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What Hurts Us

Falls Creek, Book 1

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What Hurts Us

By: Maggie Gates
Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, Bryant Walker
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About this listen

Asking Layla Mousavi to be my fake fiancé wasn’t the weirdest thing I had done this week. It didn’t even crack the top ten. Not when my days were filled with escaped pigs, radioactive casseroles, and cow-induced car crashes.

The population of Falls Creek, North Carolina, is a collective menace to society. Layla thought the first line of her orientation packet was a joke, but she soon realized it was all facts. After only a few hours on the job, the whip-smart flight nurse found herself flying headfirst into small-town drama.

Police Officer Callum Fletcher needs a fiancé, and he needs one fast.

His best option? The alluring nurse who had put him back together after one of his worst days on the force. She was the new girl in town and needed a place to stay.

The elusive bachelor could handle a temporary roommate if she could handle a town full of gossiping busybodies, his meddling grandma, and a former date who still had her sights set on being the future Mrs. Fletcher.

The only problem?

Layla Mousavi doesn’t date cops anymore. Especially ones with commitment issues the size of a Ferris wheel.

©2022 Maggie Gates (P)2024 Blue Nose Publishing Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Genre Fiction Medical Multicultural Romance Small Town & Rural

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All stars
Most relevant

Listener received this title free

Who doesn’t love a small town with all the crazy shenanigans and the nosey neighbours?? This audiobook was so good!!
Bryant Walker as the brooding, sweet and caring Callum was perfection and Samantha Brentmoor as the strong, whip-smart Layla was the cherry on top the deliciously yummy cake that Maggie Gates wrote.

Callum & Layla

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Listener received this title free

This is a fabulous small town romance novel, a fake engagement romance where neither were looking for a relationship or for love, but it finds them, regardless of their resistance or how hard they fight it. This is my first book written by Maggie Gates and I enjoyed her writing style and how easy it was to relate to her characters and storylines. The story drew me right in and not only captivating my attention the entire time, but it tugged at my heartstrings, too. Layla Mousavi worked her butt off specializing in trauma and emergency care to become a flight nurse, and she landed her first job in Falls Creek, North Carolina. Her first call out was aiding Police Officer Callum Fletcher, injured while on a call, and after they sedated him, he thought he was being abducted by aliens. Callum recovers and returns to work weeks later. When reminded of the annual bachelor auction and who plans on bidding on him again, he looked for ways to get out of it and came up with the fake engagement idea. Now he just needs to find a fiancé and he knows exactly who to ask, the new girl in town, but she already turned him down when he asked her to go out with him, then the perfect opportunity comes up to ask her. Layla does not want to date another police officer, the last one she dated broke her heart, but when the apartment she rented has an issue and there are no vacancies elsewhere Callum’s plan, a pretend engagement for a place to live while her apartment is being worked on. Layla agrees and goes all in, so it is believable to his family and the nosy townsfolk. I  thought those two were great together and for each other, and it was great to watch them get to know each other and see their relationship morph into something more. Callum had some issues and inner demons to deal with, self-worth issues, but Layla sees him, and really gets him. I loved how everything played out in this book, the story is entertaining and has the perfect balance of drama, angst, witty dialogue and humor, heartfelt emotions and steamy romance. Maggie Gates, thank you for this fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Samantha Brentmoor and Bryant Walker were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life and do so with a complete understanding of who they are, giving each a voice that is fitting and believable. Both nailed it in their roles as the two leads, and all the secondary characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, handled the banter and witty dialogue with ease, landing the humor effortlessly. You could hear how much heart they put into their performance as they capture all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling each one. These two made a great team, their voices complemented each other and their performance elevates this already wonderful story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.  

Great Story & Narration🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!

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Listener received this title free

Small town romance? Yes please! And a new to me author has Maggie Gates now on my radar and looking for more. This is a fabulous story, featuring Layla and Callum and their unexpected love story. Callum is a police officer, expected to participate in the bachelor auction. He is being pursued by a woman that he has no interest in and is determined to win him as she did last year and the only way out is if he is engaged. Layla is a flight emergency nurse, determined to make it on her own. When she is removed from her apartment due to unforeseen circumstances, she realizes she has no where to go. Layla was the nurse that was on the scene when Callum sustained an injury, and now he sees an opening for his problem. Layla can move in with him in exchange for pretending she is his fiance. And our story begins. Layla is a strong willed woman, but she has a big heart. Callum is guarded and while attracted to Layla, he thinks he can't have a relationship. Where does it all go? This is filled with a bit of suspense, a lot of fun towns people, gossip and fun. I loved this story, and am so glad I had the chance to get to go to Falls Creek. Looking forward to my next visit.

Samantha Brentmoor and Bryant Walker bring this story alive with an amazing narration. Brentmoor becomes Layla. Determined, strong, passionate, vulnerable, she pulls off all the layers of this woman. Walker has the perfect voice for Callum. He is sensual yet careful with his feelings. Both of these narrators create a fun small town feel and made for an excellent listen.

Love this romantic suspense!

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Listener received this title free

Okay. First, 𝙼𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚎 𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 is phenomenal! I've not read anything by her before and I can tell you, without a doubt, that I will absolutely be reading/listening to more of her work! Second, a book set in North Carolina that mentions places literally 20-30 minutes from me? Yes please 👏🏼💜!

We meet a flight nurse, Layla Mousavi, and police officer Callum Fletcher in this one. I absolutely fell head over heels for both of them. They were beautifully broken but together they made a beautiful masterpiece!

Watching Callum and Layla interact through their fake engagement was wonderful. There was banter and lots of sizzle! I loved how their story played out and couldn't get enough!

𝑆𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑎 𝐵𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑟 did a magnificent job at bringing Layla to life. She filled her with the emotions of a wonderful flight nurse & broken woman. I could feel her hesitancy through 𝐵𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑟'𝑠 voice. 𝐵𝑟𝑦𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑟. I've only listened to one other audio with him so it was a treat getting to know Callum through 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑟'𝑠 voice. He did a great job breathing life into Callum!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑯𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝑼𝒔 isn't just a story of love. It's a story of finding beauty among the broken pieces of our hearts. The chemistry within this story is fantastic, the banter is beautiful, and the characters steal your heart! I am absolutely looking forward to a second book in this series!

Love Makes Us Stronger!!!

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Listener received this title free

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adored This Audiobook!

This story had everything I love—humor, heart, swoon-worthy moments, and a fake engagement trope that was done so well. I found myself laughing, tearing up, and smiling like a fool more than once.

Samantha was, as always, amazing with her narration. Her performance brings so much life to the characters. This was my first time hearing Bryant Walker, and he did not disappoint! The dual narration was seamless, and both voices captured the emotional depth and chemistry of the leads perfectly.

The pacing was perfect, and the storyline kept me hooked from start to finish. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies with heartfelt moments and top-tier narration, I definitely recommend giving this one a listen!

The dual narration was seamless, and both voices captured the emotional depth and chemistry of the leads perfectly.

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