Dane's Storm

Second chance/Survival story. Performance just okay.

Spoiler alert. The pace of the first half was slow and hard for me to get into. It took too long for the couple to see each other again in present time. I feel like the the scenes with the secretary were unnecessary. I forwarded through a lot. Personally, I don’t like it when the hero dates other women while they’re apart but the heroine never does. Doesn’t feel believable that she never tried to move on in 8 years and feels unequal. It made him seem like such a catch but she she was a bit too pitiful.

The second half was a combination survival and second chance romance. The pacing was faster and they interacted more so I liked this half better. This part had more angst.

The male narrator sounded a lot like Henry Winkler to me and I felt like he made a lot of the male POV overly dramatic and older sounding. I couldn’t get used to him. The female narrator was a little breathy but overall I liked her performance.

I speeded through the slow scenes but did finish it and enjoyed the ending. The characters had great chemistry and you could feel the love between them. I think that’s why it bothered me so much that there wasn’t more of the chemistry throughout and better pacing. I would listen to the author’s other books but would hesitate if the same male narrator was used.

29 people found this helpful

5 mind-blowing stars

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! Because it is an epic and exceptional romantic story.

What other book might you compare Dane's Storm to and why?

I can't compare it to any other book,it's unique on its own. It has Mia's style of a good romantic book.

What about Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon ’s performance did you like?

They did great in transferring the emotions with their narration. I love their voices as well. They speak very clearly and distinctly which for a no native speaker like me is a great plus.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were a few moments that brought me to tears in this book. It's an emotional book.

Any additional comments?

I have no words to express everything I feel after reading this book. My heart is overflowing with emotions, my eyes still have tears and I cannot come down from the high this book gave me. I’m a huge fan of Mia and her writing, but I think this is my absolute favorite of hers up to now. And I may add my top of the top for this year so far.

I love a good second chance romance any time, but throw into the mix some tragic past to spice up the story and crash the couple on a snowy mountain and leave them to survive the impossible. I’m sold! And don’t let me start on the writing. It was so beautiful with such attention to every single detail I felt like I was there. I lived and breathed this story. That’s how amazing it was written. I felt each snowflake flowing from the sky, the frigid cold wind blowing in my face, the hunger, the desperation, the fear, the agonizing pain. But most of all I felt their emotions. So colorful and so pure, so real that I thought my heart may burst out from all the feelings this book brought me. And kudos to the narrators Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon who did a good job transferring all those feelings with their acting. Everything was simply exceptional.

Not only was the plot so original and intriguing, but the characters had so much depth that made the story so much more realistic. Each one of them had their strengths individually, but together they complemented each other perfectly and they made a great team.

Audra - she was one of these female characters that I instantly admired. I was in awe with her strength and how she survived everything that life threw at her. She had a lot of pain hidden inside and my heart ached for her and all the things she had endured. But she held on to the things she was passionate about – her flower shop and the dreams she had for turning it into a successful business.

…and Dane… OMG Dane! Swoon material alert, ladies!!! Like top BBF swoon material!! I didn’t know what to think of him in the beginning. But little by little, as the story progressed and I learned more and more about him, I started to like him and he grew under my skin. Then when we met him in the present I was completely and utterly in love. He was so kind, caring and attentive, and even though he was trying to suppress his emotions, his love for Audra was unmistakable. He certainly made some poor choices, but they both did. They were young, and hurting and the decisions they made took them apart, but they never get over each other, because some people are just meant to be together.

I loved how this story was structured. It picked my interest right from the start and I kept wondering what must have happened to those two. With the little flashbacks to the past the story got more poignat and intriguing. I wanted to know everything, but it was like unwrapping a present. Layer by layer everything was revealed and I was simply mesmerized. We got more insight on both their feelings and how they eneded up where they were. And the moment they reunited it was like they were unleashing all those hidden inside feelings and everything turned explosive. The passion, the tension, the insecurity, the secret longing for each other – it was like a tidal wave of emotions flowing from the pages.

