Review of Ambereye by Gill McKnight, audiobook narrated by Melissa Sternenberg

I’ve heard so many good things about the Garoul Series that I was really curious about it. This series has 5 books: Little Dip, a prequel or book 0, Goldenseal (book 1), Ambereye (book 2), Indigo Moon (book 3), and Silver Collar (book 4). As I’m not a paranormal fan, I decided just to sample one of the books in the series, so I jumped straight into Ambereye, because of the number of good reviews. The audio version was recently released so that’s a bonus.

Hope Glassy’s new boss at Ambereye Inc. is Jolie Garoul, a moody workaholic and a contrary lycanthrope. Hope is a hardworking, compassionate cancer survivor who doesn’t need a grumpy boss. Unfortunately, during Thanksgiving, she ends up going on a work trip with her boss to Little Dip, home of the Garoul clan. Jolie’s family assumes Hope is her chosen mate which starts a series of misunderstandings. As feelings and truths are revealed, Hope is adamant that she’s not looking for love but Jolie definitely likes the idea. Is there a way she can seduce Hope?

This was a very entertaining and humorous paranormal romance. Even though this is book 2, effectively the third book in the series, I was able to read it as a standalone without any issues. So if you aren’t a fan of werewolves and you just want to sample the series, this is a good place to start. Having said that, the paranormal parts of the plot are extremely light and the story is more focused on the romance and the Garoul family dynamics, something I personally appreciated.

Talking about romance, this is an opposites-attract combined with the grumpy and sunshine trope. Hope is an upbeat character despite her life difficulties, though she’s guarded and scared to give her heart and Jolie is socially awkward and hides her feelings behind her extreme work ethic. But a meddling family, supportive friends and a cute dog bring them together in a way they can’t deny or avoid. I really enjoyed the humour around Jolie’s lack of tact in social interactions and her general grumpiness. Hope, on the other hand, complements her well and adds a sweet factor though she can also have a take no prisoners attitude. These characters’ nuances give them depth and an authentic feel and make the story really enjoyable.

I’ve listened to the audiobook narrated by Melissa Sternenberg who did an excellent job. I haven’t listened to many of her narrations but I was happy with this one. Her voices were distinct and the performance of the different feelings was superb. It’s a very good story to listen to on audio and I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars.

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins