Silver-Tongued Devil

Portland Devils, Book 1

By: Rosalind James

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Blake Orbison's pro football career with the Portland Devils may have come crashing to an end, but not calling the signals anymore just gives him more time to devote to his business enterprises, including the latest and greatest: the opening of the Wild Horse Resort in scenic north Idaho. And that other one, too. Blake's on the marriage track now, and he's got a game plan. But when he runs into a trespasser leaping from his shoreline boulders into his lake, what's a good ol' boy to do but strip down and join her?

Dakota Savage is nobody's temporary diversion, least of all the man responsible for her family's semi-desperate circumstances. Some people may think she has a piercing too many, but she's had more than enough of being called trash in this town. She's come home to Wild Horse to run her stepfather's painting business, and any extra time she has goes into creating her stained glass. An overpaid, entitled, infuriating NFL quarterback is no part of her life plan, no matter how sweet he talks. No matter how slow he smiles. No matter what.

©2016 Rosalind James (P)2016 Rosalind James

More, More, More

Any additional comments?

The first book in this new series by Rosalind James just has me asking for more, more, more. Not a fan of small town romances, this one is set apart because it's not nirvana where everybody is "quirky" and perfect. Real life intervenes with regularity and I found myself falling deeper into the story and could not put the book down until I was finished.

Sexy ex-football star is looking for the perfect, sweet wife so he can feel like a grown-up, but meeting the unlikeliest of partners and falling hard puts all his plans at risk. Watching Blake and Dakota discover what they really want and how they can really have it is a treat and I can't wait to see what this series has in store for us in the future.

Highly recommend this book if you like a fun romance with sexy characters who both have minds of their own.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Unforgettable!

When you’re raised in a small town, perceptions can be hard to change. Despite a rough upbringing and the stigma of being half Native American, Dakota Savage has carved out a decent life for herself. Dakota is summoned back home to help run the painting business of her injured step-father. Returning home brings back all the insecurities that Dakota thought she had overcome long ago.

Blake Obrison’s football career is over. One too many injuries on the field have put an end to his dreams. Fortunately, Blake has plans for his post-football life. The first part of his plan is to maintain and expand his business empire. That part of his plan is in full swing with the imminent opening of his resort, in Dakota’s small town. Now, Blake’s thinking about settling down, but he needs the perfect wife. When he meets Dakota, the chemistry is immediate, but she is just a distraction in his quest for perfection.

This story was amazing! Author Rosalind James outdid herself on this book! The emotions, the strong feelings that she penned in this story got to me. From the backstory of Dakota’s life to the close and heartbreaking relationship with her step-father, to her feelings of inadequacy in dealing with her attraction to Blake. It all works together to make an unforgettable audiobook.

I need to take a moment and pay homage to Narrator Tanya Eby. Tanya takes what was already a fantastic book and makes it great! There is no one better at fully voiced productions in the romance genre than Ms. Eby. There is absolutely no one better than Tanya at voicing the opposite gender! A swoon worthy hero is her forte, but she is also fantastic at voicing gruff old men, women, children, anything! You name it and she can voice it and do it with a wealth of emotion and energy!

A Delightful New Series from Rosalind James!!

If you could sum up Silver-Tongued Devil in three words, what would they be?

Its suspenseful, humorous and of course I have to use romance. Rosalind James has done it again with another great book and of course another audiobook that captures the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Silver-Tongued Devil?

The most memorable part of Silver-Tongued Devil was any part with Dakota. Ms. James made her a character that doesn't play to the typical damsel in distress. She is an independent woman that helps family and friend when she is also chasing her dreams.

Any additional comments?

Sliver-Tongued Devil was a delightful read and Now its a Great Listen by Rosalind James!

This story is a great new series to listen to anytime!

Blake Orbison is a retired injured NFL quarterback that is building Wild Horse Resort in Idaho. That is where he meets Dakota. She is a smart and funny woman who is trying to help out her stepfather with his painting business since he injured himself while working at Mr. Orbison's resort.

Just listening to the story and how Blake and Dakota work out there relationship is a real joy. You can also read more about this story from the book description.

You will not be disappointed when listening to this story.


