Lauren Rowe

When I started listening to the audiobook of Finding Home I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The rockstar vibe and sudden daddy situation intrigued me, and a duet recording is always worth a listen. It sounded like a pretty simple story on the surface: selfish rockstar has a one-night stand with a groupie, agrees to provide for her and surprise baby but sees no need to have any contact, big shock when he learns the woman has died in an accident and her shady father has stepped into the show more picture looking for custody and that support money. Best friend of the dead woman currently has the little girl and is fiercely protective, disdains and hates the rockstar but knows what the dead woman’s father has done in the past so agrees to work with the rockstar to do what’s best for the adorable toddler.

I was looking forward to a few hours of entertainment, but what I got was so much more than that. Finding Home is a well-written, deep and complex story, with a smooth plot that takes you through so many unexpected scenarios. It’s a swoon-worthy romance with unforgettable characters, a story that just wriggles its way into your heart and stays with you. And fantastic narrators Andi Arndt and Sean Masters just take it over the top. Arndt is always so good: she can do sarcastic and irritated and smug so well, and then perfectly express surprise and annoyance when she realizes she’s not going to get her way. She can be dismissive and cutting, doe-eyed and innocent and lusty and smitten all in the same paragraph, and make you believe it. She’s abrupt and wary, funny, worried and flat out in love. Sean Masters is, well, masterful in his portrayal of Caleb Baumgarten. I lost count of how many times I was brought to tears by the emotion he put in his gravelly voice: guilt over his mother, instant love and protectiveness for that little girl, and then for Aubrey and this life and love and family he’s starting to so desperately want and need. Masters also skillfully captures Caleb’s struggles: his initial tendency to resort to the tricks and manipulations that have always worked for him in the past, lying, viewing everything with himself at the center. You want to be 100% in Caleb’s corner, but will he find his way through or will he relapse?

Finding Home is non-stop action with much more suspense than I would ever have imaged. The upcoming custody hearing is Caleb’s one chance to prove he’s fit to have his daughter in his life. But he’s still in rehab and his reputation is in tatters. And were it not for the fact that Claudia’s father Ralph Beaumont has inserted himself into this process, Aubrey would be shouting from the rooftops that Caleb doesn’t deserve to spend a minute in that little girl’s life. But forced proximity and increasingly sincere actions can change perception, and that is what slowly begins to happen. Caleb is complicated and multi-layered, but his love for Raine seems true. Aubrey is not simple or one-dimensional but what you see if what you get is pretty much true for her, and she takes her responsibilities and promises very seriously. She will do her best for Claudia’s daughter no matter what.

Ralph isn’t actually in too many scenes, but his threatening evil presence hangs over everything like a dark cloud. He demonstrated how base, cruel and disgusting he was years ago, and no one knows what lengths he will go to now. It often feels like he’s lurking around every corner, peering into every window.

And that just ramps the suspense up, because this red-hot? white-hot? atomic-level? earthshattering attraction between Caleb and Aubrey could be a problem, a disaster that blows the custody hearing out of the water, because they aren’t as circumspect about their budding, blooming, exploding relationship as they probably should be, given that Ralph or his spies – or social workers or anyone else who might be called to testify for that matter – might be just out of sight. The relationship itself, though? Whew! You’d better have some ice water nearby because you will need it.

Finding Home is exciting, scary, funny, and so romantic you’ll be swooning and touching your heart. Raine is adorable, family and friends are interesting and supportive. Aubrey is a delightful mix of mama-bear, fangirl, sometimes immature young woman with a moral code that never wavers, and a sexy woman with an unending capacity for love. Caleb is a mess of a man who digs deep to become the man who deserves this life and love he has found, and to protect it at all costs. Narrators Arndt and Masters make the story captivating and mesmerizing, capturing all the emotions and making you feel you are right there. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and its perfect ending and recommend it and anything author Lauren Rowe writes without hesitation. I received an advance listening copy of Finding Home. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

Oh my dear heart! This book. *sigh* I love Colby, I have from the outset. He is the perfect man, in theory. He has his demons but he also has his crazy whacked out, lovable, and loud family to help him through. Lydia is a super strong heroine, she has what it takes to deal with Colby, but she has issues of her own. This book cracked me up, it made me cry, and it gave me warm and tingly feelings. There are Beyonce references, Seinfeld references, more crazy behavior and good old fashion love. show more Do yourself a favor, read this book, you won't be sorry. Told in dual pov. show less

This was fun, flirty, and surprisingly heartfelt. Iris instantly won me over after she publicly dumps her cheating fiancé at the altar and escapes alone to her Hawaiian honeymoon. Her rebound vacation takes an unexpected turn when she ends up sharing a bungalow with Roman, a swoony NFL quarterback who's hiding more than just his great abs. Their meet-cute is hilarious, the banter is sharp, and the chemistry is hot right from the start. I loved how the story balanced spicy vacation romance show more with deeper emotional stakes, especially around Roman's son and Iris finding her confidence again after going viral. This book had me laughing, swooning, and rooting hard for their happily ever after. Perfect for sports romance lovers. show less

OMG I flove Lauren Rowe and this Morgan boys. Keane and Maddy...I loved the by play between them, I loved the one liners, and I have the giggles reading this book. It was awesome to see Keane grow as a person on the road trip, cause lord knows he needed it. This book was funny and smoking hot, and I just cannot resist that combo. Do yourself a favor and read this.