That's What I'm Talking About

Brynn’s life sucks. Recently divorced, she left her husband and loveless marriage. The moment the papers where signed, she lost her job as a writing professor, where her former father-in-law was her boss. Stuck in a rut, her BFFs tell her she needs to go for a man that is the complete opposite of her normal type for a single night of fun. And after a couple drinks… she does.

Tom is working hard to keep a low profile after his very public break up six months ago. Star of his own home repair show, he’s working on renovating his place in Michigan while the network decides if he’ll get another season. However, he tosses his plans for a year of celibacy out the window when a beautiful stranger throws herself at him at a party. Now he can’t stop thinking about her, hoping for a repeat experience.

Man Hands is an absolute joy to experience! Not only is a sweet and sexy romance, but the humor is laugh-out-loud funny. Brynn and Tom are adorable together. Stemming from bad breakups, each has lost confidence in love and relationships. Yet in order to move forward, they must pretend to be in one - which isn’t a hardship for either since they are extremely attracted to one another. It also helps that both are genuinely good people who don’t want to hurt the other. And of course, they have friends pushing them together, which makes for some fun times. The supporting cast is equally as intriguing as the main couple, and I look forward to their stories with anticipation. 

The authors do a fabulous job of breaking convention and typical romance conflicts with their storytelling. I admire and appreciate the direction they took the story as I listened to it. More than once I was thinking I knew what would happen next - how a character would react to a situation, but the authors pleasantly surprised me each time. What could have been typical is instead sublime!

The story is brought to life by the narrators. I enjoyed both tremendously. Ms. Mallon brings just the right amount of perkiness to Brynn. She is able to convey a wide range of emotions and alters her tone to make each character distinctive. And listening to Mr. Daniels in a romantic roll was such a delight. After tying him to Atticus and Oberon from the Iron Druid Chronicles (urban fantasy), hearing him as the romantic lead was awesome. Only a few times did I hear his UF characters in his performance. He nails the wit and humor of Tom’s character, but is also tender and endearing. My only issue with the narration, is that Ms. Mallon was best at 1.25x and Mr. Daniels at 1.5x. Normally I pick one and go with it, but the speed made a big difference in my enjoyment, so I had to keep switching the speed back and forth each time the narrator changed. 

In the end, I loved listening to Man Hands; it will definitely be in my Top of 2018 list! The story is fun and sweet, and I simply loved Brynn and Tom. Both hurting, both kind, both nervous, they make the perfect couple, and the perfect story to read.

My Rating: A

Narration (both): A

Review copy provided by Blunder Woman Productions