AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Maya Cross LOCKED (The Alpha Group Trilogy #1)

Title: LOCKED
Series: The Alpha Group Trilogy #1
Author: Maya Cross
Narrator: Carmen Rose
Listening Length: 3 hours & 37 minutes
Price: $11.95
Version: Unabridged Audiobook
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: 02/04/14
Download LOCKED from Tantor.com



 My Ratings

Plot:  4.5/5 
Setting:  4/5 
Writing:  4/5 
Originality of Plot:  4/5 
Characters Development:  3/5 
Ending:  4/5
Heat Level: 5/5
Narration:  5/5
Cover Art:  5/5 
Likelihood to Recommend:  3/5 

Overall:  41.5/50 = 83%




Synopsis

The bar Sophia Pearce is in doesn't look like much. The wine is bad and the decor worse. But when a sudden attack of curiosity leads her to sneak past security and into the back room, she discovers something unimaginable. The most lavish party she's ever laid eyes on, in the most unlikely of places.

But that's nothing compared to what comes next, to the man she meets back there. Sebastian Lock. Gorgeous, commanding, and radiating charm, he is exactly the sort of silver-tongued rake Sophia has sworn to avoid. Unfortunately, he doesn't care much for her promises.

Every instinct tells her to run, but the chemistry between them is as inescapable as gravity. Soon, he's opening her eyes to a whole new world of pleasures, pleasures she never thought she'd enjoy.

There's just one problem. Sebastian is more than he seems. Between the famous company he keeps and the almost paranoid secrecy of his employers, he's a puzzle Sophia can't quite solve, and his insistence on keeping things casual forces her to confront the demons of her past.

Can she learn to trust again? Or will Sebastian's privacy tear them apart? 

Review  

When Sophia Pearce went bar hopping with her best friends, I really doubt she knew what she was getting herself into.  You know that curiosity killed the cat? Sophia bite off a little more then she bargained for when, she followed a sexy actor behind the velvet ropes.  This club isn't your standard Cristal popping, paparazzi snapping affair.  Forbidden secrets hide behind every locked door.  The biggest secret is, who is Sebastian and what does he want with Sophia?

Sophia is a fantastic characters.  Unlike most of the current erotic heroines, she's a strong, independent women.  I constantly want to cheer for her.  She stands up for herself, and doesn't let people walk all over her.  Sebastian, on the other hand, is just this constant unknown.  He keeps you guessing constantly.  He's dark, sexy, and mysterious. But I think we've only begun to see who he is, and what lies beneath.  

  

I wanna say I have a sort of love, hate relationship with this book.  I absolutely love characters and the story line.  My issues is with the length of the story.  This novella only allows the listener to briefly glimpse into what could have been an amazing series.  I wasn't able to really dive into this story and wrap it around me like a blanket.  Just as soon as I started really getting into the storyline, it just ended.  It think that this series should have been one full book, or a full length triliogy.

Possibly my favorite part of LOCKED was it amazing narrator, Carmen Rose.  From this day forward, I now believe that all erotic novels should be read with and Australian accents.  She really made this story catch fire for me.  The story came to life through her voice!  Her array of voices were totally on point. She was able to convey all of the emotions this book has to offer.  I'm always grateful to find a new narrator to fall absolutely in love with.

This series is promising.  It has the structure of a great series.  I just wished that the author had taken it just a bit further or dug a little deeper.  I really want to hang on for the long hall, when it comes to this trilogy.  I wanna jump right into LOCKED OUT, and see where these characters go from here.