In the Cards

By: Jamie Beck

Narrated by: Amy Rubinate, Will Damron

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Lindsey Hilliard flees her charmed life in New York, searching for answers after her fiancé's betrayal fills her with self-doubt. Unfortunately, her rented Malibu home is next door to Levi Hardy, the sexy but insufferable man who humiliated her years ago.

Hardened by a grim past he keeps concealed, Levi prefers maintaining a comfortable distance from folks, especially a nosy princess like Lindsey. But then a motorcycle collision brings him to his knees, forcing him to accept her assistance with his recovery. Sparks begin to fly when the woman who doesn't believe in herself teaches the cynic how to have faith in others. Levi realizes his body will recover, but his heart won't if Lindsey returns to the ex who wants her back.

In the biggest gamble of his life, Levi teaches her to trust her own voice, and hopes she'll use it to say good-bye to her past and hello to a future with him.

©2014 Jamie Beck (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Female narrator is horrible

Would you listen to In the Cards again? Why?

No, I couldn't even make it past Chapter one. I've read or listened to 4 or 5 of Jamie Beck's books and really enjoyed them but this female narrator is horrible.

What didn’t you like about Amy Rubinate and Will Damron ’s performance?

Will is great. I just finished listening to him on another book and was happy when I heard his voice again. Amy is horrible, I can't put into words how bad her voice is and when she tried to do the guy voice it was equally bad.

Any additional comments?

To finish this book I will have to drop the audio and just read.

Good book. Annoying female voice.

This was a well written book. The story was great about trust and breaking down barriers. I originally didn't think I could finish bc of the female voice but eventually I got used to it. It was also weird the male voice doing some female voicing but I don't see any other way they could have done it. Anyways. I loved the story. Another good book with a happy ending and I appreciate that.

In the cards

A really good book. Very interesting I was so glad it ended well soon good

good story good performance by two voices

good story good performance by two voices, one male, one female. loved the effect. worked great with the story.

narrator is terrible!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

no, female narrator is terrible

What do you think your next listen will be?

something by Jamie Beck, just different female narrator

Would you be willing to try another one of Amy Rubinate and Will Damron ’s performances?

not Amy's, sounds like a valley girl, no thanks. Will's yes.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

book was ok.

Wonderful Story

In the Cards is a wonderful story about the tenacity of love and the journey of finding oneself, a journey taken by men and women alike.

Overall I give this novel 5 stars - the whole package was a great find.

The narration for this audio performance was top-notch. Amy Rubinate nailed Lindsey's searching for meaning in her life and untangling the confusion she finds herself in. Jamie Beck is an excellent and very talented writer and paired with Rubinates' narration, inflection and control of voice, Lindsey simply pops to life - no more so than when Levi, narrated by Will Damron, saunters back into her life. Damron does a SUPURB job with Levi's character - his southern accent is pretty authentic. As a southern girl, made super sensitive about my accent from a teaching stint "up-north" I'm quick to tune into portrayals of the range of southern dialect that are disrespectful or unauthentic. Damron brings us a complex man/boy (in Levi's thoughts) who is believable, admirable, and Beck's creation became a man whose boots I'd like to see under my bed any day.

Female narrator ruined this for me

Great story, wonderful narration by Will Damon, however the female narrator had such affected, diphthong-heavy delivery that I just could not enjoy this well-crafted story as I had hoped to. I don't expect regional accents to be perfect, but for a character that is supposed to sound like society girl from the east coast to sound like an childish teenaged Valley Girl, it completely took me out of the story. Will avoid this female narrator in the future.

In The Cards

I have been on an audio binge while moving and this one was fantastic! Levi is not who I expected him to be. He was a complicated but lonely man and when Lindsey moves in next door he is taken off guard by her. They met years ago when he was working as a bartender and she was vacationing and underage and he wouldn't serve her. Years later after she discovers her fiance has cheated on her she leaves him and escapes to Malibu and rents a home next to Levi. She is outgoing and cannot help but work her way into his life. This one was great and satisfying and kept me moving and grooving along. Definitely a keeper!

Good premise

I like Amy Rubinate and that was one reason I ordered this book, the trouble for me was the narration. When I read that there are two narrators (man and woman) I expect the man to read the man's narration and the woman to read the woman's narration, that is not what happened with this book. In this book, every other chapter was in the person of one of the characters and the narrator read the entire chapter. It took a lot away from the story, in my opinion.

Other than that, it was a pretty good story, with a unique premise. I think I would like it much better if I had read the book and if the story moved along a little more quickly.

Melodrama at it's best

If you could sum up In the Cards in three words, what would they be?

sincere, deep, strongly felt

Any additional comments?

This was a very thought provoking story. And, for me it’s one of those stories where as I’m reading I’m not sure if I’m loving it or hating it. The story was heartfelt, but the melodrama was over the top for me.

Dysfunctional characters coming from two different lifestyles. Our Heroine, a life of a privileged child with an overbearing mother. Our Hero, a child raised by a con man, and a mother who deserted him. Both characters holding the honorary title of TSTL….

The writing was excellent, the characters well developed, and simply put the entire story was well developed with nothing missing. When I had to put the story down for some reason I found myself anxious to be back to the story. The epilogue was perfect, so of course I ended up loving the book. Therefore, by the end I couldn’t bring myself to not give it 5 stars.

I read and listened to the audio. I feel the narrators did a pretty good job. Excellent Read.