Forging Passion Audiobook

Second Generation prequel novella, but you don’t need to have ready any of the previous generation to enjoy this one.

Quick little teaser snack of a story. It’s like an extended prologue that sets up the two characters, sets up a couple potential future conflicts and gives us a delicious one night stand before melting away with a lot of loose threads.

The audiobook was performed by Janine Granda & Bryant Walker. Both were new the me narrators and I would happily listen to them again. Even though this is a super short 2 hours of audio, we did get some range from both of them. Janine brought anxious, determined and hopeful to Cara’s soccer dreams and some awesome “ewww I’m creeped out” vibes to the interactions with a specific side character. Bryant gave us mellow and easy going, yet desperate and balls to the wall for Wes. There were even some humbled and chastised moments with his aunt.

I am very interested in seeing where these characters and threads/story seeds go next.

I requested and was provided with an advanced copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.

I’m a big fan of Lainey Davis, her Stag and Brady family series - while this is just a novella, it is the introduction into the next generation of these families and their children… how exciting!

I really enjoyed it, even though it was a super-quick listen. I’m going to have a hard time waiting until December for book 1!

Wes and Cara have instant chemistry from the moment they meet - en route to the soccer camp. They have explosive fireworks when they finally give into it, after the competition is over - once the weekend camp is done, but then the novella ends and we have to wait for the full book to find out what happens next!

Janine Granda & Bryant Walker narrated - both new voices to me, and I liked them both. They suited the characters and I enjoyed their performances.

I received an advance listen copy from Home Cooked Books PR and this is my honest feedback.

This is the prequel to Lainey Davis's Stag Generations Series. It's a spinoff of the Stag Brothers series (these are the now grown kids' stories) and serves as a great bridge between the two. Though Davis provides enough info for those new to her writing to not be lost/overwhelmed.

Confession: I barely listen to New Adult romance anymore. My kids are now this age and too many times I've encountered MC with their names and it just gets weird...

However, I love Lainey Davis. Love the Stag Brothers books (Hawk & Lucy are my favs). And she always picks the best narrators. So I'm diving in!

For such a short book, Davis packs in a a lot. Wonderful intro to the newest Stag generation as well as Wes & Cara individually. The have a fiery meet-cute, instant attraction, and a steamy one night stand. Since both are soccer players with a focus on immediate professional goals, it's agreed that this night is it. As it is with romance... they're both feeling more.

Davis is clear that this ends on a cliffhanger as this serves as a teaser to Wes & Cara's full book, Forging Glory. It's absolutely perfect.

Narration:
Janine Granda and Bryant Walker were both new to me. Remember when I said Davis picks the best narrators? Yup. She's scored (hah! ⚽︎) with these performers. I loved both of them. Emotions, passion, and how they each voiced all the characters. I can't wait to hear them for a full book!

Thanks to Home Cooked Books for the ALC of this steamy romance audiobook fun!
Forging Passion: A Stag Generations Prequel
By Lainey Davis
Narrated by Janine Granda & Bryant Walker

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5) (but closer to five for a novella/prequel)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4.5/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5)

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Airport/airplane meet-cute!
🤩 Wes and Cara are both athletes—soccer players.
🤩 Both narrators have gorgeous voices that flirt so perfectly.
🤩 When Wes hears Cara say, “Oh my god this feels amazing.” Ha! Laugh-out-loud funny!
🤩 The physical attraction and steamy goodness are fantastic.
🤩 One night stand.
🤩 It leaves you wanting more for multiple reasons and hoping for a re-meet-cute (one of my favorite tropes)!
🤩 I’m in for the Stag series.
🤩 This is my first Lainey Davis—I’ve been adding her books to my TBR for a while now. TBR and so many books so little time problems.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 More Stag time!