Audiobook Review - Naughty Little Secret by Shayla Black

Book: Naughty Little Secret

By: Shayla Black (writing as Shelley Bradley)
Narrator: Cindy Harden
Length: 6 hours 5 min
Audio Published:
Published by: Listen Up Audiobooks
*this book was given to me in exchange for an honest review by the author*

My Thoughts: Naughty Little Secret was a book filled with secrets and heartache. It was a book that, once you suspended belief a bit, was quite interesting and ridiculously sexy.

The Story: This story follows Lauren Southall, a divorcee' who is broken hearted, afraid of love, and completely jaded. She's also inappropriately interested in her boss/ex-husband's friend, Noah Reeves. What she doesn't know is that Noah is inappropriately interested in her too. Two years passes after her divorce, and Noah has a plan to win her heart. Unfortunately, everything doesn't always work out as planned. What ensues is an intense story that's at times frustrating and other times exciting.

The Narration: Cindy Harden was a good narrator. At the beginning, her voice seemed a bit too breathless, but eventually I got used to it and settled in. She did a great job with the narration of the story and made sure we felt the correct emotions. I didn't quite like the male voices she made at times, but I could deal with them. I know from personal experience that I can really only make one male voice, so I felt okay with the few that she made.

The Verdict: I give this one 3 stars. While I thought the story was beyond hot, I just couldn't connect with the characters, and the story itself required a bit too much suspension of belief. I just can't put myself in her position no matter how hard I try. In the beginning, Lauren seems way too desperate for affection from anyone with a male appendage, and at the same time as the story progresses she's too guarded, and seems to make stupid decisions. Beyond that, she had no confidence in herself, no confidence in others, and just basically no confidence at all. Noah's plan to woo her was an idiotic one, and I could see the writing on the wall at first mention of it. In addition, once everything was revealed, it took too much (in my opinion) to wrap things all up. Still, Shayla Black knows how to write a sexy scene, and the story itself wasn't bad. I really enjoyed it despite my misgivings about the characters. I would recommend this one to those who like erotica that requires a significant amount of belief suspension, but that fully involves a taboo fantasy many would never admit to having.