It began with a fantasy that ultimately changes the course of their destiny. Hot guy, intrigued girl and a hauntingly tempting visual began a bumpy road of twists and turns for two strangers. Part- Time Lover can make a believer out of even the most skeptic of romantics. Elise and Christian let readers take a glimpse inside their deepest thoughts with humorous angst and bits of emotional upheaval. Definitely an attention grabber. From the beautiful backdrop to the witty dialogue and the heartwarming romance, Part-time Lover is a keeper. Lauren Blakely is one addiction that I wholeheartedly cultivate. ( )

Part-Time Lover by Lauren Blakely  
It began with a fantasy that ultimately changes the course of their destiny. Hot guy, intrigued girl and a hauntingly tempting visual began a bumpy road of twists and turns for two strangers.  Part- Time Lover can make a believer out of even the most skeptic of romantics. Elise and Christian let readers take a glimpse inside their deepest thoughts with humorous angst and bits of emotional upheaval. Definitely an attention grabber. From the beautiful backdrop to the witty dialogue and the heartwarming romance, Part-time Lover is a keeper. Lauren Blakely is one addiction that  I wholeheartedly cultivate.  
  ( )

This was just a lot of fun! I really enjoyed just about everything about this audiobook. This book had a lot of things going for it with a sweet and sexy story read by two excellent narrators. I have only had the chance to listen to Lauren Blakely's books twice before starting this book but I have found all of the books I have read to be remarkably well done. I am so glad that I had the chance to listen to this fun and romantic story.

This is one of those books that doesn't have a whole lot of surprises but it doesn't matter because the journey is just delightful. I am finding that books with fake relationships are really working for me lately. Most fake relationships in books quickly turn into real relationships and this book is no exception. I had such a great time spending time with Christian and Elise and they fell for each other and their initial meeting really set the playful tone of the story.

Christian and Elise were both great characters. Elise's past was unexpected and really did a great job of giving the reader some insight into her hesitation to put her heart at risk. I usually fall for the Heroes in this kind of book and I had no problem falling for Christian. His personality was just magnetic and he really was a fantastic guy. I really enjoyed that this book is told in alternate points of view so that I got the chance to experience the thoughts and feelings of both Christian and Elise.

I loved the narration. This was the first time that I have had a chance to listen to both Shane East and Grace Grant and I thought that they both did a wonderful job with this story. They both were able to handle the story's dialogue really well and I thought that it was a great decision to have the narrators read the text messages written their characters. I thought that each narrator did a great job of adding emotion to the story and adding some heat at just the right time. I would not hesitate to listen to more of each of these narrators work in the future.

I would recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. This was a quick feel-good romantic read that often put a big smile on my face. It was so easy to fall for these characters as they were falling for each other. I look forward to reading more from Lauren Blakely soon.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Lauren Blakely Books via Inkslinger PR. ( )

I loved Christian and Elise's--dare I call it a meet cute? Would Christian be offended to have his naked man bits referred to as "cute"? (Yes, probably...but he would also probably laugh, because darn it, it was kinda cute). Their initial courtship was entertaining, and the reason for their fake-ish relationship was fairly unique. I loved that they didn't sleep together until their wedding night, and their dates beforehand all seemed fun and quirky.

But...

Once they were married and started to feel things for each other, the book got rather frustrating, culminating in a completely aggravating black moment. Everything could have been solved with a simple conversation, and since the two of them prided themselves on their ability to communicate and be honest, it was beyond annoying that they didn't here. Elise especially seemed like a completely different person for a few bleak chapters.

Fortunately, they got their act together with an absolutely adorable grand gesture, and the epilogue (and after epilogue!) were all that one could wish for and more. They almost made up for the frustration that went before.

Ms. Blakely does a great job with dual, first-person narration. The voice actors here did a decent job (he's no Sebastian York, but who is?) and I'd listen to something read by either or both of them in the future without hesitation. As a bonus, the version I listened to had an excerpt from Wanderlust , narrated by Richard Armitage. If anyone can make me not miss Sebastian York as a narrator, it's Richard Armitage. ;)

Rating: 3 1/2 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )

Lauren Blakely does it again and continues to be one of my favorite romance/romcom writers. She has such a wonderful writing style and great sense of humor which give her the ability to create such amazing characters you can’t help but fall in love with. Part Time Lover is definitely full time on romance, chemistry, sweetness, fun, and flirty sexy banter. I adore Christian and Elise and I love how they (sort of) meet for the first time. Unfortunately due to some miscommunication they do not see each other again for a full year. When they do, they decide to have a part time affair because neither is looking for anything serious. But then in order to help his brother Erik, they agree to get married. What starts as a marriage of convenience turns into the real deal because the feelings were always there even if their pasts were preventing them from letting them out full force. Of course there is still some of that pesky miscommunication that gets in the way for a bit and you wonder if things will work. I absolutely loved watching Christian and Elise fall in love for real! They have fantastic chemistry and so much in common and are so good for each other! They complement each other in the best ways! This is such a fulfilling story that touched my heart and made laugh and smile all at the same time. Oooh and I love the epilogues!! 5 Full time stars for Part Time Lover!! ( )