such. I felt she deserved what she got. Now, when Kat came along I wasn’t sold on that relationship either. Kat may be beautiful but she didn’t feel substantial. I wasn’t always convinced the two women belonged together.

All that being said, there were some good things about this book and I’m glad I listened. I’m interested in future books in the series and I definitely plan to listen to more books narrated by Lori Prince.

Another awesome book

So (despite having been advised of the right order) I read these out of order. Each book stands alone just fine, and each is great. TB's characters feel very authentic, like you're reading about real people. Sometimes you want to shake them, sometimes you want to hug them. But you always feel like they're real. This is a real strength of this book.

So, of course, is Lori Prince. She's an AMAZING narrator, and really makes the whole story pop. Definitely recommend.

(I did get a free audio code for this book. I am leaving the review voluntarily).

Amazing!

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again... A great narrator is one who's voice allows you to become immersed in the story and never think about the narrator themselves. Lori Prince did just that. She took what I thought was a great book and made it into an Amazing book to listen too! I've read the 3 books in this series pryer to the audiobook releases. I always liked this series and liked the way the MC's characters were developed and the story was told. Each creatively given there own quirky personalities which works well threw out the story. I a specially like the back and forth with these characters and the snakiness and quick wit. which made me laugh out loud at times threw out the book...Great Job to T.B. Markison for penning such a great series and to Lori Prince for actually bringing this story to life!

Nice story, excellent narration

It’s funny how much I enjoy T.B. Markinson’s books even when I dislike the characters, which happens more often than not for some reason. Probably because they feel like real people, far from perfect. It’s funny because I’m usually totally character-driven. I forget plots and stories but I remember people. Though in this case, I quite liked Cori. Sure, she has some level of immaturity and she’s stubborn, but she’s kind and I like how she wants to be judged on her merits, not on her celebrity mother, billionaire uncle or art gallery owner aunt. I didn’t know what to think of Kat at first but I ended up liking her a lot, as well as the secondary cast, including the three characters mentioned above as well as Cori’s dad, childhood best friend Annie (I’m happy her heart could be mended) and bartender / law student Sheila.

One of the things I consistently like in Markinson’s books is the humor.

Lori Prince’s narration accounts for a huge part of why I enjoyed this book. She’s fantastic at finding the right voice for each character. Cori’s was wry and sometimes hesitant, which was perfect for her. And Kat’s was sooo sexy. Again, perfect.

This is the prequel to a series I haven’t read yet. I’m always at a loss in that situation, never knowing whether I should start with the prequel, as it’s the start of the story, or at the starting point of the author’s imagination. This time I went with book 0. I’ll listen to book 1 soon and am hoping I’ll still like Cori and Kat as much…