the book was good the narration was horrible

although the book left you with a questions at the end that I did not like and I do felt like the altar did. Review and research contract law and Financial laws in Maine very well. it was the narrator that took the most away from the story. the main character Caleb sounded more like a mixture between Jimmy Stewart in Forrest Gump. the only reason I didn't return the audible was because I was traveling and didn't have time to buy another story

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Loved it!!

I thoroughly enjoyed Surprise Groom! Kenneth Obi narrated it perfectly. I loved how Caleb and Julian came together as friends after so many years apart. I had read the book and absolutely loved the audio version as well. Highly recommend it!!

1 person found this helpful

Fake Relationship Trope - A Bit Below Average

First, the not-my-taste portion, since I rated it the lowest and if you like it then you might enjoy the experience of this audiobook far more than I did. The worst bit for me was the narration:

I knew going in that I wouldn't love the narration, so I wasn't tricked into it by listening to a sample or anything. Kenneth Obi narrates a lot of books I take an interest in, and each time I see he's the narrator I put the book in my wish list and decide to come back when I'm desperate for any new book, because I know I don't like his narrating style. I have listened to at least five books he's narrated, and I've never liked his style, but a lot of people like him, that's all fine. I found his narration itself less challenging in this book than usual, but his accents were grating. Until the narrative spelled it out, I couldn't place what he was aiming for: "is that supposed to be... British? No wait, that line was more maybe - Australian? Oh, no, it's South Carolinian? ...Bostonian?" and indeed, nearly all of the characters are meant to have a New England accent, apparently. It was incredibly distracting, especially Julian's voice as his kept dipping more southern to me, I was left really wishing the narrator used his normal accent.

Now, to the story:

I have been feeling that trope-craving, seeking out that comfort-blanket warmth of the familiar with just enough difference to hold interest. I always base my ratings off of what could be expected given the summary and the genre, I don't think it's fair to judge every book as if it was aiming to be a deeply thought-provoking, poetic read. That's not even what we want all the time, is it? Sometimes we need the story that just brings us in enough to pull us along with the plot, but not any of the rest. A light popcorn read.

Even so, this book was not great. It wasn't awful by any stretch, but it was on the lower end of what I'd hope for given the fake-dating/fake marrying trope, and I've read pretty extensively from the trope.

I liked some of the side characters for the little glimpses we got, I look for characters who aren't complete copies of genre stereotypes within the trope-y stories, I figure since the plot writes itself to a great extent in these cases then a good author can give us some interesting characters to stand out in the mix. I appreciated that Diego and Sophia, a prior hook up and the potential alternative spouse, were not characterized as awful people, and that though there were few female characters with speaking lines in the story, none were particularly demonized (though we did get the ex-who-is-a-gold-digger).

I also appreciated the element of 'continuous consent is the only consent' that went on, especially given the discussion of what one of the characters had gone through in past. I liked the trust that developed, keeping misunderstandings from being that particularly obnoxious sort that the genre can lean on starting about the 75% through the story.

There was a lot of missed opportunity in this book, so much that was superficially interesting just didn't come together, it felt unpolished. I didn't love either of the main characters, I didn't care much about their relationship, I didn't love the setting, There is something of a side-story about another couple who lived on the island years prior that seemed to take up story time without committing to it in a way that brought the audience in, it felt like a way to keep Julian busy more than anything. It felt a bit like a story of "Caleb is going to have an important job and do things and lead the plot, and then Julian needs to not get in his way, bring the issues, and feel like he has a life here too" rather than actually tying disparate bits of story together and weaving something immersive, intriguing, or heartwarming together.

Some elements of the story also challenged my ability to suspend disbelief, mostly the evil-villain levels and host of people who are not bright enough to see what is happening sorts of characters.

Overall, I won't listen again. I think if you like Kenneth Obi, and are okay with the attempted accent, then this isn't a bad read, but there are better out there. If you want a fake marriage story, I'd give a higher rating to The Husband Gambit by LA Witt, bonus because the amazing Greg Boudreaux is one of the narrators (and Michael Ferraiuolo is the other).

1 person found this helpful

I loved this! Lots of great tropes in this book!

I'm a sucker for friends-to-lovers, second chance and fake groom stories so DJ Jamison hit a trifecta for me with Surprise Groom.

This book has lots of feels. It hit me right in the heart and engaged all of my emotions. I couldn't stop reading it once I started. The blurb does a great job of telling you the background for the story so I won't repeat it.

Caleb needs to marry Julien to save his family's private island where he is the wedding planner. Julien's father holds a mortgage that Caleb and his mother didn't know about until recently because his now deceased father kept it from them.

What started out as a temporary two-year marriage soon turns into something much more for both Caleb and Julien. I could feel the love between the two of them. Unfortunately, Julien's homophobic jerk of a father manages to foul things up. I loved the way that Caleb fought for Julien and the HEA was absolutely perfect. I'm really looking forward to the next book in this new series.

A fake turns real romance that works

I appreciated the reviews I read prior, though I didn't have a problem with the narration it was good not to expect folks from New England would sound like they were from New England. I liked both the MCs. Enjoyed watching the shift from go-go dancer to photographer, and the workaholic finding his way to being present for his life. The evil father figure was rather two dimensional, but otherwise, it was a lovely romance.

A great fake relationship

Caleb is in shock when he finds out he and his mom is about to lose the family resort. His dad has left them with a pile of debts. His best friend is a paralegal and after looking at the contract of the man calling in the debt finds the loophole The debt holder told them about had yet another loophole. So Caleb sets out to find Julienne his childhood best friend and son of the debt holder. He finds Julienne in Florida dancing as a gogo dancer.
Julienne is getting a bit old for gogo dancing and his boss keeps hiring younger men giving them the best hours. He would love to find something else but can't afford it. Then out of the blue, his friend from his past shows up. with an offer hard to refuse, not only the money and chance for a new lifestyle but to play house with his first crush.

I love fake relationships when they are believable enough and this one is perfect. I loved both characters and the setting. The storyline was also fun and I liked the kind of gay for you thrown in the process.

I listened to the audio and Kenth Obi did such a great job with the narration. I love his voices for each character and his acting of the story pulls you right in.

Love story to surpass all others.

Is love worth the hassle or loosing an island retreat?
Can two people find their HEA amidst the lying, overbearing, deceitful, and contract wheeling father?
Yes they can by following Louis father's example of how to get out of certain contracts and situations, Caleb and Louise were able to get their HEA.

I enjoyed this book immensely, great storyline, the author and Narrator did an excellent job.....
oking forward to read ok ng book 0

All the feels you could possibly want!

Julian and Caleb’s story: add some good friends, some good family, a devious father, some hot and bothered sexy moments and a whole lot of Love and you’ve got a recipe for a great read!!! Love does have a way of conquering all!

Not For Me

This narrator was not for me, the voice used for the characters was off putting. I ended up getting the book and finishing it by reading rather than listening. The story was decent, the narrator just wasn't for me.

A wonderful acting for a wonderful book...

As a huge fan of DJ Jamison, when I discovered this book that started a whole new series I was so happy that I couldn’t wait to read it. Caleb and Julien’s story is easy to read, sweet and endearing full of romance and hot scenes but also had an interesting plot involving fake marriage, intrigue, some misunderstandings and more. With this book so good, adding a voice acting like Mr Obi’s made everything even better! Loved it!!