Great read

I am so glad they both made the right decision and that he came back for her. She is doing what she loves with the man she loves and he realised that his Brother wanted him to live his life for himself not anyone else.

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A lighthearted read

Enjoyable for a light heated romance. Richard Armitage drew me to this audio.

The one thing that really let's this down is Grace Grants voice. Her male voice is just terrible and is cringy in many parts.

Like the descriptions of Paris

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Very Saucy but really enjoyable

I listened to this because it was narrated in part by Richard Armitage who has the loveliest voice. I watched a video of him talking about the story and whilst he did say it was a kind of fairy tale having not read anything by this author before I did not realise how graphic some of the scenes would be! It was very entertaining and I would definitely listen to more by this author!

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1 person found this helpful

Light and enjoyable

Light, cute romance following Brit, Griffin Thomas, who is living in Paris as a translator whilst saving up money to complete his late brothers ‘bucket list’. Joy Danvers-Lively is moving to Paris from America following a breakup with her boyfriend, Joy of course needs a translator. In steps Griffin and I’ve got to say the banter and chemistry between these two is palpable. Do it already! No, they don’t want to mix business with pleasure, never a good idea, but when you spend all morning and all evening with someone you’re attracted to, the inevitable happens. It’s not a problem though because neither of them are looking at long term, feelings are not going to get in the way of their goals. Oh dear, failed again. What will happen when Griffin leaves to fulfil his brother’s life goals. A light, easy read told in dual POV, with loveable characters and a cute storyline. Narration was perfect.

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Pure escapism

A lovely story line, a raunchy modern day Mills and Boon! Pure escapism.
Absolutely loved the narration by Richard Armitage, but found Grace Grant's narration grating, especially when she tried to do Griffin's voice. Would have been much better if RA had read those lines. Would give 5 for performance for RA, but don't feel I could as half the chapters made me cringe, sorry.

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2 people found this helpful

Loved the setting just not the story, sadly!!!

I purchased this book on Audible as soon as I saw that it was narrated by Richard Armitage. A British character and narrator is a rare commodity amongst the romance genre and author group that I follow so I was beyond excited to start listening to story. The story also piqued my interest because it is set in Paris and in particular the Montmartre district, an area which is steeped in history, beauty and offers a fascinating backdrop to any romance story.

We first meet Joy as she travels to Paris for work. With a nose for a scent, she is excited to be starting a year-long contract in the city doing the job she loves. Willing to embrace everything French, she excitedly tries to use what little French she knows but initially with very funny results. Fortunately for her, she has a translator appointed to support her. What Joy doesn't realise is that her new translator has already made a lasting impression on her thanks to an impromptu meeting in a boulangerie!

Griffin and Joy share an immediate attraction and it is clear from the outset that their personalities match. Joy is your typical effervescent American and Griffon is the swoon-worthy Brit with an accent that she has, to date, only dreamt about. When they realise that they are to work together, Joy and Griffon decide to become friends but their friendship grows as they spend endless hours together, walking the streets of Paris and sharing their common interests alongside the sights and sounds of the city.

With Griffon's time in Paris coming to an end, as he prepares to travel to Indonesia to complete a marathon in memory of his late brother, Joy and Griffon try, unsuccessfully, to protect their hearts from the imminent loss. Having both fallen in love with each other, they part not knowing where their respective futures will take them.

I struggled to wholly enjoy RA's interpretation of Griffon. At times, his character portrayal came across a little stilted and lacking in emotion. When added to the female narrator, their respective POVs just didn't work. I wanted to spend all of my time with RA, as expected, and that may have taken the shine off Grace Grant's contribution to the story and possibly even RA's.

Overall, the story was also a little slow and didn't really develop even by its conclusion, despite the fascinating sights and sounds captured by the author. Lauren Blakely's enthusiasm for the city was clearly evident in her writing but possibly to the detriment of the story and her characters. Also, the romantic scenes were cold and clinical and totally lost in translation in audio format. Whilst Lauren Blakely is probably not aware of RA's massive fanbase, her use of him as a narrator could have a negative effect on the book's ratings. When compared to his work on The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this story could be a step too far for his die-hard fans! I'm sure though, when the ebook/paperback releases, and Lauren's normal fan base reads the story, they will thoroughly enjoy it.

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Griffin & Joy

Wanderlust is my favourite Lauren Blakely book of all times.
Richard Armitage’s voice is just so dreamy… and the Smexy scenes… oh wow!!

Joy and Griffin’s love story is sweet, romantic and at times heartbreaking and tearjerkering. How I fell for these two, for how they felt for themselves, each other and those around them. Both found each other and a home away from home.
The amazing descriptions of Paris even made me fall a little in love with a city I’ve never been to.

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An easy listen

I bought this audiobook to hear Richard Armitage and as always his voice and acting bought quality to the text. At first I found the jump from his voice to Grace’s American accent quite jarring but found a few chapters in that I was enjoying her chapters too. I found myself eye rolling at times but overall I enjoyed this audiobook for what it is. If you don’t enjoy this type of fiction at all then it’s probably not for you but I enjoyed listening to this while I walk.

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1 person found this helpful

Aural heaven in the city of lights

Sweet, hot and thought-inducing story.
Grace Grant & Richard Armitage are a dream to listen to.

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A beautiful narration of a wonderful romance.

This is without doubt my favourite book of Lauren's to date.

It took me on a journey through Paris, and I could see, almost taste, smell and feel everything the characters were experiencing. Griffin and Joy have a connection off the bat, and in the bedroom they are certainly a match for each other!

The writing is beautiful, playful, witty and truly tells of a great love of Paris. The characters are both relatable, and personable and Grace who I have listened to before is always a dream to listen to, and Richard, well, he was just a dream, the perfect Griffin, the little bit of gruff to his voice especially in the flirting, well, it just added to the perfect Griffin. I need to listen to more from him!

I tell you, If there is ever just 1 book (and there isn't) of Lauren's to put to film, this is it. Or do this first!! I have to see this come to life. Reading gave me the feels, tear soaked feels. Seeing would give my feels, feels.

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