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Love and Protection

Did Tanya Eby do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

I have a hard time with Tanya as a narrator. I feel that she does the voice of women wonderfully, but I just don't like the way she does the male characters. I think she makes them all sound older than what they should be. I've listened to other books that she has narrated and felt the same way with those.

Any additional comments?

A great story to start a great new series. If you are unfamiliar with Rosalind's books, this is a good place to start. Once you start though, be prepared to read all the other books in her different series.This was a pleasant surprise of a new series. Blake and Dakota are quite comical with one another. It's a love/hate relationship. But more of a lust relationship to begin with. Dakota has had a rough upbringing, but has established herself with her painting business with her stepdad, Russell and also trying to establish her stained glass business as well. He is a super supportive "dad" and very protective. So, once Blake starts showing up and hiring her to paint his house, he is very skeptical of him. Dakota is a free spirit and is up for the challenge that is Blake. He had his mind set on what his life should look like post-NFL - wife, kids, home. However, Dakota certainly makes him see his life in a different light.There is humor, suspense and a lot of romance in this story. I loved Blake and Dakota, but also really loved Russell. Such a strong character and he really brought the "family" aspect of the story to light."I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.”

Bad narration, good story

Tanya Eby has a horrible voice, which is both gravelly AND nasally. The only part that wasn't awful was when she speaks a man's lines. Otherwise, it's nasally and gravelly and sort of breathy
It was almost enough to make me stop listening several times, but the story and the characters (the step dad is AMAZING) were really good.

Good love story

Narration was a bit slow.

Story got some feels out of me, particularly Dakota’s back story.

love the new series

I'm a huge fan of Rosalind James. I've enjoyed every book she has written and this is absolutely no exception. The book captures you from the beginning and keeps you right until the end. The main characters, Dakota and Blake are real people with real issues. They're far from perfect and that makes them more appealing. This is the first of this series and I can't wait for the second book. The narrator is also really good! She does all the voices really well and I will listen to her again.
 "I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.”

Smoothly written and read!

Where does Silver-Tongued Devil rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top of the line in my all time audios! Tanya's reading was the perfect southern accent to Blake"s smooth southern drawl! The story of the bad boy thinking he needed a good girl and a good girl stuck with a bad reputation.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Silver-Tongued Devil?

The talk Blake's minister Mom had with Blake in the middle of the night, Her perfect questions with no answers gave poor confused millionaire Blake all the right answers.

Any additional comments?

Rosalind James continues her well done litany of smooth talking men and fierce women. No one is doing a combination of the two with the smoothness she's fast becoming known for.

Best book I've 'read' in a while.

And definitely the best $5 I've spent in a very long time. Get this one on sale, like I did and make yourself doubly happy.

I'm a sucker for a southern boy and the southern boy in this book was just about perfect. Outside a bit of repetitiveness in his speech sometimes, I can't complain about any of the writing here. The female half of the couple was also very likeable. She was strong and artistic and knew what she wanted, though there was also vulnerability there and pain in her past (the book does contain a description of rape during her teenage years, as fair warning for those who might have sensitivities in that area).

The small town life was portrayed pretty accurately, though I'd have liked to see more of the 'good side' of that, maybe. Having been raised in one myself, I feel like the author probably knows what it's like (or she did some majorly good research) and it's hard to look back and find the good if you've experienced the bad.

Finally, while Tanya Eby did a very good job, if I could change one thing it would probably be to make it dual narration. Having said that, though, having just Tanya didn't take anything from the book and I highly recommend it.

Good Romance

This really isn't a sports romance although the cover makes it seem so. The hero(Blake)is a retired Super Bowl winning football player. Now he's an entrepreneur and resort owner. His heroine is Dakota, an artist and small town girl-one that was sexually assaulted in high school and no one believed her. Now she has to live in the same town with the arrogant jerk who made her a victim. Because he is rich and from a powerful family he makes the town think she's the town bad girl even though they are all adults now. When she meets Blake everything changes for her. This book has all the "feels". I listened, really enjoyed the narration and I forgot that a female was doing the male voices. That's quite the achievement for a narrator I think! So I gave narration 5 stars.
Recommended to adult contemporary romance listeners.