Fun, funny, and oh-so-sexy - and performed so well

Ohmigosh how I loved this.

First off, I should mention I listened to this on unabridged audio from audible, and there needs to be massive props given to the audio performer, who did exactly that; this book is not read, it is performed. And brilliantly.

I should also mention this is the second in the 'Loft' series, and though you wouldn't necessarily lose anything plot wise were you to listen to them out of order, I do think you should absolutely listen to Kiss the Girl first, as there are a couple of secondary characters in this book that you've met in the previous title, and things are better in order. Just ask Samantha.

Okay, onward to Just Three Words. When we last left our quartet of the awesome women who make up Soho Saavy (the equally awesome boutique advertising firm), things were in a good place. They'd landed a huge client. One of them had become lucky in love. Everything was pretty fantastic, really. The four characters, Brooklyn, Mallory, Samantha, and Hunter, had wormed their way into my heart with their very different methods: Brooklyn with fast driving and whimsy, Mallory with dogged determination and cool logic; Samantha with her nerdy number-crunching love of organization, and Hunter with her live-in-the-moment style. They seemed like a fantastic group of friends who balanced each other out in life as well as work, and I couldn't wait to read more of them and see who might be up next for some love at the hands of Melissa Brayden.

So imagine my surprise when I got two-for-one. See, the potential romance in this book is between the super-sweet (and often super-awkward) Samantha, and... Hunter? Hunter, who has been described as nothing but a player from the get go. Hunter, with the (wonderfully performed) kitten voice of purring doom. Hunter, who is so very unlike Samantha (and vice versa).

So here's the thing. You know at the hands of Brayden, these two are in for a wild (and sexy) ride, full of awkwardness, hilariousness, and emotional surprises for the reader. So much happens to these two characters in the space of this book (as well as things that impact the business as a whole, too) that they never once seem to have a moment to catch their breath. And yet, as always, Brayden makes it all seem effortless, and the pacing never overwhelms. As Samantha and Hunter try to figure out what they feel (and if it's worth risking everything - including their fantastic careers), the rest of the world doesn't slow down for a second, and you get completely sucked in.

Again.

Also, for those of you listening to this on audio, I feel it only safe to warn you that if you - like me - listen to audiobooks while doing chores or walking the dog or raking the leaves, that you may earn more than a few stares from bursting out laughing. Much like Rob Byrnes, Melissa Brayden delivers whipcrack moments of humour that take you completely by surprise. And there are some doozies in this book - blind dates, rodent attacks... Don't say I didn't warn you. There were a couple of times I had to drop my rake and just give in to the laughter.

I'm pretty sure my neighbour thinks I'm insane.

This is Brayden at her finest. If you've never tried her, you should. If you have already read other books of hers, but haven't picked this one up yet, allow me to give you the nudge. You won't be sorry.

(Oh, and mad props to Brayden for Samantha's bisexuality, which absolutely sings with authenticity.)

18 people found this helpful

So Good

Let me begin by saying that this is my sixth Melissa Brayden audio and the worst of them rates about 4.4 and this one isn't the worst. It's also the second book in the Soho Savvy series and the girls are even more lovable than they were in Kiss The Girl. Hunter in particular was fleshed out as a character; the author presented her in a great deal more depth than in Kiss The Girl.
Melissa Brayden's greatest strength as a writer is in creating sympathetic, likable, no make that lovable characters with the type of relationships that we wish we had. I won't go into any of the various scenarios presented that would illustrate these points but trust me the author can writes relationships really well.
Another positive aspect is the retention of Jessica's teenage neighbor Ashton in this book even though it's only a minor role. Perhaps in the next selection, the one where Mallory falls in love, her role will be expanded. I could even foresee her as the lead character down the line in a book of her own; or hey, maybe that's just me.
The one weakness the author has is her plots. Words like lame, repetitive, cliched, formulaic or ordinary come to mind. In the end it doesn't matter because despite those issues of plot weakness her books are always great listens and I'm waiting anxiously for Mallory to find her girl in the next Soho Savvy book. There is one more book by the author that has yet to make it into Audible; one that's hopefully being read and recorded as I write. Let's hope that Ms. Brayden has another dozen books in her.

5 people found this helpful

I love this

this trilogy is my all time favorite romance set. and Sam is my favorite character. I laugh and cry consistently and often at the same time.

2 people found this helpful

Great Book

This book was enjoyable, funny and worth reading.
The narration was done well.
The characters were easy to connect with.
The only issue I had was the love connection happens really late in the story, when all they had to do is actually sit down and talk honestly with each other. So the ending was to short lived. The epalouge helped bring it to a close, so I'm happy to say it all ended up great.
Read the books. I'm off to book 3..

1 person found this helpful

Wonderful Narration

I am currently re-reading the series but this time listening to the audible books. I really loved Felicity Munroe's performance. She doesn't just read the book but she performs and it is not overdone in the least. It can be a fine line of over doing the "acting" such that it is a distraction rather than an enhancement. She never crosses that line. Oh, and it goes without saying the book itself is 5 stars made even better by the narration.

1 person found this helpful

Great performance for a fun story

This was fun to listen to. All of the characters were so distinguishable. And the story was fun. I've never listened to anything by this author before but I'll be sure to purchase more.

1 person found this helpful

Nice. Part two for the Savy girls.

Nice little story. I love the way Felicity Monroe can do so many different voices. MB I am looking forward to book 3 because you know Mal needs a girl!

1 person found this helpful

LOVELY!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would. It's lovely. The characters are lovable which definitely make the story totally endearing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Favorite character was definitely Hunter. She sounds beautiful, but I just really enjoyed her character. Its not the over dramatic beautiful woman with dramatic problems. She is just complex enough that her character has depth but is still witty and fun.

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

Nothing was too extreme, but it made me laugh and my heart ache. In a good way. Speaking for myself, the characters dynamics totally pulled me in and made me feel tons of wonderful things.

Any additional comments?

Narrator was pretty good. Her voice isn't really the most exciting, but she does put depth into the voices of all the women. You can hear the characteristics of the ladies. Very good overall.

1 person found this helpful

Brayden does it again.

The story of Sam and Hunter is great. And midnight chocolate really does cure all.

3 people found this helpful

Bring back Felicity Munroe!!

When I listened to the first book in this series I was extremely thrown by Felicity Munroe’s switch-up of Brooklyn’s accent one-third of the way into the book (tbh, I couldn’t stand the new “Bronx” accent). I’ve since listened to two other Melissa Brayden books narrated by Felicity Munroe (“Just Three Words” and “How Sweet It Is”) and I am now a complete and total fan of hers. Ms. Munroe is hands down one of the best actor-narrators I’ve ever heard. She truly ACTS out the dialogue, and I never have to wonder who is talking when she’s doing scenes with more than one character. The woman is a certified talent. I have no idea why she stopped narrating for Melissa Brayden after this series ended, but IMO no one else Ms. Brayden has used in her place has been as adept at bringing to life the great writing, dialogue, or characters she creates. Great storytellers deserve really great narrators, and for the time their partnership lasted it was golden.

5/5 for the performance and the super enjoyable story!!