The Leaves In Autumn cover art

The Leaves In Autumn

Lyon Family Series, Book 4

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Leaves In Autumn

By: Leslie Pike
Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Samantha Brentmoor
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £11.72

Buy Now for £11.72

About this listen

A man saddled with grief, who isn’t looking for love....

A fiercely independent single woman....

And a friendship that should never become more....

Aargon

I’m not looking for love. Hell, I can barely see my way through to the end of every day, but I do it for my son. What choice do I have? Not exactly what I planned for my life, but this is where things ended up.

The one bright spot is my best friend, my favorite sparring partner, the funniest person I know, and the only woman who seems able to accept me without demanding more than I can give. Barbra.

And yeah, she’s sexy. But she’s leaving, and friends is all we can ever be.

Barbra

Being Aargon’s sister-in-law’s sister doesn’t make us blood. But it does mean we’ll be in each other’s lives…pretty much forever.

And that’s only reason number one why giving in to our desires would be a terrible idea. Reason number two? I’m months away from the trip I’ve been planning my whole life. I’m moving to Europe, and I have no plans to return.

But now? Europe’s shine has faded next to the spark and joy I feel igniting between us.

Leaves in Autumn is a single dad, opposites attract standalone contemporary romance with a happily ever after.

©2022 Leslie Pike (P)2022 Leslie Pike Contemporary Contemporary Romance Romance
All stars
Most relevant

Listener received this title free

The Leaves in Autumn by Leslie Pike was another fantastic ride through the Lyon Family. I really adored what Leslie did for these characters. Even with pain there is growth and love.
Jason Clarke and Samantha Brentmoor were fantastically paired for this book. While this book is a standalone, I think its best read in order of the series. There are a lot of characters that come and go, that may cause some confusion if you don’t know the family already.
Leslie has very clever writing, I loved all the call backs to the 90s style, music and the witty banter between Aargon and Barbara. This friends to lovers slow burn was the perfect listen!
It was great catching up with all the previous couples, watching Aargon grow emotionally, and I loved the way Leslie left it open for a possible Lyon’s grandchildren series!

Aargon and Barbara!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

I can't say enough good things about the audio performances in this audiobook. Jason Clarke and Samantha Brentmoor are both such incredibly talented voice actors. Their delivery is very realistic, with varying amounts of energy and emotion that keep the story flowing naturally. At one point, Aargon was sharing some of his thoughts and it struck me how it truly sounded as if a friend was telling me about his impressions in a very one-sided conversation, with all the pauses and volume changes and energy variations you expect when catching up with friends. The audio performances enhance the story, and if you haven't tried an audiobook yet, this is a great narration team to start with.

Which brings me to the story itself. It was significantly different from The Sky In Summer. Both have friends-to-lovers, single parent stories with one of the characters about to move away (all mentioned in the book descriptions-no spoilers here), but the story lines go entirely different directions from there. The Leaves in Autumn also brings up some heavy topics that happened in the past (loss of a parent, suicide). I liked how Leslie Pike incorporated therapy into the storyline and that she brought up mental health awareness.

I received a copy of the audiobook at my request (or could read it in KU), and the opinions here are my own.

Outstanding audiobook narration, single dad, frien

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

Aragon and Barbra’s love story is epic. They are best friends but she is leaving the States for her dream adventure in Europe and he is still grieving the lost of her late wife to suicide. But they connect in a deep level and always have a great time but without crossing the line of friendship to something more. Because if they cross the line everything will change and they are afraid of change. The audiobook is incredible. Jason Clarke and Samantha Brentmoor are amazing with the deep emotions through the story.

epic love story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

This author loves to mix a little drama with her steamy love stories. This time, I think she perfected the recipe.

Aargon and Barbra are family, but not related–his brother is marrying her sister. But most of all, and despite a nine year age gap and opposite personalities, they’re friends. And I loved their friendship. Barbra’s energy brings out nuggets of fun from Aargon’s broody soul, and he tames her and grounds her somewhat. But not completely, since she’s about to leave for Europe.

Though they objectively find each other attractive, they really don’t see each other in that way. It’s only after a disinhibited night of fun, and maybe after the realization that they don’t have much time left, that they finally cross the line. They had feelings for each other, but when sex joins the party, they see them differently.

Feelings are good, but chemistry? Even better. In bed–or anywhere else–Barbra and Aargon are explosive. But what I enjoyed the most, was that not everything was perfect every time. They’re a bit older, so the old machinery doesn’t work as well as when they were younger. But they also have a lot more experience, and they learned things. I found their intimacy quite realistic. And still hot.

The whole Lyon family makes an appearance. Or two. Or a few. There’s a Dove concert; Van and Layla’s wedding; some family parties; and Gaston and Aurora watch their big tribe with love. Which was in stark contrast with Barbra’s family. Sure, she has quality time with her sister, but if the Lyons hadn’t basically adopted her, she would be quite alone.

So where’s the drama, you ask. Besides Barbra’s familial troubles–that we see more of–it’s mostly regarding Aargon. The man is a widower, and we get to know how he lost his wife, and the impact that death had on his life. The whole story shows how Aargon slowly gets out of the pit of despair he was in, with the help of Barbra, and his therapist. And his son, a little bit. And maybe the rest of his family. It seemed quite surprising that, in so many years, he didn’t manage to do it already. Although, to be honest, his relationship with Barbra, and his therapist, are both quite new.

Narration was perfection. The female narrator did great with Barbra’s energy and sass, and the male narrator nailed Aargon’s broody attitude. It was a good conclusion to the series.

A good conclusion to the series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Listener received this title free

I don’t often pick up a story where both MCs are older than I am, but this one gave me hope as I’m rapidly ageing out of the HS/C storylines. It hits differently because the character’s focus isn’t on starting a career, education, or family (which is the focus of so many in the 20+ age range), but instead brings up the question of what comes after?

I really appreciated how this story dealt with the difficult subject matter surrounding the loss of Aargon’s wife. It didn’t get too dark but still discussed it and the impact on both him and his son, which allowed the story to remain lighter, more positive and focused on the future instead of the past. Barbra was a really fun character, and it was great to see how well she just fit into the Lyon family dynamic. I loved all the family chaos in this book. As someone who comes from a huge family always in each other’s business, I can completely relate and made it feel more real.

Samantha and Jason are such a great narrating team. Their pacing and pitch are perfect, and their performances flow so well together, it makes it really easy to switch back and forth between the POVs. I don’t feel like I’m pulled out of the story at all because they have such complementary styles. This was a really enjoyable audiobook experience.

It's never too late!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews