Audiobook Romance Review: Hard Core by Tess Oliver

The five star streak has come to its inevitable end.

Hard Core by Tess Oliver, Narrated by Marcio Catalano & Lauren Sweet
Contemporary Romance
Audiobook 5+ Hours, Released September 2017
Amazon ♦ Goodreads

LEDGER
Sometimes one good dose of trouble could turn your life around, put you on the right path. But I'd taken the opposite side of the forked road and headed off looking for even more trouble, like a junkie constantly searching for the next high. Never would I have guessed that turn would lead me to her. I couldn't stop thinking about her. She was an angel, a hardcore, bonafide angel, and in her short life she'd already had a taste of hell.

JACY
Despair. Heartbreak. Silence. That was all I'd grown to know, until he showed up next door.The handsome, tattooed stranger had the kind of eyes that were hard to look away from, and he gazed at me as if we'd been friends or even lovers in a different life. He looked at me as if he knew me, and suddenly I had this flash of feeling as if I was right where I was supposed to be.Hard Core is a full-length, standalone novel.Contains mature content. Intended for listeners 18+

My Thoughts:

I haven’t a clue why this book is called Hard Core because it’s not hard core at all and that’s not a terrible thing. Just don’t be misled by the title thinking you’re going into some gritty, taboo, murder filled read. You might be disappointed if that’s the case.

Hard Core is a sweet, slightly saucy little love story. Ledger has recently been released from prison for a stupid but rather harmless offense. He’s covered in tattoos but he’s nothing but sweetness on the inside.

He did not murder or harm anyone, if you were still wondering.

Jacy runs a coffee shop and is recovering from an abusive relationship and a devastating secret she doesn’t share with anyone when she meets Ledger. They soon fall in love but Ledger has a secret of his own. A secret which will come back to bite him in his perfect butt and possibly ruin everything he’s been living for the past few years.

This was a straight-forward, slightly predicable but pleasant romance with a likable, if sometimes misguided, hero and a heroine who didn’t get on my last nerve. I’d recommend reading it in paper as I wasn’t overly thrilled with either narrator. I love the idea of two narrators for this type of story but have to admit it threw me at first and took some getting used to. Lauren Sweet voices Jacy and her voice was so nasally at times that it made me cringe. Marcio Catalano does his best with Ledger but I felt his voice was too cultured and smooth for a man like Ledger. A little roughness would’ve made it work better for me. I’m not sure either narrator was the best choice for these two characters but they weren’t abominable so if audio is your only thing give it a go.

A Bit About the Author

Tess Oliver is a teacher and writer who lives in California with her husband, kids and a small pack of pampered dogs. She loves horses, chocolate and Jane Austen books.

Her website filled with some pretty pictures can be found at http://www.tessoliver.com/