And then the story took a completely different direction and that was my favourite part of the book. Having to survive on a snowy mountain, with little to no resourses, they had only each other to rely on. The book became more intense, there were moments I was biting my nails and felt like my heart was going to come out of my chest from the action-packed scenes. There were moments I was truly terrified for them, but that was the part that completely stole my heart and made this book a solid 5 star read for me. The instant they opened up to each other and started trusting each other with their lives in order to come out of this predicament they found themselves in, I was like hypnotized and I couldn’t stop listening. This part was so fast paced and although it was more action oriented, there were some very emotional moments of revelations and long-overdue truths spoken. They grieved their loss, they suffered together, they fought to survive, but most of all their second crash opened their souls to each other, so they could find their absolution.

An exceptional book with a memorable plot that completely transferred me to this frigid place on top of a mountain and made me experience the full spectrum of emotions – from fear and heartbreak, to calm and forgiveness, from grief and despair, to love and salvation. The ending was a crazy roller-coaster of emotions and I really didn’t see this plot-twist coming but it wrapped up the story pretty nicely. It was certainly a powerful story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

A second-chance romance that completely blew my mind, melted my heart and warmed my soul with the depth of its characters, the sincerity and purity in their feelings, the beauty with which it was written and the intense plot that completed all this and made it the perfect package for me.

24 people found this helpful

A true second chance

I finished this audiobook a few days ago and had to let the story sit with me a little bit.

It really is a story of survival and second chances. I am in awe of how Mia wrote this book. She sucked me in and I am still thinking of this book.

Dane is a special kind of character he wasn’t what you would expect but by the time you finish listening, you wouldn’t want him to be anything other than who he is.

Audra oh my, what can I say about her. She feels so very much and maybe that is why it took what it took for her to open herself up and be vulnerable. But we see so much strength and growth from her in this story you can’t help but be rooting for her.

I loved the narration this team is amazing Erin is amazing on her own but you add in Lance you’re like in awe. Loved it.

*You don't have to like my review but its 100% my opinion, and I am allowed to have it.*

21 people found this helpful

Such Intense Emotion, Excellent Writting

Any additional comments?

I usually don't write comments about book reviews but I had to for this wonderful book. Without giving anything away, this story really stuck at my heart. All the love they have that never died over the years is what kept them from moving on. Soul mates... when you find yours, you can't move on with loving someone else, no matter how hard you try. This story is so well written I could feel their intense pain, anger, struggles, grief, loss, frustrations, love and yearning for each other. There are very few books that make me emotionally feel what the characters are feeling. This book struck at my heart with it all. Maybe because I have a son as well and no good parent can get over the loss of their child. I was consumed by the raw emotions in the narrators voice and the excellent job at narration. I'm so glad I took a chance at listening to this wonderful love story at a second chance with your soul mate. A true love story.

12 people found this helpful

Terrible narration

Couldn’t finish the story. The first couple chapters are slow but interesting. But just not enough to get past the awful narration. Oh well

2 people found this helpful

Wow must Read or listen

This truly is one of the best books that I have listen to in a very long time worth more than one credit hit download and listen

5 people found this helpful

Amazing!!!

Wow! This book was amazing! Hooked from the first words, I couldn't stop listening to this story! This was such an emotional story and had me crying several times. An absolutely gorgeous romance, the kind that stays with you forever. The writing was fantastic and the story was everything I wanted and more. Narration was absolutely fantastic! Loved this so much!!!

2 people found this helpful

all the feels

all around great story. well written and performed. all the feels that's for sure. a credit well spent.

4 people found this helpful

So glad I got this book.

I got this book because of the narrator's. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the story itself. The angst, heartbreak and suspense of the story kept me awake long after I finished it. I will definitely will.be reading/listening to more by this author.

4 people found this helpful

Just OK

I have loved Mia's previous stories, but I wasn't taken away by this one. It moved a little slowly for me and the characters didn't fully pull me in. Although I think a big part of the problem for me was the male narration...he really threw me off. Every. Single. Word. was overly dramatic...wayyyy overly dramatic. He also sounded much older than the character should have sounded (in my mind). I didn't like his reading at all. Erin was great!

6 people found this helpful