Narrated by Kate Russell

If you have never read Kristen Ashley and you enjoy contemporary over-the-top alpha heroes, you simply must give her books a try. Self published until recently, she has dozens of books on her backlist and most are available for very reasonable prices in eBook format (although it looks as though the prices are going up). She’s known for less than ideal editing so beware but readers who have discovered her usually come back for more and more and more. I often hear her books referred to as crack for romance alpha lovers. And I must admit that when I first started reading Ashley’s books, I read ten in a row – amazing for me. I have since backed off reading her books as they all started flowing together and I found myself losing interest at the halfway point. But that’s the risk you take when you glom an author’s backlist.

Now it looks as though audio enthusiasts can enjoy a few Ashley books as audio downloads. The releases are coming slowly with her first two this summer and several more in the works. Law Man  on December 17th, and Motorcycle Man  on January 28th.

When I heard about the release of Kristen Ashley’s work in audio format, I wondered just how a narrator could pull off these (let’s admit it) overbearing heroes. Oh, they are eventually tamed by their women but it’s not uncommon to see the hero initially act in a highly insulting manner toward their future love. And Mystery Man is no exception. Narrator Kate Russell handled that all-important aspect very well.

What’s the insult here? Well, it’s a little more subtle than the direct insult we see in a number of Ashley’s other books such as Motorcycle Man (my favorite of the Dream Man series). Hawk Delgado has been visiting Gwendolyn Kidd in the middle of the night for a year and a half. They have never exchanged names – it all started with a one night stand and Gwen doesn’t want to jeopardize the time (and thrills) he gives her when he mysteriously appears in her bed. Now Gwen’s life is threatened and Hawk suddenly appears in the day proclaiming her to be his and, common for Ashley’s heroes, takes over her life without ever asking permission. Back to that insult? Well, he never wanted to be bothered with the daytime aspects of a relationship and easily admits it. Gwen isn’t accepting his takeover of her life and the repartee between the two is pretty fantastic. See, Hawk just thinks she ought to do what he says – period. He knows best after all. And he’s not put off by her refusal to let him do so. He still knows best and isn’t letting up.

Kate Russell handles Hawk’s attitudes with flair. In fact, all of her interpretations of the male characters (of which at least two are future heroes of their own books) are spot on. She doesn’t deepen her voice much for her male characters yet her female characters are easily distinguished.

My largest criticism of Mystery Man is Kate Russell’s performance of Gwen. She simply sounds too young. With her performance, she projects a 21 year-old woman in both her physical voice and the emphasis she places on Gwen’s dialogue. It’s an overly excited nature usually seen in college age characters (her friends sound the same age). Gwen is 33. Many of Gwen’s lines are outright funny for a sensible woman in her thirties (which Gwen is) but Ms. Russell’s delivery makes her sound silly rather than the endearing character she is in print. However, in the latter half of the book, I did notice that Gwen started sounding more the age of her character. Overall, I adored Gwen’s character in print – I only tolerated Ms. Russell’s interpretation of her character.

Hawk is a man who can protect his woman even against all odds. As with every Ashley book I have read, the whole family gets into the action around the halfway point. Hawk continues to be a challenge for Gwen but I won’t say more as I’d hit spoiler territory. It’s fun, it’s different, it’s not the best writing you have ever read, but that unevenness you may sense in print doesn’t seem all that noticeable in audio format. The narrator brings the entire family to life, differentiating the characters sufficiently.

Kristen Ashley fans will likely love Kate Russell’s delivery of Mystery Man. The Audible reviews are already highly favorable with 93 ratings at an average of 4 ½ stars. Regardless of the narator’s interpretation of Gwen’s character, I have no doubt this will be an audio winner. And I have to give another thumbs up to the narrator for getting the hero right – the most difficult aspect of performing an Ashley book to my way of thinking.

I’ve read one too many Ashleys to keep reading at the pace I once did. I still read an occasional Ashley title but now it usually involves a lot of skimming. But still…there’s nothing quite like a Kristen Ashley book. If it’s to your liking, you too will be feeling that you can’t read (or listen to) just one.

Lea Hensley