Author: Candace Blevins
Narrator: Noah Michael Levine
Length: 2 hours 57 minutes
Publisher: Candace Blevins
Released: Feb. 21, 2018
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Candace Blevins. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Bethany has joked for years that if she ever settles down, it'll be with a harem of men, only it isn't a joke anymore.
Mac is a new werewolf, and still must be watched at every moment to be sure he stays in control. His kink has always been ménage, so when he overhears the beautiful redhead at the bar wanting to take on not only him, but also the werewolf and wereleopard chaperoning his night out... he has to convince them to let him take her home. He might not be trustworthy with a human woman alone, yet, but with two powerful shapeshifters in bed with them, what could go wrong?
Previously published in the Every Which Way Anthology.
Candace Blevins has published more than thirty books. She lives with her husband of twenty years and their two daughters. When not working or driving young teens all over the place, she can be found reading, writing, meditating, or swimming. The family’s beloved, goofy, retired racing greyhound is usually at her side as she writes, quietly keeping her company.Candace writes Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary BDSM Romance, and a kick-ass Motorcycle Club series.
Her urban fantasy series, Only Human, gives us a world where weredragons, werewolves, werelions, three different species of vampires, and a variety of other mythological beings exist.
Candace's two paranormal romance series, The Chattanooga Supernaturals and The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, are both sister series to the Only Human series, and give some secondary characters their happily ever after.
Her contemporary Safeword series gives us characters who happen to have some extreme kinks. Relationships can be difficult enough without throwing power exchange into the mix, and her books show characters who care enough about each other to fight to make the relationship work. Each couple in the Safeword series gives the reader a different take on the lifestyle.
You can visit Candace on the web at candaceblevins.com and feel free to friend her on Facebook at facebook.com/candacesblevins and Goodreads at goodreads.com/CandaceBlevins. You can also join facebook.com/groups/CandacesKinksters to get sneak peeks into what she's writing now, images that inspire her, and the occasional juicy teaser.
Stay up to date on Candace’s newest releases, and get exclusive excerpts by joining her mailing list at http://bit.ly/cb-new-release
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What made the experience of listening to Acceptable Risk the most enjoyable?
I think having a narrator with a voice that has you imagining some of the characters helps to get that movie playing in your head. The reason you listen to a book is because you're looking for more of an aural experience. Plus it's a way of getting your book fix while you're able to get other things done at the same time.
Who was your favorite character and why?
You woiuld think that having a male narrator that I would pick a male character. Sorry to disappoint you but it would have to be Bethany. She wants something but as she gets her wish she finds out some secrets that make her a little wary about her choice. You get the sense that what she feels is real. Bethany also knows how to stand up for herself and not afraid to speak her mind.
What about Noah Michael Levine’s performance did you like?
Mr. Levine brings the male characters to life. I had no trouble picturing what Ranger, Max, and Jonathan may look like. He also adds the heat to the story that I probably wouldn't feel by reading the book myself. You get more of an emotional experience having someone read to you. When you read for yourself a lot of times it's more monotone. Our narrator also had me feeling as if I was missing something. Had me wondering if there was a story that should have come before - how these three men came to be. So he's given me a reason to check out more of our author's other paranormal series.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I didn't have an extreme reaction but it certainly got me hot. Mr. Levine has me feeling as if I'm standing off to the side as each scene is played out. Left me wanting more and not wanting this book to end. So looking forward to listening to more of Ms. Blevins' work.
Any additional comments?
Ms. Blevins and Mr. Levine are a perfect couple - they are perfect for each other. This is a story that will push boundaries. Both for the characters as well as for the reader/listener. If you're shy at having a person say certain words than I would suggest reading the book. But if you're up for a more seductive experience than you need to listen. There is a lot of graphic language but that just adds to who these people are and what they want.
At times I closed my eyes as the scene played out. I wanted to concentrate on the scene and see how it played out in my mind - didn't want the outside world to take my mind away from what Mr. Levine was reading. But I will tell you that it's not a book to listen to you when you are at work. This is when having the book is the better idea. So this means that this is one of those times where having both the book and the audio version is a good thing. Once I find out what other possible books can be connected with this one, I can see myself listening to this book again.
At times I closed my eyes as the scene played out. I wanted to concentrate on the scene and see how it played out in my mind - didn't want the outside world to take my mind away from what Mr. Levine was reading. But I will tell you that it's not a book to listen to you when you are at work. This is when having the book is the better idea. So this means that this is one of those times where having both the book and the audio version is a good thing. Once I find out what other possible books can be connected with this one, I can see myself listening to this book again.
Q&A with Author Candace Blevins
- Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?
- Not at all. I wrote this for an anthology years ago, and published it as a novella when the rights returned to me. It’s a nice entry into both my Chattanooga Supernaturals series and my Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club series, so it seemed the perfect choice for my first foray into audio. When I eventually look for narrators for Only Human, my urban fantasy series, I’m going to want a male and female working in tandem, but for my first venture, I thought I should keep it as simple as possible.
- How did you select your narrator?
- I have the most awesome reader group ever (Candace’s Kinksters, feel free to look us up on Facebook and come play with us!), and I asked them to tell me their favorite narrators. I listened to the top ten men they listed (with three men and one woman in the menage, it seemed logical to hire a man), and I loved Noah Michael Levine’s voice.
- How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- Noah is a dream to work with. I told him where each character was from, a little about their personalities, and how I envisioned they sounded. It was important we didn’t get a caricature of a southern accent for Jonathan and Bethany, and I think he did a great job.
- How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- I have so many stories in my head, and I write in several different genres, so burnout isn’t a problem for me. My bikers let me play with antiheroes, my urban fantasy series lets me move away from romance, and my dark series lets me get down and dirty. And of course, I have some romance series where I can let people find their happily ever after. Also, if I tire of writing werewolves, I can switch to vampires, or lions, or even ravens or grizzly bears.
- Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?
- Noah Michael Levine’s voice is melt-in-your panties good, especially when he goes all Dom as Ranger. Yummm.
- What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
- I don’t see it that way at all. Some people learn by seeing, others by hearing. It only makes sense that the auditory crowd would prefer to listen rather than look. All the words are the same --- it’s the same book, no matter which format you choose.
- In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
- I’ve only written one stand-alone, and it’s currently banned on Amazon. My publisher is fighting it, but in the meantime, you can find Absolute Power Exchange at Kobo, Apple, Smashwords, BN, and other vendors. The con, obviously, is that once I was done with the couple, I’ll never have an opportunity to visit them again. In a series, I love revisiting couples after their book’s complete, seeing them through the eyes of others, and watching them live out their happily ever after.On the pro side, it was so much easier to write a book without having to constantly stay on top of how the events I was writing would impact the timeline of the rest of the series, or to make sure I stayed true to the rules and personalities of characters from other books. I have four series in one universe, and while I love being able to swap characters around, it takes a lot to keep everything straight.
- What’s next for you?
- The eleventh book in my motorcycle club series just released, and I’m so excited to finally be able to share it with readers.I’ve been working on an epic Faerie story on and off for over five years, and last year I put it on Radish, so I was kind of forced to finish it since I had to write to keep up with the chapter releases. It’s currently going under massive revisions, and will be released as four books, titled Slave, Lady, Consort, and Queen. I don’t have release dates yet, but I’m hoping to be able to release each book a month apart.
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