Wonderful narration, great value

Wrecked Beginnings is a box set of the first three books in the Wrecked Series:
Reckless Memories
Perfect Wreckage
Wrecked Palace
This whole series is packed full of angst, suspense, humor and swoon. It is heart and heat with storylines that kept me interested and invested.
The audiobook narration with each of these stories is wonderful and the three books for one credit makes it a great value.
-5 Stars!-

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Incredible stories!

When a book can both break your heart and put it back together, you know it is a good one! Catherine Cowles has written an amazing series that does just this! Book 1, Reckless Memories is a story of loss, pain, redemption and love and brings everything full circle. Ford, Violet and Bell are a childhood trio until the unthinkable happens. Now years later, Ford returns to town to help his family's bar from going out of business and finds Bell there. Their bond from childhood still in place despite the circumstances cannot be extinguished and now there is the possibility of more. Or is there? This complex story has so many twists and turn, and emotional pulls that I could not stop listening. I was intrigued by Bell. She is not only pretty, but she is smart and talented! Ford carries a lot of weight on his shoulders, but we can see the man he is and chooses to be. Add in a little suspense and a twist that makes you cringe and worry, and this story has it all! Book 2, Perfect Wreckage is another that will pull you in. Kenna has had her share of hurt and grief over the years, and her heart is guarded. Living with Harriet has been her safeguard and the one place she feels loved. Crosby is Harriet's lawyer, and nothing excites him more then riling Kenna up. Friends to lovers, these two find their relationship changing when circumstances change. Nothing prepares them for the storm that is coming, and the feelings that result.. Their romance is passion filled, and full of bumps and I love that in a story. Then we have the story outside of the couple, and it's intriguing. I love the power play,the desperation and suspense it brings. Book 3 Wrecked Palace pulled me in and kept me captivated. Caelyn's life as a college student takes a complete turn when she becomes guardian for her three siblings. Willing to sacrifice her life to give them a stable, happy home, she does what she needs to get by. Griffin, a tortured "giant" of a man, struggles everyday with his past. Cowles lets us watch how two souls compliment each other. We also have the fabulous cast of siblings adding innocence. Love and humor. It's a culmination of all emotions with cameos from our favorites in the series. You too will love this box set!

Andi Arndt, Joe Arden, Ava Erickson and Maxine Mitchell are magnificent in their narration of these stories. These consummate professionals make all the characters so real. They have our hearts with and pull us into the story with all the emotions and all the love. They find the essence of the characters and give them life. Better casting could not have been chosen for this storytelling.

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Three great stories in one package

*Reckless memories
It started with a bang. A literal bang, from a car accident. Just after I got a taste of Isabelle’s dysfunctional family–dysfunctional at least for her–and her special relationship with Ford, her sister’s boyfriend. Thanks for the angst.

Fast forward to present times, when Ford comes back to town after many years away. It starts a chain of events that are at the center of the book–renewed or rediscovered feelings, revenge plans from a mysterious stalker, family tensions at a peak, new future considered. All of them well written, and keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

The weakest part of the story, for me, was actually the romance. Don’t get me wrong, the characters were quite interesting–they had their traumas and quirks, and a consistent personality–and I enjoyed the various stages of their relationship, from resentment to passion. It was the change from one to the next that I had trouble with. It’s kind of explained as ‘it was always supposed to be’ but what triggered the actual evolution is more confusing. And Ford’s cluelessness doesn’t help.

On the other hand, the suspense part was intense and really intriguing. The meanness and violence of it might be triggering to some, but I liked it. There were barely any clue to understand what was happening, and many red herrings to mislead the reader. Well played. So much that the ending was kind of anticlimactic.

With two excellent narrators, the audiobook is of course a very pleasant bonus. The characters’ emotions are almost palpable, from fierce love to intense fear.

*Perfect wreckage
First book was nice and all, but this one had exactly the right amount of angst to get tears in my eyes, even knowing that it ends with a happily ever after.

You have Kenna, who decided after too many disillusions that she would be so slick and perfect that shit would just glide on her; and Crosby, who’s never been at the receiving hand of love and is guarding his heart against another heartbreak. They start–from book one–with a push and pull relationship: Crosby is charming, flirting shamelessly with Kenna, while she has little to no respect for him given the way he acts. Between them, Harriet, who raised Kenna when her mother abandoned her, and who chose Crosby as her lawyer. Like a fairy godmother, she’s going to be the catalyst to their love story, even from beyond the grave.

Kenna and Crosby both have secrets that keep them from really connecting with each other at first, and even threaten their relationship when they give it a try. Revolving around lies, cheating, heartbreak, and reputation, those secrets bring them together. In the end, they’re so much alike. I loved seeing them slowly building a real relationship unknowingly, while thinking they’re just having a fling.

What force them together is Kenna’s legal problems with Harriet’s will. Bad guys from her past come back, destroying everything in her life until she has nothing left. Nothing, except the people she’s open herself to–her friends, and Crosby. And her own strength.

Kenna was such a positive character, still fighting when there’s little hope, finding new paths when other are closed. Crosby’s best qualities was his good heart. Offering his time for free, caring for people. A beautiful character. Which make their struggles more heartbreaking. You just want to hug them–or slap the bad guys in the face.

I love both narrators a lot, but the female narrator gives a perfect performance. Her male voice can express cockiness, playfulness and sadness with equal talent, and she does justice to Kenna’s character. The audio is all around really good. I recommend.

*Wrecked palace
It started with a bang and never calmed down after that. Well, not exactly. There were a lot of more domestic and intimate moments–without all the suspense and tension of the beginning–but they were equally intense. Which is up to par with two intense characters.

Griffin had been introduced as the grumpy type in the previous books, but he’s actually a giant with a sensible heart and a strong protective streak. Faced with Caelyn and her siblings in danger, he even goes full mama bear. But his nature forces him to also help the little family in other ways–offering Caelyn a more profitable job, encouraging Will to pursue his passions, letting Mia exert her imagination. Friend, big brother, fatherly figure, boyfriend/husband/lover, he successively and sometimes simultaneously holds all those positions inside the O’Connor family. After learning his past and how he became so reserved, it’s a pleasure to see him open himself.

Caelyn lives for her siblings. Feeling guilty for leaving them with their parents when she knew they couldn’t care less, and after they actually abandoned them, she’s decided to give up all selfish pursuit and sacrifice herself for her three brother and sisters. So when Griffin takes care of her first, then takes the whole family under his wing, she finally can let go and dream again. She isn’t alone anymore.

What I loved the most was that even with a mountain of muscles by her side, she doesn’t need someone to save her–though Griffin kind of does. She needs help, sure, but mostly support, and not someone to take over her life. So even though it creates some misunderstanding and conflicts, I actually loved that she’s strong like that.

I have mixed feelings about the suspense part of the story. It was woven expertly with the characters’ more personal stories, with some red herrings, and the family aspect–with Caelyn’s parents being drug dealers and all–was interesting, but I felt the actual resolution lacked the bang I mentioned at the beginning.

The narration? Perfect. The kids, by both narrators, had distinct and cute voices, and of course, they gave life to Caelyn and Griffin in the most beautiful way. A time well spent.