Review of ‘Artist’s dream’ by Gerri Hill,
Audiobook narrated by Abby Craden
Cassie Parker is a woodcarving artist who had a tough childhood. Her mother abandoned her when she was a child, leaving her to be raised by her father, a reverend with staunch Christian and homophobic beliefs. Now in her late twenties, she is struggling with her sexuality until she meets Luke Winston. Their mutual attraction is so strong that fighting it is futile. But when Cassie’s father makes an appearance, Cassey will have to choose between her family or her love life…
This is a good lesbian romance audiobook with a side of family drama. Gerri Hill knows how to build up the chemistry between her characters and ‘Artist’s dream’ is no exception. It took me some time to warm to Cassie’s character but once the reasons why she’s so repressed were revealed, it was easy to like her. Despite Cassie’s determination to ignore her feelings, her attraction to Luke is so powerful that it’s impossible to ignore. Once their connection is established, the author works her magic and the sex scenes are well written and hot.
The secondary characters play a fundamental role in the story, specially Cassie’s best friend and her father. When I read this book a few years ago, I found Reverend Parker a bit stereotyped but now I think that there are more people like him that I’d like to believe. He is a hateful character who has twisted reasons for his actions. I would have liked Ms. Hill to include more family background to the plot instead of dropping a bomb without much further development, in my opinion, the story could have been better by providing a better closure to some unresolved issues in Cassie’s life. However, I understand that the balance is more in the romance than the family drama.
The audiobook edition is narrated by Abby Craden, who has read a few of Ms. Hill’s books. Her voices are perfect for each character, specially that husky undertone of Luke’s voice. Her performance of Reverend Parker is powerful and believable, there are a few scenes between father and daughter in which Ms. Craden captures their emotional turmoil perfectly. It brings the story to life in a commanding manner. Once again, not only she doesn’t disappoint but she makes the end result so much better.
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Overall, a good lesbian romance with a side of family drama. 4 stars for the story, 5 stars for the narration. Average 4.5 stars.
