Book Review: Settle the Score
Title: Settle the Score
Author: Kris Ripper
Narrator: Pete Cross
Rating: 5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.
Des Cleary writes press releases for an LA marketing firm, far from his childhood dreams of being an investigative reporter. His latest assignment has been hoisted on him by his well meaning boss to sign a reclusive ex soccer player to a new LGBT+ youth campaign. Unfortunately the reason Orion Broderick is both reclusive and an ex player is due to a damaging article Des wrote in college which publicly outed Orion. As Des arrives at Orion’s cabin in the mountains, so too does the darkening skies of a snow storm, things are about to get very frosty indeed.
So it’s a basic forced proximity enemies to lovers trope for the plot, but oh my! The combination of Ripper’s narrative and Cross’s vocal talent upped what could have been an average romance story into something that left me at times grinning and kicking my feet with joy and at others with my hands covering my face and my chest aching in sympathy!
The two main characters were likeable and the animosity from Orion to Des was completely warranted yet I still fully understood and felt for Des, it’s such a hard experience to know you have truly stuffed up. The gradual thawing of feelings was believably depicted and the fall out after the storm kept me listening in high anticipation. Secondary and tertiary characters were realistic and I felt I was fully immersed in the story.
Pete Cross was a dream to listen to, as I mentioned earlier my emotions were all over the place, his comedic timing was utter perfection, I doubt I would have rated this book so highly if he hadn’t taken me on the journey with him so perfectly.
Final thoughts: A plot we’ve seen before, expertly written and wonderfully told.
Who would enjoy this book: Fans of romance, especially of the enemies to lovers trope.
